Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Fabulous?

I don't use the term "that's so gay" very often. Okay, well, that's not entirely true... especially for an openly gay man, I probably use it a lot more than I should. But what I mean to say is, I don't say it a lot and really mean it. I tend to steer clear away from gay movies. It's not like I put the "homo" in "homophobic", but think about it, how many good gay movies have you seen? Most of 'em have beautiful men at the expense of acting or are just plain bitter and/or depressing. If I want to see beautiful men, I don't want to sit through 25 minutes of exposition, if you know what I mean. So it was by complete accident that I happened upon this one. Well, not entirely but let me explain.

Those who read me know that I'm a horror fan. For those who know me better, I'm specifically a Freddy fan. I even sat through that cinematic abortion of a reboot for the sake of Elm Street. After watching Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge I was more shocked that they didn't try to reboot the franchise after this one. Freddy's barely in it and the male lead (well, the only lead) is obnoxious and angst-y, not exactly what people want from their heroes.

But while the flaws of the movie are numerous, that's not the point. I seriously doubt that I have seen a gayer movie in my life. I mean, so many horror fans or even academic types discuss how the horror genre is riff with social and sexual mores, but Nightmare on Elm Street 2 takes it to a whole new level. For the first time in my life, I feel like it's safe to say that I saw more male nudity in a horror film than female. I mean, that alone is a rarity.

There's been a lot of debate on the whole thing about whether it was intended or people have just been reading too much into it, but after sitting through all painful 87 minutes? I've heard plenty of people make arguments for why it is a gay movie, but how can you even deny it? I mean, a good portion of the movie takes place in either a gay sex dungeon or a gym locker room? I'm not even exaggerating.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's an interesting idea to have a gay lead in a movie, but can we butch him up a little beforehand? I'm not saying that as a self-loathing thing, I just think that Jesse could have a little more menace as Freddy tries to use his body to break into our world or at least a little more dignity. Let's be real, speculation of the main character's sexuality is the least of this movie's worries. Not enough gore or even enough of a villain is the main issue with this film that's so beyond saving. Don't bother, even for the camp value.