Heather Langenkamp is digging through her A Nightmare on Elm Street wardrobe again, and this time she’s showing fans something straight out of the original 1984 movie. The actress, who played Nancy Thompson in Wes Craven’s horror classic, shared a new Instagram video revealing the original pajamas she wore in A Nightmare on Elm Street. The floral sleepwear has survived more than four decades, and Langenkamp still has the complete outfit, including the matching pants.
The reveal follows a previous video in which Langenkamp showed off clothing from Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, including Nancy’s vest. After seeing how much fans enjoyed that look into her personal collection, she decided to bring out another piece of Nightmare history.
The pajamas are instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with Nancy’s original appearance. The set features pink roses mixed with smaller blue flowers, pale blue piping around the collar, pockets and cuffs, and four buttons down the front. The matching pants have the same blue piping around the bottom cuffs and a simple elastic waistband.
Langenkamp even checked the original manufacturer’s label, revealing that the pajamas were made by a company called Youth in Shanghai, China.
“Boy, it seems very symbolic to me that that’s the name of this company,” she remarked while showing off the label.
The pajamas aren’t exactly in pristine condition after all these years. Langenkamp pointed out that despite washing them several times, some stains have refused to come out.
“You know, we worked hard making that movie,” she joked.
But the wardrobe reveal isn’t the only reason Langenkamp brought out the pajamas. She’s also announced the first annual Be Nancy 2026 Costume Contest, inviting fans to recreate their favorite Nancy Thompson looks for Halloween.
Langenkamp will personally judge the entries, with two separate categories for participants under 18 and those 18 and older. Fans can recreate Nancy’s appearance from any scene in any of the films, so there’s no requirement to stick with the original pajamas. She specifically mentioned the pink sweater from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, the vest from Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and the classic pajama outfit as possible inspirations.
To enter, participants should post a photo of their Nancy costume on Instagram, tag @langenkampH and include the hashtag #BeNancy2026. For contestants under 18, Langenkamp asks that a parent post the photo on their behalf.
“I’m so excited because I know how many of you out there have really great Nancy costumes,” Langenkamp said while announcing the contest.
She hasn’t announced prizes, a submission deadline or when the winners will be selected, but the competition is open to fans looking to celebrate Nancy this Halloween season.
For anyone planning to recreate the original Nightmare On Elm Street pajamas, Langenkamp’s video offers a particularly useful reference. After more than 40 years, fans can finally get a close look at the actual fabric, floral pattern and details of the outfit she wore while facing Freddy Krueger.
Watch Heather Langenkamp reveal Nancy’s original pajamas and announce the Be Nancy 2026 Costume Contest below.
