I can think of few horror sequels more fascinating than A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, which has only recently been embraced for its (plainly visible) subtext about homosexuality. You either love the movie or you hate it, but you can’t deny it’s kind of special.
The star of the film, Mark Patton, has himself come to embrace the oddball sequel in a big way in recent years, dubbing himself the genre’s first male scream queen and touring the convention circuit to meet with fans. And now he’s working on a documentary about his experience in Hollywood.
An intimate and revealing look behind the scenes of horror’s most controversial slasher sequel, Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street will delve into a deeper subject of Freddy’s Revenge that has been at the forefront for years, yet no one has fully explored. This is a story not just about Mark Patton, but about Hollywood’s gay subculture in the 1980s.
For months the doc’s crew followed Patton around getting intimate accounts of how the backlash of NOES2 has deeply affected his life. From its release in 1985, fans and critics have raised an eyebrow at the not-so-subtle hints of Jesse Walsh’s sexuality. Did this create the whirlwind of questions that set the film so far apart from all the others in its series?
Village Voice publication was the first to officially comment on the film’s gay subtext, releasing a landslide of both good and bad commentary from fans and critics worldwide. In 1985 being gay in Hollywood could cost you your career. Now 30 years later, Scream, Queen! is asking why.
Interviews with celebrities, film historians, and fans allow Scream, Queen! to bring audiences a deeper understanding of the social atmosphere when A Nightmare On Elm Street 2 was released. The film explores the wide range of reactions elicited by the controversial movie – and how those reactions compare to those of today’s audiences.
On Kickstarter, Patton and friends are looking to raise $49,000 to get the documentary finished and released, and with 33 days left to go at the time of writing this, we encourage you to check out the Scream, Queen! campaign and consider pitching in. As always, various perks sweeten the pot.
Check out the film’s trailer below, featuring an interview with Robert Englund!