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.
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.