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A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge 1985 ★★★˝
I remember that I was not as enthusiastic the first time I saw this one. Not to say that it was really bad. I think it was after I had seen some of the later sequels. Perhaps I missed the creativity of the kills and Freddy's humour back then more. Did the theme not resonate with me? Maye that too. Maybe I did not get it back then.
One of the things that struck me during this rewatch was how "down to earth" Freddy was in this one. No puppets on strings or Freddy worms, the fingerknives do more than their fair share or slashing and stabbing. Also, the line between the dream world and reality seems more blurred, with things like the toaster catching fire or the exploding bird. And of course, there's Freddy coming into the real world during the pool party. With Lisa's dad flipping burgers and playing Benny Goodman. Would a reboot feature a soup nazi-reference? No burgers for you! Haha.
Of course, there is the much discussed gay undertone of the film. From the very start, there are hints at Jesse being "different". Starting with the line "why can't he wake up like other people?". And we should not forget all the Schneider-scenes. Or the Grady-scenes.
We see Jesse struggling with what's happening. Sometimes explicit - he often expresses his fear and his confusion at what is going on - and sometimes more with facial expressions and body language, showing all sorts of conflicting emotions. Good job by Mark Patton there. In hindsight, some of the images in ANOES 2 can also serve as a metaphor for things like inner demons and self hatred.
The parents were a good metaphor for the eighties. The mother inadvertently makes him feel worse, but at least she's trying. The father, on the contrary, is one of those old-timey stern father types. Not saying things are perfect now, but I doubt many people would want to go back to that.
We also see the budding (b)romance between Jesse and Grady. Two buddies giving each other shit and hanging out. The subconscious effect on the viewer? Not sure. Side note: say what you will, but Grady has a bitching taste in music.
Lisa is more than the supportive girlfriend. She does the detective work on Freddy and she manages to keep the exposition short and sweet. Good on the screenwriter and Kim Myers there. That said, she does stick with Jesse until the very end, encouraging him to defeat Freddy in the end. Side note: If Kim Myers was really cast to look like Meryl Streep, it would in hindsight be funnier if her character was called Sophie. Maybe throw in a subtle nod to Sophie's Choice. Anyway.
All these things make me all the more interested in seeing Pattons documentary Scream, Queen. See and hear his version of the events. How much did Robert Rusler and Kim Myers know at the time? How did they handle that knowledge? Is Marshall Bell in this one? What's his story?
Final note: the grandmother-line keeps getting funnier every time I hear it.
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