A Nightmare from Friday to Halloween - A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

The three most prominent American horror franchises (Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street) have influenced American cinema even beyond the horror genre. As of 2021, there are exactly 31 movies across all three franchises, and I am going to attempt to watch all of them, for this Halloween, one per day.

I will admit that I was dreading this movie somewhat because of how underwhelmed I had been by Halloween II. I thought it would be another boring, by-the-numbers cash grab that movie turned out to be. Instead, Freddy’s Revenge actually serves up a decent story with a somewhat different take on the Freddy and how the main characters experience him. Freddy’s Revenge has been called a gay horror film. I can definitely see it in that the typical gaze reserved for females seems to be directed at the males in this movie instead. For instance, Jesse (Mark Patton) wakes up half-naked and hot and sweaty from his first encounter with Freddy. And the fact that Freddy infiltrates his mind wishing to come out...I mean it almost seems completely intentional, which apparently screenwriter David Chaskin actually admitted to after years of denial. I will give a lot of props to Patton for making a memorable character in a horror sequel, which seems impossible if you’re not the villain. You can always kind of believe that he would be the host for someone like Freddy since he never seems to be comfortable in his own skin, and the fact that he was gay in real life probably helped inform his performance. Also, despite not being under Craven’s direction, Freddy’s Revenge also still manages to create its share of striking images - like the bus on the tower of rocks or Freddy emerging from within Jesse. Overall, a pleasant surprise in a marathon that has so far felt like wading through a lot of crap.