VIDEO NASTIES: MORAL PANIC, CENSORSHIP, AND VIDEOTAPE (2010)

VIDEO NASTIES: MORAL PANIC, CENSORSHIP, AND VIDEOTAPE (2010) (NR)
Dir. Jake West
72 mins.

In the 1980's a wave an inquisition concerning graphic films erupted in British politics. The DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) compiled a list of 72 films, labeled the "Video Nasties," and attempted to pass legislation banning the distribution, rental, ownership or sale of any of the entries on the list. Because of this, there was mass seizings of videos from collections and warehouses, as well as the legal prosecution of multiple distributors and store owners. The DPP constructed not only a mainline Nasty list, but a supplementary watchlist known as "Section 3", which included 80 more films, as well.



OUTRAGE!



The concern was that Nasties, a relatively new phenomena at the time, would irrevocably corrupt the nation's youth and, over time, cause massive spikes in violent crime. Many violent crime and murder cases in this era were blamed on these movies, regardless if the perpetrators had seen them or not. The most famous example of this being the murder of two-year old James Bulger by two ten-year old boys. The press insinuated the Bulger's murderers had been inspired by the film Child's Play 3. This, of course, amounted to little more than propaganda, as there was no evidence to suggest the youths had even seen the offending movie.
 



Would you fuck me? I'd fuck me.

This documentary follows the nativity of the Nasties controversy three decades ago, up until the modern era, in which many of these celluloid pariahs are still censored or completely unavailable to British consumers. Director Jake West has compiled interviews hailing from both sides of the fence; he speaks with journalists and industry insiders who oppose the legislation, and with the politicians who were the architects of the public scare. Though it is clear that West sympathizes with the former camp, he grants the latter the opportunity to explain their views. This is a thoroughly entertaining and informative documentary begging to be seen by horror fan and sociologist alike. 8/10

 

View the trailer here:

 

 

THE REDEEMER: SON OF SATAN (1978)

THE REDEEMER: SON OF SATAN (1978) (R) Dir. Constantine S. Gochis
aka THE REDEEMER aka CLASS REUNION MASSACRE
84 mins.

This is a weird movie. It's been speculated to be a religious film, but that's debatable. Six adults attend their ten year class reunion at their old high school, only to find there's no one there but them. They enter the banquet hall, pig out, and it begins to dawn on them that something might be wrong. They begin to investigate, and soon the former students realize they are locked and barred inside the school, with no way out, and there is a killer after them.... for SOME reason.

 

Seriously, they can't figure it out, and even after the denouement, I couldn't either. There are both a prologue and epilogue to the movie that just discombobulate the plot further. Basically, a thespian/priest, who had attended the same school and grade as his victims, is attacking them for living sinful lives. One girl is a lesbian, another is vain, one man is a lawyer, another is gay, etc. Apparently that is the motive. I kept waiting for a "you picked on me in high school" motive, as even the characters speculate that to be so. But no, unless I somehow missed it.

 

 

The editing is atrocious, but it fits in context with the grainy footage, muted yet oversaturated colors, and choppy narrative. It's surreal, if anything, and it does add a certain dream-like atmosphere to the clichéd slasher proceedings. There is little gore, but one scene in the school lavatory is brutally violent and well-executed. Props to both actors in that scene. The ending is impenetrable. Once the redeemer is finished with his work, there is a prologue that not only reveals his identity (as if the audience didn't know by now), but suggests he might have accomplices as well. Oh, and something about a curse involving a third thumb. An odd final note to end an odd movie.

 

 

The killer is played by T.G. Finkbinder, who is now a high school teacher, and although some of his performance is heavy-handed, some it works as well. As an actor, I'm sure he jumped at the role, as the redeemer dresses differently in almost every scene he shows up in, and every costume the killer wears is like new personality.

 

The movie also begs the question, 'do the writer and director sympathize with the priest?' If so, is this a Christian horror movie? Like the ending, this question will probably never be answered. I do know that the original title of the film was simply The Redeemer, and it was filmed in 1976. However, it was not released until 1978, after The Exorcist made a huge splash, so the producers added the 'Son of Satan' subtitle to cash-in on the Satanic horror boom late that decade. In reality, the concept of Satan has nothing to do with this film; if anything, it deals with sin and redemption.

 

 

Would I recommend this film? Perhaps to hardcore horror completists and fans of the surreal. It's not particularly well written, shot or acted, but it does have a feeling that separates it from other no-budgeted films of its time. It's a shame the director Gochis didn't make more films after this one, because as flawed as it is, it shows promise. 5/10

 

 

JUST BEFORE DAWN (1981)

JUST BEFORE DAWN (1981) (R) Dir. Jeff Lieberman
90 mins.

This is a gem. It's got the same tropes and stereotypes as every other slasher film of the era, but it's just executed so effectively. Five kids head into the mountains of Oregon, as their de facto leader Warren has acquired a plot there, and they plan on camping on the land, you know, just to check it out. It is established early on that Warren, an experienced scout, is the key to the others surviving in the deep, impenetrable forest.

 

Along the way they meet a ranger played by veteran actor George Kennedy, who warns them not to proceed further. In true early slasher fashion, they ignore his warning and head up the mountain anyhow. Further down the road they meet a drunkard (Mike Kellin of Sleepaway Camp) who's just witnessed his nephew's murder. He begs the group for help, but in his incoherent mumblings, they ignore him and drive away.

 

 

They set up camp, play some jokes on each other, and whilst dancing (to some swanky electro-funk)around the campfire their first night, they are visited by an old backwoods man, shotgun in hand, along with his wife and daughter. He ominously threatens the group with the gun, saying that if they do not leave that night, they will wake "the devil". This is three warnings, folks. THREE. Yet the group remains defiant and stay on the mountain.

 

 

Well, some 300 pound oafish motherfucker in a checkered shirt and mask starts eliminating the group. Go figure. There are however, many twists in this movie, which I won't spoil, that are from left field and thus highly welcome in this sort of film.

 

The score was achieved as the composer whistled and blew into his microphone, and though its used sparsely throughout the feature, it is imposing and spooky. Added to the lush cinematography and wonderful location scouting, it creates the kind of atmosphere that DEFINES good horror. Gloomy, claustrophobic, and oppressive. The editing is pretty poor, I have to admit. The script is meh, pretty much standard fare for this sort of thing, and the acting, for the most part, mimics this. However two actors stand out: Gregg Henry as Warren and Deborah Benson as Constance. These two characters start at one point and end up completely transformed by the end. It's a great narrative arc, and seeing their gender roles slowly erode in the shadow of an imminent threat is truly unique.

 

 

Despite its clichés, Just Before Dawn is one of the finest, if not obscure, examples of the slasher genre. One part Friday the 13th (though the director has shown nothing but disdain for that film) and one part Deliverance (from which its inspired), this is a great addition to the hixploitation slasher subgenre. 7/10

 

 

SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 2 (1987)

SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 2 (1987) (R) Dir. Lee Harry
88 min.

Billy Caldwell was a young boy when he witnessed the murder of his parents by a psycho dressed in a Santa suit. In the aftermath, he and his little brother are sent to an orphanage where they are routinely abused by the dread Mother Superior, who drills into their young minds that sex is naughty and punishment is absolute. After he leaves the orphanage Billy gets a job at a little toy store but snaps and goes on a murder spree when he is made to dress as Santa in-store. He seeks out "naughty" teens and adults and punishes them with his trusty ax. All this culminates into a final showdown between Billy and Mother Superior. The is the first Silent Night, Deadly Night.

 

Why am I summarizing the first Silent Night Deadly Night? Well, that's because 50% of the sequel is comprised of flashbacks to the original.

 

The flashbacks are narrated by Ricky, Billy's little brother, who is in a sanitarium and recounting these events (many which are impossible for Ricky to have remembered) to his psychologist. Once this narration switches from Billy's story to Ricky's this movie really begins to shine.

 

Ricky is played by the infamous Eric Freeman, and his performance in this role is the stuff of legend. Not because it is Oscar worthy mind you, but because it's so exaggeratedly over the top and bad, it becomes hilariously awesome. The jacked up actor laughs maniacally at the drop of a dime, has amazingly cheeseball one-liners and hypnotically moves his eyebrows like they are doing jumping jacks. 

 

 

In the movie's new footage, we see that Ricky is adopted from the orphanage by the Rosenbergs due to their lack of Christmas spirit. He is a seemingly normal teenager until he spots a man in a field trying to rape his girlfriend. So Ricky gets all chivalrous and runs the guy over in his own jeep. Again, and again. Classic.

 

Though trying to live a normal life, like getting a job and a girlfriend, Ricky can't stop intermittently killing those he deems naughty. Then after being egged on by his girlfriend's ex, Ricky goes on a full on rampage of epic proportions. This entire rampage scene is simply glorious and is the source of the infamous "Garbage Day!" meme.

 

This is what ultimately leads to Ricky's incarceration and once he's finished recounting his story to the doctor, he escapes the institution and aims to finish his older brother's work: the death of Mother Superior.

 

 

This sequel is tedious at first if you've seen the original, but the new material is laugh out loud funny with its comically silly acting, writing, violence and lack of logic. It has become a cult classic in the same vein as Troll 2 and The Room for a very good reason; it deserves to be in such company. Rabid fans have been trying to find the elusive Eric Freeman for years, and for a while it seemed to no avail, but a little Christmas miracle happened in 2013 and the king of eyebrows resurfaced once again.

 

Mandatory viewing for lovers of camp. 7/10

View the trailer:

SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE (1986)

SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE (1986) (R) Dir. Carol Frank
74 min.

This Roger Corman-produced gem has nothing to do Slumber Party Massacre, and is instead a hokey, near-remake of Halloween 1 with the twist ending of 2.

 

Robert Hinkle escapes from a mental institution (not as easily as Ricky Caldwell, I might add, but easily enough) and returns to the childhood home where he had killed his family years before. Now the house is a sorority and a group of girls lead by Beth are moving in. Beth begins having inexplicable visions after as she enters the sorority. Meanwhile, the escaped killer approaches.

 

 

Genre aficionados will take no time telling where this plot is headed and everything in it is tired and 100% predictable. However, these faults are almost forgivable for the movie's earnestness and charming cable, made for Lifetime Chanel vibe. Certain shots, scenes, angles and lighting are shamelessly ripped from Halloween; more than I have ever seen in a typical Halloween ripoff. I mean, there are Bruno Mattei-esque moments of thievery here. The music is atrocious, performed by a soloist on a primitive synthesizer (which was becoming the norm of that time) and the movie could have been greatly improved with a more poundingly ominous score. No gore, but plenty of brutal retractable knifings reminiscent of Italian Giallo.

 

Look familiar?

 

When groups of girls have a friend who isn't around, do they get naked and have montages of trying on that girl clothes? Creepy. 4/10

THE MUTILATOR (1985)

THE MUTILATOR (1985) (R) Dir. Buddy Cooper
aka FALL BREAK
86 min.

It's Big Ed's birthday and Little Ed decides to polish Daddy' guns as a surprise. Well, surprise! Dad's rifle goes off in Little Ed's hands and kills his mother in the next room. Big Ed comes home and proceeds to go insane. This dialogue-less opening, which is clearly meant to be shocking, is unintentionally hilarious.

 

 

Many years later, Little Ed is all grown up, and his Dad, a raging alcoholic, calls his son and tells him he has to tend to his beach house while he's away. So Little Ed, his girlfriend, and a few friends head to the beach. The problem is that Big Ed isn't away, he's sleeping in the workshed, and is hellbent on revenge.

 

 

From there on, the movie is a typical slasher fare as one by one Big Ed dispatches of his son's friends. The Mutilator leaves a lot to be desired. It's fun and hokey, for sure, but with a title like "The Mutilator" I expected more... mutilations. The gore it does have is good, and the nefarious fish-hook-in-the-vagina scene is every bit as mean-spirited as it's reputed, but the atrocious script and ridiculously bad acting leave, what should have a been a tense movie, belly up. Oh, and the theme song. What the hell was that? 6/10

 

 

SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE II (1987)

SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE II (1987) (R) Dir. Deborah Brock
aka DON'T LET GO
90 mins.

The first Slumber Party Massacre is a feminist gem wrapped in a misogynistic bow. The sarcastic script was filmed so straight and grimly, that most people who watch it can't see beyond the veil. The second outing is no exception, well except for the straight and grimly part. This movie is much smarter than it ought to be.

The males in this movie are portrayed in a hilarious and yet disturbing manner, their seemingly juvenile antics hint (or more so shoot) at a perturbing dominative behavior in males, and, yet, these are the victims in the movie. How audiences do not see the feminist critique underlining this movie is beyond me; maybe it's the copious amounts of nudity.

 

 

Courtney the younger sister of the now hospitalized Valerie from the first film, is having odd nightmares. She keeps seeing this man with knives for fingers... nah, she sees a greasy, pompadoured cat in a leather jacket rocking a sweeeet drill-tipped guitar and singing rockabilly songs. She is, of course, mortified.

 

Courtney and her all-girl band Wednesday Weekend, head up to a condo to party and practice their set for the school dance. Along for the ride are three boys, including Rob Lowe's little brother as Courtney's love interest. As the weekend progresses, so do Courtney's visions, sparking the doubts of her friends and even the police as the product of an overactive imagination. Soon, however, Courtney's delusions start becoming real, and the movie becomes a stalk and slash musical.

 

 

That's right, a musical. The music is fun, and actually really good at points. The killer is a clear critique on the hypermasculinity of rock n' roll, complete with his oversized phallic drill guitar. No where near as good as the first, but the gore is decent, with a couple of scenes that really stand out. The ambiguous ending is interesting; those who are looking for a stronger continuity between this (campy and purposely cheesy) and the first (purposely dark) will have fun scratching their heads in wonder. Flaws? Absolutely, but overall, I really enjoyed it, and wished I had not be so off-put by the boxart as to have not seen it sooner. 6/10

 

 

ROOM 237 (2012)

ROOM 237 (2012) (UR) Dir. Rodney Ascher
102 mins.

 

 

This documentary examines Stanley Kubrick's The Shining in excruciating detail, oft frame for frame, to highlight the narrations of several Kubrick conspiracy theorists. Background ephemera is pointed out, rug patterns dissected using Freudian theory, dissolves analyzed, continuity errors explained (some of the most interesting material, in my opinion) and the film is even played superimposed over itself forwards and backwards at the same time--and the results are pretty fucking awesome.

 

 

The many narrative theories include that Kubrick faked the moon landing, that it is a film about the European slaughter of indigenous tribes, that its Kubrick's cryptic way of discussing the Holocaust, and others. Some of these theories are synchronistic, some unintelligible and others really do you make you think.

 

 

This film is as much a psychological study of human observation and its effect on the observed as is actually about The Shining. It does not exploit (well, not too much) its narrative participants, but instead gives them reign to try and prove their theories. Will you think some of them are batshit crazy? Inevitably, but a lot of the ideas expressed do make me see the original film in a new light.

 

 

The pacing of the film is bit shaky, and it can be a bit overlong, but if you enjoy speculative and critical theory, and you love the source material, its worth a watch. 6/10

 

No link, but it's very easy to find.

CHRISTMAS EVIL (1980)

CHRISTMAS EVIL (1980) (R) Dir. Lewis Jackson
aka YOU BETTER WATCH OUT aka TERROR IN TOYLAND
100 mins.

When Harry Stadling was a little boy, his father dressed up as Santa Claus for Christmas. After delighting Harry and his brother and putting them to bed. Unable to sleep, an overexcited Harry accidently stumbles upon his mother getting frisky with Ol' Saint Nick.

 

Years later we see Harry, working at a toy factory and unhealthily obsessed with all things Christmas, year round. He is aloof and things aren't going so well, as the factory capitalists are more interested in sales than in bringing children joy.

 

Hey kids, it's Uncle Dudley!

 

Harry begins a transformation into Santa Claus, which is the main narrative arc of the film, and soon begins spying on children in his neighborhood, logging their names and behavior on his extensive naughty and nice lists. He superglues a beard to his face in an amazing scene and as Christmas nears, his murders begin. A manhunt ensues as Harry gets more and more desperate.

 

Without Billy or Ricky this lineup seems... incomplete.

 

Christmas Evil is a great and intelligent slasher, despite many production flaws. It has more depth and is creepier than the most notable Santa-killer movie, Silent Night, Deadly Night. It's not a better movie per se, just more unpredictable. It's amazing that Silent Night gained so much outcry when this was released four years before it. 7/10
 

FORCED ENTRY (1973)

FORCED ENTRY (1973) (X) Dir. Shaun Costello
83 mins.

 

 

Oft called "the king of the roughies", this rape porno/slasher film is a hard but rewarding watch. A Vietnam vet played unforgettably by porn icon Harry Reems, works at a small gas station. When ladies come through to gas up, he uses their credit card information to stalk them in their homes, rape and murder them. There's your plot, but that's all you're gonna need!

 

 

The rape scenes in this film are extreme and disgusting. They grant the audience a sincere sense of dread and compassion for the clearly doomed victims. The actresses are sometimes so convincing that at moments the scenes feel real. The murders that follow are simply but aptly executed, and the focus is more on the killer's crumbling mental state, rather than expensive gore effects. During the rapes, he verbally taunts the victims in a wholly debasing manner, whilst simultaneously flashbacking to atrocities he committed during the war. Stock footage and sounds are used for these flashbacks, and the juxtaposition between them and the hardcore penetration is strikingly affective.

 

 

There is no humor here, it does glamorize rape (looking at you Hollywood), and this is not a movie filmed for pleasure; it is meant to disturb, and accomplishes its goal with gusto. This all leads to an excellent climax that has a positive message about how the free love moment can conquer the war industry. Given the era in which it was made this is an extremely interesting medium in which to channel that message.

 

The movie is downright frightening. The soundtrack is awesome. The film stock is grainy, scratched and the editing and sound is amateur, yet somehow this adds to the tension and atmosphere, making this a forgotten horror mindfuck of a movie that more serious horror fans should know about. It's a shame it doesn't sit on a higher tier in the horror echelon. It needs to be rediscovered. 8/10

I should also mention that this movie has been remade TWICE. Once two years later as a theatrical release with an R rating and again in 2002 as a loosely-based porn.
 

Obviously I can't post a link to this one. You can find it. I have faith.

NIGHTMARES IN A DAMAGED BRAIN (1981)

NIGHTMARES IN A DAMAGED BRAIN (1981) (UR) Dir. Romano Scavolini
aka NIGHTMARE aka BLOOD SPLASH
97 mins.

George Tatum is a very mentally unstable individual. Having committed a double murder as a child, he has been hospitalized, suffering from schizophrenia, intense dreams, and seizures. A team of doctors attempt to rehabilitate him with an experimental drug, echoing both the Ludovico technique in A Clockwork Orange, but more appropriately, the MKULTRA mind control scandal that shocked America only a shortly before this film. Considering their project a success, George it let back into society, but when his case workers lose track of him, he begins to lose his grip on reality, and the murders start rolling in.

 

The bowtie makes this look.

 

George sets his focus on an alcoholic mother and her family in Daytona, because the youngest of 3 kids, C.J., reminds George of himself as a child, and this triggers one of his many ongoing flashbacks. George then stalks the family, makes obscene phone calls, and starts killing the people around them in the six days prior to his final attack.

 

Is that a Sid Haig mask?

 

The most interesting part of the movie is George's character, played masterfully by Baird Stafford. George is horrified of the crimes he commits, traumatized, and is constantly struggling with every act he commits, rendering him sympathetic (unlike the one note killer in Home Sweet Home). It is also ambiguous as to whether his medication keeps him from killing or inspires him to. He wants to stop himself but can't, and even tries to warn C.J. before an impending confrontation. There are two twists in this ending, and while they are maybe not the hardest to predict, work really well. The gore is good, which Tom Savini apparently was not involved in creating, despite the movie's marketing campaign, and I think it shows that it isn't him as it is less Maniac and more Pieces, but his involvement to this day is still a point of contention between the director and Tom, and amongst the fans. Good pacing, well fleshed out characters, lighting and cinematography. A must see grindhouse, yet lesser known, classic. 8/10

 

HOME SWEET HOME (1981)

HOME SWEET HOME (1981) (UR) Dir. Nettie Peña
aka SLASHER IN THE HOUSE aka BLOODPARTY
85 mins.

Where to start. Have you ever wanted to see fitness guru Jake Steinfeld (of Body By Jake fame) shoot PCP into his tongue, run down an old lady in a stolen car whilst laughing incessantly? The movie started off strong in its first five minutes, almost like a Troma film in its over the top excess. However, the rest of the film suffers from horrible, and I mean cringe-inducing pacing, acting, and cinematography.

 

You do NOT want to know about this guy.

 

Jake plays an escaped mental patient with no conscience, who delights in killing any random person he comes across. His spree leads him to a house filled with a cast of trite, unsympathetic and annoying characters, where Jake begins killing them one by one, very slowwwwwly. That's the plot. The kills are virtually goreless, but with a little bit of krovvy, and most of them involve the massive Jake just physically overpowering his victims. There is even a scene where Jake is holding a knife about to kill man fixing his car, but opts to just hurl his massive body on the hood and crush him instead. Very anticlimactic.

 

Half of he film's budget is on that shirt.

 

The cinematography is poor and when its dark, you can't see anything. I's really grating and confusing and most of the movie takes place at night in the woods and in a house with no power. The ending drags for what seems like forever as characters repeat the same things to each other over and over again. And the sound! I counted five times the final girl's scream was resampled in one scene, one right after the other! Monotonous. Even Steinfeld's hammy performance cannot save this. Just watch the first five minutes, or just watch The Slumber Party Massacre instead. 2/10

 

VISITING HOURS (1982)

VISITING HOURS (1982) (R) Dir. Jean-Claude Lord
aka GET WELL SOON aka THE FRIGHT
103 mins.

 

This is a very well executed slasher film that probably got overlooked because of the genre's oversaturation in the early 80's. The acting is top notch, especially by Lee Grant and Michael Ironside, who's performance as the killer resembles that of Jack Nicholson in The Shining.

 

The plot is very straightforward for a genre piece, Ironside hates women because his mother permanently disfigured his beloved, yet abusive father. Years later, a journalist, played by Grant, is covering a similar case in which she publicly insists on exonerating the female. Ironside, seeing her work on television, then takes his anger out on her by killing her nanny, attacking Grant, and stalking her children. He follows the injured journalist to the nearby hospital and mayhem ensues.

 

 

This movie performs at a frantic pace and really works in creating suspense an and a tense environment. Ironside is brilliant and makes some of the hammier portions of his role stunningly work. The music is decent and the film has an almost made-for-TV look to it, which actually adds to the seedy atmosphere. And yes, there is a Shatner alert in effect.

 

 

Tense, psychosexual and better than Halloween II. Overall, it's a wonder why this is overlooked; perhaps its the lack of gore or cinematic aesthetic, but it is a very decent entry to the genre, that is as intelligent as it is underrated. 7/10

 

UNMASKED PART 25 (1988)

UNMASKED PART 25 (1988) (UR)
aka HAND OF DEATH aka JACKSON'S BACK
Dir. Anders Palm
New Zealand

 

Jackson, a disfigured mass murderer, has got it rough. His father drunkenly abuses him, he lives on the outskirts of society, and his deterministic need and filial-enforced imperative to kill has really got him down. Worse yet, the movie industry keeps reminding him of his despair by releasing dozens of movies capitalizing on his exploits. He just wants to be normal and not a horror trope.

 

Things begin to change, though, when on one of his murder sprees his meets a blind girl named Shelly. She shows genuine interest in poor Jackson and because of this, Jackson doesn't kill her, he dates her. What follows next is an extended break in the carnage as Jackson tries to change his ways and find solace in his new love. His new bondage-loving, sex toy fanatic love. Yes this movie is weird and often hysterical.

 

 

Jackson is clearly a parody of Jason Voorhees, sporting a hockey mask and enduring an overbearing psychotic parental figure who compels him to kill. This film recognizes these clichés and assaults them with self-aware humor. Hence the title (no, there are not 24 other Unmasked movies). Part slasher, part romantic comedy, this hardly-known gem is truly an excellent spoof of the genre, a la Student Bodies, that both revels in and pokes fun at its source material.

 

The humor is very reminiscent of classic British comedy, and the gore, at times, is fantastic. It perfectly mocks the trends of 80's slashers and the romantic comedy segments of the film are, in fact, some of the best scenes in it. It also sports a very grim climax that leaves the audience on a strong downnote. Despite its lowbudgetry and occasional bad pacing, fans of the genre definitely should seek this out.

6/10

 

 

Sorry, no link. This shit is rare, man.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE (1985)

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE (1985) (R)
Dir. Jack Sholder
87 mins.
USA

This entry in the popular series is considered amongst many in the horror community to be the worst. I myself am one of the few that considers it to be the best. Let me explain.

 

Firstly, fans of the franchise, and even the producers themselves, have complained that ground rules set in the original were broken by having Freddy possess a boy, Jesse, and using him to kill in the real world. Yet possession has happened in other films in the series a few times, including a mental patient in Part 3, an unborn baby in Part 5 and a dimwitted stoner in Part 6. Oh, and a dimwitted stoner in Freddy Vs. Jason.

 

What makes this movie stand out to me is the monstrousness of the possession itself. It is well known by now that the original intention of the first movie was to establish Freddy as a child molester. Because of the controversial McMartin case that was making headlines at the time of the filming of the first Elm Street, the material was lightened and Freddy was referred to as a "filthy" child murderer. Still, the intent is clear.

 

With the second movie, it is evident to anyone with a modicum observational skills, that the protagonist Jesse is a repressed homosexual or bisexual teen. As Jesse struggles with this, Freddy uses it as a means of possessing his body, in essence an act of rape. Freddy knows Jesse's weaknesses, and is using it to control him, so he can murder more than just the Elm Street kids.

 

This makes perfect sense, as Freddy has attempted to expand his murdering repertoire on multiple occasions throughout the series, and is a major theme of Parts 4-6. Yet this possession also represents the villainy of sexual predators, who often exploit their victim's own sexual confusion and vulnerability to accomplish their crimes. The themes of rape and sexual repression in Freddy's Revenge were far ahead of their time and give this entry a depth unseen amongst it peers.

 

This extends itself to the killings that Jesse is made to commit. One victim, Jesse's high school gym coach, is murdered in the gymnasium's locker room, naked and tied to shower heads. When this event is mentioned at school the next day, Jesse's best friend Grady mentions that the coach had been "packed". It is a quick reference, but one that suggests that Jesse had anally raped the coach. This adds to the subtexts that are in play in this film, Freddy is molding Jesse into an image of himself, and that the cycle of violence is reproducing itself.

 

 

Freddy himself is far more frightening than in the other movies. He doesn't crack jokes. He is not yet a kid's plushie doll or a terrible NES game. He is a rapist and killer that will stop at nothing to harm others. It helps that his makeup in this is fantastic and far outshines the makeup in the others, including the original. It is more boney and angular than the first, and less streamlined as the third. He looks like a corpse. And those eyes... the contacts added a lot.

 

 

Though the movie has its flaws, such as the absence of the iconic theme song, and an absurd incident involving a combustible parakeet, I encourage naysayers to reevaluate it, is a lot better than its reputation has afforded it.

8/10

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