Podcasts
‘Cam’ Puts the “Work” in “Sex Work” [Horror Queers Podcast]
Sex WORK.
After kicking off our themed Doppelgängers and Deception month of March with a look at Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, we’re now heading into the world of sex work with a discussion of Daniel Goldhaber‘s 2018 film Cam, which was written by former cam girl Isa Mazzei.
In the film, cam girl Alice (Madeline Brewer, The Handmaid’s Tale) is working her way up to the Top 50 of her camming website. When she does finally move up the ranks, her account is stolen by another girl who looks just like her. Locked out of her account and on a desperate quest to reclaim her agency, Alice sets out to unmask the mysterious woman and get her identity back.
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Episode 325: Cam (2018)
Finish that whole steak on your fork and keep an eye on that Top 50 list because we’re continuing our theme month of doubles and doppelgängers in Daniel Goldhaber‘s 2018 gem Cam! Tagging in for the conversation is horror author Ariel Powers-Schaub.
Join us as we praise Madeline Brewer‘s fearless lead performance, as well as the exceptionally authentic screenplay written by Isa Mazzei, who drew upon her own experiences as a sex worker when writing the film.
Plus: clit-destroying Vibatrons, emphasizing the “work” part of sex work and a very insightful lesson on tulpas from our guest.
Cross out Cam!
Coming up on Wednesday: We’re continuing our themed month of Doppelgängers & Doubles with a look at the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
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Aaliyah Innocent.
May was a busy subgenre-switching month. After kicking things off with disaster “slasher” The Poseidon Adventure (listen), we watched American Giallo The Fan (listen), then wrapped things up with Vincent Price’s horror comedy Theater of Blood (listen).
Now, in honor of Pride Month and the return of AMC’s Interview with the Vampire (renamed The Vampire Lestat for S03), Trace and I had to check out the straight-washed second attempt to bring Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles to life.
Back in 2002, director Michael Rymer pitched Hollywood on his vision for Rice’s second Chronicle book, The Vampire Lestat. Instead, the suits opted to adapt the third book, Queen of the Damned (likely due to the ancillary opportunities of the soundtrack, written entirely by Korn frontman Jonathan Davis).
In the film, Lestat (Stuart Townsend) awakens from slumber to reinvent himself as a leather-pant-wearing rocker. Lestat’s very public vampire persona attracts the attention of Talamasca novice Jesse (Marguerite Moreau), as well as the vampire’s maker Marius (Vincent Perez). But the nu-metal has the greatest impact on Akasha (Aaliyah), who awakens and promises to take over the world if her old foe Maharet (Lena Olin) doesn’t stop her.
Whose side will Lestat join? Will Marius help his fledgling or abandon him to public sacrifice? And does anyone actually care about Jesse? (Please note: that last question is rhetorical.)
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 389: Queen of the Damned (2002)
Practice your Egyptian accent and bare that midriff because we are talking the troubled “adaptation” of Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned (2002).
Directed by Australian Michael Rymer, this one was doomed by the suits before it was even greenlit (which happened AFTER all of the songs were written by Korn frontman Jonathan Davis). It’s a bit of a clusterfuck.
Plus: praising everything Aaliyah (RIP); critiquing everything Stuart Townsend (aside from his abs and leather pants); a soft queer reading of Marius; and bemoaning boring protagonist/audience surrogate JESSE.
Cross out Queen of the Damned!
Coming Up Next: We’re tackling Ben Stiller’s horror-adjacent dark comedy The Cable Guy (1996), in anticipation of its 30th anniversary!
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