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Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge’

11/1/2022

Written by John Edward Betancourt

‘You've got the body... I've got the brains!’
- Freddy Krueger

We all carry with us, a dark side. A place where our mind and soul go when perhaps the world becomes too much or our temper gets the better of us. For this is the place where can explore notions of revenge and let our fury burn and for the most part, we spend very little time in this place. For we see ugly things here, the kind that make us downright uncomfortable. Which is why we are eager to let those negative emotions burn out quickly, so that we can leave their exhausting nature behind and get on with our day, secure in the knowledge that we rose above primal and silly and petty notions.

But while most of us are content to leave this special brand of ugly behind, there are some people out there that embrace it. For they believe it gives them strength and an edge in a world that they feel is unjust and unruly and these are the people that we need to fear in life. For they are quick to strike and hurt with their venomous nature, or they wish to transform others into the monster that they have become. And while it seems silly that people would give into such vile emotions, it happens more often than we think, and oddly enough, what it takes to turn a person into something sour and angry and downright evil is explored in fascinating detail in the next entry in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.

For A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, introduces us to a young man named Jesse who is at quite the crossroads in his life. For he's the new kid in Springwood, and well, he's struggling to get by. For the kids in this town are quite cruel to him, and pick on him often. But despite being the butt of everyone's jokes, he tries his best to keep his cool and focus upon the new friends that he's made that actually matter to him. But the fact that there is a little rage inside of him, is something that a dark force would like to advantage of. Because it just so happens that Jesse's family has moved in to the old Thompson house on Elm Street and in the darkness of night, as Jesse dreams, one man is waiting for him; Freddy Krueger. And he has a plan to use Jesse and all the negative emotions that he carries, to bring the iconic Springwood Slasher, back to life.

This particular entry in the Elm Street franchise is one that people have poured over and debated upon for ages now, and with good reason. For this is the only film in the series that seems to not have a true identity. Because it is one-part horror film, one part teenage coming of age story and one-part exploration on the evil that men carry. Plus, there has also been much discussion over the years about whether or not Freddy serves as an allegory for Jesse’s struggles with his sexuality, and upon further review, that’s definitely present here as well. But it is something that is clearly layered into the subtext of the story in order to keep mainstream audiences from catching on. Which sadly makes sense, since this movie was released in the ultra-conservative 1980s.

But while it is fascinating to know that this movie has competing themes, there is one that stands out about all else, since it eventually becomes clear that this story is all about the spoils of being an outcast. For Jesse is picked on often, disregarded by many and that gives his character a certain rage. One that actor Mark Patton, who plays Jesse, does a sublime job of expressing in a dynamic manner. For his portrayal of this character allows for us to feel his frustrations and how hard he is working to keep them buried because that's what an outcast has to do to keep the bullies off their backs. And it is that internal rage that brings Freddy to life as the monster begins to feed on the anger and darkness within and that leads to some fascinating scenes for certain. As Jesse truly beings to wonder if the rage might be worth exploring and if giving into Freddy's special brand of evil might help him in life. Which in turn leads to a classic struggle of good versus evil, one that ends in a supremely unique manner.

If anything, all of these elements make for a downright fascinating film, one that quite frankly, is smarter than one would expect for an Elm Street movie but the end result is a mixed bag. Because with so many underlying themes present in this story, it lacks on some of the scares, which is what we really came to see and quite frankly, it should have focused heavier on the 'evil' that Jesse carries in his soul and explored the LGBTQ themes that it buried. Since that would have made this movie groundbreaking on so many levels. But either way, it's worth a look, for you still have some great and gory kills in this one and it's certainly not the worst film in the franchise, just one that seems lost in where it wanted to go.

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