Podcasts
‘Scooby-Doo’: A Compromised Parody Still Worth Watching On its 20th Anniversary [Horror Queers Podcast]
Scrappy Scrote.
After three weeks of films with objectionable content (real-life kangaroo murder in Wake in Fright, an injured actress and problematic killer in Incident in a Ghostland and “consensual rape” in Perdita Durango), we thought it might be nice to swamp out the dark and dreary for the…colorful and cheerful? That’s right, we’re heading back to family(ish) fare with the 2002 live-action adaptation Scooby-Doo!
In the film, the Mystery, Inc. gang have a clash of egos, forcing them to close their doors. Two years later, Scooby-Doo (Neil Fanning) and his clever crime-solving cohorts Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) and Velma (Linda Cardellini) are individually summoned to Spooky Island by Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson) to investigate a series of paranormal incidents at the ultra-hip Spring Break hot spot.
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Episode 181: Scooby-Doo (2002)
We hope you’ve got the scrote for this job because we’re heading to Spooky Island to solve the mystery of the zombified co-eds in Raja Gosnell‘s 2002 live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo! Joining us for the conversation is noted Scooby-head Cory McCullough!
Join us as we trace the film’s journey from a PG-13 (or R-rated???) Brady Bunch Movie-style parody of the classic Scooby-Doo cartoons to a compromised but joyous, family-friendly(???) celebration of all things Mystery, Inc. We wouldn’t expect anything else from screenwriter (and Troma alum) James Gunn, would we?
Plus, on top of a feminist Daphne, a stoner Shaggy and a queer Velma & Fred, we’ve got Pamela Anderson(???), “horrific” CGI, body (and gender)-swapping shenanigans, plenty o’ farts and the ultimate debate on Scrappy Cornelius Doo. Oh, and who can forget that absolute banger of a soundtrack?
Cross out Scooby-Doo!
Coming up on Wednesday: We’re traveling back to 1990 New York City to discuss James Bond III’s succubus-y Troma film Def By Temptation!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for more than 180 hours of additional content! This month, we’re discussing our favorite horror movie posters, Jurassic World: Dominion, The Black Phone and releasing an audio commentary on Gremlins 2: The New Batch!
On the DL.
After spending June on explicitly queer texts like Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn (listen) and William Castle’s Homicidal (listen), it’s only appropriate that Horror Queers celebrate the American holiday with a blockbuster film with a not-so-secret gay connection.
In Independence Day, an unlikely group of people come together when the human race faces extinction from a threatening alien race. After spaceships destroy every major city, pilot Steven Hiller (Will Smith) must team up with secret tech genius David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), as well as the US President (Bill Pullman), to execute a daring plan to save the planet from annihilation.
Along for the ride are the two saviors’ romantic partners – WH Communications Director Constance (Margaret Colin) and stripper Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox) – plus eccentric scientist Dr. Okun (Brent Spiner), who is at the center of the film’s most horrific set piece.
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, and RSS.
Episode 393: Independence Day (1996)
Today, we celebrate our Independence Day…courtesy of gay German director Roland Emmerich.
As the summer blockbuster celebrates its 30th anniversary, we’re looking back on an alien disaster film that scared young Trace (thanks to that alien autopsy scene) and turned Will Smith into a star.
Plus: the death that upsets the most; bemoaning Vivica A. Fox’s career; pondering what could have been with the casting; why Smith’s bravado and the film’s patriotism doesn’t always work for Joe; and plenty of riffing on the atrocious sequel.
Cross out Independence Day!
Coming Up Next: We’re retreating to the country for some questionable therapy courtesy of Joe Dante’s 1981 classic, The Howling!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 503 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Forbidden Fruits, Saccharine, Evil Dead Burn, an audio commentary on the utterly ridiculous sequel Howling II: Your Sister Is A Werewolf (1985), and the conclusion of our Requel Tier coverage of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat.