Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street

A compelling spotlight on reclusive actor Mark Patton who disappeared right after he seemed to be getting put on the Hollywood map. Scream, Queen deals with his fall from the graces of Hollywood due to the fear of AIDS and homophobia.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 has been one of the black sheep of the franchise for awhile and, in some ways, the hate is justified. The script has its weak spots, but let's get one thing straight - Mark Patton was never one of those weak spots. He turned in a committed, memorable, and game performance, going places that a lot of male actors are too scared to go. He wasn't scared to appear weak or genuinely frightened. Unfortunately, the world wasn't ready for it (and some would say they still aren't) and he paid the price.

For any gay horror fans or Hollywood historians, this is a must watch!

After recently seeing the excellent Sun Choke (2015-also reviewed)I decided to check spookyastronauts channel again. Catching a video about Horror titles out in June,I was intrigued to learn about a upcoming Horror doc, leading me to learn about a Scream Queen.

View on the film:

Going right back to Mark Patton's (who is also a co-producer) early years on stage being directed by Robert Altman, directors Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen claw the most fascinating aspects of the doc from the archive footage of homophobia in Hollywood and the press in the 80's,with the directors layering press clippings and TV clips, (from A-List stars demanding everyone takes a blood test before productions began, to magazines attempting to whip-up fear of gay people,after the death of Rock Hudson) across the screen.

Travelling with Patton to Horror conventions, the directors present a positive image on the Horror community, with Drag Queens who watch A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 for the "Camp" aspect,sitting as equals with those who have come for the gore. Mentioning in the film that he had decided to quit acting,despite getting some roles after Elm Street 2, the up close and personal approach the directors take,leads to the personal hardship Patton has faced, (losing partner Timothy Patrick Murphy) being crossed with a bitterness towards Elm Street 2,thirty years later.

Building up to reunions with the cast and crew of Elm Street 2, the directors leave the impression of only featuring a small snippet of the exchanges which took place, most noticeable in the one on one discussion Patton has with Elm Street 2 script writer David Chaskin, who apologises over claiming for years that he had not written a gay subtext in the script,and blamed it on Patton, but points out that parts of Elm Street 2 Patton blames him most for (the "girly scream") were the director's decision not his, which gets oddly dissolved to a friending ending to the chat,as Freddy comes out of the closet.

A wonderful, insightful look at the life of reclusive A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 star, Mark Patton. Groomed to be one of the next big young actors in the mid-80's, Patton disappeared from the scene after his agents were fearful that his performance as Jessie would turn him into a character actor who couldn't play straight. Considering this was at the height of 80's AIDS panic, Patton left the industry.

Patton finally gets his moment in the sun here and he's able to confront the filmmakers (some of whom blamed him for some of the criticisms the film received) and gets to finally tell his side of the story.

It's part coming of age story, parts AIDS saga, part love letter to horror fans, and 100% entertaining and even a bit moving. This one is definitely something horror fans and 80's gay historians will eat up.

I'd been interested in whatever happened to Mark Patton since I was a kid and fell in love with the Nightmare on Elm Street series. This documentary brings him out of seclusion and, it turns out, he had a pretty compelling set of reasons for leaving the business altogether.

For Patton, what should have been an exciting time in his life (he was young, attractive, and starring as the lead in a huge horror sequel) became a literal nightmare when he found out his lover with HIV positive and he might be infected as well. Add in the Hollywood homophobia and fear that he'd be outed at any minute and have his dreams shattered and one can see why he decided to leave Hollywood before it discarded him.

It's nice to see this film and performance, often cited as nothing more than a quirky footnote in the Nightmare series, getting a full length documentary treatment. There are tons of interesting facts that fans of the film will enjoy.

I'm 37 and a lifelong Elm Street fan. Anytime someone from the Elm Street Family has a new project, I always like to support it, because they've brought me such happiness my whole life by being a part of a series that has, oddly enough, helped me get through some very tough times. I've followed Mark Patton on social media for a while now, and have been following the making of this documentary, as well, so I knew some of his story, but certainly not the whole story. I jumped at the opportunity to be able to see a screening of this, because for someone like me, it was required viewing (the good kind of required viewing, of course). However, here's the thing; it's not just a documentary for someone like me. It's also for someone like you, or someone like your neighbor, or someone like the stranger waiting to catch the bus. What I'm saying is that it's for everyone. The story it tells is something everyone should hear. But story is probably the wrong word, because I hear the word story and works of fiction come to mind; however the subject matter of "Scream, Queen" is all too real, true, and heartbreaking. It also shows the importance of closure, and how finding it can be a painful process, but ultimately worth it, and inspiring for others. Watching this doc will be worth it for you, too, so if you have a chance to watch it, please, do yourself a favor and jump at it like I did. It's an emotional ride, but a wholly satisfying one, regardless of whether or not you're a fan of Elm Street. -Joe Altomere