Podcasts
‘Wild Things’ Finds Strength In Sexuality [The Lady Killers Podcast]
“That’s what I am to you, isn’t it? Swamp trash, just like my mom.”
We’ve all heard stories about Florida Man. Maybe he lost a wrestling match with an alligator, dropped his keys into a pit of snakes, or fell into a flaming dumpster as it floated off to sea. Whatever the case, this southern miscreant has a reputation for spectacularly trashy and ill-advised behavior. And it seems we can’t get enough. But decades before the world regaled the misadventures of Florida Man, John McNaughton gave us Wild Things, a sleazy, sun-baked noir about a troublesome Florida polycule. This salacious film not only features steamy performances from Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon – each playing their own delightful versions of a proto-Florida Man – but two sexy lady killers who set the screen on fire with their seductive scheming and in-your-face sexuality.
Sam Lombardo (Dillon) is a dreamy guidance counselor and playboy in Blue Bay, Florida who catches the eye of cheerleader Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards). After a Car Wash Day gone terribly wrong, Kelly Ann accuses Mr. Lombardo of rape. Soon after, Suzie Toller (Neve Campbell), an orphan from the wrong side of the tracks, joins the case with an accusation of her own. The two teens band together to take Mr. Lombardo down, bolstered by Detectives Ray Duquette (Bacon) and Gloria Perez (Daphne Rubin-Vega). But people are not always what they seem and Ray begins to suspect treachery. What really happened on that sudsy day will cause us to question our ideas about predator and prey.
The Lady Killers continue Hot Girl Summer by diving into the pool with two iconic female killers. Co-hosts Jenn Adams, Sammie Kuykendall, Rocco Thompson, and Mae Shults take their mom’s Rover and cruise through the glades in search of motives, mischief, mayhem, and more. Why does Kelly fall for Mr. Lombardo? Does he have real feelings for her? What’s up with that curious raccoon and who gave Neve Campbell that atrocious wig? Pop the champagne bottles, pull out your teeth and get wild with the Lady Killers for a hot, hot, hot episode on this iconic 90s hit.
Stream below and subscribe now via Apple Podcasts and Spotify for future episodes that drop every Thursday.
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.