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).
Here at Halloweenies, we love practical effects—there’s a reason why one of our categories is called “Great Graphics.” Well, consider this a full-length “Great Graphics” episode, where we talk to the effects team behind the titular puppet of Pinocchio Unstrung, in theaters this Friday. As the latest installment in the Twisted Childhood Universe, Pinocchio ups the franchise’s game by featuring a villain that’s entirely practical, created with a stunning mix of animatronics and, of course, puppetry.
So, take a seat at the workbench for a spirited interview between Halloweenie co-host Dan Caffrey and MASTERS FX President and Founder (and special effects legend in his own right) Todd Masters, Pinnochio Lead artist and Designer Kiana Larson, and Lead Animatronics Joshua Raymond. Learn how they pulled off such a dazzling and terrifying puppet, where they think the effects industry is headed, the movies that made them want to be FX artists, a few tidbits of Nightmare On Elm Street history, and more.
Pinocchio himself might even pop by for an appearance.
Stream the episode below and get tickets now for Pinocchio Unstrung. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, Chucky, Alien, and Universal Monsters. This year? Hellraiser AND The Omen.
You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Gremlins, Child’s Play) and one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Saw, 28 Days Later, Manhunter, Near Dark). Each month promises something new and unexpected from the wildest corners of the genre.
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