Finally, some respect for Nightmare 2!

[Serpenthrope]

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/1832830591/scream-queen-my-nightmare-on-elm-street

[cheebacheeba]

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]

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]

So, Freddy was a homosexual child killer!

[neilold]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[JAYJAY1979]

The movie was unrated and could have stood on its own if not part of the franchise.

http://www.chicagonow.com/confessions-coffeeholic/2015/08/a-nightmare-on-elm-street-2-horror-movie-repressions/

[SlashersNeverDie]

Honestly, I never really cared weather or not Freddy had homosexual tendencies. I just really, really enjoyed the movie, along with the others, and I think that it shouldn't matter what the subtext was....the movie was damn good.

[Sculpt]

ANMOES2 had homosexual overtunes? I never heard of it till I read this resurrected thread.

Actually, I don't remember a frame of ANMOES2, though I'm sure I saw it. That's pretty damn unimpressionable. And so I would label it Forgettable.

[cheebacheeba]

Actually, I don't remember a frame of ANMOES2
There's a scene on a bus, the driver turns into Freddy. The Earth falls away leaving the bus kind of hanging on stone pillars above a big chasm.
That and he seems to possess the body of the main character ?Jessie?at times.
There is a pool party.
He kills some people there.
The end.

[Sculpt]

Thanks, Chee! I feel like I could die in peace now.

I peeked at the trailer, and I remember the actors, but thats about it.

[The Villain]

As a part of the series, especially considering its the second in the franchise, its a mess but as a standalone it actually works. Not my favorite though.

[TheUltimateDreamWarrior]

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 a lot of people hate the movie out of homophobia.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1832830591/scream-queen-my-nightmare-on-elm-street

I'm gay and I didn't consider it homophobic, but that's just me. I don't speak for the rest of the gay community, though. I don't see how it was a homophobic movie. I've struggled with my sexuality and a lot of other people do as well. The film was an allegory for those questions a lot of people have about their sexuality. It's a very relatable movie for a lot of people. Those are the best horror films, in my opinion.

So, Freddy was a homosexual child killer!

Freddy kills both guys and girls, so he's not really a homosexual child killer. I don't know if someone like Freddy really has a preference or if he's just a bisexual child killer.

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.

To me, I understand Wes Craven's concern with Freddy leaving the dream world, but to me A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (1985) was always in the dream world. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 is all Freddy's nightmare. Jesse is a confused younger version of Freddy. It would conflict with the rest of the continuity with Amanda Krueger being a nun, but this could be solved by stating that she left the church after giving birth to Freddy. Maybe they bought a house in Springwood and his adopted father Ken Walsh was a jerk to him throughout his adolescence. I'm ignoring Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991). Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare was the worst in the series in my opinion. That's my theory on how the A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 could fit into the continuity and to explain how Freddy left the dream world, and still retained his super strength.