I didn't really plan on doing this documentary this year. Really, it just popped out at me while browsing Shudder so I was like "the hell with it, that sounds interesting and I can probably squeeze a post out of it". It's horror adjacent, which is close enough for me. The horrors in this documentary are frighteningly real, though. A gay man who lived through the hellscape that was the AIDS crisis of the 80's, who lived through lord knows how much homophobia and trauma and loss. I can't fathom how it felt for the poor guy, but he got through it somehow. He even went and took part in this documentary to tell his story, get it out there, and get his closure. Right, we should probably talk about who the subject of this documentary is, huh?
This is the story of Mark Patton. He's done much in his life, but the thing most people know him for is playing the lead in Nightmare On Elm Street 2. Elm Street 2 is considered the odd sequel out for a lot of reasons. Yeah, you got Freddy coming back to life by hijacking a guy in the living world. You got him coming through to the real world and slashing up teens at a pool party, which gels really weird when you think of the other movies. The biggest thing people want to talk about, though, is the fact that this movie is filled to the brim with gay subtext. I talked about it two years ago for the blog and barely touched it. I didn't feel qualified and wanted to poke more at the alchemical themes of the movie, along with some other stuff. It has to be said, though. It's in there. It's in there and it's done harm and good. Harm in that the writer denied it was there for years, implying that Patton himself added something to the character on the page and made him gay just like he was. That bus-throwing left Patton with obvious resentment to the writer over the years, and as he admits he used the writer as a focal point for the resentment he had from this movie. It's hard to blame the guy. The hateful comments they flash on screen regarding the movie's reception turn my fucking stomach to look at.
Yet, there's also good to come from it. It inspired and uplifted so many LGBT horror fans, and they get to share what the movie means to them in this documentary. They get to share that, if only so briefly, with Patton himself. For Patton, this grand tour of the horror convention circuit is an act of healing. Between the reception to the movie and the AIDS crisis, Patton withdrew himself from the public eye. He lost partners, he fought HIV himself, and he powered ever onward, making a life for himself. That one defining fact about his life remains, though, and so Patton wants to get his closure from it all. He wants to find the good after 30 years of harm, and so he's off on tour to meet his fans. He's off to share his story with this documentary, and let the world know Mark Patton's story beyond "he was the gay guy from that really gay Elm Street movie". I know it now, and he's a pretty cool guy who weathered through more hurt and heartache than I ever have. He gets to meet his fans, he gets to reunite with cast and crew from his one big movie. He even gets to speak with the writer after 30 years, share his pain over what the writer had said in denying the subtext and shifting the blame all those years ago, and get an apology. An act of healing and moving on if there ever was one. That's really all I've got to say on this. I quite enjoyed the documentary, and I'm glad Patton got to share his story and get his closure. Elm Street 2's not a favorite Elm Street, but it's interesting enough to be up there for me. As for Mark Patton? I hope he's doing good down there in Mexico with his husband and his cute little dog. Guy's earned it.
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