Podcasts
‘Sleepaway Camp 2’ Celebrates Its Trans Villain [Horror Queers Podcast]
Touch That Tush.
August has featured an American giallo in Eyes of Laura Mars, a Spanish ghost story in The Others, and a Jewish horror comedy in Shiva Baby. Now it’s time to head back to literal summer camp with director Michael A. Simpson‘s very silly horror comedy: Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers (1988).
In this sequel to the notorious original, Angela (Pamela Springsteen) is all grown up and working as a camp counselor. She’s transitioned and is seemingly very comfortable with herself, but she can’t shake Aunt Martha’s pesky pious moral code. This sends her into a murderous rage whenever the other counselors – and even some of the campers – break her rules.
What follows is all manner of silly/horrible deaths, albeit with less of the great practical effects of the OG film. Still, it’s fun to watch Angela take out an entire camp in a film that not only lets its trans character be the villain, but also the protagonist and Final Girl.
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, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 244: Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers (1988)
Return to camp with Michael A. Simpson’s Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers (1988) which finds Angela killing according to Aunt Martha’s conservative moral code.
We’re talking about Pamela Springsteen’s performance (and Felissa Rose’s absence), our love of Ally, and the film’s status as a self-referential horror comedy.
Plus: the lack of short shorts, poor editing, Molly’s end, and debates if the laughs subvert the “trans killer” trope.
Cross out Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers!
Coming up on Wednesday: We’re checking in the dysfunctional family at the heart of Park Chan-wook’s sole English language thriller, Stoker (2013).
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for more than 258 hours of additional content! This month we’re discussing horror tropes that gotta go, as well as episodes on Meg 2: The Trench, Talk to Me, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter. And to tie in with that last one, our audio commentary for the month will be on Bram Stoker’s Dracula (the Coppola one).
Game Loop.
Trace and I inadvertently bookended our April discussions of John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London (listen) and Ciarán Foy’s Eli (listen) with Jude Law films. At the start of the month, we tackled Matt Damon’s Italian grifter in The Talented Mr. Ripley (listen) and now we’re closing out April with David Cronenberg‘s eXistenZ (1999).
The unofficial sequel to Videodrome (listen) and precursor to Crimes of the Future, eXistenZ takes place in the world of virtual reality and simulation. Game goddess Allegra Gellar (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is forced to go on the run with PR nerd Ted Pikul (Jude Law) through the Canadian backwoods when ‘Realist’ terrorists declare open season on her life.
Featuring no shortage of strange encounters and oddball characters, including Willem Dafoe‘s queer-coded Gas and Canadian film royalty like Don McKellar and Sarah Polley, Allegra and Ted must travel between the real world and the game world, all the while keeping track of who is friendly…and who is foe.
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, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 279: eXistenZ (1999) feat Vannah Taylor
Lube up your industry standard bio-port because we’re playing David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ (1999) with someone friendly: Vannah Taylor!
David Cronenberg’s meditation on the dangers of gaming and simulation is the middle entry of an unofficial trilogy. It’s also a film that gets real confusing, real fast, so good luck figuring out if we’re still in the game!
Plus: criticisms of a “bland” game world, praise for Jennifer Jason Leigh, Canadian royalty, comparisons to Serenity, disgusting gristle guns, and Pikul getting his back blown out (several times!)
Cross out eXistenZ!
Coming up on Wednesday: We’re continuing our celebration of 1999 films with a look at Stephen Sommers’ bisexual awakening, action adventure film, The Mummy (1999).
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 306 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal S01E04, Late Night with the Devil, The First Omen, Femme, Abigail and a brand new audio commentary on the original The Omen (1976).
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