Va-Va-Villainess: Rhonda Fleming

Published January 18, 2020 by biggayhorrorfan

Rhonda Inferno

She played feisty yet loyal lovers in a series of ‘50s action and adventure pieces like Yankee Pasha and Gunfight at O.K. Corral. Bob Hope also called upon her extravagant sense of humor in such projects as The Great Lover and Alias Jesse James. Her lush looks and rare beauty worked for her in other ways as well, giving the glorious Rhonda Fleming a delightfully tangible way to embody perfect visions of calculating evil.

InfernoLobby Eschewing her initial naivete – she and her mother had to look up what a nymphomaniac was when she was cast in Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound – Fleming brought vivid life to a number of noir vixens. 1953’s Inferno capitalized on the 3D phase while also giving her the excuse to bring what was possibly her most evil character to the celluloid universe. As Geraldine Carson, this red headed goddess viciously plots to murder her husband, played with gruff humanity by eternally sympathetic tough guy Robert Ryan. Thus, her dry and dusty downfall here was relished by movie lovers everywhere.

rhonda-fleming-the-crowded-sky The suave Efrem Zimbalist Jr. also was dealt a calculating blow when dealing with Fleming’s adulterous Cheryl Heath in The Crowded Sky. As a pilot facing a deadly incident, as this film is a precursor to the all star disaster films of the ‘70s, Zimbalist’s character also must deal with the emotional fallout of Cheryl’s heartless manipulations. Viewers, therefore, are not surprised when the film’s fadeout reveals his intents to leave her behind, no matter Fleming’s seemingly irresistible devious lusciousness.

Rhonda Gunfight

Horror Hall of Fame:

Besides her compelling work with Hitchcock in Spellbound, Fleming brought a steady heart and calm demeanor to her portrayal of the loyal yet doomed Blanche in 1946’s gothic horror The Spiral Staircase.

www.rhondafleming.com

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Take Five with Marital Streep

Published October 21, 2026 by biggayhorrorfan

Over the past couple years, my brilliantly fun friend Wendi Freeman has began producing music as the delightfully monikered Marital Steep. In the months since, her electro clash rhythms have definitely brightened many a dance enthusiast’s ear buds. This is especially true with her latest release, Hunting for a Beautiful Accident. On the eve of her performance at Bezazian Library’s Gay Fright Fest – because what self respecting queer doesn’t love a lively set from a self produced pop princess?!?! – Freeman took a moment to chat with me about the horror influences in her music and to let us know what she is currently listening to, as well.

Big Gay Horror Fan: What inspired you to create music as Marital Streep?

Marital Streep: Marital Streep sprung from a desire to be allowed to dance. I had been playing drums in punk bands for so many years and wanted to just admit to myself that I like classic 80s synth pop.

BGH: I love the cinematic nature of your sound. Is that something you’ve worked purposefully towards?

MS: I’ve always loved artists like Tangerine Dream, and how horror films specifically use synth scores, like John Carpenter. I aspire to that level of versatility to construct a mood.

In the song, Diagetic I play with how I wish my music could be something a character pops on in the background. I want someone to tune in a radio or put in a cassette and you hear my song in the background. That’s one of my favorite tropes- when a character puts a song on and it’s tinny and distorted and then they pop it in as the main soundtrack and you suddenly hear it clearly.

BGHF: You recently released a new EP, Hunting for a Beautiful Accident. Is there a song on that new collection that you found was truly exhilarating to work on?

MS: This entire ep was exciting to work on because I really learned new skills about chopping and sampling. I’d find a glockenspiel loop and get excited to distort and warp it.

BGHF: That is so cool! What Marital Streep song do you think would fit perfectly in one of your favorite horror films?

MS: I want to be the musical act at a prom! I want someone getting killed or bullied while I’m singing something bright and bubbly like Used to Dance.

BGHF: You’d be like EG Daily meets Devo!! As a huge music fan yourself, what current dance acts have been getting your pulse to race to the BPM?

MS: This year in particular has been a great time for women producing their own music. I’m inspired by Ninajirachi and Pink Pantheress creating their own beats and my favorite album recently has been underscores’ U.

Be sure to find Marital Streep on all your favorite streaming devices. You can also follow her at http://www.maritalstreep.bandcamp.com and http://www.facebook.com/p/maritalstreep-61574760700991/.

Marital Streep will be performing at Gay Fright Fest at the Bezazian Library branch, 1226 W Ainslie, in Chicago on Saturday, October 24th at 1PM. It’s a free event with candy, prizes, screenings and (obviously!!) great tunes…so please join us!

https://chicagolocalevents.com/events/gay-fright-fest-2026-10-24-bezazian

Gay Fright Fest

Published October 17, 2026 by biggayhorrorfan

As someone who loves physical media, I don’t think I have always reaped the full benefits of my local libraries. Innately, I want to own the books I read and to have copies of the films I love on the ready at any given moment in time. That being said, budget issues and the space limitations of city living have often compelled me to make glorious use of the three libraries that mark the boundaries of my neighborhood. What fantastic spaces they are!

Those who don’t ever visit their own branch may also not realize the amazing services that these institutions provide for the community, as well. They offer free computer use and job resources, after school activities for teens and a warm space for the homeless to gather during winter months. They also provide amazing and inclusive programming.

In fact, this fall I’ve been happily co-programming an upcoming Halloween event at the Bezazian Library Branch in the Uptown neighborhood in Chicago. Gay Fright Fest will highlight how queer genre cinema has changed over the years, with modern short Family for Christmas playing alongside 1940’s The Mad Doctor. Christmas‘ director Nick Pospisil will even be on hand for a panel discussion on how the openly gay couple of his work compares with the queer coded partnering, supplied by the ever elegant Basil Rathbone and the always mysterious Martin Kosleck, at the heart of Doctor.

To make the afternoon even more spook-tacular, electroclash artist Marital Streep will be performing songs from Hunting for a Beautiful Accident, her latest EP. Free candy, coloring contests and photo ops – perhaps even with The Mad Doctor himself!!! – will also round out this eclectic celebration.

We hope all you rainbow-hugging Midwest fiends can join us!

The Friends of the Bezazian Library present Gay Fright Fest on Saturday October 24th – 1 pm at the Bezazian Library, 1226 W Ainslie – Free Admission.

Music to Make Horror Movies By: Patty Smyth

Published October 3, 2026 by biggayhorrorfan

Of all the rock and roll romances, the love affair between ’80s pop rocker Patty Smyth and drug dabbling CBGB’s main stay Richard Hell has to be one of the most unlikely. These differences may have ultimately caused the union between Smyth, a fresh-faced radio belter, and Hell, a scrappy punk poet, to last for only two years. But, thankfully as solo acts, both have achieved a long-lasting place in very separate corners of musical history.

Hell’s anthems, including It Comes in Spurts and Blank Generation, continue to inspire (and perhaps even create a few) snot nosed rebellion seekers. Smyth, meanwhile, collaborated on one of the most enjoyable New Wave EPs with her band Scandal before dominating the charts with The Warrior off the band’s first (and only) full length effort. (Much like her marriage to Hell, the group also ended its association quickly.)

Both artists are cinematic forces, as well.

Blank Generation, has been used in such fright features as 1981’s Fear No Evil and 2024’s The Exorcism. While The Warrior has been utilized in many a celluloid adventure, it found its grandest placement in the delightful 2023 horror comedy Cocaine Bear. Its appearance there is especially appropriate as Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh composed the film’s score, making this nature gone wild epic a sonic reunion of early MTV-like proportions.

Nicely, proving that rumors of hibernation are a myth, Smyth will be making her Cafe Carlyle debut in the fall of 2026 and regularly updates fans at her website, http://www.pattysmythandscandal.com.

Bear Cave of Terror: The Sentinel

Published September 26, 2026 by biggayhorrorfan

Nun but the brave may enter here!

I recently got to speak with the most excellent Steve Mowry, inspired creator and vibrant host of Bear Cave of Terror, about one of my favorite horror movies of all time, 1977’s The Sentinel.

Dream chat!!

If, like me, stories about drunken movie goddesses and the unrepentant evils of organized religion are your own personal Gucci bag, you just might want to join in with us at the respectfully provided link below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv3QnFF5q0A&list

I assure you, its a habit you won’t regret!!!

Greatest Fan: Beverly Washburn

Published September 12, 2026 by biggayhorrorfan

An established veteran of numerous autograph shows, actress Beverly Washburn actually went all the way to the other side in one of her latter-day television appearances. On the opulent ’80s drama Hotel, a guest star heavy production from the legendary Aaron Spelling, Washburn played an eager fan seeking a signature from Jean Simmons’ famed movie queen, Jessica Daniels. Sprite and beautiful, Washburn is only on the screen for a moment. But for fans in the know, it is definitely fun to see her on the other side of the table.

Of course, this is a mere blip in a resume that contains appearances in such cult classic television shows as Star Trek and (the Boris Karloff hosted) Thriller and films like Jack Hill’s Spider Baby: or, the Maddest Story Ever Told. Washburn even worked with the famed Wrecking Crew, the iconic musical outfit that featured Glen Campbell on guitar, for her girl group styled singles in the ’60s.

Now settled in Las Vegas, she frequently works with The Vegas Voice, sharing remembrances of her interesting adventures in Hollywood and beyond.

Hollywood Stories of Kirk & Michael Douglas with our Beverly Washburn

Nicely, she is on the right side, politically, as well. She gave my Kamala Harris hat some loving when I met her at a recent event. She was definitely one of the sweetest celebs that I have ever encountered.

Unfortunately, I forgot to ask her about her role in one of my favorite femme-centered noirs, The Killer That Stalked New York, and her appearance in the Cecil B. DeMille directed The Greatest Show on Earth.

Next time, perhaps….

In Memoriam: Eliska Hahn

Published September 5, 2026 by biggayhorrorfan

“I remember one morning, about 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning, we were waiting for a lighting re-set and she led us in a version of A Whole New World from Aladdin. We all sang together!!” – Eliska Hahn on Jamie Lee Curtis’ on set behavior on Halloween Kills.

I’ve known people, like my dear friend Joey Kissling, who have burned so hot and fast that their deaths at an incredibly young age seem almost preordained. You can’t imagine them coasting into their sixties and seventies, grandchildren gathered around their knees. More often though, an unexpected passing can simply send you reeling. The loss of a vibrant life just seems completely unimaginable.

Such is the case with actress Eliska Hahn. Full of love and joy, it was a foregone conclusion that she would be spreading her expansive energy throughout the universe for decades to come. Unfortunately, Hahn, best known as Nova in the cult film Strangest Dreams: Invasion of the Space Preachers, died this past August, sending shock waves throughout the many creative communities that she was a vital part of.

Thankfully, after our first meeting in the spring of 2014, we stayed in touch online and in the fall of 2021, she was a guest on Dagger Cast, a podcast I was co-hosting. Sharing tales about working on Halloween Kills, where she was one of the featured hospital rioters, she was warm and knowledgeable, immersed in the legacy of John Carpenter’s series. It was definitely my favorite episode that we recorded and rewatching it recently, in a heartfelt tribute to her, I can see why. She is warm and funny – eternally engaging.

Thus, I’ve reposted the link here. Anyone wanting smart, behind-the-scenes tales of David Gordon Green’s take on Michael Myers or fans of Hahn wanting to bask in her magic one last time will definitely find much to love here.

“He was the sexiest man. I stood beside him. All that man had on was a pair of boxer shorts and hospital gown… and oh, my…he’s got some charisma! I mean when all you’ve got going on are socks, boxers, a hospital gown and a patch on your neck…and you still got a vibe going?!?” – Eliska Hahn on filming with Will Patton during Halloween Kills

Rest in Peace, my friend —

Eliska Hahn – 1966 – 2026.

Hopelessly Devoted To: Carroll Baker

Published August 30, 2026 by biggayhorrorfan

While she didn’t necessarily invent seductive poutiness, Carroll Baker definitely embraced its pertinent esthetics with unrivalled energy. Becoming a household name as the titular Baby Doll, in the 1956 film based upon Tennessee Williams’ short play Twenty-Seven Wagons Full of Cotton, her character salaciously drove the mature men around her insane with lust. She continued that trend with deliciously delivered roles in such over-the-top soap operas as The Carpetbaggers and Harlow, the very fictionalized take on the very platinum Jean Harlow’s life.

But in the ’60s and ’70s, weary of the unscrupulous mechanics of Hollywood, Baker took her unbridled essence afar, applying it with flair to a fair number of Euro-exploitation flicks. While her roles often alternated between victimhood and criminal pathology within these sticky adventures, her most defined feat of villainy in that era had to be in 1973’s Baba Yaga. There, as the witchy Yaga, she sets about dominating Sally Bowles-like photographer Valentina (Isabelle De Funes) with Sapphic intensity. Causing continual mishap and corporal misadventure in Valentina’s life, Yaga is determined to possess her at all costs.

Initially inheriting the role from previously cast actress Anne Heywood, best known for her work in the compellingly lavender The Fox, Baker ultimately makes Yaga her own unique enterprise. Only 42 years old at the time, the glamourous Baker even let herself be presented in an aging, crone-like state, emphasizing the wispily eternal nature of Yaga’s mystic evilness.

On the other side of the performance spectrum, there is nothing supernatural about the character of Eleanor Crisp. This flinty-eyed villainess, as enacted with calm precision by Baker in 1990’s Kindergarten Cop, is as vicious as they come – solely due to her skewed sense of human nature – or complete lack thereof! With a propensity towards murder, whether via induced drug overdose or vehicular homicide, this is indeed one of the veteran actress’ most chilling performances. Eleanor’s evil radiates off the screen, providing nice balance to the film’s comedic essence and proving what a skilled performer Baker is. She accomplishes much here, without even seeming to bat an eye with effort.

Nicely, three years later she returned to grand guignol territory as the delightfully named Sibella Stone on the 9th season finale of Murder, She Wrote. As flamboyant as Eleanor was stern, Baker still plays this romance novelist with a keen subtlety, playing well off veteran performer William Katt as Stone’s younger husband and the unstoppable Angela Lansbury as the mystery solving Jessica Fletcher. Creatively, Baker treads a thin line here. After a near drowning incident, Stone seems like the caper’s perfectly innocent victim, but Baker occasionally adds tones of gothic uncertainty to the mix, making for both compelling and very fun viewing.

Quick Pick Flick:

Baker often worked with cult film director Umberto Lenzi during her prime giallo years. While each project has particular moments, their most enjoyable co-creation just might be A Quiet Place to Kill (AKA Paranoia). There, playing a duplicitous race car driver, she navigates windy country terrain, trendy discotheques and brightly colored boudoirs in a tale of deception and death. The plot twists also keep coming here until the very end, resulting in a madcap, sexually charged bit of exploitation celluloid.

Second Look: The Wasp Woman

Published August 15, 2026 by biggayhorrorfan

It is interesting how the target audiences for various genre films can change over the years due to shifts in cultural climate.

Since my early 20s, my favorite Roger Corman produced golden oldie has always been The Wasp Woman (1959). Not only are two strong women, Janice Starlin (Susan Cabot) and Mary Dennison (Barboura Marris).at the heart of its soapy drama, but its issues of youth and beauty have always been central ones to the gay community.

Just as Starlin, a revolutionary in the cosmetics industry, struggles as her advancing age seemingly loses her vivacious importance in the beauty industry, many a personal friend has expressed how invisible they feel in queer spaces as they begin to grey.

Indeed, it’s rare that a male model in his fifties or sixties is featured on the cover of Out magazine or even on the front pages of local bar rags. As one nears senior status, gathering at nightclubs, a prime resource for LGBTQIA interaction, also feels less and less desirable, leading to a further sense of ostracization.

Thus, we can truly relate as Starlin enters into a covert deal with Dr. Eric Zinthrop (Michael Mark). Zinthrop’s experiments with the jelly produced by the queen wasp initially give Starlin a renewed glow, but her continual use of the product transforms her into a murderous insect-like mutant! As TLC sang, “Don’t go chasing waterfalls,” kiddos!

Interestingly, though, The Wasp Woman‘s central issues have reached a more universal appeal in recent times. The Looksmaxing community, often centralized by straight, openly homophobic men, is obsessed, a la Starlin, with physical perfection. Even heterosexual men less emphatic in their ways are now just as concerned with their looks as their queer counterparts. Products from Manscaping and other grooming sites have a large heterosexual consumer-ship…proving, once again, how ahead of the curve gay men are…and how flexible cinema can be.

That an exploitation exercise filmed over 60 years ago is still relatable in ever morphing ways is truly a valuable indication of the power of this centuries-old art form.

As always, I am proud to be bound up in its ever-changing spell.

Gay Times:

Actor William Roerick, who wrote plays and television scripts throughout the years with his romantic partner (and fellow actor) Thomas Coley, plays dubious business executive Arthur Cooper here. Roerick, famously, also portrayed the very popular Henry Chamberlain on the long running soap opera Guiding Light for fifteen years. Committedly, he essayed the elegantly rascally Chamberlain until the month of his death at the age of 82 in 1995.

Sex Work is Work – Talking with the Inventive Creators of Blowie

Published July 20, 2026 by biggayhorrorfan

In celebration of the Midwest premiere of their gay, sex positive slasher Blowie, co-creators Ed Aldridge and Sam Lidbetter recently, through the incredibly natural wonders of email and long-distance communication, sat down with Brian Kirst of Big Gay Horror Fan to discuss this important addition to the contemporary horror scene. The two reveal some of the behind the scenes thought processes involved with the film and analyze whether queer representation has finally entered an age of equality where terror on celluloid is concerned.

Big Gay Horror Fan: What was the initial inspiration for Blowie?

Ed Aldridge and Sam Lidbetter: We’ve always been huge horror fans, especially classic films like Hellraiser, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. We’d spent years working with adult performers and knew firsthand how talented, professional, and committed they are. We always felt they could bring something unique to a horror film, and we knew they’d be excited to take on a fun project like this. The character of Blowie came from wanting to create an iconic slasher villain with a distinctive look, like Freddy or Jason. Since the film centers around sex workers, the mask and the character naturally evolved from that setting.

BGHF: Do you have a most memorable moment from the set when filming the project?

EA & SL: The entire shoot was an incredible experience. It was a lot of fun, but it was also incredibly demanding. We had a crew of just seven people filming over nine days, so everyone wore multiple hats and worked tirelessly to make the film happen. What made it so memorable was the sense of collaboration. Every single cast and crew member gave everything they had, and Blowie simply wouldn’t exist without that collective effort. One specific memory that comes to mind is that both of us (Sam and Ed the directors) had minor roles in the film. Ed was Blowie in the vacbed crawling out of the river and Sam was the head double for Kali for the bottle smash, mostly because we felt like we had to give something for the art!

BGHF: That seems like definite proof that the film is going to be super fun for audiences to watch! Were there any underlying social messages or personal experiences that you were also trying to express here, though?

EA & SL: We started our careers in mainstream television and film before moving into adult filmmaking, and when we decided to make our first feature, we never wanted to distance ourselves from that part of our journey. Instead, we wanted to embrace it and tell stories inspired by a world we know well. At its core, Blowie is about sex workers and sex positivity. The message is simple: sex work is work, and the people who do it are just like anyone else, they’re professionals doing a job. While the film is a horror-comedy, it also offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the adult industry and shows that, despite the stereotypes, much of it is surprisingly ordinary and mundane. That felt important for us to portray alongside all the blood, laughs, and mayhem.

BGHF: I love that! What has been your favorite reaction from an audience member to the project thus far?

EA & SL: Premiering the film in the UK last year was an amazing experience. Watching it with a live audience for the first time and hearing people laugh, cheer, and react together was incredibly rewarding. It really felt like a midnight movie experience. One of our favorite things has been seeing both horror fans and LGBTQ+ audiences embrace the film. We always knew Blowie sat between genres, so seeing people connect with it from different perspectives has been the best reaction we could have hoped for.

BGHF: Leviticus has just been released to very solid critical and audience reaction. Do you think we are in a good place for gay themes to enter mainstream horror on a more consistent basis or do you think we still have a lot of work ahead of us?

EA & SL: I think we’re definitely in a better place than we were even five or ten years ago. The success of films like Leviticus shows that audiences are increasingly open to stories with LGBTQ+ themes.

That said, I don’t think we’re at the point where queer themes in mainstream horror are fully normalized yet. There are still relatively few studio horror films that place gay characters and relationships at the center without making their identity the entire point of the narrative. Horror has always been a genre that explores people on the margins, fear of the “other,” and social anxieties, so it’s actually a natural space for queer storytelling.

BGHF: I wholeheartedly agree! Thanks for taking the time to speak with me! I can’t wait for the Midwest premiere on Saturday!

Blowie will be the headliner at a special celebration of LGBTQIA+ horror at the Debut Studio Theater, 1205 McHenry Road in Buffalo Grove, IL on Saturday, July 25th, 2026. Doors open at 6 PM and the tickets are $15. A presentation of Dead Walk Fest, advance tickets are available at http://www.deadwalkfest.com.

Music to Make Horror Movies By: Soft Cell

Published July 5, 2026 by biggayhorrorfan

Forever recognizable for their insanely popular version of Tainted Love, Soft Cell was the leather edged ’80s band that most celebrated gothic sex and queer culture. Lead singer Marc Almond’s homosexuality and creative worldview definitely, and often ingeniously, shone through in every one of the band’s singles.

The often dark landscapes of numbers such as Seedy Films and Martin, based on the George Romero classic, also make them a seemingly perfect band for horror soundtrack inclusion. Surprisingly, it has only been recently that their most famous tune has wound up in such genre based television shows as The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) and Dead Ringers (2023).

But then again, our own imaginations might provide better celluloid context for such haunting yet hopeful numbers as Torch. Indeed, Almond’s homage to the divas who help inspire the loneliest among us, might just be the most perfect post-Pride Month tune in existence.