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On Masculinity and Kangaroo Hunting in the Ozploitation Classic ‘Wake in Fright’ [Horror Queers Podcast]

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Horror Queers Wake in Fright

Kangaroo Killjoys.

After checking out the CreepyPasta-centric film We’re All Going to the World’s Fair a few weeks ago, we went back to Crystal Lake for the third time to check in with meta-Jason in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Now we’re heading Down Under to pick apart Ted Kotcheff‘s famed “lost film” Wake in Fright!

In the film, teacher John Grant (Gary Bond) looks forward to spending his holiday with his girlfriend in Sydney after finishing up the school term in a remote outback town. On his way home, John gets waylaid in a mining town where a gambling spree leaves him completely broke. He quickly falls in with the hard-drinking locals, including the town doctor (Donald Pleasence), who constantly supply him with alcohol and force him to participate in several gruesome activities. Will John be able to make it out of the town alive?

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 178: Wake in Fright (1971)

Brush up on your two-up and watch out for them kangaroos (oh, God, the kangaroos!) because we’re heading Down Under to discuss Ted Kotcheff’s famed “lost film” Wake in Fright (1971)! Joining us are A Nightmare on Fierce Street co-hosts Sharai Bohannon and Trent Reese!

First thing’s first: this film has a 10-minute-long sequence featuring Cannibal Holocaust levels of real-life animal violence (it’s the kangaroos), so major content warning for that. Consider yourself warned.

Anyway, after a brief musical theatre tangent, we discuss the film’s journey from novel to film to lost film to restored masterpiece before going all-in on its portrayal of masculinity. It all leads up to a discussion of a gay sex scene that, quite frankly, we were shocked to see!

Plus, shirtless Donald Pleasence (nips o’ plenty), one spicy hotel receptionist, a very serious conversation about Bloody Marys and (the ultimate question) is Janette a slut? Would you expect anything less from the director of Weekend at Bernies?


Cross out Wake in Fright!

Coming up on Wednesday: We’re heading back into the controversial waters of a cross-dressing (or trans? it’s unclear) killer in Pascal Laugier’s (Martyrs) second English-language film: Incident in a Ghostland (2018)!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for more than 180 hours of additional content! This month, we’re discussing horror movies that make us cry, Shudder’s new zombie(ish) movie The Sadness, the remake of Firestarter, Alex Garland’s Men and an audio commentary on 28 Weeks Later to commemorate its 15th anniversary!

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

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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