Johnny Depp Went From Selling Pens to a 1984 Debut That Ranks Among the Best Horror Movies of All Time

Before Wes Craven cast him as Glen Lantz, the future star pursued music and sold pens over the phone to pay his bills. A Nightmare on Elm Street hit US audiences on November 9, 1984, making it 42 years today. The release features Johnny Depp, who was not yet chasing an acting career.

The future Hollywood star was focused on becoming a musician in Los Angeles, where he struggled to find gigs and sold pens over the phone to pay his bills. His transition into acting came when Nicholas Cage encouraged him to try acting and introduced him to his agent. Depp played Glen Lantz, boyfriend to Heather Langenkamp’s Nancy, in writer and director Wes Craven’s slasher.

Elm Street secured fifteenth place on IGN’s list of the 25 best horror movies, with The Shining holding the lead, followed by The Exorcist and Psycho. IGN strayed from ranking based on scares alone and included quality, influence, lasting appeal, and its editors’ choices. In its April 2025 update, it places Craven’s film above Dawn of the Dead and Suspiria.

Specifically, the writers praise Freddy Krueger for breaking away from silent, masked killers since Robert Englund’s character talks and attacks through dreams, so ordinary rules offer little protection. IGN also credits the young cast and Craven’s skill at building tension, showing the ranking focuses on the production rather than the appearance of a future star. More than 42 years later, The Hollywood Reporter revealed in July 2026 that Paramount secured U.S. rights to Craven’s original screenplay.

However, the planned feature is a new project without any confirmed appearance of Depp or the rest of the cast. According to the report, the film will be “set in the world of A Nightmare on Elm Street, based on the original screenplay.” Meanwhile, People revisited Depp’s unlikely casting in an October 30 feature. Looking back in 2015, Depp said, “Wes Craven was the guy who gave me my start, from my perspective, for almost no reason in particular.” While another chapter of this respected horror legacy develops, the original holds a pivotal role in Depp’s acting career and showcasing Craven’s imagination.

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