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!