Podcasts
[Horror Queers Podcast] The Subversive Secret Queer in Family Film ‘ParaNorman’
Despite being terrified of Evil Esther in 2009’s Orphan on last week’s episode, Trace and I decided to stay in the realm of children’s horror with our first foray into family films. This week on Horror Queers, we’re back on the zombie beat (just two weeks after UK series In The Flesh!) tackling 2012’s ParaNorman, the Laika stop-motion film.
This little charmer pays homage to classic horror films with the tale of an exceptional little boy who can talk to ghosts and must stop a plague of zombies from devouring his small town. But that’s not all that’s going on in this adorable animated film: there’s a hidden queer character waiting in the wings for a last minute reveal!
Joining us to unpack all things voice acting and family films is my friend, Brenna Clarke Grey, who co-hosts my other podcast on Young Adult Literature adaptations, Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr.
Episode 32 – ParaNorman (2012) feat. Brenna Clarke Gray
The boys fall through the 3D printer as they tackle their very first stop-motion animated family film. Thankfully they have help from Brenna Clarke Gray, the co-host of Joe’s other podcast – Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr, which focuses on Young Adult literature adaptations.
Brenna’s vast range of experiences (English professor, mother, former voice actor, lover of Hilary Duff and hater of horror films) provides no shortage of amusing stories and anecdotes as the trio unpack the film.
Topics include an unexpected queer character, homages to classic horror films, sequences that made us tear up, ParaNorman’s unexpected anti-police stance and LAIKA’s lengthy production process.
This Week’s Game: What property would benefit from being turned into a stop-motion film?
Coming up Wednesday: We’re kicking off “Femme Fatale” month with a jump back to the pod’s favorite year – 1999 – to seek romance in an unconventional way with Takashi Miike’s shocking Audition. Is it a feminist masterpiece or a misogynistic piece of trash?
– 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 listen to a full-length bonus episode on Alexandre Aja’s insanely fun killer alligator movie Crawl, a minisode on Aquatic Horror and, coming next week, a minisode on Controversial Horror Hot Takes!
Maybe you haven’t thought about your good friend Sweeney Todd in a while, or maybe you have. The 2007 movie is a bit of a memory, though a fond one – it has a healthy 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, for what it’s worth. But 2023’s Broadway revival starring Josh Groban, who your mom thinks is “so talented” (she’s right!), was enough of a hit that its run was extended.
It appears we’re in a bit of a Sweeneyssaince.
For the uninitiated, Sweeney Todd is the story of a barber who kills his customers and disposes of the bodies by passing them off to pie shop owner Mrs. Lovett, who uses them as a special ingredient. But there’s more below the trap door.
Sweeney Todd isn’t just a late 70s musical that turned into a movie; it started as a penny dreadful called The String of Pearls: A Domestic Romance (author unknown), told week-to-week in the 1840s. Penny dreadfuls were essentially fiction zines featuring serialized stories that were usually horror-based and cost a penny, leading to the very literal nickname.
The String of Pearls differs from the more well-known Sweeney Todd plot in that it follows the investigation of a missing persons case that leads to the reveal of Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett’s arrangement, as opposed to the more modern iteration which treats audiences to the duo hatching their homicidal plan and then giving the worst haircuts ever. What a delightfully wild reveal that must have been if you were a reader in Victorian London after weeks of wondering what had become of the missing sailor carrying a string of pearls to deliver to a lovely girl.
Kristen and Will discuss the history and future of Sweeney Todd and works inspired by it this week on Guide to the Unknown. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to get a new episode every Friday.
Looking for New Episodes of “Chucky” on Peacock? Here’s What Changed
‘Mountain Man’ – Joe Manganiello Will Battle Zombies in Upcoming Horror Movie
‘The Blair Witch Project’ – Original Stars Release a Statement Asking Lionsgate for Residuals & Recognition
‘Trap’ – Official Trailer Previews a Wild New Horror Experience from M. Night Shyamalan
‘Halloween: Illustrated’ Review: Original Novelization of John Carpenter’s Classic Gets an Upgrade
