'A Nightmare on Elm Street 2': Robert Englund talks sequel's gay subtext

gay subtext in nightmare on elm street 2

Freddy Keger actor Robert Englund talks about the gay subtext the 'Nightmare on Elm Street 2.'

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'A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2' AT 35: ROBERT ENGLUND ADDRS HOMOEROTIC SUBTEXT OF 'THE GAYT HORROR MOVIE EVER MA'

"It's really there," Robert Englund says of gay subtext 1985 sequel "Freddy's Revenge." * gay subtext in nightmare on elm street 2 *

" Director Jack Sholr and wrer David Chask both nied the film's subtext, and Mark Patton (who was the closet at the time), worried that the suatns of the film beg overtly gay would lead to him beg typest, as he wasn't the typil Hollywood leadg male. Some of the clu a scene where Jse enunters his ach at a gay bar, a scene where said ach is whipped to ath by towels while naked the showers, a scene wh Jse and his bt iend Grady (Rler) where Jse approach him bed, and a scene where Jse attempts to make out wh his girliend at a party before fleeg panic.

‘SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET’ TRAILER: THE DARK TTH BEHD THE GAYT HORROR FILM EVER MA

A new documentary exam actor Mark Patton's stggle wh the famo gay subtext "Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge." * gay subtext in nightmare on elm street 2 *

Beyond that, the film's release 1985 was at the height of the AIDS epimic the Uned Stat, which ed a lot of stigma surroundg gay men and subsequent gay panic was on the rise. This ed animosy between Chask and Patton over the years, as Patton went on rerd sayg that Chask lled his performance "too gay.

Chask has sce said the subtext was always tentnal and he had wrten the script to ment on the AIDS crisis, gay panic, and the angst young men experience if they stggled wh their sexualy. As far as famoly homoerotic sequenc seemgly “straight” ’80s movi go, nothg will ever top the sweaty and shirtls fighter pilots bouncg around the sand to Kenny Loggs’s “Playg Wh the Boys” Top Gun’s unfettable beach volleyball as Robert Englund — the man who donned Freddy Keger’s murro razor-claw glove to torment teens for eight stallments of Nightmare on Elm Street — remds , the anchise’s first sequel, Freddy’s Revenge (1985), belongs the same nversatn.

“I wake up the middle of the first movie that I’m the lead actor , and realize that there’s a gay subtext , ” says Mark Patton the first trailer for “Scream, Queen!

HOW A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2 BEME AN INIC GAY HORROR FILM (AFTER YEARS OF BEG HATED)

The send movie the seri, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985), seems much different than the rt of the much different ed! As fans have poted out, the gay subtext throughout the send film the anchise is absolutely unniable!  * gay subtext in nightmare on elm street 2 *

The film beme notor for s obv homoerotic subtext, the fallout om which Patton says he never revered as a closeted young actor 1980’s Hollywood. Though ntroversial at the tie of s release, “Nightmare on Elm Street 2” has bee a cult classic the thirty years sce s release, celebrated as one of the the gayt horror films of all time.

I'm not really gog to discs the gay subtext of the film, as 's been done to ath already (really, between the bar scene wh the gym teacher and l like "he's si me and he wants to take me aga, " even Mr.

NEW DOCUMENTARY SET TO EXPLORE GAY SUBTEXT IN "NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2"IS "NIGHTMARE 2" THE GAYT HORROR FILM EVER? MANY WOULD SAY {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}MOVIBY EVAN ROSS KATZSEPTEMBER 22, 2015/4:18 PMBY EVAN ROSS KATZSEPTEMBER 22, 2015 / 4:18 PM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"NEW DOCUMENTARY SET TO EXPLORE GAY SUBTEXT IN \"NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2\"","DATEPUBLISHED":"2015-09-22T20:18:50.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2015-09-22T20:18:50.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"EVAN ROSS KATZ","ARTICLESECTN":"MOVI"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}AS ANYONE WHO'S SEEN 1985'S A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE MIGHT TELL YOU, THE FILM IS MEMORABLE NOT JT FOR S GOME MURRS BUT FOR S NOT-SO-SUBTLE HOMOSEXUAL {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}AT ONE POT THE FILM, JSE, PLAYED BY OPENLY GAY ACTOR MARK PATTON, IS NONTED BY HIS HOMOSEXUAL GYM TEACHER AFTER WDG UP AT DON'S PLACE, A GAY S&M {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}SUBTLE THIS FILM WAS {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THERE WERE OTHER SIGNS: LIKE WHEN JSE LIPSYNCS TO TOUCH ME (ALL NIGHT LONG) HIS BEDROOM, BACKG HIS BOOTY UP TO HIS DRS TO CLOSE THE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN THE 2010 DOCUMENTARY NEVER SLEEP AGA: THE ELM STREET LEGACY, SCREENWRER DAVID CHASK PRETTY MUCH ADMTED THAT THE HOMOSEXUAL SUBTEXT WAS {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}PATTON EVEN POSTED "JSE'S LOST JOURNAL" ONLE, A 68-ENTRY "DIARY" OF JSE'S JOURNEY THROUGHOUT (AND AFTER) THE EVENTS PICTED ELM STREET {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN ENTRY 39 (AND Y, I READ THEM ALL), HE BEGS TO EXPRS HIS HOMOSEXUAL SIR, SAYG "COL TOUCHED ME LIGHTLY THE SMALL OF MY BACK AS IF TO LET ME KNOW THAT I SHOULD WALK OUT THE DOOR FIRST, I FELT THIS WAS A GOOD SIGN OF HIM BEG A CENT PERSON. AS WE WALKED TO DNER, I WAS AMAZED AT HOW FORTABLE I FELT, I NOTICED ALL THE PEOPLE MOVG RAPIDLY, SOME SLOWLY… ALL VOLVED THEIR OWN WORLD… NOBODY STARED AT AS WE WALKED AND TALKED, WE WERE NOT EAKS, JT TWO GUYS OUT FOR A WALK."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}SO, Y, 'S FAIRLY CERTA, IF NOT BEG EXPLICLY STATED, THAT JSE WAS {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}NOW THERE'S A KICKSTARTER TO FUND A DOCUMENTARY, SCREAM, QUEEN! – MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, ABOUT THE FILM AND PATTON, WHO HIMSELF WAS OPENLY GAY. "LTLE DID I KNOW THE EFFECT THAT THE FILM WOULD HAVE ON MY LIFE," PATTON RELLS THE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"I WAKE UP THE MIDDLE OF THE FIRST MOVIE THAT I'M THE LEAD ACTOR , AND REALIZE THERE'S A GAY SUBTEXT . IN 1985, HOLLYWOOD WAS VERY HOMOPHOBIC AND VERY AIDS-PHOBIC. IF YOU WERE GAY, YOU WERE HIDG."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WATCH THE TRAILER FOR THE FILM {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

And then there was the Never Sleep Aga documentary which wrer David Chask fally admted— a somewhat awkward way, when put on the spot—that the homoerotic unr/overton had been tentnal after took A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 thirty-one years to e out of the closet, but fally has and serv your support. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge is famo for s gay subtext, and for good movie was released 1985, which was not a great time to be gay the Uned Stat. Homophobia was rampant, and AIDS was spreadg at an alarmg rate, leavg the gay muny not only fightg for their rights, but also for their liv.

Jse attempts to fight agast Freddy, but when he sleeps he is night he begs wanrg the streets his sleep, endg up at a gay BDSM bar where his gym teacher, drsed leather, tch him and tak him back to the school gym to n laps, Grady havg hted an earlier scene that Coach Schneir got off on that sort of thg. His homosexualy manifts self as Freddy, who kills the people around him, which is downright sultg when you thk about , pecially when you nsir that uld be a metaphor for the scen this queer dg was fely tentnal.

WAS THE SEND NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET ABOUT GAY RIGHTS?

The filmmakers knew this and seem to have shaped the film to have the gay subtext partly bee of , which of urse angered Patton, pecially sce, at the time, Patton was begng to be typest as a gay man. “Homophobia was skyrocketg, and I began to thk about our re dience — adolcent boys — and how all of this stuff might be tricklg down to their psych, ” he explaed. ” Of urse, this mak seem that he was unaware that Patton was still closeted at the time of the movie’s productn, and that the AIDS epimic was still ravagg the queer populatn durg the film’s productn and scene that would have ma the gay subtext more apparent, however, was toned down.

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

” Patton qu actg soon after this film’s release, gog to terr ratg queer dg this movie is pretty offensive, but has veloped a gay cult film dience bee is reprentatn, much like how many lbian dienc enjoyed the lbian pulp novels of the 50s and 60s that monized lbians, sometim lerally. So, while some ways the reprentatn of homosexualy this film is harmful to the gay muny, still is a reprentatn, somethg not given by Hollywood very often. The film is nsired to be the black sheep of the anchise, though, bee of how different is om the other films, and how don’t nnect to any of the later movi — possibly a reactnary “no homo” move by later filmmakers (or the IP owners worried about a h to their profs).

But the picture is a fascatg cur nohels, for one simple reason: is packed to the gills wh gay subtext, so much so that ’s been embraced by the LGBT muny and ma over to somethg remblg a cult simply, screenwrer David Chask ed Freddy — burstg to take over Jse’s body — as a metaphor for the character’s closeted homosexualy.

And that element has given what is an otherwise unexceptnal quickie sequel s own inty; untls web posts and discsns have been voted to , YouTube vios have been ma about , and star Patton (himself gay and out) is makg a documentary about the film and s afterlife, tled Scream, Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street. As anyone who's seen 1985's A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge might tell you, the film is memorable not jt for s gome murrs but for s not-so-subtle homosexual one pot the film, Jse, played by openly gay actor Mark Patton, is nonted by his homosexual gym teacher after wdg up at Don's Place, a gay S&M this film was were other signs: like when Jse lipsyncs to Touch Me (All Night Long) his bedroom, backg his booty up to his drs to close the the 2010 documentary Never Sleep Aga: The Elm Street Legacy, screenwrer David Chask pretty much admted that the homosexual subtext was even posted "Jse's Lost Journal" onle, a 68-entry "diary" of Jse's journey throughout (and after) the events picted Elm Street Entry 39 (and y, I read them all), he begs to exprs his homosexual sir, sayg "Col touched me lightly the small of my back as if to let me know that I should walk out the door first, I felt this was a good sign of him beg a cent person. Obvly this has left many fans wonrg…did the creators of the send Nightmare On Elm Street movie purposely lace the script and movie wh gay subtext to help bat or explo the wispread homophobia of the era?

ROBERT ENGLUND SAYS WE'RE READY FOR A GAY 'NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2'

Ultimately, sadly, uld have been makg fun of Patton, who at the time was choosg to rema ‘ the closet’ regardg his homosexualy durg the productn of the film. Rumors had surfaced nearly stantly about a nspiracy to riddle the plot wh gay subtext that would be acknowledged by the dience, but still be niable.

David Chask is a Freddy’s Revenge screenwrer who nied cludg planned gay subtext throughout the film for a really long time (s of nial). Ultimately Chask admted to havg long thoughts about the homophobia stigma at the time and how he uld work a script that would e the st, and ultimately the dience, to qutn their sexualy. Siarly, the director of the box office h, Jack Sholr, claimed he had no knowledge of planned gay subtext for a really long time.

SCREAM, QUEEN! TRAILER EXPLOR THE GAY SI OF NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2

Try to remember: the 80s, there was a ton of homophobia, and was really hard to e out, so this type of sign meant a lot more back then! Although the actual real life actor who played Jse is gay, the character Jse also seems to be troubled as far as his sexual orientatn is ncerned. Many of the creators of the film will ny the gay subtext beg tentnal, sistg there was nothg the script directly to support such a claim.

THE NIGHTMARE BEHD THE GAYT HORROR FILM EVER MA

Still, anyone who watch A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) nnot ny the very obv homoerotic vibe prent flamboyantly nearly every other scene. The film’s gradual progrsn to beg the gayt horror movie of all time, was probably a batn of the ma protagonist himself beg a closeted gay real life, as well as the st, crew and creators alg wh the homophobia of the time.

This time, Jse’s homosexual feelgs e him to leave Lisa and go to his clost guy iend, but Freddy emerg, the symbol for reprsg his feelgs, and his reprsed feelgs kill to Lisa’s, Jse and Lisa figure out that Jse’s fear of Freddy is what giv him power. The end of the movie shows Jse’s nightmare g te when the st is on a school b wh Freddy ntrollg the fearg his homosexual feelgs ntu to give Freddy power to kill those who may enurage him to pursue his sexualy.

Supposedly, wrer Chask was rewrg films as the productn was already progrs, and was changg to reflect the homoerotic subtexts more and more. The ma actor, Mark Patton, felt betrayed by the st bee he is gay himself, but was closeted orr to protect his reer the 1980s. Patton was hurt and felt sabotaged bee he believed Chask didn’t want subtext, he wanted an outwardly gay movie, and nied .

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY SUBTEXT IN NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2

The Nightmare Behd The Gayt Horror Film Ever Ma.

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