Dead In Their Sleep: The True Inspiration for Freddy Krueger

In this chilling episode of A Study of Strange, we look at the terrifying real-life mystery that inspired A Nightmare on Elm Street: unexplained deaths of healthy Southeast Asian men who died suddenly in their sleep. Known as “Asian Death Syndrome” or Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS), this phenomenon was first noted in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Was it genetics, trauma, or nightmares themselves?

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Dive deeper into true crime, unsolved mysteries, and tales of high strangeness each week on A Study of Strange. Hosted by filmmaker Michael May, exploring the dark crossroads of history, folklore, and the unexplained.

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