Is the terrifying tale of Freddy Krueger's "Nightmare on Elm Street" rooted in the chilling deeds of a real-life serial killer from New York? This rumor has circulated throughout the state, but is there any truth to it?

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According to a Facebook page that pretends to represent the City of Buffalo, Wes Craven's Freddy Krueger character was inspired by a real-life figure named Freddy Krueger who allegedly killed at least 20 children in the 1800s and is said to have haunted Buffalo Psychiatric Hospital to this day. However, this comparison is nothing but a bunch of fake news.

The truth is that there is no Buffalo Psychiatric Hospital. The Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane was built in 1870 and is today known as the Richardson Olmsted Complex, where the Buffalo Psychiatric Center now operates. Additionally, there is no evidence of a real-life person named Freddy Krueger in Buffalo or in any other city even though several viral social media posts claim it to be true.

In fact, Wes Craven himself stated that the "Nightmare on Elm Street" was not based on a serial killer, but instead on a phenomenon known as "Asian Death Syndrome." The film drew inspiration from a set of newspaper reports detailing Cambodian refugees haunted by recurring nightmares of Pol Pot, leading them to avoid sleep until exhaustion ultimately claimed their lives.

Additionally, the character of Fred Krueger was molded after a schoolmate who tormented the director, Wes Craven, while the concept of a sinister killer residing in a boiler room was shaped by Craven's childhood experiences of living in a house with a basement furnace.

While the myths surrounding the origins of "Nightmare on Elm Street" continue to be spread periodically on social media, the truth is that the infamous Freddy Krueger character is entirely fictional, with no basis in reality.

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Gallery Credit: Nicole Caldwell & Matt Albasi

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