Podcasts
[Horror Queers Podcast] A Not-So-Subtle Queer Reading of ‘IT: Chapter One’
Eddie and Richie are totes gay for each other.
We had a blast celebrating crazy ladies in Femme Fatale Month™ in August. Joe and I explored the themes of Takashi Miike’s controversial Audition, the dynamics between teenage sociopaths Sadie and McKayla in Tyler MacIntyre’s Tragedy Girls, the lesbian relationship at the heart of the Brazilian film Good Manners, and the Lola of it all in Sean Byrne’s ultra-violent (and ultra-hilarious) The Loved Ones.
This week, we’re heading to Derry, Maine to hang out with the Losers’ Club in Andy Muschietti‘s IT: Chapter One! Joining us is resident Stephen King expert Michael Roffman, the editor-in-chief of Consequence of Sound and co-host of the Halloweenies and Losers’ Club podcasts! In the film, seven children are haunted by an evil clown in 1989 and are forced to face their demons.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Libsyn, Google Play, and RSS.
Episode 37 – IT: Chapter One (2017)
In an episode almost as long as its source material, the boys kick off Stephen King week with a trip to Derry alongside resident Stephen King expert Michael Roffman. EVERYTHING is on the table: coming of age narratives, bad CGI, the appeal of dancing clowns, as well as Derry and Pennywise as stand-ins for Reagan-era Conservatism. Also, a discussion of whether adults are the true villains, the most effective set pieces and an obligatory queer reading of Richie and Eddie (and if you’ve seen IT: Chapter Two, then you know this isn’t a reach).
Throw in Michael’s analysis of Ariana Grande’s contribution to music, the group’s analysis of why a wave of 90s nostalgia is long overdue, and Trace’s passionate response to hysterical reactions on the Internet.
This Week’s Game: which King universe (book or film) would you live in?
Cross out IT: Chapter One!
Coming up Wednesday: We’re getting a head start on Friday the 13th with a trip to Crystal Lake in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday! The leather-daddy shaving scene alone merits an hour-long discussion.
– Joe & Trace
P.S. Be sure to check out all of our online articles right here, including August’s article on The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014).
P.P.S. As an added bonus, if you subscribe to our Patreon you can listen to our full-length bonus episode on IT: Chapter Two!
Game Loop.
Trace and I inadvertently bookended our April discussions of John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London (listen) and Ciarán Foy’s Eli (listen) with Jude Law films. At the start of the month, we tackled Matt Damon’s Italian grifter in The Talented Mr. Ripley (listen) and now we’re closing out April with David Cronenberg‘s eXistenZ (1999).
The unofficial sequel to Videodrome (listen) and precursor to Crimes of the Future, eXistenZ takes place in the world of virtual reality and simulation. Game goddess Allegra Gellar (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is forced to go on the run with PR nerd Ted Pikul (Jude Law) through the Canadian backwoods when ‘Realist’ terrorists declare open season on her life.
Featuring no shortage of strange encounters and oddball characters, including Willem Dafoe‘s queer-coded Gas and Canadian film royalty like Don McKellar and Sarah Polley, Allegra and Ted must travel between the real world and the game world, all the while keeping track of who is friendly…and who is foe.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 279: eXistenZ (1999) feat Vannah Taylor
Lube up your industry standard bio-port because we’re playing David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ (1999) with someone friendly: Vannah Taylor!
David Cronenberg’s meditation on the dangers of gaming and simulation is the middle entry of an unofficial trilogy. It’s also a film that gets real confusing, real fast, so good luck figuring out if we’re still in the game!
Plus: criticisms of a “bland” game world, praise for Jennifer Jason Leigh, Canadian royalty, comparisons to Serenity, disgusting gristle guns, and Pikul getting his back blown out (several times!)
Cross out eXistenZ!
Coming up on Wednesday: We’re continuing our celebration of 1999 films with a look at Stephen Sommers’ bisexual awakening, action adventure film, The Mummy (1999).
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 306 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal S01E04, Late Night with the Devil, The First Omen, Femme, Abigail and a brand new audio commentary on the original The Omen (1976).
Dev Patel’s ‘Monkey Man’ Is Now Available to Watch at Home!
‘Infested’ Review – One of the Best Spiders Attack Horror Movies in Years
‘The King Tide’: An Island Town Rots with Moral Decay in Canadian Folk Horror Fable [Review]
Rated “R” ‘The Little Mermaid’ Horror Movie Coming Soon; Watch the Trailer
TWO New ‘Evil Dead’ Movies Now in the Works; Sébastien Vaniček & Francis Galluppi Directing
