Podcasts
Worshipping at the Altar of Julia Cotton in ‘Hellbound: Hellraiser II’ [Horror Queers Podcast]
We’re here about a mattress…
After wrapping up 2023 with look at New French Extremity in Inside (listen), horror musicals in Anna and the Apocalypse (listen) and the Best Horror Films of 2023 (listen), we’re kicking off our first official episode of 2024 with a lengthy discussion of Tony Randel‘s better-than-it-has-any-right-to-be sequel Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), which just celebrated its 35th anniversary!
Hellbound: Hellraiser II picks up hours after the first film ended, seeing Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) confined to a mental hospital after she tells the authorities that her father was betrayed by his evil, adulterous wife, Julia (Clare Higgins), and is now being tormented in hell by sadomasochistic demons called Cenobites. Few believe Kirsty, except the thrill-seeking Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham), who is so intrigued by her frightening stories that he teams up with a newly resurrected Julia. When they open the gates to Hell and unleash the Cenobites, Kirsty and fellow patient Tiffany (Imogen Boorman) try to stop them.
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Episode 263: Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Put on your best white suit because we’ve got a date with a bloody mattress in Tony Randel’s Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988). Tagging in for the discussion is our forever-Hellraiser guest: Bryan Christopher!
Join us as we heap all the deserve praise on Clare Higgins’ Julia Cotton, who finally gets her due in this spectacular sequel. Hellbound astounds with a bigger budget and more world building, but sometimes suffers from an unfocused kitchen sink approach that the first film wisely avoided.
Plus: humanizing the Cenobites, discussing what a “sex movie” is, Trace’s unlikely remake proposition, Ashley Laurence’s excellent “WTF” face and Julia’s America’s Next Top Model vortex challenge.
Cross out Hellbound: Hellraiser II!
Coming up on Wednesday: We’re going to be discussing carnivorous contraceptives in Martin Walz’s 1996 horror comedy Killer Condom!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for nearly 283 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal S01E01, Mimic (1997), Founders Day and Night Swim, plus an audio commentary celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Babadook (2014).
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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