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!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 495 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 3 Episodes 5 & 6, Backrooms, Passenger, Leviticus, an audio commentary on the original Scary Movie (2000), and the return of our Requel Tier as we begin our episode coverage of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat.

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After concluding May with discussions of the disaster “slasher” The Poseidon Adventure (listen) and Michael Biehn’s demon twink in the messy-but-watchable The Fan (listen), we’re heading back to the ’70s to discuss our very first Vincent Price film in Douglas Hickox‘s horror comedy Theater of Blood (1973).

In Theater of Blood, Vincent Price stars as Edward Lionheart, a disgraced Shakespearean actor who begins targeting the critics who shamed him. The gimmick? He’s taking inspiration from the death scenes in William Shakespeare’s plays! Aiding him is his daughter Edwina (Diana Rigg), who acts as the honeypot for her father’s macabre scheme.

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 388: Theater of Blood (1973)

Brush up on your Shakespeare and protect those poodles because we’re covering our very first Vincent Price film in Douglas Hickox’s horror comedy Theater of Blood (1973), a personal favorite of both Price and Diana Rigg.

Join us as we go all in on this somewhat episodic (but also educational!) proto-slasher, wondering if we’re supposed to know that’s Diana Rigg in hippie drag, and cackling at some of these murder set pieces.

Plus, “Handsy Dickman,” narcissistic gravestones, antisemitic stage makeup, and the ultimate debate: is it theatER or theatRE?

C/W: Attempted suicide, off-screen dog murder.

Cross out Theater of Blood!

Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating the premiere of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat with a look at the much-maligned 2002 adaptation Queen of the Damned!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 492 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 3 Episodes 5 & 6, Backrooms, Passenger, Leviticus, an audio commentary on the original Scary Movie (2000), and the return of our Requel Tier as we begin our episode coverage of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat.

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May has been a delightfully odd mix of titles, including Robin Williams’ One Hour Photo (listen), Aussie/UK thriller Like Minds (listen), and seminal disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure (listen). Adding to the fun is our most recent film: a revisit of the classic stalker title, The Fan (1981).

*We previously tackled the film in our editorial series here.

In Edward Bianchi‘s feature directorial debut, Michael Biehn is Douglas Breen, a music store employee whose singular obsession is with theatre actress Sally Ross (Lauren Bacall). The aging starlet is about to debut in a Broadway musical called ‘Never Say Never,’ but her assistant Belle (Maureen Stapleton) hasn’t been passing along Douglas’ increasingly unhinged letters.

When the young twink’s dangerous behaviour begins to escalate, Sally’s support network – including Inspector Raphael Andrews (Héctor Elizondo) and her ex-husband Jake (James Garner) – is called in. But can anyone stop the determined queer-coded antagonist? Or is Sally doomed to die on opening night?

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 387 – The Fan (1981)

Stay out of the pool and work on your singing because we’re talking Edward Bianchi’s The Fan (1981) starring Grand Dame Lauren Bacall and a twinky Michael Biehn.

Joining us for the discussion is returning guest Michael Varrati, who dubs the film “parasocial peril” and praises Bacall’s emotionally vulnerable performance as aging starlet Sally Ross.

Look for adaptation questions about Bob Randall’s pulpy source material; critiquing James Garner’s autobiography; and highlighting the subway stalking and pool slicing sequences.

Plus: the queer coding of Douglas Breen; the film’s uneasy place in (horror) history; and trying to figure out the plot of in-movie musical Never Say Never.

Cross out The Fan!

Coming Up Next: We’re realized there’s an enormous gap in the podcast’s coverage: we’ve never discussed a Vincent Price title! We’re rectifying that mistake with a look at one of his favourite roles in 1973’s Theater of Blood.

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 488 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on shark movies Thrash and Dark Water, Hokum, Mortal Kombat II, Obsession and an audio commentary on Wolfgang Petersen’s Poseidon.

The post Stalker Twinks and Aging Grand Dames Anchor 80s Thriller ‘The Fan’ [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After kicking off May with the Robin Williams-starring character study One Hour Photo (listen) and the forgotten Leopold and Loeb-style thriller Like Minds (listen), we’re heading overseas to check in with the survivors of Irwin Allen‘s production of Ronald Neame‘s seminal disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure (1972)! Or, a slasher movie where the slasher is mother nature, as Trace puts it.

In The Poseidon Adventure, a mountainous tidal wave strikes the SS Poseidon on her last voyage to the shipbreakers in Athens, capsizing it in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea on New Year’s Eve. A group of ten survivors, led by the renegade reverend Frank Scott (Gene Hackman), attempt to climb their way up to the bottom (now top) of the ship in the hopes of being rescued. Who will survive this “adventure” that promotional materials referred to as “hell, upside down?”

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 386: The Poseidon Adventure (1972) feat. Stacie Ponder

Climb that metallic Christmas tree and follow that renegade reverend because we’re going to Hell (upside down!) in Irwin Allen’s production of Ronald Neame’s The Poseidon Adventure (1972)! Tagging in for the conversation is horror blogger and Final Girl After Dark podcast host Stacie Ponder.

Join us as we tackle a movie filled with Academy Award winners both in front of and behind the camera. We laud its era-defining (and Oscar-winning) special effects, while sobbing over all things Shelley Winters. No one phones it in in this disasterpiece from Master of Disaster Irwin Allen.

Plus: “My Linda!”, the shocking adaptation change made to Paul Gallico’s 1969 source novel, a semi-positive portrayal of sex work in a ’70s film and emphasizing the importance of grieving dead characters in a disaster movie.

Cross out The Poseidon Adventure!

Coming Up Next: We’re headed to 1980s New York to check in with twink Michael Biehn and diva Lauren Bacall in Edward Bianchi’s cult thriller The Fan (1981).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 488 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on shark movies Thrash and Dark Water, Hokum, Mortal Kombat II, Obsession and an audio commentary on Wolfgang Petersen’s Poseidon.

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April has been a month of alien slugs (Slither – listen), Universal Monsters (The Mummy – listen), disaster “comedies” (The Happening – listen), and character studies (One Hour Photo – listen). Horror Queers ushered in May with an underseen co-production between the UK and Australia: a bizarre little 2006 psychological thriller called Like Minds, written and directed by Gregory J. Read and starring the one and only Toni Collette.

In the film, Alex Forbes (Eddie Redmayne in his film debut) is arrested and questioned by police for the suspicious death of his schoolmate, Nigel Colbie (Tom Sturridge). Detective Inspector McKenzie (Richard Roxburgh) is convinced of Alex’s guilt, but he needs the help of forensic therapist Sally Rowe (Collette) to charge the teenager.

What begins as a simple case quickly spirals into a complicated backstory involving taxidermy, night trains, absent parents, and ritualistic murder. Can Sally trust Alex’s story that Nigel corrupted him? Or is the teenage boy a masterful liar who’s using her sympathy to get away with literal murder? Only the Knights Templar know for sure!

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 385: Like Minds (2006)

Pack your taxidermy kit and catch the night train because we are discussing writer/director Gregory J. Read’s Like Minds (2006).

The film explores the Gestalt relationship that develops between two boys, Nigel and Alex (Tom Sturridge and Eddie Redmayne – in his feature debut) at a boarding school, as well as a series of murders that forensic psychologist Toni Collette (and her bangs) is investigating in the present.

It’s a wild ride, filled with way more bizarre shit than expected. Expect plenty of debate about what exactly is going on here! Big thanks to listener Rachel for bringing this odd little Aussie/UK co-production to our attention!

Cross out Like Minds!

Coming Up Next: We’re “celebrating” the 20th anniversary of Wolfgang Petersen’s Poseidon with a look at the 1972 film that kick started the disaster movie trend: The Poseidon Adventure.

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 487 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on shark movies Thrash and Dark Water, Hokum, Mortal Kombat 2, Obsession and that aforementioned audio commentary on Poseidon.

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After spending April laughing at James Gunn’s horror comedy Slither (listen), revisiting Boris Karloff in The Mummy (listen), and debating M. Night Shyamalan’s “comedy” The Happening (listen), we’re closing out the month with an underseen Robin Williams gem.

In 2002’s One Hour Photo, writer/director Mark Romanek developed one of the darkest roles of Williams’ career. As Sy, the photo technician at a “don’t call it Walmart” style megastore, Williams’ character develops an unhealthy fixation on the Yorkin family. Headed up by absent father Will (Michael Vartan), but kept together by matriarch Nina (Connie Nielsen), Sy envisions himself playing Uncle to the couple’s young son, Jake (Dylan Smith).

As the framing device with detectives James Van Der Zee (Eriq LaSalle) and Outerbridge (Clark Gregg) proves, though, Sy’s interest in being a member of the family has tumbled over into a dangerous – potentially deadly – obsession. Has Sy truly only “taken photos“?

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 384: One Hour Photo (2002)

Prep your photo wall and cancel the room service because we’re talking Mark Romanek’s One Hour Photo (2002). C/W: Childhood sexual abuse

Starring Robin Williams, this combination character study/thriller finds the comedian playing against type as an awkward photo technician who fantasizes about the perfect life of one particular family.

Plus: Detective Photographer; 2000s hairdos; early influencer horror; and plenty of debate about when and how the “twist” is used (with comparisons to other texts like Psycho and Mysterious Skin).

Cross out One Hour Photo!

Coming Up Next: We’re kicking off May with the Aussie/UK psychological thriller Like Minds (2006) starring Toni Collette and a baby faced Eddie Redmayne (in his film debut!).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 484 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on shark movies Thrash and Dark Water, Hokum, Mortal Kombat 2, Obsession and an audio commentary on Wolfgang Petersen’s Poseidon for its 20th anniversary.

The post Character Study Meets Thriller: Robin Williams’ Villain Turn in ‘One Hour Photo’ [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After concluding March discussing of the classic folk horror film The Wicker Man (listen) and observing the Easter holiday in Critters 2: The Main Course (listen), we’re gonna shine up our boots at the local Deer Cheer festival in James Gunn‘s 2006 horror comedy (and notorious box office bomb) Slither for its 20th anniversary!

In Slither, the quiet lives of the residents of Wheelsy, South Carolina are disrupted when an asteroid containing an alien parasite crashes in the local forest. Patient zero is Grant Grant (Michael Rooker), who begins an ooey, gooey takeover of the town using parasitic slugs. It’s up to Grant’s wife Starla (Elizabeth Banks) and sheriff Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion) to stop the invasion before it’s too late.

Slither will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with a limited UK and Ireland theatrical release and a 4K Digital release from 1st May, and 4K UHD + Blu-ray Steelbook combo from 18th May which can be pre-ordered through HMV, ZAVVI & Amazon.

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 381: Slither (2006)

Pack your box lunch and hand us a piece of that possum over there because we’re talking James Gunn’s hilariously goopy directorial debut Slither (2006) for its 20th(!!!) anniversary!

Join us as we lament the box office bomb status of this clever little creature feature (you better believe we were both in the theater back in 2006, though!) and laud the impressive practical effects on display.

Plus: marveling at the Brenda blob, gagging (literally) at the Society-esque Grant Grant blob, laughing at squid stickers and learning all about cooters.

Cross out Slither!

Coming Up Next: To celebrate the release of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, we’re going back in time to check out the original appearance of the Universal monster in 1932’s The Mummy!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 479 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hanibal S03 E03-04, Faces of Death (2026), They Will Kill You, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, an audio commentary on the 2017 Tom Cruise-starring The Mummy and the conclusion of our episodic coverage of Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House on the Requel Tier.

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After celebrating March’s Friday the 13th with a look at Steve Miner’s Friday the 13th Part III (listen) and revisiting Radio Silence’s Ready or Not (listen), we’re going back in time to cover Robin Hardy‘s seminal folk horror classic The Wicker Man (1973)!

In The Wicker Man, devoutly Christian police officer Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) travels to to the island of Summerisle in search of a missing girl named Rowan. Upon his arrival, Howie takes note of the strange behavior of the islanders and is appalled to find that they have abandoned Christianity in favor of a form of Celtic paganism championed by the island’s leader Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee). No one on the island seems to have ever heard of Rowan, but Howie is determined to find the girl before the community’s annual Harvest Festival, which is when Howie thinks the islanders might sacrifice the girl for the good of their crops.

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 379: The Wicker Man (1973) feat. Sean Abley

Remove your clothes, jump through that fire and dance around the maypole because we’re finally discussing Robin Hardy’s 1973 folk horror classic The Wicker Man! Tagging in for the conversation is writer/director/producer Sean Abley, co-author of the recent book Queer Horror: A Film Guide!

Join us as we go all in on the three different versions of this stealth musical(!!!) and find ourselves in deep philosophical waters as we parse through its heady themes.

Plus: phallic symbols galore, jars of foreskin, a cross-dressing Christopher Lee (who has rarely been better), and debating the intent vs. impact when it comes to sacrificing a man for the good of the crops (it’s always for the crops, isn’t it?).

Cross out The Wicker Man!

Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating Easter with a look at the fan favorite franchise entry Critters 2: The Main Course (listen to our episode on the original Critters here).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 475 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Psycho Killer, The Bride!, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, Scream 7, a new audio commentary on Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and our continuing coverage of Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House (2018) on the Requel tier.

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In March, we bracketed Spanish language hit Thesis (listen) and the 3D Friday the 13th – aka Part III (listen) with a celebration of two Radio Silence films. We began the month with a look at their second Scream film – VI (listen) – and now we’re covering their 2019 hide and seek horror comedy, Ready or Not, in anticipation of the sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.

In the film, Grace (Samara Weaving) is an orphan in search of a family. She thinks she’s found it in her ultra-wealthy fiancé, Alex LeDomas (Mark O’Brien). The only issue? His family – headed up by patriarch Tony (Henry Czerny), matriarch Becky (Andie MacDowell), and ne’er do well siblings like Daniel (Adam Brody), appear to have weird ulterior motives.

When Grace is forced to pick a card in a bizarre midnight ceremony, the fun and games begin. As she desperately tries to survive “Hide and Seek”, the LeDomas family will do anything to kill her before sunrise. Jaunty records, carcass-ridden goat pits, and plenty of screaming blood sacs ensue.

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 378: Ready or Not (2019)

Lace up your yellow chucks and rip that wedding dress because we are revisiting Radio Silence’s Ready or Not (2019).

Starring Scream Queen Samara Weaving (in her break-out role), the “Explode The Rich” horror comedy is as good as ever (Trace) or even better than before (Joe).

Plus: Grace as a “Final Girl”, a cast of Canadians, speculations about the mythology, and the original ending that would have been completely unacceptable.

Cross out Ready or Not!

Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating the arrival of Spring with a look at the original Wicker Man from 1973.

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 474 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Psycho Killer, The Bride!, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, Scream 7, a new audio commentary on Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and our continuing coverage of Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House (2018) on the Requel tier.

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After kicking off March with a look at Radio Silence’s Scream VI (listen) and Alejandro Amenábar’s debut feature Thesis (listen), we’re celebrating March’s Friday the 13th with a look at Steve Miner‘s Friday the 13th Part III, aka the one in 3D!

Picking up right where Friday the 13th Part 2 left off, Friday the 13th Part III sees Jason discover his iconic hockey mask while stalking a new group of kids. Leading the group is Chris (Dana Kimmell), who has a shared history with Jason that led to her current PTSD. Everyone else is…there.

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 377: Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

Blast that Hot Ice, flip that switch on your van’s reserve gas tank and put on your 3D glasses because we’re talking Steve Miner’s Friday the 13th Part III, the only entry in the franchise with the audacity to kill a pregnant character!

Join us as we discuss the many, many problems the 3D filming caused for the production before defending maligned characters like Shelly and Chris, the latter of which proves herself to be a very capable final girl in the film’s extended climactic chase scene.

Plus: a random Kill Bill connection, an absolute banger of a disco theme, and discussing the differences between “theme park 3D” and “cinematic 3D.”

Cross out Friday the 13th Part III!

Coming Up Next: We’re revisiting Radio Silence’s Ready or Not in anticipation of the release of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 473 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Psycho Killer, The Bride!, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, Scream 7, a new audio commentary on Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and our continuing coverage of Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House (2018) on the Requel tier.

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After kicking off February with a look at one of the lesser-loved Michael Crichton film adaptations in Sphere (listen) and being introduced to the batshit insanity that is the Drew Barrymore-starring Doppelganger (listen), we’re continuing our February coverage with a look at Robert Eggers‘ debut film The Witch (2015).

Set in early 1600s New England, The Witch sees a Puritan Separatist family being preyed upon by an evil witch that lives in the nearby woods. When she takes the family’s baby, the blame falls on eldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), who must convince her mother (Kate Dickie) and father (Ralph Ineson) that she is not the feared witch of the woods.

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 374: The Witch (2015) feat. Becky Darke

Bring your baby-sized mortar and pestle and cherished silver cup to the party because we’re discussing Robert Eggers’ feature directorial debut: the audacious folk horror film The Witch (2015)! Joining us for the conversation is Hammer Time podcast co-host Becky Darke!

Join us as we marvel at all of the research Eggers did to ensure maximum authenticity, crafting a period film thats as scary as it is stomach-churning. That it all ends in a (somewhat debatable) “good for her” ending is just the icing on the cake.

Plus: big witchy tits, inky darkness courtesy of all the natural lighting, being “allergic to exposition,” and a ringing endorsement from the Satanic Temple.

Cross out The Witch!

Coming Up Next: We’re unlocking the Patreon vault to revisit our thoughts on Scream VI (2023) in advance of the release of Scream 7 (2026).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 456 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 3 Episodes 1 & 2, Whistle, The Strangers: Chapter 3, Saim Raimi’s Send Help, a new audio commentary on 10 Cloverfield Lane and our continuing coverage of Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House (2018) on the Requel tier.

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After closing January with the one-two punch of M. Night’s Split (listen) and (maybe?) meta slasher Popcorn (listen), we kicked off February with Barry Levinson‘s messy Michael Crichton adaptation Sphere (listen). Then last week, Trace and I switched gears to check out Avi Nesher‘s bizarre 1993 romantic thriller/curiosity Doppelganger, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

In the film, Drew Barrymore plays Holly Gooding, a NYC transplant new to LA following the brutal murder of her mother (Jaid Barrymore, Barrymore’s real-life mother). After securing a room with struggling screenwriter Patrick Highsmith (George Newbern), Holly is threatened by an identical double who targets her remaining family…and anyone else who gets in the way.

The real question is: Is the doppelganger actually just Holly in disguise? Who else is in danger? And does Patrick even care about the truth so long as he can continue to date her? The astounding truth – and the KNB effects heavy ending that audiences will never guess – has to be seen to be believed.

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 373: Doppelganger (1993)

Cue the green & red lighting and the KNB effects because we are talking about the absolutely *wild* 1993 film, Doppelganger.

Starring 17 year old emancipated minor Drew Barrymore, writer/director Avi Nesher’s curious oddity is “DePalma meets Argento in the guise of a Lifetime film”. Filled with gay extras and capital-A acting from the supporting cast, Doppelganger is one bizarre creative decision after another from beginning to (absolutely gonzo) end. Go in cold if you can!

Plus: underage nudity; Drew’s troubled relationship with mother Jaid; gay Breakfast at Tiffany‘s;  ties to 1991’s Popcorn; and Leslie Hope’s rapid-fire screwball comedy dialogue.

Cross out Doppelganger!

Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating the stunning debut of Robert Eggers on the tenth anniversary of The Witch (2016)!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 458 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 3 Episodes 1 & 2, Whistle, The Strangers: Chapter 3, Saim Raimi’s Send Help, a new audio commentary on 10 Cloverfield Lane and our continuing coverage of Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House (2018) on the Requel tier.

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After wrapping up January with a revisit of M. Night Shyamalan’s career resuscitator Split (listen) and getting locked in a movie theater with the cast of Popcorn (listen), we’re kicking off February with a look at one of the lesser-loved Michael Crichton film adaptations in Barry Levinson‘s dull mess Sphere (1998) 

In Sphere, psychologist Norman Goodman (Dustin Hoffman) is contacted by the U.S. government following the discovery of a spacecraft of seemingly alien origin that has been sitting at the bottom of the ocean for 300 years. Using a report that Norman half-assed during the Bush administration, the government brings in marine biologist Beth Halperin (Sharon Stone), mathematician Harry Adams (Samuel L. Jackson) and astrophysicist Ted Fielding (Liev Schreiber) to join Norman’s team.

Upon entering the ship, they discover a giant, golden sphere that causes unexplainable things to happen on the ocean floor, leading the crew on a fight for survival as more and more of them begin to die.

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 372: Sphere (1998)

Watch out for those jellyfish and be nice to Jerry the alien, because we’re talking Barry Levinson’s misguided 1998 adaptation of Michael Crichton’s novel Sphere!

Join us as we try to figure out just what went wrong with this thing. From the lackluster direction to the hectic editing to the uneven performances (Sharon Stone innocent), it’s hard to find one single reason for Sphere‘s badness. Hell, we can’t even determine when we turn on the film, as the first chunk of it is pretty damn engaging!

Plus: criticisms of the film’s overuse of title cards (seriously, why?!), comparisons to Annihilation, and wondering why we never see the giant squid.

Cross out Sphere!

Coming Up Next: We’re going a bit further back in the ’90s to look at the little-seen straight-to-VHS Drew Barrymore chiller Doppelganger (1993)!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 456 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 3 Episodes 1 & 2, Whistle, The Strangers: Chapter 3, Saim Raimi’s Send Help, a new audio commentary on 10 Cloverfield Lane and our continuing coverage of Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House (2018) on the Requel tier.

The post What the Hell Happened to ‘Sphere’? [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The first month of 2026 has flown by thanks to titles like Alex  Garland’s directorial debut Ex Machina (listen), Danny Boyle’s Infected return 28 Weeks Later (listen), and M. Night Shyamalan’s Split (listen). And that was before we closed out the month with underseen/under rated 1991 slasher, Popcorn.

In director Mark Herrier (or is it Bob Clark?)’s film, a group of College students stage a fundraiser at a derelict theater, showing three old horror movies to an enthusiastic crowd.

Unbeknownst to them, a killer is stalking the group, murdering members and taking their place with the help of life-like masks. It’s up to protagonist Maggie (Jill Schoelen) to decipher the clues, as well as her recurring nightmares, to find the culprit. Is it cultist Lanyard Gates (Mat Falls) or someone else, like concession attendant Cheryl (Kelly Jo Minter), disabled technician Bud (Malcolm Danare) or horror movie enthusiast Toby (Tom Villard)?

And – most importantly – will she survive long enough to hook up with her crush, Mark (Derek Rydall) now that he’s ditched his bitchy girlfriend Joy (Karen Lorre)?

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 371: Popcorn (1991)

Come on down to the Dreamland Theater because we’re turning a trio of turkeys into a memorable moviegoing feast with director Mark Herrier’s 1991 slasher Popcorn.

Starring a bunch of horror royalty and featuring three movies-within-a-movie, this cult title is a fun slice of entertainment with some great mask FX!

Plus: queer actor Tom Villard, a himbo with head injuries, remake potential, and debate about whether the film is meta or not.

Cross out Popcorn!

Coming Up Next: We’re talking the messy Michael Crichton adaptation Sphere (1998)!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 450 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal S03 Episodes 1-2, Whistle, The Strangers: Chapter 3, Send Help, a brand new audio commentary on 10 Cloverfield Lane, and the return of our Requel Tier as we kick off episodic coverage of Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House (2018).

The post The Delights of Cult Slasher 1991’s ‘Popcorn’ [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After kicking off the new year with a deep dive into Alex  Garland’s directorial debut Ex Machina (listen) and revisiting our Patreon discussion of 28 Weeks Later (listen), we’re wrapping up January with a discussion of M. Night Shyamalan‘s 2016 box office juggernaut Split.

In Split, a man (James McAvoy) with 23 distinct personalities due to his dissociative identity disorder kidnaps three teenage girls (Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula) to sacrifice to his as yet unseen 24th personality: The Beast. While the girls attempt to escape, the man’s therapist (Betty Buckley) begins to suspect that he is lying to her during his sessions, sending her on an investigation deep into the mind of her troubled patient. 

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 370: Split (2016)

Look out the “window” and invite all the alters to the party because we’re discussing M. Night Shyamalan’s hugely successful but somewhat controversial 2016 thriller Split!

Join us as we parse through the film’s questionable handling of dissociative identity disorder and sexual assault, while lauding Shyamalan’s creative return to form and James McAvoy’s stellar performance.

Plus: Wheel of Fortune tactics, debating whether or not Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley) is a good therapist and discussing the Unbreakable (and Glass) of it all.

Cross out Split!

Coming Up Next: We’re spending Saturday night at the movies with the underrated early ’90s slasher Popcorn!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 448 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Return to Silent Hill, The Creep Tapes Season 2, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Primate and a brand new audio commentary on the 1995 adaptation of Michael Crichton’s Congo.

The post The Problematic Nature of Shyamalan’s Otherwise Solid ‘Split’ [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After wrapping up 2025 with Christmas thriller P2 (listen), and bizarro 1981 slasher Night School (listen), Horror Queers is kicking off 2026 with an Alex Garland double bill. Last week we discussed his feature directorial debut in Ex Machina (listen), and this week we’re revisiting his return to the 28 Days Later franchise, 28 Years Later (2025).

The new film, directed by original director Danny Boyle, picks up the action <ahem> 28 years later as 12 year old Spike (Alfie Williams) makes a desperate bid to save his sick mother’s life. Ignoring the  demands of Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his lying, overly protective father, Spike sneaks Isla (Jodie Comer) out of their isolated island village and across the Infected landscape to reach doctor Kelson (Ralph Fiennes).

Can Spike survive the dangers of a world that he’s been shielded from his whole life? Can Spike trust Dr. Kelson or is the doctor insane? And what of the tracksuit-wearing gang, led by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), that unexpectedly appears in the film’s coda?

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 369: 28 Years Later (2025)

Run across that causeway because we’re opening the Patreon vault and diving head first into Danny Boyle’s unexpectedly weird 28 Years Later (2025). It’s Act I of a planned trilogy, but does it stand on its own?

Join us as we discuss the Brexit allegory, lament the predictable zombie fare and laud the emotional gut punch of the third act. Also: take a shot every time we say “maybe we’ll find out in the sequel(s).”

Plus, prosthetic penises, Predator-like decapitations, Ralph Fiennes’ boney art installation and addressing the Jimmy Savile of it all.

Cross out 28 Years Later!

Coming Up Next: It’s been too long since we’ve discussed a M.Night Shyamalan film, so we’re (re)visiting the surprise middle entry of Unbreakable trilogy with 2016’s Split.

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 447 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Return to Silent Hill, The Creep Tapes Season 2, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Primate and a brand new audio commentary on the 1995 adaptation of Michael Crichton’s Congo.

The post Legacy Sequel ’28 Years Later’ Was A Big Unexpected Swing [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After celebrating the holidays with gateway horror classic Jumanji (listen), underseen Christmas thriller P2 (listen), and bizarro 1981 slasher Night School (listen), Horror Queers is kicking off 2026 with Alex Garland‘s 2014 feature directorial debut.

In Ex Machina, Blue Book employee Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) is chosen by his brilliant, but narcissistic boss Nathan (Oscar Isaac) to visit the latter’s isolated home/lab. There Caleb is asked to test the humanity of Nathan’s newest creation, a life-like robot named Ava (Alicia Vikander).

But what begins as a simple Turing test becomes something more extreme as Caleb begins to question Nathan’s motives, while simultaneously falling for Ava. Who can Caleb trust? And what is really going on?

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 368: Ex Machina (2014) feat. Miss Sinclair

We’re kicking off a new year with Alex Garland’s feature directorial debut, Ex Machina (2014). Joining us for the ride is Garland mega-fan Miss Sinclair from Talk Movie To Me podcast.

This prescient film has aged incredibly well: from its portrayal of an entitled tech billionaire to its naive-meets-incel “white knight” protagonist to questions about the ethics of AI. It’s a film filled with questions, which has us posing a number of our own!

Plus: Oscar-winning FX, Ava’s “Alicia Vikander drag”, Joe’s queer cuckolding read, and why we’re planning a trip to Norway.

Cross out Ex Machina!

Coming Up Next: In anticipation of the new Nia DaCosta sequel, we’re revisiting our Patreon discussion from last year about 28 Years Later (2025).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 446 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Return to Silent Hill, The Creep Tapes Season 2, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Primate and – to coincide with Johannes Roberts’ killer chimp movie – we’ve got a brand new audio commentary on the 1995 adaptation of Michael Crichton’s Congo.

The post Toxic Men and Robot Ethics in ‘Ex Machina’ [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

We’re now up to the sixth annual Hereditaries (click here to vote), which celebrates the amazing diversity of horror films released in 2025.

Unlike the 2024 Hereditaries when The Substance obliterated the pack (hear who won here), there are two clear frontrunners this year: Sinners and Weapons (11 nominations each).

Proving how robust 2025 was, however, there are multiple other films nipping at their heels: The Long Walk sped off with eight nominations, while Bring Her Back, 28 Years Later, Companion, and Final Destination Bloodlines all managed six.

Perhaps most surprising (or is it encouraging?) was the strength of gems like Canadian sequel Influencers and European co-production The Ugly Stepsister (six nominations each), as well as Alison Brie & Dave Franco’s underrated Together (five nominations) and HBO Max’s delightful queer horror comedy The Parenting (four nominations).

Here’s what you’re voting on:

• Best Mainstream Release
• Best Indie Release
• Best Under The Radar Film
• Best Foreign/Non-English Language Horror Film
• Best Horror TV Show
• Best Queer Horror
• Best Score
• Best House Porn – New for 2025
• Best First Feature
• Best Director
• Best Lead Performance
• Best Supporting Performance
• Break Out Performance
• Best Duo
• Best Ensemble
• Best Make Up/Creature Design FX
• Best Stephen King adaptation – New for 2025
• Best Villain
• Best Sequence
• Best Non-Fatal Injury
• Best Ending
• Best Death

Context: The 22 categories were informed by Horror Queers Patrons, then narrowed down by Trace and I. In order to be eligible, films had to be widely available this year (either theatrically, VOD or on streaming services), which sadly means no festival exclusives.

Categories are capped at a maximum of 10 nominees and films are only eligible once per category (with two notable exceptions this year: Supporting Performance for Sinners and Non-Fatal Injury for Bring Her Back). This inevitably means that some favourites have been left out, but this is best way to ensure a tight race. Kill your darlings, folks!

Finally, we’ve also added spoiler warnings for the last four categories, just in case you haven’t seen films like Bone Lake, Influencers, or Dangerous Animals.

Click here to vote before the deadline on Friday, Jan 16 2026 at 11:59pm EST.

Winners will be announced on Horror Queers social media accounts (Instagram, BlueSky and Discord), as well as a special Main Feed bonus episode in February 2026.

The post BD’s ‘Horror Queers’ Celebrate Best Horror of 2025 with Sixth Annual “Hereditaries”; Vote Now! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After celebrating the holidays with a look at one of my favorite gateway horror films Jumanji (listen) and the underseen holiday thriller P2 (listen), we’re wrapping up 2025 with a look at Ken Hughes‘ (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) forgotten 1981 slasher Night School.

In Night School, a motorcycle helmet-clad serial killer is decapitating a bunch of women enrolled at Wendell College and leaving their severed heads in water.  Assigned to the case is Lieutenant Judd Austin (Leonard Mann), who begins suspecting womanizing professor Vincent Millett (Drew Snyder) as the possible culprit. Meanwhile, Millett’s teaching assistant and secret paramour Eleanor (Rachel Ward) is newly pregnant and struggles to break the news to him.

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 367: Night School (1981)

Pull that severed head out of the aquarium and grab a pomegranate to take with you into the shower (seriously) because we’re discussing Ken Hughes’ Boston-set slasher Night School (1981)!

Join us as we go all in on this forgotten film, from its original title of Terror Eyes (get it?) to its notorious status as a video nasty. And on top of everything, it’s got a predatory lesbian character to boot!

Plus: lauding that “is the head in the pot?” diner sequence, wondering why no one gets killed at the titular school, and debating whether or not the killer’s M.O. counts as cultural appropriation (spoiler alert: it does).

Cross out Night School!

Coming Up Next: We’re kicking off the new year with a look at Alex Garland’s directorial debut Ex Machina (2014)!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 446 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Return to Silent Hill, The Creep Tapes Season 2, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Primate and – to coincide with Johannes Roberts’ killer chimp movie – we’ve got a brand new audio commentary on the 1995 adaptation of Michael Crichton’s Congo.

The post The Predatory Lesbian and Cultural Appropriation of ‘Night School’ [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After kicking off December with an oft-requested but underseen listener pick in the religious chiller The Sentinel (listen) and the found footage superhero thriller Chronicle (listen), we’re heading back to the ’90s for one of Trace’s favorite gateway horror films: Joe Johnston‘s 1995 creature feature Jumanji!

In Jumanji, Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce) Shepherd discover a magical, jungle-themed board game in the attic of their new house. After rolling the dice, dangerous creatures escape from the game and wreak havoc on the town. Their only hope is Alan Parrish (Robin Williams), a man who has been trapped in the game for the past 26 years, released by a fortunate roll of the dice. Also joining in for the excitement is Sarah (Bonnie Hunt), the person who watched Alan get sucked into the game all those years ago. Together, they must all finish the game to stop the chaos, lest the jungle spread beyond the reaches of their town.

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 365: Jumanji (1995)

Grab those dice, Sonny Jim! Roll with the punches and and pray they read 5 or 8 because we’re talking Joe Johnston’s original gateway horror creature feature Jumanji (1995) for its 30th anniversary, or as it could also be called: ‘Daddy Issues: The Movie’.

Join us as we go all in on the film that made Trace a fan of creature features to begin with. From its dark tone (especially when compared to the newer Jumanji films) to its scary imagery (will anything be more terrifying that watching little Alan Parrish get sucked into the game?), they just don’t make kids’ movies like this anymore!

Plus, animatronics vs. CGI, the “cruel torture” subjected to actor Bradley Pierce during the production, our many, many issues with the ending, and why the film needs more Bebe Neuwirth.

Cross out Jumanji!

Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating the holidays with a look at Franck Khalfoun’s underseen holiday thriller P2 (2007).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 445 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 2, Episodes 11-13, Paul Feig’s The Housemaid, sequels Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and Wake Up Dead Man and, to tie in with that last one, an audio commentary on the original Knives Out. And as a special holiday treat, we’re also dropping our audio commentary from this year’s Soho Horror fest on Scream 3.

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The last few weeks have been dominated by older texts: from 1975’s Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (listen) to Misery on its 35th anniversary (listen) to the 1977 religious chiller The Sentinel (listen). And while 2012 is quickly creeping up on 15 years, there’s still a lot that feels modern about Josh Trank‘s found footage superhero film, Chronicle.

In the Max Landis-scripted film (ugh), three teenage boys – Andrew (Dane DeHaan), his cousin Matt (Alex Russell), and Matt’s popular friend Steve (Michael B. Jordan) – discover an alien artefact buried in the ground. After touching it, they gain mysterious telekinetic powers that quickly (re)shape their destinies.

But as their abilities grow, so too does their power to destroy. As Matt reconnects with childhood girlfriend Casey (Ashley Hinshaw), Andrew’s troubled relationship with his abusive father (Michael Kelly) prompts the fragile young man to turn down a dark and dangerous path.

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 364: Chronicle (2012)

Touch that alien rock and film yourself doing *everything* because we are talking about Josh Trank’s superhero (villain?) film, Chronicle (2012).

This found footage film features strong performances by Dane DeHaan and a charismatic Michael B. Jordan, as well as a clever explanation for the usual “why/how are they filming everything” issue.

Plus: shitty teen boys, aborted sequels, and Trace’s worst performance on a game to date!

Cross out Chronicle!

Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating one of Trace’s fave childhood gateway horror titles, Jumanji (1995) for its 30th anniversary.

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 446 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 2, Episodes 11-13, Paul Feig’s The Housemaid, sequels Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and Wake Up Dead Man and, to tie in with that last one, an audio commentary on the original Knives Out.

And as a special holiday treat, we’re also dropping our audio commentary from this year’s Soho Horror fest on Scream 3.

The post Boys Playing With Their Superpowers in 2012’s ‘Chronicle’ [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After wrapping up November with a look at one of the most controversial films ever made in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (listen) and delving back into the world of Stephen King with Misery (listen), we’re kicking off December with an oft-requested pick from our listeners: Michael Winner‘s 1977 religious chiller The Sentinel!

In the star-studded The Sentinel, young model Alison Parker (Christina Raines) moves into a historic Brooklyn brownstone that has been sectioned into apartments, much to the chagrin of her lawyer boyfriend Michael (Chris Sarandon). After moving in, Alison meets her eccentric neighbors (Burgess Meredith and Beverly D’Angelo) and begins experiencing strange occurrences in the building. Little does she know that the building is owned by the Catholic diocese and serves as the gateway to Hell.

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 363: The Sentinel (1977)

Get ready for a bunch of all-star cameos (Christopher Walken! Jeff Goldblum! Beverly D’Angelo! John Carradine! Ava Gardner!) and one truly bonkers climax because we’re discussing Michael Winner’s 1977 chiller The Sentinel!

Join us as we go all in on this messy little film, albeit one with a lot of great ideas. It’s one of the rare times you’ll hear us say that a movie is too short, because it seems like there are full scenes missing from this thing. Still, it’s got some great effects (that nose slice!), courtesy of industry vet Dick Smith (The Exorcist).

Plus: defining “tasteful” masturbation, trying to figure out the logistics behind the Catholic church’s grand master plan and the bizarre lack of consent it entails, and Trace not only learning what a sentinel is, but majorly flubbing Joe’s game.

Cross out The Sentinel!

Coming Up Next: We’re revisiting Josh Trank’s directorial debut: the 2012 found footage superhero thriller Chronicle!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 445 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 2, Episodes 11-13, Paul Feig’s The Housemaid, sequels Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and Wake Up Dead Man and, to tie in with that last one, an audio commentary on the original Knives Out. And as a special holiday treat, we’re also dropping our audio commentary from this year’s Soho Horror fest on Scream 3.

The post Discussing Consent in the Catholic Church in ‘The Sentinel’ [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

We spent the month of November tackling a variety of monsters. From James Whale’s Frankenstein (listen) to Gena Rowlands in The Skeleton Key (listen) to the human villains of  Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (listen), it’s been a wild month.

For the last episode of November, Trace and I returned to the world of Stephen King adaptations with Rob Reiner’s 1990 take on Misery. The film has become a classic, but at the time, it struggled to cast a male lead, and star Kathy Bates was best known for Broadway, not film and television. Obviously, a lot has changed in the intervening 35 years!

In Misery, novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) suffers a devastating car accident on a treacherous mountain road. Rescued by Annie Wilkes (Bates), his number one fan, Sheldon soon realizes that he’s being held hostage because Annie can’t accept the death of protagonist Misery Chastain in the final book of the series.

If Paul wants to survive Annie’s wild mood swings, threats of murder/suicide, and – in the film’s most memorable scene – an excruciating hobbling, he’ll need to fulfill Annie’s request and write an epic resurrection novel for Misery. If not, he might be the one who winds up dead!

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 363: Misery (1990) feat. Roz Hernandez

Squirrel away those pills and burn that manuscript because we’re talking about Rob Reiner’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery (1990).

Joining us for the discussion is comedian Roz Hernandez, who has begun (but maybe never finished?) every King novel.

We’re talking Kathy Bates’ Academy award winning performance as Annie Wilkes, a horny Sheriff & Deputy combo, and multiple fiery manuscripts.

Plus: toxic (queer) fandom, Lauren Bacall’s smoker voice, the FX we do – and don’t – see, and pranking Barnes & Noble employees

Cross out Misery!

Coming Up Next: We’re finally digging into a listener request that’s been years in the making: 1977’s religious thriller, The Sentinel!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 437 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal S02 episodes 11-13, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Rian Johnson’s threequel Wake Up Dead Man, Paul Feig’s The Housemaid, plus not one but TWO audio commentaries: Knives Out and Scream 3 (from our live appearance at Soho Horror Fest earlier this year)

The post Stephen King Adaptation ‘Misery’ Made Kathy Bates A Star [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After kicking off November with a look at James Whale’s Frankenstein (listen) and the Kate Hudson-starring The Skeleton Key (listen), we’re finally(?) tackling one of the most controversial films ever made for its 50th anniversary: Pier Paolo Pasolini‘s Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975).

In Salò, four wealthy, corrupt libertines (a Duke, a Magistrate, a Bishop, and a President) kidnap 18 teenagers during the time of the fascist Republic of Salò. Whisking them away to a private villa miles away from civilization, the libertines instill a set of “laws” for the teens to follow, all the while subjecting them to 120 days of extreme violence, sadism, psychological torture, rape, and coprophagia, among other horrific, abhorrent things. During all of this, the Bishop is keeping a list of anyone who breaks their laws, with plans to unleash the most unspeakable of horrors on them as the 120th day approaches.

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 361: Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) feat. Zoë Rose Smith

Wipe that shit-eating grin off your face and heed all of the content warnings (seriously), because we’re discussing Pier Paolo Pasolini’s notorious anti-fascist 1975 film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. Tagging in for the conversation is Zoë Rose Smith, the co-host of the Tainted Love podcast!

Join us as we do a very deep dive into this controversial film, beginning with a Pasolini primer before parsing through the film’s graphic depictions of sexual assault, torture, sadomasochism and coprophilia. This is an extremely challenging film, but dare we say we admire it?

Plus: debating the queer representation in the film (can it be both positive and negative?), comparisons to our current political climate and discussing whether or not the film qualifies as porn (it doesn’t).

Cross out Salò!

Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating the 35th anniversary of Stephen King’s Misery!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 436 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead, Hulu’s remake of The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, new Oz Perkins joint Keeper, Predator: Badlands and, to celebrate American Thanksgiving, an audio commentary on the 1987 cult classic Blood Rage!

The post Courting Controversy on the 50th Anniversary of ‘Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom’ [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Enter Iain Softley’s 2005 film The Skeleton Key, a Southern Gothic tale about Caroline (Kate Hudson), an impressionable young hospice aide who takes a job at a remote plantation against the advice of her roommate, Jill (Joy Bryant).

Tensions abound between Caroline and the matriarch of the house, Violet (Gena Rowlands), who has very particular demands about how to treat her husband Ben (John Hurt). The rules extend to the house itself, which is bereft of mirrors and has a single locked door in the attic that Caroline’s titular skeleton key won’t open.

Clearly, there’s something more going on, and as Caroline investigates,  she becomes more immersed in hoodoo, a practice she barely understands. With the support of the Devereaux’s estate lawyer, Luke (Peter Sarsgaard), Caroline will stop at nothing to ensure Ben’s safety, even if it increasingly means she’s putting her own future in jeopardy.

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 360: The Skeleton Key (2005)

Lay down a line of protective brick dust and scream “I don’t believe!” because we are discussing Iain Softley’s 2005 Southern Gothic thriller, The Skeleton Key.

Starring Kate Hudson and Gena Rowlands, this Ehren Kruger joint has a great twist (or is it a reveal?) that may or may not have dicey racial implications.

Plus: not trusting Peter Sarsgaard, Black character exposition, the difference between hoodoo and voodoo, and the ending we still can’t believe a studio signed off on!

Cross out The Skeleton Key!

Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of arguably the most controversial film we’ve ever tackled on the pod: Pier Passolini’s Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 437 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead, Hulu’s remake of The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, new Oz Perkins joint Keeper, Predator: Badlands and, to celebrate American Thanksgiving, an audio commentary on the 1987 cult classic Blood Rage!

The post The Campy Delights and Dicey Racial Politics of ‘The Skeleton Key’ [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After wrapping up October with a look at the queer-leaning throuple in Killer Klowns From Outer Space (listen), the shifting genres of J.A. Bayona’s The Orphanage (listen), and the feminist(ish) antics of George Miller’s The Witches of Eastwick (listen), we’re kicking off November with a celebration of the Netflix release of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (review) with a discussion of James Whale‘s Frankenstein (1931)!

Frankenstein follows obsessed scientist Dr. Victor Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) as he attempts to create life, with the help of his assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) by assembling a creature from body parts of the deceased. Frankenstein succeeds in animating his monster (Boris Karloff), but it escapes into the countryside and begins to wreak havoc on the nearby village. When word gets to his fiancée Elizabeth (Mae Clarke), Frankenstein must find his creation and face him down before he causes any more damage (or death!).

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 359: Frankenstein (1931)

Toss that girl in the pond and break out the good champagne because we’re discussing James Whale’s seminal horror film Frankenstein (1931) to celebrate the release of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (2025)!

Join us as we discuss how Frankenstein‘s success (along with that same year’s Dracula), helped kickstart a series of Universal monster films. We also discuss what made this film so terrifying for audiences in 1931, despite the fact that the creature itself is one of the most sympathetic characters in horror history.

Plus: another lesson in German Expressionism, lamenting the uselessness of Elizabeth (Mae Clarke), heaping all the praise on that dummy shot, and recounting a funny anecdote about….hard-boiled eggs???

Cross out Frankenstein!

Coming Up Next: We’re headed to the bayous of Louisiana with an oft-requested film from our listeners: the Kate Hudson-starring The Skeleton Key (2005).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 435 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead, Hulu’s remake of The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, new Oz Perkins joint Keeper, Predator: Badlands and, to celebrate American Thanksgiving, an audio commentary on the 1987 cult classic Blood Rage!

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After wrapping up October with a look at the queer-leaning throuple in Killer Klowns From Outer Space (listen) and the shifting genres of J.A. Bayona’s The Orphanage (listen), we’re celebrating Halloween with a deep dive into George Miller‘s (yes, that one) 1987 adaptation of John Updike’s novel The Witches of Eastwick!

In The Witches of Eastwick, longtime friends Alexandra (Cher), Jane (Susan Sarandon) and Sukie (Michelle Pfeiffer), each having lost the man in their lives, are feeling unfulfilled until they inadvertently conjure eccentric stranger, Daryl Van Horne (Jack Nicholson) to their small town of Eastwick. Upon his arrival, Daryl begins courting each of them, but as the three friends spend more time at his mansion, enjoying themselves and learning about their powers, they begin to worry about Daryl’s devilish intentions.

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 358: The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

Spit out that cherry pit and get ready to meet a horny little devil because we’re discussing George Miller’s 1987 adaptation of John Updike’s satirical feminist(?) novel The Witches of Eastwick!

Join us as we go all in on the production troubles this film had. From the studio putting the pressure on Miller to some casting snafus with Susan Sarandon and Cher, it’s a wonder this thing turned out as well as it did!

Plus: Jack Nicholson’s scene-stealing performance, gagging over cherry pit-laden vomit, debating sequel ideas, and wondering why Michelle Pfeiffer has nothing to do in this movie?

Cross out The Witches of Eastwick!

Coming Up Next: To celebrate the release of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, we’re heading back to the ’30s to take a look at James Whale’s original adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel in Frankenstein (1931).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 433 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).

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Horror Queers Podcast has spent October celebrating 30 years of To Die For (listen), 50 years of Cronenberg’s feature debut Shivers (listen) and the ingenuity of the Chiodo Brothers’ Killer Klowns from Outer Space (listen). Now we’re closing out scary season with a classic contemporary ghost story with J.A. Bayona‘s The Orphanage (2007).

In the film, Laura (Belén Rueda) returns to the orphanage where she briefly lived as a child, along with her doctor husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) and their adopted son Simón (Roger Príncep). Shortly after an unusual encounter with social worker Benigna (Montserrat Carulla), Simón goes missing, initiating a desperate search that consumes Laura and Carlos’ lives.

In a last ditch effort, Laura employs the services of Aurora (Geraldine Chaplin), a medium who makes contact with the ghosts of several children living in the house. Were they responsible for Simón’s abduction? Was Benigna? How did the bones of several children wind up in a shed? And could Simón still be alive somewhere?

The truth is both less obvious and more sad than expected in Sergio G. Sánchez’s script, which is tragic, haunting, and quite a bit darker than expected.

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 357: The Orphanage (2007) feat. Shelagh Rowan-Legg

Don your mask for the treasure hunt because we’re discussing J.A. Bayona’s The Orphanage (2007) along with Spanish horror scholar (and returning guest) Shelagh Rowan-Legg.

Join us as we praise Belén Rueda’s lead performance, the film’s unsettling set pieces, its curious lack of Spanish cultural signifiers, and speculate on the film’s use of HIV in the plot.

Plus: the film’s obsession with jaws, Joe’s suspicions of Carlos’ infidelity, and multiple interpretations of the bittersweet ending!

Cross out The Orphanage!

Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating Halloween with a trio of divas, as well as Jack Nicholson, in George Miller’s 1987 comedy, The Witches of Eastwick.

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 429 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 2, Episodes 9 & 10, Bone Lake, The Strangers: Chapter 2, Black Phone 2  and a brand new audio commentary on Predator: Killer of Killers (2025).

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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?!

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 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).

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After wrapping up September with a look at the fowl queerness of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (listen) and debating the perils of reviewing 1/3 of a movie in The Strangers: Chapter 1 (listen), we’re kicking off October with a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Gus Van Sant‘s biting satire To Die For (1995).

In To Die For, psychopathic weather reporter Suzanne Stone (Nicole Kidman) dreams of being a big-time news anchor, but hits a roadblock when her middle-class husband Larry (Matt Dillon) wants her to give up her dream and join his family’s business. Seeing no other options, she decides to seduces the teenage Jimmy (Joaquin Phoenix), and coerces him into murdering Larry.

The plan quickly unravels as Jimmy’s infatuation with Suzanne causes many townsfolk to start asking questions about the circumstances surrounding Larry’s death. Most curious are Larry’s family, who may or may not have connections to the Italian mafia.

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 354: To Die For (1995)

Strap on your ice skates and check your makeup because we’re talking Gus Van Sant’s whip-smart satire To Die For for its 30th anniversary! After all, you’re not anybody in America unless you’re on TV, right?

Join us as we heap all the praise on Nicole Kidman’s Golden Globe-winning (but not Oscar-nominated) performance as narcissistic sociopath Suzanne Stone before going all in on the film’s troubled road to release (so many test screenings!).

Plus: Danny Elfman’s jarring score, baby Joaquin Phoenix (in one of his best roles), assassin David Cronenberg and why there’s no point in doing anything if nobody’s watching.

Cross out To Die For!

Coming Up Next: Since David Cronenberg makes a fun cameo in To Die For, we’re going to check out his feature debut next week: the sex slug movie Shivers (1975)!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 426 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).

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After celebrating our 350th episode with From Dusk Till Dawn (listen), revisiting Katsuhiro Otomo’s iconic anime Akira (listen), and stopping over in Bodega Bay for Alfred Hitchcock‘s The Birds (listen), Trace and I have opened the Horror Queers Patreon vault to release our full-length episode on Renny Harlin‘s The Strangers: Chapter 1.

In the film, a road trip for Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) goes horribly awry when they encounter car trouble and spend the night in the small Oregon town of Venus. After some bizarre interactions with the secretive locals, the long term couple find themselves the subject of a brutal home invasion at an isolated cabin in the woods.

What follows is a desperate bid for survival against a trio of masked assailants – Scarecrow (Matúš Lajčák), Dollface (Olivia Kreutzova) and Pin-Up Girl (Letizia Fabbri) – whose motivations are unknown. All Maya and Ryan know for certain is that they’ll need to hide, run, and fight if they plan to survive the night.

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 353: The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024)

Before we dive into Renny Harlin’s long overdue sequel, The Strangers: Chapter 2, we’re opening the Patreon vault to discuss Chapter 1.

We have a lot of thoughts about this first film, its negative reception, and how to evaluate what is really 1/3 of a single film.

Plus: Rural horror, comparisons to the Fear Street trilogy and the Cabin Fever remake, groaning at inhaler drama, debates about character stupidity, our favorite jump scares, and the perils of late night fridge repair.

Bonus Drinking Game: Trace sighs or Joe says “exciting”

Cross out The Strangers: Chapter 1!

Coming Up Next: We’re dipping into satire with a look at queer director Gus Van Sant’s To Die For (1995), starring an iconic Nicole Kidman, just in time for its 30th anniversary!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 424 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Cry Wolf, The Long Walk, Him, The Conjuring: Last Rites and, to tie in with that last one, a brand new audio commentary on The Conjuring 2!

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It’s finale time for Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth and all Trace and I can say about the ending is that this better only be the season one finale because we need another season ASAP.

Written by Hawley & Migizi Pensoneau, “The Real Monsters” starts off with our hybrids locked up in an enormous cage. By episode’s end, however, it’s the humans, synths and cyborgs of Neverland who are behind bars as a new world order is established.

Some talking points:

• Our fears that Rose/Formerly Nibs’ (Lily Newmark) was dead were unwarranted because she’s revealed to be fine almost immediately.
• Everyone’s favorite alien specimen, The Eye, takes a beating by Marcy/Formerly Wendy (Sydney Chandler) but survives to take ownership of Arthur’s (David Rysdahl) body
• Dame Sylvia (Essie Davis) doesn’t get much to do, other than get terrorized by Marcy’s videos confirming that she’s been a bad mother figure. The poor woman doesn’t even learn her husband is “dead”
• Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) spends the episode skipping past danger before Marcy sics the Xenomorph on him and he quite literally shits himself. The comedic high point of the episode is when Marcy opens the cage door with a flick of the wrist and urges him to “run.”
• The much anticipated showdown between Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant) and Morrow (Babou Ceesay) finally happens in the lab, although the results are surprising: the cyborg gets the upper hand on the synth, resulting in a broken back for Kirsh. He’s damaged, but still alive at episode’s end, however!
  • In the same sequence, we finally get confirmation of what The Plant can do, though perhaps we should call it The Umbrella after what it does to poor Siberian (Diêm Camille)?
• Surprising no one, it is revealed that Atom (Adrian Edmondson) is a synthetic that Boy Kavalier modelled after his father, who he had the android kill.
• Oh yeah, and the episode ends with Yutani warships advancing on the island as Marcy declares the hybrids now rule.

Overall this is a pretty exciting finale that nicely wraps up most S01 storylines, while laying the groundwork for a much larger story to come. Let’s just hope that Disney & FX make the right decision by ordering up S02 immediately.

Listen to Trace and I discuss the episode in greater detail below on the Horror Queers Patreon:

Want to listen? Subscribe to our Patreon for over 423 hours of content including this month’s other new episodes on Cry Wolf, The Long Walk, Him, The Conjuring: Last Rites and, to tie in with that last one: a brand new audio commentary on The Conjuring 2!

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Starring Tippi Hedren as a rich prankster, the film follows Melanie as she embarks on an epic ruse to troll Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), a man she meets in a pet store. Using her father’s connections to track the lawyer down, Melanie drives to the nearby town of Bodega Bay just as a series of unexpected bird attacks kick off.

After befriending local school teacher Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette), winning over Mitch’s younger sister Cathy (Veronica Cartwright), and running afoul of Mitch’s mother, Lydia (Jessica Tandy), Melanie becomes trapped as the attacks escalate.

Will Melanie stay out of the attic? Can the isolated Brenner house sustain an all-out fowl attack? And will anyone survive to tell the outside world what is happening in the small seaside hamlet?

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 352: The Birds (1963)

Alma! We’re covering another Alfred Hitchcock film with 1963’s The Birds.

It’s Hitch, so prepare to get technical with Trace’s production history and thanks to another essay from It Came From the Closet, Joe has a compulsory Melanie & Annie queer reading on deck.

Plus: the one scene that doesn’t work; our favorite pieces of editing; why bitchy Melanie is our fave; and this week’s game: sequel or remake!

Cross out The Birds!

Coming Up Next: In anticipation of Renny Harlin’s forthcoming sequel, The Strangers: Chapter 2, we’re opening up the Patreon vault to release our episode of the trilogy opener, The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 420 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Cry Wolf, The Long Walk, Him, The Conjuring: Last Rites and, to tie in with that last one, a brand new audio commentary on The Conjuring 2!

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There’s only one episode left in Alien: Earth‘s first(?) season, and we hate to say that the penultimate episode might be our least favorite yet. It’s not bad by any means, but its abbreviated runtime (45 minutes compared to the full hours of previous episodes) and extensive setup for next week’s finale make “Emergence” feel incomplete. “Finale Part 1”, if you will. Might this have worked better as a super-sized double feature with next week’s finale? Time will tell!

Written by Maria Melnik (Escape Room) and series creator Noah Hawley and directed by Dana Gonzales (this season’s second and third episodes), the aptly titled “Emergence” sees many parts of the whole reveal themselves as Slightly (Adarsh Gourav) and Smee (Jonathan Ajayi) try to move Arthur’s (David Rysdahl) Facehuggered body to the beach to disastrous results, Wendy (Sydney Chandler), Hermit (Alex Lawther) and Nibs (Lily Newmark) try to escape the island to even worse results, and Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) grows closer to show MVP The Eye.

Some talking points:

• It would appear that Tootles/Isaac (Kit Young) is definitely dead following his encounter last week with the fly. No redownloading this guy! RIP, we hardly knew ye.
• Wendy takes a page out of the Jurassic World playbook and has seemingly tamed the Xenomorph. It makes for a nice pet, though!
• The Eye shows advance intelligence and some rather humorous, shit-related communication skills when Boy Kavalier asks it about Pi (much to Boy’s twisted delight).
• Nibs is seemingly taken out by Hermit after she brutally rips the jaw off of one of Boy’s guards. Is this the end of Nibs? We hope not!
• This is the most Earth we’ve gotten all season, and might be the first good look we’ve gotten of the Xenomorph in broad daylight.

This is an episode that ultimately serves to move things into place for next week’s finale. This is all well and good, but we couldn’t help but feel some metaphorical blue balls by the time the credits roll. Admittedly, we were really hoping the creatures would have been loosed following the events of last week’s episode, so perhaps our disappointment is on us.

And we must ask again (hopefully for the last time): will we find out what that plant pod creature does in next week’s finale? We better!

Listen to Joe and me discuss the episode in full below on the Horror Queers Patreon:

Coming Up Next: Next week we’re discussing the finale, episode 1.08, “The Real Monsters” (wonder who they could be?).

Want to listen? Subscribe to our Patreon for over 421 hours of content including this month’s other new episodes on Cry Wolf, The Long Walk, Him, The Conjuring: Last Rites and, to tie in with that last one: a brand new audio commentary on The Conjuring 2!

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After kicking off September with a look at Troma’s original trashterpiece The Toxic Avenger (listen) and celebrating our 350th episode at the Titty Twister in From Dusk Till Dawn (listen), were making our second foray into the world of anime (following our discussion of Perfect Blue) in Katsuhiro Otomo‘s seminal and incredibly influential film Akira (1988), an adaptation of his manga of the same name.

In Akira, Japan is reeling from a nuclear blast that destroyed Tokyo in 1988, leading to World War III. In 2019, Neo-Tokyo is now a cesspool of government corruption, gang violence and terrorism. The film focuses on biker gang leader Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata) and his lover best friend Tetsuo (Nozomu Sasaki).

When the latter acquires telekinetic abilities after nearly running over a childlike “esper,” he is abducted by the morally suspect Colonel Shikishima (Tarō Ishida). Kaneda teams up with resistance movement activist Kei (Mami Koyama) to find his lover friend before he loses control of his powers and starts another World War.

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 351: Akira (1988)

Hop on your motorcycle, avoid that “child” in the road and slide to a stop because we’re discussing Katsuhiro Otomo‘s seminal anime Akira (1988)!

Join us as we offer a primer on all things Akira, as well as its influences on, uh, everything. We then work our way through its very, very dense plot, which somehow condenses hundreds of manga pages into a 2-hour runtime. This includes a queer read for Kaneda and Tetsuo, as well as debating whether or not the film has a “woman problem.”

Plus: raisin-faced “children,” singularities, and one horrifying sequence involving malevolent stuffed animals (and a lot of “milk”).

Cross out Akira!

Coming Up Next: We’re heading to Bodega Bay to check in with Alfred Hitchcock and some pesky avian antagonists in The Birds (1963).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 418 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Cry Wolf, The Long Walk, Him, The Conjuring: Last Rites and, to tie in with that last one, a brand new audio commentary on The Conjuring 2!

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After delivering a warning about white after Labor Day with John Waters’ Serial Mom (listen) and revisiting the original Troma trashterpiece, The Toxic Avenger (listen), Trace and I kicked off September with the 350th episode of Horror Queersand a trip down to Mexico.

In Robert Rodriguez‘s From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), the Gecko Brothers – rational but angry Seth (George Clooney) and sexual predator Richie (screenwriter Quentin Tarantino) – take a family hostage in order to sneak across the border. This puts faithless preacher Jacob (Harvey Keitel), teen daughter Kate (Juliette Lewis) and son Scott (Ernest Liu) in extreme danger from the unhinged criminals.

Once they’ve crossed under the nose of the Border Guard (Cheech Marin in one of three roles), everyone holds up in the iconic Titty Twister to wait until daylight. Little do they know that the biker bar hosts more than one of the most extravagant dancers in Santanico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek); it’s also home to a massive horde of hungry vampires who will stop at nothing to devour the humans.

Thankfully the survivors include crotch pistol/mini-lasso wielding biker Sex Machine (Tom Savini) and “maybe never named” Frost (Fred Williamson).

Can the humans band together to survive the night? Or will they be forced to lick Santanico’s perfect feet for the rest of eternity?

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday via iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, and RSS.

Episode 350: From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

For Episode 350 (!) we decided we wanted a party, so we’re headed south of the border to hang out at the Titty Twister with the Gecko brothers in Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).

From an epic game that lasts the whole episode to a little bit of drunken slurring by the end, this is a good time through and through.

Plus: Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay and how this collaboration anticipates 2007’s Grindhouse (see previous episodes), worshipping Santanico Pandemonium, Trace’s pitch to watch the TV series, and the many, MANY titles that we may cover in the future. Grab your crotch gun and jump in!

Cross out From Dusk Till Dawn!

Coming Up Next: Episode 351 takes us to the other side of the world as we try to prevent WWIII with 1988’s Japanese anime classic, Akira.

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 416 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Cry_Wolf, The Long Walk, Him, The Conjuring: Last Rites, a brand new audio commentary on The Conjuring 2 and episode by episode coverage of Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth.

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We have officially passed the halfway point of Alien: Earth‘s first season, and after spending some down time observing things and laying lots of groundwork in last week’s episode, the series takes a narrative detour to show what really happened to the crew of the USCSS Maginot before it crashed on Earth in its pilot episode. Viewers clamoring for more Xenomorph action will no doubt find plenty to enjoy in the aptly-titled “In Space, No One.”

Written and directed by series creator Noah Hawley, the season’s fifth episode puts (most of) the characters and stories we’ve been building up for the past four episodes on the back burner, giving the director a chance to flex his horror muscles with an exciting, contained creature feature of an episode. We’re not entirely sure this story needed to be inserted at this point in the season, but as to where it should have been inserted, we’re also not entirely sure.

Some talking points:

• Learning the new(ish) cast of characters, which includes Captain Dinsdale (Tanapol Chuksrida), Science Officers Bronski (Max Rinehart) and Chibuzo (Fargo’s Karen Aldridge), Chief Engineer Shmuel (Kill List’s Michael Smiley) and his apprentice Malachite (Jamie Bisping), Executive Officer Zaveri (Fargo’s Richa Moorjani), Medical Officer Rahim (Amir Boutrous), and the mysterious Teng (Andy Yu).
• Morrow’s (Babou Ceesay) hunt for the ship’s saboteur.
• Tense set pieces involving the Xenomorph, the Tick(s) and the Eye, the latter of which is quickly becoming the series’ MVP.
• How much suspense mileage the episode gets out of that damn water bottle.
• The revelation that Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) was the mastermind behind the ship’s sabotage.

This is an episode that really worked for me, but Joe had a few qualms with its placement in the season. It’s understandable, given the fact that we don’t really learn anything here that we didn’t already know, outside of Boy Kavalier’s involvement with the crash, but one thing we do agree on is that Hawley directs the hell out of this thing.

And we must ask again: are we ever going to find out what that plant pod creature does? The show keeps teasing it!

Listen to Joe and me discuss the episode in full below on the Horror Queers Patreon:

Coming Up Next: Next week we’re discussing episode 1.06, “The Fly.”

Want to listen? Subscribe to our Patreon for over 419 hours of content including this month’s other new episodes on Cry Wolf, The Long Walk, Him, The Conjuring: Last Rites and, to tie in with that last one: a brand new audio commentary on The Conjuring 2!

The post ‘Alien: Earth’ Delivers a Horror Show in This Week’s “In Space, No One…” [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After wrapping up August with journeys into the weird and wonderful world of Australian myths in Picnic at Hanging Rock (listen) and John Waters’ version of suburbia in Serial Mom (listen), we’re kicking off September by celebrating the release of Macon Blair’s reboot of The Toxic Avenger with a look at the original Troma trashterpiece!

The Toxic Avenger sees nerdy gym janitor Melvin Ferd (Mark Torgl) fall prey to a cruel prank that sends him head-first into a barrel full of toxic waste. Said toxic waste transforms Melvin into a super-powered monster (Mitch Cohen) who uses his powers to destroy evil in his hometown of Tromaville. Lovingly named “The Toxic Avenger” by Tromavillians, he embarks on a journey to stop the corrupt Mayor Belgoody (Pat Ryan Jr.) while falling in love with the blind Sara (Andree Miranda) at the same time.

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 349: The Toxic Avenger (1984)

Get the kid and the bike because we’re heading to The Mexican Place to check out Troma Entertainment’s crown jewel: The Toxic Avenger (1984). Just in time to celebrate the release of Macon Blair’s remake, too!

Join us as we offer a primer on all things Toxie before diving into this ridiculously silly (and charming!) little film. The Toxic Avenger feels like a live-action cartoon that’s been dumped in a vat of extremely transgressive toxic waste, and it all (mostly) works!

Plus: an unexpected gang of queers, masturbating to photos of dead children, “Body Talk,” and swapping out human heads for cantaloupes.

CW: Dog death, child death, attempted sexual assault and the use of many, many slurs.

Cross out The Toxic Avenger!

Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating our 350th episode with a look at Robert Rodriguez’s crime thriller/vampire film hybrid From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)!

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After spending 2.5 episodes dealing with the fall-out of the crash of the Maginot, including the two-part opener and last week’s third episode, “Observation” settles into ‘Neverland’ in order to put everyone under a microscope.

Written by Noah Hawley and Bobak Esfarjani and directed by Ugla Hauksdóttir, the fourth episode of Alien: Earth does a lot of work laying the groundwork for things to come.

This includes…

• Hermit (Alex Lawther) being told by Atom (Adrian Edmondson) that he’s only being kept around as long as he’s useful to Prodigy (ie: a warning not to distract Sydney Chandler’s Wendy).
• Morrow (Babou Ceesay) teaches Slightly (Adarsh Gourav) about “restitution” and “right and wrong” when it comes to stealing Yutani property, all while Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant) listens in.
• Dame Sylvia (Essie Davis) learns that she’s not in control when Nibs (Lily Newmark) displays aggressive behavior during a therapy session.
• We get confirmation that Hermit’s old crew, Rashidi (Moe Bar-El) and Siberian (Diêm Camille), are now working full-time on patrol on the island, and;
• Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) naturally makes himself the center of attention while also shifting his fixation from Wendy and the Xenomorph to the The Eye, which proves to be a very resourceful communicator despite being inside a non-verbal sheep.

There’s plenty of meaty stuff going on, though this episode is quite a bit lighter on action. Still, Nibs’ belief that she’s pregnant, Wendy’s unique tie to the baby Xenomorph that bursts out of the impregnated lung (which is revealed to be Hermit’s!), as well as Kirsh’s refusal to intercede as Morrow manipulates Slightly, is all fascinating stuff.

Plus: there’s some slight world building as we learn about the other members of The Five corporations (in addition to Yutani and Prodigy, we have Threshold, Dynamic, and Lynch).

“Observation” is a character-driven episode, but there’s so much groundwork being laid that will undoubtedly pay off down the line. At this point we have one Xenomorph free and the Eye has got to escape at some point, right? The only question is when!

Listen to Trace and me discuss the episode in full below on the Horror Queers Patreon:

Coming Up Next: Next week we’re discussing episode 1.05, “In Space, No One…”

Want to listen? Subscribe to our Patreon for over 416 hours of content including this month’s other new episodes on Hannibal Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8, Lurker, Together, Weapons and a brand new audio commentary on Wes Craven’s Red Eye for its 20th anniversary!

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In August we’ve already been to the beach with Robert Lee King’s camp classic Psycho Beach Party (listen) and to Australia with Peter Weir’s 1975 adaptation of Picnic at Hanging Rock (listen). Now it’s time to head to the suburbs of Baltimore to tackle Serial Mom, John Waters‘ satirical take-down of true crime and fashion faux-pas.

In the film, Beverly Sutphin (Kathleen Turner) is a regular, happy housewife and mom. She sorts her recycling, attends PTA meetings, and is an avid bird-watcher with her husband Eugene (Sam Waterson).

She’s also a compulsive serial killer who has no qualms about dispatching an offending neighbor or passing acquaintance for the smallest infraction. If you’re stealing parking spaces, refusing to rewind video cassettes, inferring that her son Chip (Matthew Lillard) likes horror movies too much, or ditching her daughter Misty (Ricki Lake) for a hotter model (Traci Lords), you’re about to feel Beverly’s wrath.

And God help you if you wear white after Labor Day!

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 348: Serial Mom (1994)

Keep an eye out for pussy willows and don’t wear white after Labor Day because we’re talking about John Waters’ most “accessible” film, Serial Mom (1994).

Featuring an all-time performance by Kathleen Turner and the usual Waters’ stable, this satire of true crime and horror films is a great introduction for Dreamland novices.

Plus: the best comedic bits, a primer on Patty Hearst, more of Trace’s favorite Waters films, and why you do not want to mention Annie around Joe.

Cross out Serial Mom!

Coming Up Next: To coincide with the release of the new Toxie, we’re celebrating the original Troma film with a deep dive into The Toxic Avenger (1984)!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 412 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8, KPop Demon Hunters, Lurker, Together, Weapons, a brand new audio commentary on Wes Craven’s Red Eye and continuing episodic coverage of Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth!

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When Joe and I discussed the two-episode premiere of Noah Hawley‘s Alien: Earth last week, we wondered if the season’s timeline was going to be relatively short, potentially spanning mere hours or days. We also questioned if we were going to spend most of the season on board the crashed USCSS Maginot or, you know, actually get into the “Earth” of it all.

Well, consider those questions answered in Alien: Earth‘s third episode, “Metamorphosis,” an exciting entry into the season that lays to rest any fears that the series would put the Xenomorph on the back-burner for the bulk of its eight episodes.

Written by series creator Noah Hawley and Fargo producer/writer Robert De Laurentiis and directed by Dana Gonzales (returning after helming “Mr. October”), “Metamorphosis” is divided into two halves, with the first half picking up right where “Mr. October” left off, seeing Hermit (Alex Lawther) captured by the Xenomorph as it attempts to lure Wendy (Sydney Chandler) into a trap. This leads to one of the episode’s most action-heavy (if slightly silly) sequences in which Sydney gets into a tug-of-war with the Xenomorph’s tongue, culminating in the partial decapitation of the creature. Meanwhile, Smee (Jonathan Ajayi) and Slightly (Adarsh Gourav) have a tense run-in with Morrow (Babou Ceesay), continuing the series’ philosophical interrogation of what it means to be human and concluding the first half of the episode.

The second half of the episode switches gears as everyone returns to Prodigy’s headquarters to reap the benefits of their bounty. No longer bound by the haunting walls of the Maginot, Alien: Earth gives more screen time to characters who were underserved in the premiere, notably Curly (Erana James), who fights for Boy Kavalier’s (Samuel Blenkin) attention, and Arthur (Fargo‘s David Rysdahl), who shares his reservations about Boy Kavalier’s methods with his wife Dame Sylvia (The Babadook‘s Essie Davis).

We also get another appearance of Yutani (Sandra Yi Sencindiver) in this episode, as Morrow checks in with her to update her on the status of her precious cargo. That she doesn’t seem disappointed or angry with Morrow and the current situation of the mission (she seems totally fine, actually) was unexpected, and we can’t wait to see more of her.

Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier

Alien: Earth is juggling a lot of characters, but it does so with such confidence that it’s hard to resent the fact that about half of the Lost “Boys” are currently glorified background characters (looking at you, Tootles). It’s only the third episode, but considering we’ll be at the halfway point of the season after next week’s episode, we hope that they’re given more to do in the coming weeks.

Refreshingly, Hawley & Co. show more restraint when it comes to franchise callbacks than they did in the premiere, with Slightly’s discovery of the Xenomorph’s skin harkening back to a similarly shot sequence with Harry Dean Stanton in the original film. They do seem to be sticking with inserting Disney-owned Fox IP into the proceedings, though. Following the Ice Age: Continental Drift of it all last week, “Metamorphosis” includes footage from Fox’s apparently not-forgotten 2013 animated film Epic, much to Joe’s chagrin.

Lest you thought we had seen the end of the Xenomorph after Wendy dispatched it, the episode concludes with the extraction of a Xeno-sperm (Xeno-zygote?) out of a Facehugger, which is promptly injected into a solitary lung. This is but a brief expansion of series lore that we find incredibly exciting. It raises more questions, like whether or not that lung will birth a Xenomorph as we know it, or birth some altered version of it, but we’re still waiting for an answer for the most important question of the series: will we ever find out what that plant-like pod creature does?

Listen to our full conversation on the episode below:

Cross out “Metamorphosis”!

Coming Up Next: Next week we’re discussing episode 1.04, “Observation.”

Want to listen? Subscribe to our Patreon for over 410 hours of content including this month’s other new episodes on Hannibal Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8, Lurker, Together, Weapons and a brand new audio commentary on Wes Craven’s Red Eye for its 20th anniversary!

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After kicking off August with our first foray into the world of beach party films with Robert Lee King’s camp classic Psycho Beach Party (listen), we’re shifting gears into the weird and wonderful world of Australian myths in Peter Weir‘s 1975 adaptation of Joan Lindsay‘s acclaimed novel Picnic at Hanging Rock.

Picnic at Hanging Rock sees a selection of students of the all-female Appleyard College attend a picnic at a local geological formation known as Hanging Rock. While there, three students and one teacher vanish without a trace, leaving the local community perplexed and anxious. As the search for the missing girls continues to no avail, the effects of the event on the school’s strict headmistress (Rachel Roberts) and the rest of the community come to a head.

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 347: Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

Check your watch you little ignoramus because we’re talking Peter Weir‘s seminal Australian mystery Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975).

Join us as we dive into this mythic piece of “true” crime from the bush, with an unsolved mystery that still perplexes people to this very day. Add in some repressed lesbianism and some hauntingly ethereal vibes for good measure, of course.

Plus: pan flutes galore, gorgeous crimson cloaks, and why book author Joan Lindsay is a massive troll.

Cross out Picnic at Hanging Rock!

Coming Up Next: We’re so scared of wearing white after Labor Day that we just had to revisit John Waters’ cult classic Serial Mom (1994)!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 407 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8, Lurker, Together, Weapons and a brand new audio commentary on Wes Craven’s Red Eye for its 20th anniversary!

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After spending July discussing slasher film The Slumber Party Massacre (listen), supernatural giallo film Phenomena (listen), and entry #2 in Park Chan-wook revenge trilogy Oldboy (listen), we kicked off August with a look at director Robert Lee King‘s Psycho Beach Party (2000).

In the homage to beach and surf films of the ’50s and ’60s, Lauren Ambrose plays Florence (aka “Chicklet”) a girl who wants to hang out with the surfer boys, but constantly finds herself swapping personalities due to a hypnotic suggestion.

Meanwhile, Captain Monica Stark (Charles Busch in drag) is investigating a string of murders targeting Florence’s friend group and anyone deemed “imperfect.” This includes queer-coded boys Yo-Yo (Nick Cornish) and Provoloney (Andrew Levitas), failed psych major Star Cat (Nicholas Brendon), and best friend Berdine (Danni Wheeler).

Will Chicklet’s friends be whittled down one by one? Will she learn how to surf under the tutelage of aging beach bum Kanaka (Thomas Gibson)? And will she land the boy of her dreams or lose him to her rival, Marvel Ann (Amy Adams)? Only the triggering circles will tell!

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 346: Psycho Beach Party (2000)

Beware of circles and phallic surfboards because we’re talking Robert Lee King’s adaptation of Charles Busch’s stage play Psycho Beach Party (2000) for its 25th anniversary!

Lead by HQ fave Lauren Ambrose, this homage to sexual repression, Gidget and beach/surf movies is very silly, very queer, and very fun.

Plus: a primer on the origin of “teen films,” the stacked cast, Swedish accents, and constipation = apprehension about bottoming?

Cross out Psycho Beach Party!

Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of hypnotic Australian classic, Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 405 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8, Lurker, Together, Weapons and a brand new audio commentary on Wes Craven’s Red Eye for its 20th anniversary!

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After kicking things off in July with the girls of Stanford High School in The Slumber Party Massacre (listen) and a psychic Jennifer Connelly in Dario Argento’s Phenomena (listen), we’re checking in with a man and his octopus in Park Chan-wook‘s 2003 masterpiece Oldboy.

Oldboy sees a drunken Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) get kidnapped on the day of his daughter’s fourth birthday. Held in captivity for 15 years and living on a diet of dumplings. Dae-su is suddenly released without explanation. His captor (Yoo Ji-tae) gives him 5 days to figure out why he did this to him, but if he is unable to figure it out, then his captor will murder Mi-do (Kang Hye-jung) a young sushi chef that Dae-su has quickly fallen for.

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 345: Oldboy (2003)

Swallow that octopus and run away from those ants because we’re discussing Park Chan-wook‘s 2003 masterpiece Oldboy!

Join us as we discuss the origins of Oldboy, from its manga source material to the changes Park applied to this adaptation, before going all in on this spider’s web of a revenge plot. It’s a film known for its big twist, but there’s so much more to appreciate here!

Plus: that hallway fight scene, Manic Pixie Sushi Dream Girls, questionable CGI, death by CD-ROM, hypnosis as a plot convenience (but who cares?) and debating whether or not this is a “film bro” movie.

Cross out Oldboy!

Coming Up Next: We’re venturing into the world of 1960s beach party movies with a look at the camp classic Psycho Beach Party (2000)!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 400 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8, Lurker, Together, Weapons and a brand new audio commentary on Wes Craven’s Red Eye for its 20th anniversary!

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The film stars Jennifer Connelly as Jennifer Corvino, an American girl sent to a Swiss boarding school. The girl has a mysterious ability: she can communicate with insects and even get them to do her bidding. This proves to be a wildly helpful skill when Jennifer finds herself targeted by a killer who preys on young women, including her roommate Sophie.

But who is committing the murders and why? Could it be the disabled local entomologist, Professor John McGregor (Donald Pleasence) or his chimp, Inga? Could it be the tailgating Inspector Rudolph Geiger (Patrick Bauchau)?

Obviously the correct answer is Frau Brückner, played by frequent Argento collaborator Daria Nicolodi! But the truth is that the reveal hardly matters in a film filled to the brim with big swings and unexpected mayhem. Nothing is off the table until the credits roll because this film is WILD!

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 344: Phenomena (1985)

Assemble your spear and follow the fly in the box because we’re discussing Dario Argento’s 1985 giallo fairytale, Phenomena.

Starring Jennifer Connelly, Donald Pleasence and Argento’s frequent collaborator, Daria Nicolodi, this movie is wild (seriously: take a shot every time we say the word). From questionable disability representation to a Friday the 13th-inspired climax, from chimps to bugs, Phenomena kinda has it all.

Plus: Trace tackles the multiple cuts, Joe’s fantasy double bill, a “sleepy” Connelly, maggot baptisms, and debate about who committed the murders and why.

Cross out Phenomena!

Coming Up Next: We’re closing out the month with a look back at Korean director Park Chan-wook’s classic tale of revenge, Oldboy (2003).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 399 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Squid Game Season 3, Dangerous Animals, M3GAN 2.0, I Know What You Did Last Summer and a brand new audio commentary on Species for its 30th anniversary!

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After shifting gears into full-on summer blockbuster territory with a look at Steven Spielberg’s juggernaut of a creature feature in Jaws (listen) and being introduced to our first Jean Rollin joint in the lesbian “vampire” movie Fascination (listen), we’re checking in with the girls of Stanford High School in Amy Jones‘ The Slumber Party Massacre (1982).

The Slumber Party Massacre sees high school senior Trish Devereaux (Michelle Michaels) host a slumber party for her friends Kim (Debra Deliso), Jackie (Andree Honore) and Diane (Gina Mari) the same weekend that escaped serial killer Russ Thorn (Michael Villella) makes his way into her neighborhood. Wielding an incredibly long power drill, Russ sets his sights on Trish’s house, putting her and all of her friends in grave danger.

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 343: The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

Check the temperature of that pizza and close the damn refrigerator because we’re finally (finally!) discussing the female-written and female-directed 1982 slashic The Slumber Party Massacre. Tagging in for the conversation is News is Out‘s managing editor Dana Picccoli!

Join us as we go all in on this Frankenstein’s monster of a slasher film that showcases some feminist themes, while courting to Roger Corman‘s demands of boobs, butts and blood. That it all began with a parody script from noted queer feminist Rita Mae Brown makes it all the more interesting!

Plus: P.E. representation (huh?), comedic match cuts, gratuitous shower scenes, debating Courtney’s intended age, and #JusticeForCoachJana.

Cross out The Slumber Party Massacre!

Coming Up Next: We’re heading back into the world of Dario Argento with a look at his bonkers 1985 film Phenomena!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 398 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Squid Game Season 3, Dangerous Animals, M3GAN 2.0, I Know What You Did Last Summer and a brand new audio commentary on Species for its 30th anniversary!

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We transitioned from Pride Month discussions of Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (listen) and ’90s nostalgia in Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie (listen) into summer blockbuster territory with Jaws (listen) last week. Now we’re inching the dial up a few years to discuss French director Jean Rollin‘s “lesbian vampire film” Fascination (1979).

The quotes are there because these characters, particularly the women, are much more sexually fluid, and there’s no actual vampires present (if anything this is a film about a cult!).

In case you’re unaware, Fascination is the story of a duplicitous thief named Marc (Jean-Marie Lemaire) who seeks refuge in a French castle with his stolen loot. He mistakenly believes the place is empty until he happens upon Eva (Brigitte Lahaie) and Elizabeth (Franca Maï), female lovers who allow him to hide but also tease that he must be gone by nightfall.

Marc, cocky and confident, takes no stock in the women’s words and quickly finds himself confronted by a group of women. The group does not seem threatened by him, and even appear to an ulterior motive. Has Marc found true love with Elizabeth or is this all a ruse to sacrifice him? Does Elizabeth actually care about her relationship with Eva? And how will the scythe that features prominently in the cover art come into play?!

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 342: Fascination (1979)

Show your tits and grab that scythe because we’re talking our very first Jean Rollin text: 1979’s Fascination.

The lesbian vampire film is gorgeous and dreamy with several subversive twists, including the fact that this is not actually a vampire movie.

Plus: women in control, a truly shitty man, sheer veils, connections to porn and struggling with the feminist/class readings.

Cross out Fascination!

Coming Up Next: We’re hankering for pizza and a sleepover, so let’s check out the female written and directed franchise starter, The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 399 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Squid Game Season 3, Dangerous Animals, M3GAN 2.0, I Know What You Did Last Summer and a brand new audio commentary on Species for its 30th anniversary!

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After concluding Pride month with discussions of Danny Boyle’s modern classic 28 Days Later (listen) and the Freddy-Krueger-for-kids villain in Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie (listen), we’re shifting gears into full-on summer blockbuster territory with a look at Steven Spielberg‘s juggernaut of a creature feature in Jaws (1975).

In case you’ve lived under a rock your entire life: Jaws tells the tale of a monstrous Great White Shark that has staked its claim over the beaches of Amity Island. In charge of stopping its rampage is police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), against the wishes of the island’s capitalistic mayor (Murray Hamilton). When the shark slaughters one too many people, Brody teams up with marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and crazed shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) to track it down and kill it for good.

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 341: Jaws (1975)

Karate chop those picket fences and watch out for that severed head because we’re discussing Steven Spielberg‘s Academy Award®-winning blockbuster Jaws (1975) for its 50th anniversary! Tagging in for the conversation is Joe’s Murder Made Fiction co-host Jenn Adams, making this a super-sized podcast crossover event!

Join us as we go all in on this gem of aquatic horror history, from the source novel’s origins (including a review from Fidel Castro???) to the infamously troubled film production and the real-life stories that inspired the story.

Plus: a queer reading of our three male leads, discussing the importance of John Williams’ score, sympathy for Mr. Mayor (huh?), and the ultimate question: can sharks commit murder?

Cross out Jaws!

Coming Up Next: We’re heading into the world of low-budget lesbian “vampires” in Jean Rollins’ 1979 film Fascination!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 398 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Squid Game Season 3, Dangerous Animals, M3GAN 2.0, I Know What You Did Last Summer and a brand new audio commentary on Species for its 30th anniversary!

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After kicking off Pride Month with John Boorman’s Deliverance (listen), and revisiting Joel Schumacher’s camptastic Batman Forever (listen), as well as Danny Boyle’s modern classic 28 Days Later (listen), it’s time to wrap up June with a look at director Bryan Spicer’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995).

This is a nostalgia trip for the ages as we dip back into the popular kids TV show, which featured six teenagers selected by alien Zordon (Nicholas Bell; voiced by Robert L. Manahan) to protect Earth from super villains like Rita Repulsa (Julia Cortez; voiced by Barbara Goodson) and Goldar (Kerry Casey, voiced by Kerrigan Mahan).

When a power adversary named Ivan Ooze (Paul Freeman) is accidentally released back into Angel Grove and the Power Rangers are stripped of their abilities, they must travel to a distant world, befriend warrior Dulcea (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick), and battle their way to the monolith containing The Great Power before time runs out.

Will the parents of Angel Grove perish over a cliff? Will Ivan Ooze use terrible CGI to win the day? And will any of the Rangers other than Tommy (Jason David Frank) and Kimberly (Amy Jo Johnson) get something to do? You’ll have to listen to find out!

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 340: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995) feat. Mike Muncer

Stick your fingers in the ooze and prep your one-liner because we are “celebrating” the 30th anniversary of Trace fave with Bryan Spicer’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995).

Piloting the Falcon Zord alongside us is Evolution of Horror‘s Mike Muncer, who was also a fan of the show as a kid.

Plus: a troubled production, a homophobic crew, Arne Olsen’s terrible script, ’90s CGI, a queer-coded villain and…why is Joe putting Zordon on a watchlist?

Cross out Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie!

Coming Up Next: Just in time for July 4th (but a week after Bruce’s big 50th), we’re checking out Steven Spielberg’s aquatic horror blockbuster, Jaws (1975).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 398 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal S02 Episodes 5-6, Fear Street: Prom Queen, Bring Her Back, 28 Years Later, and a brand new audio commentary on Final Destination 2.

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After kicking off Pride month with discussions of John Boorman’s (in)famous adaptation of James Dickey’s novel Deliverance (listen) and revisiting the world of Batman in Joel Schumacher’s camptastic Batman Forever (listen), we’re celebrating the release of 28 Years Later with a look at Danny Boyle‘s modern classic 28 Days Later (2002).

28 Days Later sees the deadly Rage virus spread throughout the United Kingdom after a group of animal activists free an infected chimp from a research lab. 28 days later, bike courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) awakes from a coma to find London completely deserted, save for the very fast-moving and Rage-infected citizens.

When he crosses paths with chemist Selena (Naomie Harris), cab driver Frank (Brendan Gleeson), and Frank’s daughter Hannah (Megan Burns), the group embarks on a perilous journey to a military blockade that will supposedly provide safety for all of them.

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 339: 28 Days Later (2002)

Stash that Terry’s Chocolate Orange and cover your damn eyes because we’re discussing Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later just in time for its 23-years-later sequel!

Join us as we laud the film that popularized fast-moving zombies (yes, yes, we know they’re “the infected”) and kickstarted the sub-genre’s resurgence in the aughts.

Plus: discussions of the film’s aesthetic, Alex Garland’s self-proclaimed “derivative script,” male full frontal nudity, apocalyptic red flags, and *that* freeze frame.

Cross out 28 Days Later!

Coming Up Next: We’re taking a look at Ivan Ooze, aka “Freddy Krueger for kids,” in Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie (1995).

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 397 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal S02 Episodes 5-6, Fear Street: Prom Queen, Bring Her Back, 28 Years Later, and a brand new audio commentary on Final Destination 2.

The post How ’28 Days Later’ Changed the Zombie Sub-Genre Forever [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.