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[Horror Queers Podcast] The Toxic Female Friendship of ‘Always Shine’

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Horror Queers Always Shine

The last few weeks on the Horror Queers Podcast (we launched back in mid-January) have resulted in plenty of great discussions and hilarious shenanigans. We’ve tackled the implied twincest in David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers (1988), Jessica Rothe’s delightful performance in out-and-proud director Christopher Landon‘s 2017 horror-comedy Happy Death Day and even brought in a third to discuss the lesbian Rosemary’s Baby-esque film Lyle.

In the most recent episode, we discuss the toxic friendship at the center of Sophia Takal‘s (director of the “New Year, New You” episode of Hulu’s Into the Dark) 2016 film Always Shine. The film sees two actress friends (portrayed by Caitlin Fitzgerald and Mackenzie Davis) take a weekend getaway to Big Sur, where they attempt to re-establish a bond broken by years of competition and jealousy. As you might expect, things don’t go as planned. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you can stream it for free on Shudder or on Amazon Prime!

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple PodcastsStitcherSpotifySoundCloudTuneInLibsynGoogle Play, and RSS.


Episode 9 – Always Shine (2016)

Join Joe and Trace on their weekend getaway to Big Sur as they try not to murder each other out of fame jealousy! That’s right, we’re watching Sophia Takal’s Always Shine!

This chilling look into a very troubled female friendship between two competing actresses (portrayed by Caitlin FitzGerald and Mackenzie Davis) force the boys to ask some difficult questions: Why are outspoken women automatically deemed “bitchy” and/or “difficult” by our society? What makes a “good” woman? And finally, just what is a Sazerac (hint: it’s not called a “Salesrack”)? 


Cross out Always Shine!

Coming up Wednesday: we continue celebrating Women in Horror Month (we know it’s technically over but we got off to a late start!) with an episode on Katt Shea‘s underrated and under-seen 1999 sequel The Rage: Carrie 2. Never seen it? Well, it’s available to stream for free if you have Amazon Prime, so give it a watch before Wednesday!

– Joe & Trace

P.S. Be sure to check out all of our online articles right here.
P.P.S. As an added bonus, if you subscribe to our Patreon you can hear Trace take Joe to task for his lukewarm review of Happy Death Day 2U! And dropping next week only on Patreon: our in-depth discussion of the remake of The Last House On The Left (2009) to celebrate its 10th(!) anniversary.

A journalist for Bloody Disgusting since 2015, Trace writes film reviews and editorials, as well as co-hosts Bloody Disgusting's Horror Queers podcast, which looks at horror films through a queer lens. He has since become dedicated to amplifying queer voices in the horror community, while also injecting his own personal flair into film discourse. Trace lives in Austin, TX with his husband and their two dogs. Find him on Twitter @TracedThurman

Podcasts

These Massachusetts Cryptids Will Give You the Creeps [Guide to the Unknown]

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Massachusetts has a reputation for the freaky that can be mainly credited to the Salem witch trials, the deadly miscarriage of justice that spawned gift shops that will outlive us all.

But strange things have been afoot all across the state that don’t necessarily get as much shine—unless you count the flesh-like shine coming off an owl’s white feathers that a skeptic posited as an explanation for a Massachusetts monster sighting.

The Dover Demon is likely the most well-known Massachusetts cryptid. It is a strange enough creature that its memory prevails even though it was only spotted a handful of times. Throughout three nights in late April 1977, witnesses encountered a figure with peachy-pale skin, a somewhat figure-8-shaped head, and a distended belly. The figure was sometimes on all fours, sometimes leaning back against a tree, and had seemingly opposable fingers and toes.

Some people believed the witnesses, and others searched for more plausible theories, like famous skeptic Joe Nickell, who posited that perhaps a snowy white owl had flown into the beam of one witness’s yellow headlights, and the lights’ reflection against the feathers created a peachy reflection that looked like flesh. It’s difficult to ascertain whether this theory or the appearance and disappearance of an actual unknown monster is more plausible.

Then there are pukwudgies, legendary troll-like creatures said to inhabit the Freetown State Forest, among other locations throughout New England. In contrast to the Dover Demon, pukwudgie sightings are rampant, with stories flooding YouTube videos, Facebook groups, and TV specials, not to mention TikToks with purported pukwudgie sightings (that no one in the comments seems to be able to see).

But it turns out that the common idea of pukwudgies today differs vastly from the accounts of the Wampanoag tribe, who first lived in Massachusetts and documented their existence. While everyone who has encountered them experiences them as sinister at worst, mischievous at best, and magical, not in the good way, key differences point to the interesting way myths evolve and what they might or might not mean to the people who originated them.

Join Kristen and Will this week on Guide to the Unknown as they examine these northeastern beasties! Subscribe on Apple PodcastsSpotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to get a new episode every Friday.

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