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Video Explores FREDDY’S REVENGE As Gayest Slasher Ever
Video Explores FREDDY’S REVENGE As Gayest Slasher Ever_1 New Line Cinema

For decades, fans considered A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, which turns 40 this year, as the black sheep of the Freddy Krueger franchise. Coming out a mere year after Wes Craven’s celebrated original, it deviated from the formula of the first entry. But since then, it’s undergone serious reappraisal, thanks to its reputation as “the gayest horror film ever made.” Now, comedian/actor/YouTuber Daniel Vincent Gordh has made a deep dive video exploration of the movie. It’s titled Freddy’s Revenge is sooo GAY (and why it matters 40 years later). It’s a must-watch for Freddy fans, queer nerds, and just horror geeks in general.

Even for fans who have seen this movie a million times, Daniel Vincent Gordh notices things we never have. (How could we not have noticed the flaming wiener dogs??) But even though this is a comical video in many ways, it also isn’t afraid to go to serious places. After all, this movie came out in 1985. This was the peak of the AIDS epidemic, when coming out as a gay man was like putting a target on your back. And a lot of that cultural fear informed the script. The movie’s lead, Mark Patton, a very rare “final boy” in a genre filled with “final girls,” is gay in real life and was in the closet. The video explores how deeply the film negatively affected him, forcing him to leave his Hollywood career behind.

Unlike Freddy’s slasher brethren Michael and Jason, his franchise often took big, weird swings with each subsequent sequel. Each one was different and weird in its own way. However, we maintain that Dream Warriors is objectively the best one. With all the A Nightmare on Elm Street sequels finally getting a proper 4K restoration and a box set this spooky season, New Line Cinema is finally celebrating all the films properly at long last. So this video essay is the perfect companion piece for anyone watching Freddy’s Revenge in its new 4K restoration.

This article first appeared on Nerdist and was syndicated with permission.

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