Podcasts
Herbert West’s Mad, Queer ‘Re-Animator’ Scientist [Horror Queers Podcast]
Silly Done Right
January featured plenty of highs and lows on Horror Queers. We started with the brilliant sequel Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (listen) and the silly subversiveness of German film Killer Condom (listen). Then we descended into trash for two weeks with The Covenant (listen) and The Roommate (listen).
Thankfully we wrapped the month on a high with Stuart Gordon‘s playful, gory and mean-spirited adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft‘s Re-Animator (1985).
Featuring a career defining performance by Jeffrey Combs, the film follows eccentric burgeoning scientist Herbert West (Combs) as he befriends/seduces aspiring doctor Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott), much to the chagrin of Dan’s girlfriend, Megan (Barbara Crampton) and her secret admirer, creepy Dr. Hill (David Gale).
As the experiments – and the corpses – begin to pile up, it’s unclear who the real villain is. Will Herbert successfully test his serum? Will Dan live to become a doctor? Or will the decapitated head/body of Dr. Hill and his undead army rule the hospital? It’s chaos!
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 267: Re-Animator (1985)
It’s time to revisit H.P. Lovecraft with a dip into horror comedy/exploitation territory and Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator (1985). C/W: sexual assault and the cat dies (again and again)
We’re praising Jeffrey Combs’ perfect performance, the tricky tonal balance (including the Dr. Hill/Megan assault), and the gory practical FX in this mad doctor film.
Plus: a queer reading of Herbert and Dan, multiple editions, naked fight scenes, and why the film deserves to be seen with a crowd.
Cross out Re-Animator!
Coming up on Wednesday: We’re headed back to the 40s to discuss an early adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s iconic The Portrait of Dorian Gray (1945)!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for 286 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal S01E02, sharks on an underwater plane movie No Way Up, Joe Lynch’s Suitable Flesh and an audio commentary on Heathers (1988) to coincide with our episode on Lisa Frankenstein.
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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‘The King Tide’: An Island Town Rots with Moral Decay in Canadian Folk Horror Fable [Review]
Rated “R” ‘The Little Mermaid’ Horror Movie Coming Soon; Watch the Trailer
TWO New ‘Evil Dead’ Movies Now in the Works; Sébastien Vaniček & Francis Galluppi Directing
Limited Edition Morticia & Wednesday Addams ‘Monster High’ Dolls Releasing Next Week!
