Podcasts
Analyzing the Queer-Coded Killer in ‘The Hitcher’ [Horror Queers Podcast]
Fairy man.
We spent June discussing a cisgender male demon trapped in a female body, genderfluid dinosaurs and evil weaves, so we’re kicking off July with a film that’s a bit more grounded: Robert Harmon‘s classic cautionary tale The Hitcher!
In The Hitcher, Jim (C. Thomas Howell) picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder (Rutger Hauer) while transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego. After quickly showing Jim his murderous ways, John is kicked out of the car and begins a relentless pursuit of Jim, murdering anyone who gets in his way and framing Jim for the murders. With no one to help him except a local waitress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), Jim must decide how far he is willing to go to survive.
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Episode 236: The Hitcher (1986)
Our mothers told us never to do this but we just couldn’t resist so we’re having an in-depth discussion of Robert Harmon’s 1986 classicThe Hitcher. Join us as we discuss the gay panic of it all in this queer-coded cautionary tale. From Rutger Hauer’s predatory queer to C. Thomas Howell’s virginal twink, The Hitcher has it all!
Plus: the film’s origins as a 190-page(???) script, lots and lots of saliva play, ferryman/fairy man and getting your car all kinds of wet.
Cross out The Hitcher!
Coming up on Wednesday: In celebration of the next installment of the Insidious franchise, we’re taking a look at the Bride in Black in the supernatural sequel Insidious: Chapter 2.
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for nearly 250 hours of additional content! This month we’re going all in on the Insidious franchise with a episode discussing our thoughts on each entry, as well as delivering a full-length episode on the new film Insidious: The Red Door. We’ll also have episodes on the Netflix sequel Bird Box: Barcelona and the Set Rogen-produced horror film Cobweb. Plus: our audio commentary for the month is on the original Bird Box!
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.