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The Killer Hilarity of ‘Clue’: One of the Best Comedies Ever Made [Horror Queers Podcast]

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Flames…

Another October has come and gone <sob>, but we’ll always have the amazing line-up that carried us through the month: Joy RideHalloween (2018), Blade, and now our Halloween episode, Clue, featuring the lovely ladies of Good Mourning, Nancy!

The 1985 board game adaptation by UK writer/director Jonathan Lynn takes all of the elements from the classic murder mystery, sprinkles in a now-iconic cast of comedians and ramps up the wordplay, physical pratfalls, and sexual innuendo.

It’s the perfect set-up: invite six strangers to a mansion during a storm, lock the doors, reveal their secrets, and wait for them to pick each other off one by one. Featuring an all-star cast of powerhouse women (Madeline Kahn, Lesley Ann Warren and Eileen Brennan) as well as Tim Curry, the murder mystery/comedy hybrid has all of the expected gags about murder weapons and secret doors but also has surprising bite with its commentary on McCarthyism and the Red & Lavender Scares.

To make a long story short (too late!): Clue is easily the best film adaptation of a board game and one of our favorite comedy films of all time!

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple PodcastsStitcherSpotifyiHeartRadioSoundCloudTuneInAmazon MusicAcastGoogle Podcasts, and RSS.


Episode 149 – Clue (1985) feat. Good Mourning, Nancy

The Comedy Queers are in the house! We’re joined by Abbey and Gracie of Good Mourning, Nancy to unpack the hilarity of Jonathan Lynn’s adaptation of Clue (1985) aka one of the best comedies ever made.

We discuss our relationship to the game, Trace goes long on the complicated production history, Abbey equates Miss Scarlet with a particular vegetable, and we each take a go at Madeline Kahn’s famous improvised line.

Plus: a debate about who is the best actor/character, Clue as a “gateway” film for both mystery and comedy, Joe provides historical context for the Red & Lavender Scares and we unpack our complicated feelings about Mr. Green (Michael McKean)’s changing sexual orientation.

Oh, and laughs. LOTS of laughs.


Cross out Clue!

Coming up on Wednesday: We’re celebrating our 150th episode (!!!) with a deep dive into queer director Joel Schumacher’s hit, 1987’s The Lost Boys!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for tons of additional content! This month, we’ll have episodes on Amazon’s TV version of I Know What You Did Last Summer, the long-delayed Wendigo film Antlers, and the remake of Slumber Party Massacre. Plus: to pair with our episode on Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, we’ll be doing an audio commentary on Paul W.S. Anderson’s 2002 original, Resident Evil!

Joe is a TV addict with a background in Film Studies. He co-created TV/Film Fest blog QueerHorrorMovies and writes for Bloody Disgusting, Anatomy of a Scream, That Shelf, The Spool and Grim Magazine. He enjoys graphic novels, dark beer and plays multiple sports (adequately, never exceptionally). While he loves all horror, if given a choice, Joe always opts for slashers and creature features.

Podcasts

‘Alice, Sweet Alice’ Is a Cut-Throat World of Original Sin [The Lady Killers Podcast]

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“God took her from me on the day of her first communion, don’t you see? He waited until then to teach me that children pay for the sins of their parents.”

Is there anything quite so devastating as the concept of original sin? The idea that we’re damned at conception before we’ve had a chance to take our first breath? What will it take to find salvation and how much will we have to pay for the actions of those who came before us? It’s a particularly painful topic for women. With Eve’s first bite of the apple weighing heavily against us and men holding all the levers of power, the path to righteousness can feel like a minefield. Some women will kill to escape these oppressive gender-based norms while others double down and kill to make sure they stay in place. The Lady Killers conclude a month of hidden horrors by unmasking the feminine terror of original sin in the 1976 Catholic horror film Alice, Sweet Alice.

Despite director Alfred Sole’s angelic title, Alice Spages (Paula E. Sheppard) may not be as sweet as she seems. Not only is she jealous of the attention heaped on her younger sister Karen (Brooke Shields), she has an antagonistic relationship with her handsy landlord Mr. Alphonso (Alphonso DeNoble), and spends her days wandering construction sites in her yellow school slicker and creepy, clear mask. When Karen dies moments before taking her first communion, Alice shoots to the top of the suspect list. Her recently divorced parents reunite to defend her honor, but it may not be enough to protect this not-so-sweet girl from leering police, aggressive aunts, and a tiny killer still on the loose.

Co-hosts Jenn AdamsMae Shults, and Sammie Kuykendall make their way to the podcasting altar for a blessed conversation on this unholy hit. They’ll chat about masked attackers, sassy sisters, communion-craving whores, and a plethora of priests. What does it mean to receive the host? Is there a parallel between menstruation and communion? Why is Aunt Alice always yelling, and will someone please wash Mr. Alohonso’s pants? They’ll wander through construction sites and rectories as they tackle these questions and more with Alfred Sole’s iconic film.

Stream below and subscribe now via Apple Podcasts and Spotify for future episodes that drop every Thursday.

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