Podcasts
The Rampant Sexuality of David Cronenberg’s ‘Shivers’ [Horror Queers Podcast]
Taxpayer Funded Sex Slugs.
After wrapping up September with Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (listen), debating the merits of The Strangers: Chapter 1 (listen) and celebrating 30 years of To Die For (listen), it’s time for a David Cronenberg milestone: 50 years since his genre feature film debut, Shivers (1975).
In the film, Starliner Tower is an exclusive, isolated apartment complex mere minutes away from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The residents have access to every amenity and want for nothing.
The problem is that a bizarre sexually transmitted parasite is making its way through the building, starting with a mad doctor (Fred Doederlein) and his underage mistress. In no time at all, the infection has made its way into the laundry room, the elevators, and even the bathtub of an unsuspecting victim, Betts (Barbara Steele).
As the sex-crazed contagion rapidly spreads, it falls on on-site doctor Roger St. Luc (Paul Hampton), his lover/nurse Forsythe (Lynn Lowry) and unserious colleague Rollo Linsky (Joe Silver) to save the day. But with no safe spaces left and the city a mere 12.5 minutes drive away, can the venereal disease be stopped before everyone is infected?!
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Episode 355: Shivers (1975)
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, we’re revisiting David Cronenberg’s classic “sex slug” film, Shivers (1975). C/W: sexual assault, statutory rape
An isolated Montreal apartment complex comes under attack by a parasitic aphrodisiac venereal disease in the famed Canada director’s genre debut, which a) nearly went to Hollywood and b) was publicly attacked because the movie was funded by taxpayer dollars.
Plus: searching for a protagonist; low-fi FX that hold up; the nonchalant acceptance of the rape of a minor; threatening queer sexuality; and an all-timer ending in the pool!
Cross out Shivers!
Coming Up Next: We’re overdue for some silliness, so we’re going to check out the Chiodo brothers’ one and only feature film, Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 427 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 2, Episodes 11 and 12, Bone Lake, The Strangers: Chapter 2, Black Phone 2 and, to prepare for next month’s Predator: Badlands, a brand new audio commentary on Predator: Killer of Killers (2025).
It’s always a cruel summer, but 2026 is about to get crueler.
To blow off steam, the Losers hit the road to visit all the towns in Stephen King’s Dominion. Derry, Castle Rock, Ludlow, Boulder, the list goes on. They’ve got miles to drive and so many (scary) sights to see. At the end of the day, though, they have to ask themselves: Which one’s the best? And, more importantly, what does “best” mean in this context?
Stream the episode below. PayDays and Nozz-a-La, optional. For further adventures, join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of content in The Barrens (Patreon).