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[Horror Queers Podcast] The Predatory Lesbian at the Center of Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rebecca’

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3 years ago

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Horror Queers Rebecca

Maxim suuuuuuucks.

After kicking off October proper with a discussion of the meta horror comedy The Final Girls last week, we’re classing things up with a look at Alfred Hitchcock‘s original adaptation of Daphne du Maurier‘s classic novel Rebecca and its villainous lesbian housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (just in time for Ben Wheatley’s new Netflix adaptation).

The film is the story of a young woman (Joan Fontaine) who marries fascinating widower Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier) only to find out that she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously one year earlier. She must also deal with the jealous, obsessed Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), the housekeeper, who will not accept her as the mistress of the house while simultaneously coming to grips with Maxim’s terrible secret.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS.

Episode 95 – Rebecca (1940)

Last night, we dreamt we went to Manderley again, but today we’re actually going there! We’re going to be discussing lesbian housekeepers and spousal abuse in Alfred Hitchcock’s only Best Picture-winning film: Rebecca!

Join us as we discuss all the drama behind the tense relationship between Hitch and producer David O. Selznick before looking at how the Hays Code affected the film (bye bye, Maxim the Murderer!). Plus, a queer reading of the villainous housekeeper Mrs. Danvers and how she may be a reflection of Rebecca author Daphne du Maurier’s internalized homophobia.

Also, why does Maxim suck so much? How does Rebecca, a character we never see, make such a huge impression? And is Mrs Danvers actually a tragic figure?

Cross out Rebecca!

Coming up on Wednesday: We’re really getting in the Halloween spirit now as we revisit Michael Dougherty’s seminal horror anthology Trick ‘r Treat!

– Joe & Trace

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for tons of additional content! This month we’ll have episodes on Ratched, Books of Blood, The Haunting of Bly Manor and Rebecca, as well as an audio commentary on Halloween: H20!

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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

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Podcasts

The Double ‘Othering’ of David in ‘An American Werewolf in London’ [Horror Queers Podcast]

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3 days ago

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April 15, 2024

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After concluding March with Raja Gosnell’s Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (listen) and James Whale’s The Invisible Man (listen), we kicked off April with a discussion of  Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley (listen).
Now we’re checking off another classic with John Landis‘ 1981 werewolf film, An American Werewolf in London.
In the film, American best friends David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are horrifically attacked while backpacking through the UK Moors. Jack is killed and David spends a month recuperating in the hospital, where he befriends attractive nurse Alex (Jenny Agutter) and kindly Dr. Hirsch (John Woodvine).
On the cusp of his release, the mangled corpse of Jack visits David, warning that on the full moon he will become a lycanthrope unless he kills himself. But David is unable to accept his fate and a series of terrible murders follow.
As the bodies (and the comedy) pile up, the question becomes: what will David, Alex, and Dr. Hirsch do to stop the deaths?
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 277: An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Try not to wolf out because we’re talking about John Landis’ classic, An American Werewolf in London (1981). Backpacking along with us is Xero Gravity, who went on a werewolf binge and has recommendations!
Up for discussion: Alex’s underdeveloped character, urban set pieces, dirty movie theaters, and British rural horror.
Plus: a queer reading of David and Jack’s relationship, Jewish horror, an unsexy sex scene, and extended tangents about werewolf anatomy.

Cross out An American Werewolf in London!

Coming up on Wednesday: We’re undergoing a risky experimental treatment for a “different” kind of child with Netflix’s 2019 title, Eli.

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 302 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).

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