Initially tossed aside as a dashed-off follow-up to a surprise horror hit, this slasher sequel was often kept in the closet of the Freddy Krueger franchise. But what audiences missed in the mid-80s is that Freddy’s Revenge functions as a fascinatingly entertaining take on teenage angst filtered through the lens of homo-existential panic. Much to the chagrin of fans of the original classic, Freddy (Robert Englund) transcended beyond the dream world in Freddy’s Revenge, frequently possessing the body of new-to-town Elm Street resident Jesse Walsh (the now proudly-out Mark Patton), leading to dialogue such as “he’s inside me and he wants to take me again.” The deliciously queer subtext is so thinly-veiled that it often becomes the text in marvelously absurd ways—from a hazy trip to a downtown S&M bar to a twink-trolling leather-daddy gym teacher and more. Similar to its protagonist, Freddy’s Revenge was considered an “outsider” within the series, but has since developed a reputation as a queer cult gem—and the inspiration for the upcoming documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (which will have its New York premiere at NewFest October 28). A Nightmare on Elm Street? More like A Nightmare on Christopher Street. —Nick McCarthy, NewFest