1985’s A Nightmare on
Elm Street 2- Freddy’s Revenge, directed by Jack Sholder.
Starring Mark Patton, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler, Clu Gulager,
Sydney Walsh, Hope Lange, Marshall Bell, Melinda O. Fee, Tom McFadden, and
Robert Englund.
What is it about?
Set 5 years after the events of the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, young Jesse
Walsh (Mark Patton) is having nightmares about Freddy Kreuger, a disfigured man
with razor blades on his fingers, who wants to possess Jesse’s body so he can transition
from the dream world to reality. With his girlfriend, Lisa (Kim Myers), and
friend, Ron (Robert Rusler), the 3 of them group together to fight Freddy and try
to make sure their nightmare doesn’t become everybody’s.
Why is it worth seeing?
Audiences responded to Wes Craven’s original essay on what a
boogeyman who comes after you in your sleep would look and sound like- the
stuff of nightmares. After the success of pt. 1, Freddy’s Revenge was rushed into production- the first sign being
the redundant title (Freddy’s character has always existed to exert revenge on
the children of the parents who murdered him after he murdered… Never mind).
Working with a larger budget, it features a more expansive approach, and wields
a number of influences on its sleeve- neither thing necessarily an improvement
to what would become a lengthy series.
The trio of Patton, Myers, and Rusler, give the sequel something the original never could- decent acting. While there are no Academy Award snubs, it puts some of the modest charms of the previous film’s “Final Girl” firmly in its rear view window. The results are the film feels more grounded, having relatable protagonists. It’s also smoother, with the more established Christopher Young taking over composing duties from choppy Charles Bernstein’s efforts of the original. Another thing it features that the original didn’t- is a gay/homoerotic subtext. Always present, but never concretely explained or fleshed out, the character of Jesse (or is it writer David Chaskin, who has a complicated history in explaining the film’s motivations?) clearly has some conflicted feelings to explore- but not until this whole demonic possession/I just killed my friends while possessed thing, is worked out. While the film’s underlying repression may have been a reaction to events such as the AIDS epidemic and society’s feelings on gay culture at the time, it’s an interesting thing to trojan horse into a film lacking a Final Girl (“You go, uh… boy”). What’s even more interesting is the conclusion I was forced to come to after both watching the film and reflecting for a few seconds- that the character of Jesse has a gay monster hiding inside of him, and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t control it. Once the monster is out, it will run around society and wreak untold havoc on innocent citizens. In other words, it’s as awful as it is homophobic. It also leads to the most memorably gross coming out scene in movie history.
Smoother production and secret gay agenda established, it’s unfortunate how little the rest of the film offers. Likely the result of the production’s rushed timeframe, is the overall plot involving Freddy trying to manifest himself in reality. While it makes sense to put Freddy’s physicality in reality when you’re doodling on a cocktail napkin during a fevered Hollywood pitch session, the strength of the Nightmare series is always in its nocturnal settings of strange unconscious dreamscapes- and being helpless to seeing others go through that in reality. Capturing that hopeless feeling of running around in circles while a threat runs for you, the second film offers a strange dynamic in which Freddy running around in public feels more than a little like an unemployed thespian sprinting around a murder mystery party. Despite Freddy maintaining his somewhat omnipotent paranormal powers, it leaves for little scene inspiration beyond what Brian De Palma did so much better in the pivotal scene of Carrie. The lack of inspiration goes double for the film’s conclusion, where apparently, love can conquer all. Filled with hilariously ineffective props and a bizarre Alien reference, pt.2 feels smoother than the original but does far less, and the film’s success guarantees a sequel. No word on its gender or sexuality politics at this point.
The trio of Patton, Myers, and Rusler, give the sequel something the original never could- decent acting. While there are no Academy Award snubs, it puts some of the modest charms of the previous film’s “Final Girl” firmly in its rear view window. The results are the film feels more grounded, having relatable protagonists. It’s also smoother, with the more established Christopher Young taking over composing duties from choppy Charles Bernstein’s efforts of the original. Another thing it features that the original didn’t- is a gay/homoerotic subtext. Always present, but never concretely explained or fleshed out, the character of Jesse (or is it writer David Chaskin, who has a complicated history in explaining the film’s motivations?) clearly has some conflicted feelings to explore- but not until this whole demonic possession/I just killed my friends while possessed thing, is worked out. While the film’s underlying repression may have been a reaction to events such as the AIDS epidemic and society’s feelings on gay culture at the time, it’s an interesting thing to trojan horse into a film lacking a Final Girl (“You go, uh… boy”). What’s even more interesting is the conclusion I was forced to come to after both watching the film and reflecting for a few seconds- that the character of Jesse has a gay monster hiding inside of him, and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t control it. Once the monster is out, it will run around society and wreak untold havoc on innocent citizens. In other words, it’s as awful as it is homophobic. It also leads to the most memorably gross coming out scene in movie history.
Smoother production and secret gay agenda established, it’s unfortunate how little the rest of the film offers. Likely the result of the production’s rushed timeframe, is the overall plot involving Freddy trying to manifest himself in reality. While it makes sense to put Freddy’s physicality in reality when you’re doodling on a cocktail napkin during a fevered Hollywood pitch session, the strength of the Nightmare series is always in its nocturnal settings of strange unconscious dreamscapes- and being helpless to seeing others go through that in reality. Capturing that hopeless feeling of running around in circles while a threat runs for you, the second film offers a strange dynamic in which Freddy running around in public feels more than a little like an unemployed thespian sprinting around a murder mystery party. Despite Freddy maintaining his somewhat omnipotent paranormal powers, it leaves for little scene inspiration beyond what Brian De Palma did so much better in the pivotal scene of Carrie. The lack of inspiration goes double for the film’s conclusion, where apparently, love can conquer all. Filled with hilariously ineffective props and a bizarre Alien reference, pt.2 feels smoother than the original but does far less, and the film’s success guarantees a sequel. No word on its gender or sexuality politics at this point.
No comments:
Post a Comment