Nightmare's Heather Langenkamp Is the Final Girl of Our Dreams

Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced the world to Freddy Krueger, a burned bogeyman who created nightmares that carried over into waking life. However, this wholly original slice of fantasy terror also introduced moviegoers to Nancy Thompson, a resourceful "final girl" who inspired a generation of horror fans.

Played by Heather Langenkamp, Nancy was the furthest thing from a bimbo-fied scream queen cliche. She fought back with bravery, intelligence, and determination, while taking the fight to her attacker, rather than shrieking in terror as passive prey. Langenkamp would reprise Nancy twice -- in Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and the meta New Nightmare.

Three decades after the original Nightmare, the character not only maintains a place of honor in the horror hall of fame, she's celebrated as a gay icon of the genre.

Langenkamp recently sat down with The Advocate's entertainment editor, Jase Peeples, to discuss why Nancy inspired a legion of LGBT horror fans, why more people should be dressing as Freddy's nemesis on Halloween, and the horror of gender inequality. Watch below.