Retrospective - A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

The 1980s were a haven for slasher films, with the horror genre often pivoting towards vivid, gruesome horror that thrived in teenage madness, lurid palettes, and unique narrative formulas. One of the most successful, beloved, and famed horror franchises to emerge this decade and remain subsequently as revered to this day is A Nightmare on Elm Street. 1984 saw Wes Craven release the first entry into the impending series, meeting instant critical and box office praise, whilst simultaneously catching the attention of producers desperate to reach further into the world of Freddy Krueger and expand the lore and legends that had been meticulously crafted by Craven. The eventual A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge boasts a chaotic and crucial history for horror cinema, with the film brimming with ruckuses between the studio, Craven and Robert Englund, all the while forming a critical subtext that would come to be regarded as one of the most eminent gay horror films of all time.  

Freddy's Revenge takes place five years after the town of Springwood saw the resurrection of the sleep demon Freddy Krueger (Englund). Now, the Walsh family occupy the former home of Freddy's previous victim Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp). Hopes of suburban comfort are soon dashed when the Walsh's eldest child, teenager Jesse (Mark Patton), begins to experience strange recurring nightmares, sparking Krueger to once again, viciously wreak havoc.  

Contemporaneously, Freddy's Revenge is a renowned horror that has sparked quite the cult following, prompting an esteemed status as a genre cinema must-watch. Such fortune has awarded the film to be reread and contextualised as a slasher that broke the mould with its presentation of queer horror. However, upon the film's release, the slasher was far from gaining the instant hit status that its predecessor claimed. It is worth noting that the cinema screens were packed, with figures reporting that the film did circulate within the top ten releases at the time, yet the critical response was more than choppy. Looking through the archives reveals that major news outlets such as People Magazine directed immense frustration at director Jack Sholder's and writer David Chaskin's attempts to bring back the nightmarish Freddy to screens, commenting that for his 'sins' Freddy's Revenge director, Jack Sholder should "boiled in oil or, worse, forced to watch this tedious, humourless mess three or four times in a row". This 'yikes' worthy reaction prompts similar sentiments to what Craven himself thought of the sequel that was birthed from his original premise.  

It was an uphill struggle for Craven when pitching the idea for A Nightmare on Elm Street, with numerous production companies either outright rejecting the film, and those who did not immediately dismiss the slasher asked for Craven to drastically alter the storyline or else their offer would be withdrawn. Eventually, New Line Cinema and external investors would pick up the film. What remains important is that Craven continually refused to relinquish the film's tone that he envisioned. As viewers will know, A Nightmare on Elm Street does pepper in some quirky one-liners and quips, yet the film's veins still pump pure horror and gruesomeness throughout. In other words, particularly at the time, the product was not silly or farce-like but instead menacing as a concept and indeed nightmarish in its portrayal of Freddy being a tonally hideous villain.  

Thus, when Craven was bought on as a key contributor for the sequel, he was less than pleased at the zaniness of Freddy's Revenge and the direction that the project was taking. In fact, one of the primary reasons Craven did not return to the director's chair is that he deemed the script unfavourable, stating in a 1988 interview with Cinefantastique that he thought Freddy's threatening nature was now diminished at the hands of the film continually bringing him out of the dream world and into the realm of reality. However, it is this changing of Krueger's physical positioning and what it can allegorically represent where most of Freddy's Revenge contemporary success lies.  

At the time of its release, it was repeatedly noticed that Freddy's Revenge had an infusion of queerness surrounding the character of Jessie. Such themes were largely perceived as negative, often being mocked and ridiculed, even leading to Patton finishing the role of Jesse and then never returning to acting again until 2016. Despite slowly gaining niche fans at the time of release, the overwhelming consensus towards Freddy's Revenge was that it was material to laugh at, and not in a comedic, humorous fashion. In the mid-1980s it is understood that non-heteronormative lifestyles were being bashed apart, particularly by the media. When the film's writer, Chaskin, caught wind of the ridicule, rather than admit and own the diverse motifs, the 'blame' was placed upon Patton and his personality. It has since been revealed that at the time, the crew knew of Patton identifying as gay but was forced to be closeted due to the industry's bigotry and the subsequent negative typecasting he was facing. In the acclaimed documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (2019), whilst Patton is divulging this rich and cruel history of the film's reception, he affirms that the studios were intentional with the overt subtext, yet denied it, instead placing the criticism upon him and essentially outed the actor to the world, leading to intense negativity swooning in, ruining his chance of a diverse, thriving career in the film industry that was rife with homophobia.  

As culture has evolved and LGBTQIA+ media has rightfully been normalised, Freddy's Revenge has gained a momentous fandom that adores the rambunctious Elm Street sequel. Now audiences laugh not at the film, but with it — and for all the right reasons. However, Patton, who had only ever experienced disparaging remarks over the film, alongside the satirical treatment of his own personal and sacred identity, had no knowledge that the film was a cinematic phenomenon.  

It was through the immense fandom and celebration that Freddy's Revenge garnered over the years that allowed Patton to see the daunting history of ridicule be lifted. Freddy's Revenge is retrospectively a commercial and cherished milestone for one of horror cinemas most famed franchises. It is through this power of retrospection where Freddy's Revenge shines.  

Many readings of the film have since occurred, some of which are equally disliked as they are embraced - a true case of subjectivity within cinematic preferences. One of these examinations include how Freddy's treatment of Jesse can be viewed as a parallel to repressed sexuality. As expected, Freddy's Revenge is home to a plethora of appearances from the 'Dream Demon' slaying and tormenting his prey. Rather than how A Nightmare on Elm Street treated Freddy akin to an apparition separate from his victims, the sequel would show Freddy take hold of Jesse's body and come from inside him, manifesting into the picture through the soul, body, and mind of Jesse. For instance, during a particularly rugged punishment from Jesse's gym teacher, Coach Schneider (Marshall Bell), the cruel disciplinarian ends up being brutally murdered by Freddy, however, after the act, the camera moves down to reveal that Jesse is wearing the iconic bladed glove. The implications that Freddy is possessing the unknowing Jesse is further explored when the film depicts Freddy physically emerging from Jesse's body before going on another killing rampage.  

As it dawns on Jesse that an unstoppable force is imploding within his own being, he variously proclaims that "something is trying to get inside my body" and "he's inside me, and he wants to take me again!" The overtly displayed possession of Jesse has been framed to represent the conflict, perplexity, and fear that individuals may experience in the process of making peace with their identity. Jesse's inner turmoil mirrors the unfortunate pressure that some may feel to suppress something that was, at the time of Freddy's Revenge release, particularly widely taboo and stigmatised. The coming-out allegory, as Patton admits in his Scream, Queen press run, is that fans saw themselves reflected in the film through the character of Jesse. It is this emotional thread that runs deep within Freddy's Revenge that has resurrected the film to its modern acclaimed status.  

Beyond the contemporary resonance that Freddy's Revenge narrative has found, the film's gritty and bloodcurdling practical effects have also gained recent admiration. Featured throughout are plenty of expected slashes and gashes at the literal hands of Freddy's iconic glove, highlighting the sharp-bladed claws ripping into people with gross ease, tearing apart flesh and leaving nasty, gnarly and bloodied strings of viscera and bulbous skin in its wake. Equally disturbing is the film's unique methods and affective methods of illustrating Freddy inhabiting Jesse's body as a host. During one memorable scene, just as Jesse seeks a safe space from the madness in his best friend Grady's (Robert Rusler) bedroom, he begins to shake uncontrollably, turning bright red as he exclaims that "it's starting to happen again," referring to Freddy dominating Jesse's actions. Immediately, Jesse's fingers begin to sprout claws, making the skin around the knives burst as the skin of his fingertips is torn back. Just as Jesse's arm transforms to the unmistakable charred flesh, complete with the green and red striped fabric laced over the forearm, Freddy's magnified face protrudes and stretches out from Jesse's chest before being sliced open by his own hand to reveal the infamous killer's merciless grin.  

The scene is revolting, moving and incredibly disturbing, both to witness and to imagine what that immense pain must feel like for the terrified Jesse. Helping to sell the exceptionally unnerving scene is Patton's performance, which was enacted with an emotionally charged rawness that spoke to the genuine frightfulness of the situation without projecting a soap-opera, caricature portrayal of fear. The genuineness of intensity propels this scene to go from horrifying to pure nightmare fuel.  

Finally, credit is owed to Freddy himself, who, without the film, would only be a fraction of the iconic picture it is today. Freddy's Revenge was very nearly an entirely different feature. In a bid to stay low budget, New Line Cinema originally hired a random extra in a ready-made mask to portray 'The Springwood Slasher.' In A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy had an almost poetic ease to his movements, stature, and demeanour as if it were not Englund underneath the prosthetics, but a real demon who had the sly mobility and creepiness of an immoral creature. Notably, Englund had a trained background in physical acting, theatre, and dance, aiding the flexible fluidity of his character's movements. The extra, nor could anyone else, nail the subtle, slimy slowness to rapid, sporadic bursts of fiery quickness that Englund had mastered from just one appearance as Freddy.  

As Freddy's Revenge clearly exhibits, Englund's eventual hiring helped establish the entire future of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Through the sequel, the mythology and lore of Freddy emerged, leading to a long path of exploration throughout the further eight films that followed from the original. With various moments like this, it is no surprise that Freddy's Revenge is hailed as one of the franchise's most distinguished entries. The bold and unorthodox methods of Freddy's Revenge have blossomed from being an unfavourable mark on the franchise, to being honoured by both the Elm Street legacy and horror cinema as a whole.  

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