Podcasts
The Exploitation of Young Reese Witherspoon in ‘Freeway’ [Horror Queers Podcast]
Famous in Mexico.
Trace and I are closing out a very random February. We’ve discussed found footage demons with The Taking of Deborah Logan, a Canadian slasher classic with My Bloody Valentine, and my birthday pick, the gonzo WTF-ery of Splice.
Now it’s Trace’s birthday pick and he’s opted for…exploitation/trash?
Welcome to Matthew Bright’s 1996 film Freeway, a contemporary take on Little Red Riding Hood which finds a young Reese Witherspoon attempting to escape from an impoverished life of poverty and sexual assault. She hitches a ride from Keifer Sutherland‘s predatory Bob Wolverton, who threatens to rape and kill her (though maybe not in that order) before she turns the tables on him.
What happens next involves about five different subgenres as the film tackles girls-in-prison (hi Brittany Murphy!), rape-revenge, courtroom comedy, police investigation (hi Dan Hedaya!) and lifetime melodrama (Brooke Shields sporting *enormous* earrings). It’s over the top, completely offensive and ridiculously funny, while still being incredibly prescient and disturbing.
In short, it’s a perfect pick for Trace!
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Episode 114 – Freeway (1996)
This week, in honor of trick baby Trace’s birthday, we’re delving into Matthew Bright’s Freeway (1996), a “white trash” exploitation/rape revenge/little red riding hood genre mash-up starring a very foul-mouthed Reese Witherspoon and predatory perv Keifer Sutherland. Content warning: pedophilia, sexual assault, suicide and racism.
We discuss the stacked cast, the line between satire, parody and offensive humor, and the film’s surprisingly smart class critique. Plus: Trace’s favorite lines, Joe’s difficulty divorcing the film from recent events and Brooke Shields’ earrings! This is basically “genre whiplash, the movie” – it’s A LOT and it’s amazing.
Cross out Freeway!
Coming up on Wednesday: We’re starting off March with a laugh as we tackle an even more offensive property: the Wayans brothers parody, Scary Movie 2.
– Joe & Trace
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for tons of additional content! Thanks to the release of the new Wrong Turn (2021), March is Hillbilly Horror-themed. In addition to tackling that new film, we’re revisiting the controversial The X-Files episode “Home”, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake (2003) and delivering an audio commentary on Alexandre Aja’s The Hills Have Eyes remake (2006).
Coming Soon & Now Showing is a monthly series on Halloweenies that catches up on the latest horror headlines and round robins capsule reviews of new and old horrors.
This month, Michael Roffman and Justin Gerber discuss the blockbuster weekend involving Backrooms and Obsession. They also brush on some franchise news and dust off oldies for the first time: 1987’s Dead of Winter and 1977’s False Face.
Stream the episode below. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, Chucky, Alien, and the Universal Monsters.This year? Hellraiser!
You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Re-Animator, Darkman), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Manhunter, ), and even spinoffs like their recent run Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast.