Podcasts
A Queer Writer and a Stylish Director Join Forces to Give Us ‘Stoker’ [Horror Queers Podcast]
St(r)oker.
We closed out August with a look at the horror elements in the non-horror film Shiva Baby and the trans empowerment of Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers. Now, we’re looking at Park Chan-wook‘s English-language debut (which was written by queer screenwriter and actor Wentworth Miller): 2013’s Stoker.
Stoker sees India (Mia Wasikowska) grieving after the death of her father (Dermot Mulroney). She is given no solace, not even from her unstable mother Evelyn (Nicole Kidman), until her Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), whom she never knew existed, comes to live at their family home. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.
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Episode 245: Stoker (2013)
Get ready to play the piano all sexy like because we’re discussing Park Chan-wook’s English-language debut Stoker, which is based on a screenplay from queer screenwriter (and actor) Wentworth Miller(?!?!).
Join us as we discuss the film’s journey from a Black List pick to a botched marketing campaign to an even more botched release. This is a shame, because Stoker is a film that oozes so much style that it elevates its baby Dexter plot, even if it could have used about 100% more Nicole Kidman.
Plus: one incredible hair-to-grass transition, camera weaves for days, the most demented sand angel you’ll ever see and incest: the last universal taboo.
Cross out Stoker!
Coming up on Wednesday: We’re kick-starting a month of erotic thrillers with one of the most infamously problematic entries in the sub-genre: Brian De Palma’s Dressed to Kill!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for nearly 260 hours of additional content! This month we’re discussing Shudder’s birth/rebirth, A Haunting in Venice, The Nun 2, and we will also have two audio commentaries: one on Underworld to celebrate its 20th anniversary and one on Saw II to coincide with the release of SAW X. Oh, and we’ll also have an extra special bonus episode on 2021’s The Voyeurs to coincide with this month’s main feed theme of erotic thrillers.
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.