One of the most controversialNightmare on Elm Streetsequels is getting its own standalone documentary from those who lived through the making of it. The first trailer and poster has been released forScream, Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street, which explores the gay subtext in the iconic 1985 sequelA Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge. The sequel helped cement the horror legacy of Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) but it didn’t do much of anything for the movie’s other star, Mark Patton, whose career quickly dissipated after the sequel was released. Along with the first footage from this documentary, we also have the unique poster, which pays homage not only to a key scene in the sequel, with the iconicFreddy glovehand placed over a man’s crotch, but also the movie’s gay overtones. Here’s what poster artist Matt Ryan Tobin had to say about the one-sheet.
“I’ve always consideredNightmare on Elm Street 2it to be one of the best in theElm Street series. As an adult, I became aware of the film’s pretty conspicuous subtexts and later learned of the turmoil behind the camera. Although the poster pays a fun upbeat retro tribute to Mark’s iconic dance sequence, it’s underlying meaning is something darker, taboo, and much more provocative. I’m fascinated to see what’s behind the veil that Mark is going to pull back.”
Scream, Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Streetis a documentary film focusing on the gay experience in Hollywood horror. The film explores how that experience has changed in the three decades since Mark Patton’s controversial portrayal of Jesse Walsh, the object of Freddy Krueger’s latent desire inA Nightmare on Elm Street 2.Scream, Queen!examines the infamous homoerotic subtext and the special place the film holds in theNightmare franchiseas well as the gay film canon. Partly in thanks to evolving social mores,Nightmare on Elm Street 2, which was considered controversial at the time of its release, is now being looked back upon with a new appreciation and fondness by horror aficionados and fans of the series.
Thirty years later, join Mark as he asks what all the fuss was about when teenager Jesse Walsh danced just a little too freely and screamed a little too loudly while running from everybody’s favorite crispy, wise-cracking villain,Freddy Krueger.Scream, Queenfeatures interviews with celebrities, film historians and fans to bring a deeper understanding of the social and political climate back when the film was released in 1985, as well as the positive and negative reactions it received, and how those reactions compare to the reactions of today’s audiences. Here’s what filmmaker Roman Chimienti, who directs the film with Tyler Jensen, had to say about how this documentary evolved.
“Tyler and I have witnessed an ever-growing relevancy to our story as it pertains to current events. We have relentlessly shifted gears as we followed Mark’s story within a story, and expanded it to include current events and unexpected life changes.”
While there is no release date in place for thisElm Street documentary, director Tyler Jensen revealed that the film is nearing completion, with a recent test screening being held. The director added that while they could have easily “slapped together a fan film with a message,” they didn’t want to do a, “disservice to the integrity of Mark’s story and all of the people that it includes.” While we wait for more on this documentary, take a look at the trailer and poster below, courtesy ofDread Central.
