Horror.com Forums - Talk about horror.

Horror.com Forums - Talk about horror. (https://www.horror.com/forum/index.php)
-   Classic Horror Movies (https://www.horror.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=8)
-   -   Finally, some respect for Nightmare 2! (https://www.horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66341)

Serpenthrope 09-23-2015 03:57 AM

Finally, some respect for Nightmare 2!
 
Don't know how important the movie really was to the gay community (although the subtext is obvious), but still kind of cool. I think alot of people hate the movie out of homophobia.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...-on-elm-street

cheebacheeba 09-23-2015 03:56 PM

Quote:

I think alot of people hate the movie out of homophobia.
I'm sorry but I have to disagree.
First of all, was completely unaware of anyone involved's sexual identity until this.
Not to mention think about the target audience for such a film in the 80's.
What, 16-25? (not saying those outside couldn't have enjoyed it), I'd say that's a fair assessment.
In the pre-internet age of 85, I don't see a lot of people even knowing such a thing in the first place. I mean where would they get it? Junk mags?
I can't even recall those kind of publications really focusing on that unless a person was outrightly "out", I could be wrong, I didn't myself read them as a child.

I think a lot of people, didn't like nightmare 2, because it tried a little too hard to seperate itself from the first one, and introduced a different concept of the character.
Some people actually like it for said differences though - I recall it being one of the darker chapters in the series.

But yeah...while the article indicates hollywood might've been homophobic, I think it's very much a stretch to say that the casual viewer would make *that* their issue with the movie.
I mean sure, if you have some homophobic bigot watching it after having found out this news, I'm sure someone like *that* would take issue and allow it to impede their enjoyment of the movie - though I don't think this was "a lot" of cases, and certainly not the larger part of why the movie didn't go down too well at the time.

ImmortalSlasher 09-23-2015 05:39 PM

The first time I even heard people taking about the character possibly being towards the other preference was on one of those horror specials. I didn't know when I saw the movie as a kid. I just thought it wasn't as good or scary as the original.

MovieLover12 09-23-2015 10:35 PM

So, Freddy was a homosexual child killer!

neilold 09-23-2015 10:47 PM

The film was pish, whatever the overtones, and if Hollywood was homophobic then I have being mightily misled about it for a long time!

Repo'd 09-24-2015 02:13 AM

I loved the original Elm Street but I had no interest when I first heard about the sequel. This wasn't due to any homophobia, which I respectfully submit that I do not suffer from, but it was about the director. When I heard that Wes Craven wasn't on board, and even worse, was a bit put off at the idea of a follow up, I dropped out. I guess it was loyalty and my young idealism. Since then i've softened my stance and watched part two, but it was with the foreknowledge that it had homosexual overtones. By the time I saw it, maybe 10 years after it's release, the themes were already talked about often in film and horror fan circles.

However, when Nightmare two was initially released in theaters, I knew dozens of pretty astute people who, whether they loved or hated the movie, never made one mention of any sexual themes, homosexual or otherwise. To my recollection neither did any film review that I read nor any I saw on television.
i'm not saying it wasn't discussed at the time, but I feel pretty confident that it wasn't a pervading topic among most horror fans.

As far as my feelings on the movie, I dont like it. I dont care about the subtext, no matter how overt it seems in retrospect, but the story just isn't very strong and the acting at times is comical when the moment calls for terrifying, or terrified. I also think the entire pool scene looks like it was put together by a 10th grade theater department. That is, until our dream demon shows up. Then things get properly wicked.

The positives? Freddy is a NASTY fucker, and the makeup design on him is one of the best in the Elm Street series.

Jake.Ashworth 09-24-2015 04:50 AM

I watched it again last night with my 9 year old son, I still think you have to try pretty hard to see the homosexual side of it. I mean... it really is a stretch to believe that people would have known or cared in the 80's. It was a decent movie, but by far not the best written in the series and definitely far from the best acted. I think forcing homophobia on a general public that 99%hardly knew, much less cared about the stance of Hollywood, in itself, is heterophobic. HOW 'BOUT DAT!!!!!!!

SerialKiller 09-26-2015 05:03 PM

I have a soft spot for NOES 2, just because it entertained me when I was a kid. I never noticed any undertones at that age, just the fact that the boy's dancing was totally whack. The only thing I don't like about it now is Freddy at the pool party. And the exploding parakeet was a bit much.

horcrux2007 09-26-2015 05:43 PM

It's not my favorite Nightmare sequel, but I did enjoy it. It had a dark and strange atmosphere that I liked, and some of the kills were great.

Oro13 10-15-2015 06:47 AM

The biggest reason I've found that people denounce this film, including Wes Craven, is because it takes Freddy out of the nightmares and puts him in the real world. The first film made you think Nancy had pulled Freddy out of the dream, only to show that she was still having a nightmare in the end. The dream sequences and kills in Nightmare 2 are also not as memorable as the original.

The homoerotic elements, while initially meant to be subtext, are very apparent and even the crew of Nightmare 2 look back and laugh about how blind they were to them. However, I don't think this really contributes to the overall dislike of the film, I think it has more to do with it being inferior to the original ( and the subsequent 2 films that came after ) than anything else.

I'm glad that it's finding its audience and is now much better regarded than it used to be, I never thought it was bad personally, but I don't think it can be denied that it comes off as more of a silly dark comedy than a straight up horror film. The coach's death alone is hilarious, and when you add on the infamous " dance " scene, exploding bird, and BAD demon dogs in the end sequence, it goes from silly to gold lol.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 12:59 PM.