Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Dollar Bin Op-Ed:A New Take on an Old Nightmare

By Eric Polk-
Tonight over on Dollar Bin Horror Radio, Rhonda, Brandon, and yours truly will be discussing homosexuality in horror films.dollar-bin-horror-radioepisode-xxxviii-death-in-the-closet .
One movie I'm sure that will be discussed is, of course, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2:Freddy's Revenge.

It seems this sequel's only claim to fame is the homoerotic subtext that permeates the movie. Ok, I do
see it, particularly with the gym coach, the balls, and the gawd awful dance sequence. But I do feel inclined to point out a few things that maybe viewers haven't seen involving the Jesse character.(For the record, actor Mark Patton has said this is more or less a gay story). Yet, here is what I see. I feel Jeese is not a guy conflicted with his sexual preference so much that he is a bully victim.

Do you notice how he really doesn't stand up for himself in this film? How he doesn't fight back ala Nancy in the first movie? I find Jesse to be a person who is plain scared of a quite intimidating individual and just lets it happen. It took his girlfriend(and for a guy allegedly conflicted with his sexual preference, he really goes after his gal pal with gusto before Freddy interrupts) to end this cycle of abuse.

In short, I find Jesse to be a victim of psychological abuse. Ok, so how do I explain his trip to the S and M bar? He was under Freddy's control. Just view the end of the shower scene for proof.

So there you have it. My two cents. I know it probably won't change your mind one way or the other, but I hope I've opened a new vista to this much-debated argument.

2 comments:

Horror Fan said...

Good insight. Love your blog. Love Nightmare II.

Kev D. said...

I'm interested to see where you will go next... keep it up!