A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge

I have never seen a more (unintentionally?) homoerotic horror movie. Reminded me a lot of having to deal with my gay identity in my teens. Horribly homophobic though? But still a hilariously bad movie, I would recommend this for a marathon-party with your friends.

I wish there was more gay horror.

>"You've got the body... I've got the brain."

Not near as good as the first one but when has that ever been the case? They get creative with Freddy’s return and I like that they didn’t try to copy the first one.

“A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge” is hands down the weirdest and most divisive entry in the franchise Wes Craven created. And honestly, it’s no mystery why—this sequel takes some wild, often controversial turns, even messing with some of the core rules that were so firmly set up in the original film. That kind of move could’ve been bold and refreshing, but what we get instead is a film that swings between genuinely gutsy moments and pretty cringe-inducing stumbles, landing somewhere in that frustrating middle ground between fascinating and flawed.

The first major shake-up is in the kind of horror the movie delivers. Instead of keeping Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) as the dream-stalking killer—the whole hook of the first film—“Freddy’s Revenge” turns him into more of a parasitic entity who takes over the body of Jesse (Mark Patton) to kill people in the real world. At first glance, this feels like blasphemy, totally ditching what made the original so unique. But there’s actually an interesting logic to it: Freddy’s trying to come back from obscurity, and he needs people to fear him again. Using Jesse as a kind of vessel fits that goal... though the execution doesn’t exactly nail the tension or internal consistency.

And that’s where the script starts to wobble. Unlike the tight, escalating structure of the first film, this one kind of meanders. Jesse’s a really passive protagonist—confused most of the time, sweating, screaming, and not really driving his own story forward. His emotional arc is fuzzy, and his relationships with other characters, especially Ron Grady (Robert Rusler), just don’t feel fleshed out. One minute they hate each other, the next they’re suddenly best buds, then they’re randomly crashing at each other’s places. It all feels kind of forced, which really dulls the emotional hit of Grady’s death—even though that death scene is actually one of the most intense in the whole franchise.

That said, the film absolutely nails the atmosphere and Freddy himself. He’s way more animalistic here, way scarier, and way less jokey—he feels like a straight-up demon. Robert Englund’s makeup is darker and nastier, with scorched skin, razor teeth, and glowing red eyes. And Englund’s performance is killer: sadistic, relentless, always lurking in the shadows. This might be the Freddy that feels the closest to pure evil—he’s got less screen time, but he makes every second count.

Visually, “Freddy’s Revenge” sticks with the franchise’s stylish tone. The cinematography leans into heavy contrasts, neon lights, fog, and shadows, giving the whole thing a hallucinatory vibe. Freddy clawing his way out of Jesse’s body is still grotesque and super effective, even with dated practical effects. And the pool party massacre? Total chaos in the best way—the kind of large-scale slasher mayhem that was rare back then. Director Jack Sholder shows real command during those intense scenes, even if the movie overall lacks cohesion.

But maybe the most talked-about—and most misunderstood—part of “Freddy’s Revenge” is its heavy homoerotic subtext. It hangs over the movie like a thick, pulsing shadow. From Jesse’s gender-neutral name to the loaded interactions with other male characters, the film seems to be addressing themes of sexual repression and identity. Freddy himself can even be read as a metaphor for Jesse’s repressed desires—a dark force trying to take over his body. The issue is, the script never really tackles any of this head-on or with much sensitivity. What could’ve been a powerful psychological layer ends up being a weird patchwork of awkward scenes, some of which are unintentionally funny or just flat-out ridiculous (yeah, we’re all thinking of that bedroom dance scene, and the over-the-top shower death). There’s a really interesting film buried under all these layers—it just never quite breaks the surface.

Still, there’s no denying that “Freddy’s Revenge” holds an important place in the franchise. It broadens the scope, experiments with form, and takes some big swings, even if that means stepping on fans’ expectations. It’s far from a perfect sequel—let’s be real, it’s messy—but it’s also scary, intriguing, and impossible to ignore. And in the end, there’s something kind of chilling about hearing Freddy, more monstrous than ever, declare: “You are all my children now.” Because like it or not, he’s not wrong.

I don't know how to feel about this movie if I'm honest. I see alot of people say it's anti gay in its subtext, for me personally I'm not sure I buy into that degree of depth for the film. The acting is solid but I feel like romance aspects where too quickly paced. Overall there were some interesting choices made which I enjoyed atmosphericly but the lines and boundaries of the universe and freddy's capabilities being so malleable makes me film feel confused about what it wants to be. The cast was great but I feel it didn't match with the first film in tone or quality.

Not better than first one but still good

I did not like actings of some cast, like lisa. Sometimes she could not show fear.

They said that Nancy Thompson went to a mental institution, so she is not dead. Her father also saw freddy. So, as an adult an cop, he could do something. I expected father to reveal things but probably he chose to escape with nancy.

Movie name is revenge but what is the revenge here :) I think freddy was brought to real world in first movie by nancy, so he is revenging it here. But not from nancy, maybe not yet.

I could not understand why he needed jesse to kill. In first movie he could kill easily with dreams. Because he is in real world? (that was my theory). Maybe yes.

Anyways, he used jesse's body to attack and kill. I could not understand how he could kill for example the coach while jesse's body was in his room. Maybe freddy only needs body who can dream. He kills in his way again. I am not sure.

While between teenagers, he was cool. It was good scene. He said "you are all my children now" and did not kill rest of them. It was also interesting. Maybe lisa saved again somehow or freddy took control of them.

Lisa was brave in the end to go to the old place where freddy was working, just like in the first movie how nancy was brave. And with "power of love", she took back jesse. But just like first movie, it was all hallucination maybe or they could not remove freddy totally. So maybe revenge was that in the end. Freddy took friend of lisa and it was revenge maybe.

This time movie was directed by Jack Sholder, not wes craven.

And about those years. Kid was in a bus with radio. Interesting scenes.

And first scene. The bus was going in such nice areas without any greens. I liked those scenes.

Seeing college life was cool also. Some kids were doing archery, some were playing baseball.

There was no internet or something so they bought house and did not know about it, its history.

In birds scene, first one was killed. I hope it was not real bird. And they probably made scared other bird. It exploded then. I hope they were not hurt. That is why i will give 6/10. Normally, i would give 7/10.

And still father says there must be an explanation. Such science addicted people!

In this movie, freddy did not kill people in extreme horrible ways.

Seemed liked they used most of the budget for the great opening sequence. As for the rest of the movie it has its moments but the story is a right mess imo

Somehow more homoerotic than *Top Gun*. Mark Patton's Jesse certainly has more screen charisma than Nancy from the first. A more interesting character with a bit more depth and complications. The movie's more focused on the "story" and "characters" but sacrifices some horror and Freddy presence which is sad—that is until the third act which is when the fun starts. We get some great kills once again, Robert Englund truly shines for his ten minutes but they did Freddy dirty in the third act he barely felt like a threat. Weird ending, wondering if there's a continuation to that.

I've watched this before but I didn't remember till the pool scene. It's not as good as the first one but good enough to keep me entertained. I honestly don't know what's wrong with this film, it just doesn't have the charm that the original one has. Great effects and cool deaths.

The story doesn't make a whole lot of sense but it still is somewhat entertaining. Some good visual effects and gore. Freddy is still doing what he does best.