PopHorror Let's Get Scared
The A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise is the most recognized name among non-horror fans. Elm Street 2 was one of the first movies I watched as a kid. I was terrified of Freddy Krueger; however, I also had an attraction to the series. My parents let me watch all these movies to desensitize me to the horrors of the world. The films gave me hope that I was brave enough for a lifetime of being a horror movie fan. I was always obsessed with monsters, even if they scared me. Let’s get into the review of this Iconic movie on so many levels.
Synopsis
A teenage boy named Jesse (Mark Patton) is haunted in his dreams by deceased child murderer Freddy Krueger, who is out to possess him in order to continue his reign of terror in the real world.
A Possession Movie Like No Other
I know we have seen this story written in a hundred films. As a matter of fact, most iconic slashers have possessed someone to do their dirty work. It was no different with Freddy’s chance. The story may have been redundant, but there is a certain magic to A Nightmare on Elm Street 2. It was a letdown to not be able to see Freddy Krueger in more scenes. However, now I understand how important this film was to the series. It not only involved position, but it also gave a strong shoutout to the LGBTQ community.
Film fans relate Jesse to being a closeted homosexual in the 1980’s and before it was widely accepted. Maybe that’s why there was so much context, including S&M bartenders. There could easily be a hundred different facts to support this film. We should note that Mark Patton, who played Jesse, was in fact a closeted homosexual. It seems that the notion made the film even more iconic to an entire lifestyle. It was an important enough story to have a documentary on the entire film and its complex story of someone being afraid to be themselves.
A Time-Honored Tradition
We saw possession in both Friday the 13th films and also in Halloween. However, the film also came at a time when homosexuality could easily get you beaten or killed. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 defined an era built just for its community. It created a crusade against boring slashers and gave Freddy a voice. The film also came out in the middle of “Satanic panic.” Hellfire became frowned upon, and a lot of people walked away from horror movies, as if truly religious folks would even debate ignoring a movie instead of making signs in defiance of a film.
In The End
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 gave people hope; it went beyond killer mothers and possessing your niece like we saw in Halloween 4 and 5 a few years later. There will never be a film with so much respect to monsters inside our body and letting them take over. I have watched it about a thousand times, and I will love it for a thousand years more. What we need is unity right now, and what better way to accept each other than by watching someone take out a swimming pool of unsuspecting yuppies.
