Podcasts
‘Bioshock: Infinite’ is 10! [Safe Room Podcast]
It’s Bioshock Infinite on Safe Room this week, but be sure to check out our look at a selection of bite-sized horror games in the March edition of Horror Bytes.
Few franchises have cemented themselves into the pantheon of spiritual successors that expand upon their influences with such staggering visual and thematic language as Bioshock has. From the underwater dystopian of Rapture to the militantly theocratic and fascist society in the skies of Columbia, the Bioshock brand has never shied away from exploring the unfettered abuses of power by man. And ten years later, Irrational Games’ most controversial entry in the series, Bioshock: Infinite, proves that there is plenty of conversation still to be had.
So for this week’s lengthy chat, we’re joined by returning friend Michael Sandal to unpack Infinite’s inclusion of a fully voiced protagonist, how the game avoids feeling like one long escort mission, and how it maneuvers its handling of political and taboo subject matter.
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Want more chat on the Bioshock series after this Bioshock Infinite Safe Room episode? Last August, we had Bloody Disgusting contributor Michael Pementel on the show to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the original Bioshock.
Next week, Safe Room reviews HBO’s first season of The Last of Us. We’ll be discussing those central performances, missing pieces, those big moments , and more. If you have any strong opinions on the first season, please let us know on the above Twitter handles!
Aaliyah Innocent.
May was a busy subgenre-switching month. After kicking things off with disaster “slasher” The Poseidon Adventure (listen), we watched American Giallo The Fan (listen), then wrapped things up with Vincent Price’s horror comedy Theater of Blood (listen).
Now, in honor of Pride Month and the return of AMC’s Interview with the Vampire (renamed The Vampire Lestat for S03), Trace and I had to check out the straight-washed second attempt to bring Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles to life.
Back in 2002, director Michael Rymer pitched Hollywood on his vision for Rice’s second Chronicle book, The Vampire Lestat. Instead, the suits opted to adapt the third book, Queen of the Damned (likely due to the ancillary opportunities of the soundtrack, written entirely by Korn frontman Jonathan Davis).
In the film, Lestat (Stuart Townsend) awakens from slumber to reinvent himself as a leather-pant-wearing rocker. Lestat’s very public vampire persona attracts the attention of Talamasca novice Jesse (Marguerite Moreau), as well as the vampire’s maker Marius (Vincent Perez). But the nu-metal has the greatest impact on Akasha (Aaliyah), who awakens and promises to take over the world if her old foe Maharet (Lena Olin) doesn’t stop her.
Whose side will Lestat join? Will Marius help his fledgling or abandon him to public sacrifice? And does anyone actually care about Jesse? (Please note: that last question is rhetorical.)
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Episode 389: Queen of the Damned (2002)
Practice your Egyptian accent and bare that midriff because we are talking the troubled “adaptation” of Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned (2002).
Directed by Australian Michael Rymer, this one was doomed by the suits before it was even greenlit (which happened AFTER all of the songs were written by Korn frontman Jonathan Davis). It’s a bit of a clusterfuck.
Plus: praising everything Aaliyah (RIP); critiquing everything Stuart Townsend (aside from his abs and leather pants); a soft queer reading of Marius; and bemoaning boring protagonist/audience surrogate JESSE.
Cross out Queen of the Damned!
Coming Up Next: We’re tackling Ben Stiller’s horror-adjacent dark comedy The Cable Guy (1996), in anticipation of its 30th anniversary!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 495 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 3 Episodes 5 & 6, Backrooms, Passenger, Leviticus, an audio commentary on the original Scary Movie (2000), and the return of our Requel Tier as we begin our episode coverage of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat.