The Backside of Horror: The Killing Kind

Published May 18, 2025 by biggayhorrorfan

Outside of Joe Dallesandro’s work with Paul Morrissey in Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein and The Blood of Dracula, the exploitation films of the ’70s were not usually an advertisement for the male physique.

Gay director Curtis Harrington, though, definitely cast a loving camera eye onto the young, very fit John Savage in 1973’s The Killing Kind. Often shirtless and/or running around in tiny swimming trunks, Savage’s unstable Terry Lambert is lingeringly obsessed over by his mother (Ann Sothern), a female roommate (Cindy Williams), an uptight neighbor (Luana Anders) and his former lawyer (Ruth Roman).

Often shrinking from their fevered gaze, Lambert’s hesitancy to their affections is truly understood in one mid-act scene. There, Sothern’s Thelma incestuously sneaks into the bathroom while he is showering and, giggling with coy abandon, takes many a steamy photo of him.

Harrington’s lens, meanwhile, is almost as lovingly obsessed with Savage’s rare masculine beauty as the plotline participants. This makes this offering the rare proto-slasher with plenty of sensuously photographed scenes of skin of the red blooded and increasingly bare variety – all reaching a head (or buttock as the case may be) with that daring wet, bathing shot.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Ann Sothern: The Triumphant Kind

Published May 5, 2025 by biggayhorrorfan

Gay director Curtis Harrington was the George Cukor of the horror set. With filmic grace, he guided such pedigree blessed superstars as Gloria Swanson, Simone Signoret, Gale Sondergaard, Piper Laurie and Joan Blondell to blood curdling glory in such projects as Games, The Killer Bees, Ruby and The Dead Don’t Die.

Of course, his greatest achievement among the diva set just might be 1971’s What’s The Matter with Helen? That cult favorite, featuring the dueling frames of pert Hollywood sweetheart Debbie Reynolds and robustly complicated Academy Award winning Shelley Winters, did not, initially, set the box office on fire. But critically praised as one of the best post-Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? imitations, it has become a favorite among discerning terror lovers in the decades since.

But running a close second, in my opinion, to that lauded project is 1973’s gloriously sleazy The Killing Kind. This celluloid smudge features not only Ann Sothern, at her matriarchally pouty best, but the whiskey soaked Ruth Roman and catlike character actress Marjorie Eaton (The Time of Their Lives, The Snake Pit, Zombies of Mora Tau).

Revolving around Sothern’s blowsy Thelma and her often shirtless, sexual deviant son Terry (John Savage), the movie definitely fixes an unwavering gaze on Savage. Just released from prison due to participation in a gang rape, Terry is oddly juvenilized by Thelma, who forces chocolate milk and lipstick stained kisses upon him in abundant measure. Thelma is not alone in this kind of overindulgence. A spinster librarian (Luana Anders), a wanna-be starlet (Cindy Williams) and even Terry’s former lawyer (Roman) & an aging tenant (Eaton) of Thelma’s, all drip around him with moist concern and occasionally aggressive interest.

In particular, Louise, Anders’ character, fantasizes about him sadistically violating her. Meanwhile, Rhea, played by Roman, seems more distressed over losing Terry’s case due to sexual affection for him than any career-style woes.

The plus side of these and other incidents is this is the rare exploitation outing that concentrates on male beauty, happily embroidered by a juicily femme cast. The psychology here, though, may leave something to be desired. The screenplay seems to suggest that the reason the deeply violent Terry erupts on a journey of uncontrollable revenge is all due to the fawning, overly needy women in his life and not extreme mental imbalance or some other layered factor.

Still, as the lead-in paragraph indicates, Harrington works wonders with the female cast. Roman crams a variety of emotional flavors into her one scene while Anders brings a successfully bitter, almost acidic, texture to her characterization.

Magnifying them, Sothern sinks her teeth into every neurotic tic of her character, creating a childishly odd but truly believable human. Supporting roles would follow for this veteran actress, but in this, her last leading role, she and Harrington absolutely eek every morsel of strange goodness that there is to be found in the circumstances at hand.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Riskless Revenge: Barbara in Asylum

Published April 27, 2025 by biggayhorrorfan

Any gay person who grew up with a overbearingly possessive mother knows the torture of having your every move dictated and the lack of freedom such attentions often bring with them. Such individuals may find much to relate to in the character of Barbara from the Lucy Comes to Stay segment of Asylum, the classic Amicus horror anthology film.

Recently released from a mental institution, Barbara (Charlotte Rampling) is immediately facing a different prison upon returning to her family home. Her brother George (James Villiers) has hired a softspoken yet dominating nurse (Megs Jenkins) to take care of her. Thus, she is forced into bed and given a sedative before she even has a chance to reacquaint herself with her ancestral surroundings. In a few moments, it is apparent to the audience that this is how she is going to spend most of her future days – with no sense of self-control or true freedom.

Rampling so expertly conveys the panic-feeling of her character’s entrapment that it is no real surprise when Lucy (Britt Ekland), Barbara’s seductively blonde alter-ego, appears to assist her. Playing her role with an almost gleefully sly sense of humor, Ekland’s Lucy has soon disposed of both of Barbara’s antagonists, momentarily freeing her to live fully and without apparent restraints.

Of course, things don’t end exactly as anticipated in the quick segment, with Barbara eventually ending up in the titular establishment again.

This short scenario ultimately encapsulates, though, why genre film is so important. It allows us, as viewers, to, voyeuristically, watch someone act out against the fictional representations of things that have harmed and/or subdued us.

This riskless revenge, in turn, ties us emotionally to the performers and films that allow us this psychological escape – proving, as always, that art of all forms is truly worth its weight in metaphoric gold.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Va-Va-Villainess: Ann Savage

Published April 13, 2025 by biggayhorrorfan

Its hard to believe that in the 6 years that I’ve been writing this particular column that I have never profiled the divinely acerbic Ann Savage. For in Edgar Ullmer’s classic, very low budget Detour (1945), Savage (very convincingly) plays Vera, truly one of the evilest femme fatales ever brought to celluloid life.

Significantly, unlike many of the other deadly dames of film noir, Savage gives Vera no seductive grace. Instead, she imbues the character with a poisonous snarl and a devastatingly calculated manner. These qualities do not de-escalate for even a moment throughout the picture’s incredibly taut running time.

Indeed, as she traps the seemingly hapless Al (Tom Neal), a down on his luck piano player, in her never ending schemes, Savage uses an almost relentless sharpness. Nicely, the acidic energy provided by this less than typical choice assured Savage and the character a place in cinema history.

The fact that Detour, long ago, became a readily viewable public domain title surely helped a bit with this notoriety. Currently, it is available on a variety of free streaming services. There is even a colorized version to peruse, if so desired. Criterion, meanwhile, has also produced a restored, extras heavy version in recent years, as well.

Unfortunately, despite her brilliance, Savage remained a staple of the B-Movie set-up throughout her career, notching appearances in a number of sequel outings to such publicly entrenched, cheaply shot series as Blondie and Jungle Jim. Registering on a much more glamourous scale, she also was cast in such horror adjacent comedy-thrillers as Scared Stiff and Midnight Manhunt.

Thankfully, her work in Detour eventually made her a favorite of cinematic scholars and movie buffs, worldwide. She, gratefully, spent the last decades of her life attending festivals and screenings, embracing a much deserved, late-in-life success that had previously alluded her.

Further Viewing: Savage plays with a more traditionally catlike vibe as the honorary dame-up-to-no-good in 1951’s Pier 23. This noir quickie, which is stream-able on YouTube, may provide passing interest to Golden Age television lovers, as well. Hugh Beaumont, best known as the understandingly normal patriarch on Leave it to Beaver, stars as the typical money motivated PI here.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Troll Terror 101: Godsend

Published March 22, 2025 by biggayhorrorfan

Somewhere in my media strewn apartment, there is a DVD of Raging Bull. I’ve had it for years, with every intention to watch it, but…

Of course, you can bet I if stumble upon my copy of 2004’s Godsend, featuring Robert De Niro’s other greatly acclaimed modern performance (lol!), all bets are off. That sucker is going in the player!

Before you judge me, though, let’s consider something. At the beginning of the 21st Century, after years of often stellar projects, De Niro seemingly made a purposeful creative decision to begin branching out into his (highly enjoyable) Troll Terror years. He did this via taking roles in projects like (the above mentioned) Godsend, Hide and Seek (2005) and Red Lights (2012).

Naturally, he was no stranger to the genre, having made appearances in the noir-ishly violent Cape Fear (1991), Kenneth Branagh’s pompous, sweat-tastic take on Frankenstein (1994) and the psycho thriller The Fan (1996). But it was with the poorly received Godsend that I think many critics and fans began to question his choices a bit.

A Mary Shelley-style Bad Seed knock-off, this film found De Niro in (spoiler alert) mad scientist zone. Playing genetics expert Richard Wells, he initially reads as kindly and benevolent. But things take a turn after he helpfully clones the dead child of Paul (Greg Kinnear) and Jessie Duncan (Rebecca Romijn). Upon entering his grade school years, Adam (Cameron Bright) starts to exhibit severe personality disorders while also beginning to act out with deadly intent. After some investigating, the Duncan’s discover that Wells has also imbued their child with DNA from his own psychotic, deceased offspring.

Bleakly impossible, the project wound up with a 3% Rotten Tomatoes score. But Bright, who visited similar territory in the bizarre arthouse adventure Birth, is actually truly effective as the psychologically twisted, less than originally named Adam. De Niro also subtly portrays the deep shift in Wells, bringing a chilling honesty to the scenes where his evil plan is revealed.

The fact that Kinnear, who was nominated for an Oscar, and De Niro, an honoree with multiple acting statuettes, both found this project worthy also speaks to its effectiveness. Wouldn’t any parent do anything they could to resurrect their suddenly departed offspring? A parent himself, De Niro surely responded to that aspect of the script, making this good kid-gone bad enterprise a repeat watch for me…and, hopefully, plenty of others.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Genre Perspectives: The Sandpiper

Published March 1, 2025 by biggayhorrorfan

Its no surprise that acclaimed horror directors like John Landis have contributed enthusiast commentaries to profiles on such visually stunning old school creators like sparkling dance king Busby Berkeley. Horror films are often defined by their morbid style and atmospheric palette, and it is no wonder that its prime practitioners recognize the impressive work of those who came before them.

Director Vincent Minnelli is another of those lush golden greats that contemporary maestros often rhapsodize about. His pictures always radiate with deep color and intense style. There is also probably nothing more spookily evocative than the Halloween scene in his classic Meet Me In Saint Louis. There, he carefully conjured up dread and youthful excitement all at once. In fact, the cheering mob like quality of that sequence almost dominates & supersedes the frenzied crowd work supplied by David Gordon Green in some of his recent seasonal epics.

Nicely, Minnelli’s vivid hues and auteur style elegance are still present in his latter, less critically recognized works. Even in The Sandpiper, a chest heaving soap opera from 1965 featuring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, his visual flair dominates the proceedings. Taylor, whom he had worked with twice before in the original Father of the Bride comedies, is also crowned with the loving, saturated camera work that he provided such luminaries as Judy Garland, Katherine Hepburn and Lucille Bremer in their heyday.

Interestingly, Taylor’s against the grain artist character also finds parallels with many of the imperfectly singular horror heroines we have seen of late. As Laura Reynolds, a freewheeling bohemian who refuses to bow down to traditional expectations, Taylor seemingly finds all the strands of her own singular power and displays them, passionately, onscreen. Thus, astute viewers can find echoes of everyone from XXX‘s Maxine to Heart Eyes‘ Ally McCabe in Reynolds’ fiery resistance to conformity.

Now, one can only hope that younger (and even older, blindsided) horror fans will eventually discover all the wonderful genre coincidences that lurk within popular cinema from decades ago.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Hepburn’s Flame

Published January 11, 2025 by biggayhorrorfan

Nervous, against the grain types were often Katharine Hepburn’s specialty. Unsurprisingly, the fluttery traits of the quirky spinsters she played have also found emotional root with the awkward titular characters in May, Let’s Scare Jessica to Death, Rosemary’s Baby and a host of other femme focused terror fests.

Chronic terror viewers also know that secrets and murderous deeds often beat at the heart of many a gothic vixen. These attributes are something at least one of Hepburn’s characters was very familiar with, as well.

Working alongside frequent collaborators like director George Cukor and actor Spencer Tracy, Hepburn brought the high toned Christine Forrest to life in 1942’s Keeper of the Flame. As the widow of a revered public servant, Forrest presents a shifty figure. Trying hard not to detonate the image of her revered politician husband, Forrest keeps to the shadows, praying to remain illusive as possible after his sudden death. But the attention of Tracy’s Steven O’ Malley, a skilled reporter, endangers this.

Once O’Malley discovers that the calm diplomat had turned into a megalomaniac racist with thoughts of world domination – sound familiar, anyone?!? – he also soon realizes that Christine might have cottoned to this radical switch over, as well. Even more importantly, one very storm swept night, she might have decided to do something very definitive about it. A washed-out bridge is always very convenient for an accidental death, right?!?

Although, filmed lushly and with a sense of overheated (occasionally damp…. see above) drama by Cukor, the production of this all-star vehicle was apparently very troubled. The script was constantly rewritten – with Hepburn, who was devoted to Tracy, even demanding that the traits of her character be strengthened while his be weakened, as was apparently true to the source material the screenplay was based on. Executives and reviewers alike were also dismayed at the bad light the story brought to American officials and their often-questionable policies.

The fact that her character partook in a form of vigilantism also, seemingly due to the ever-present Hayes Code, found Hepburn’s counterpart in hot fire in the project’s final moments. This jarring sense of patriarchal morality, thankfully, is something we no longer have to forcibly experience as our celluloid femme fatales can often sin without death reaching out its hands for their proudly upright necks.

But, on second thought, (check Rosemary) is a devil baby clamping on their nips really all that much better?!?

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

www,facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Dagger Cast 2025

Published January 7, 2025 by biggayhorrorfan

It was a creative homecoming this past December when I joined Jared, my former producer, and Lindsey, my former cohost, for a year end wrap up chat on Dagger Cast. (Images from former shows are above.)

Besides wondering why Diablo Cody has never gotten her due as a horror queen and injecting some weighted yet positive critical assessments of The Substance into the proceedings, as in days of old, we look at how society and our own lives (and fears) color our reactions to the genre that we love the best.

In that vein, I reveal that I most felt I was in the middle of some terror filled plotline while listening to testimonies of the victims of sex crimes of the Catholic Church in a court room this past fall.

The summations of these true and celluloid horrors can be viewed at:

TRIGGER WARNING, elements of child abuse are discussed within this conversation. ****If you or someone you know has been abused, help is available at the National Child Abuse Hotline 800-422-4453

Fetish Film Forum 2025

Published December 28, 2024 by biggayhorrorfan

Sticky, submissive, manipulative and gay. If any of those words stimulate a modicum of vibratory satisfaction within your being, then the Midwest’s coolest movie series, now entering its third year, may be something that bears checking out.

Indeed, John McDevitt, the programmer for the Fetish Film Forum, just announced the titles for 2025 and it looks like this may be the best year for this flog ridden event yet. Based at Chicago’s iconic Leather Archives and Museum, the screenings throughout the year will include Knife and Heart, The Bitter Tears of Petra Van Kant, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, which I will be co-presenting, and From Beyond,

To check out the rest of the program and to purchase single tickets or series passes, visit the link, below:

2025 Fetish Film Forum

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Boom-Bastic: Elizabeth Taylor

Published December 14, 2024 by biggayhorrorfan

Radically individualistic, Hollywood goddess Elizabeth Taylor consistently chose latter day celluloid projects that probably boggled the minds of those who had grown accustomed to her charms via such mainstream heart warmers as National Velvet and Father of the Bride.

Portraying characters drawn to acting out twisted facsimiles of familial relations or those haunted by specters of overwhelming death, Taylor’s roles in her thirties and forties often contained hysterical and delusional elements – traits commonly found in many of our most popular horror heroines.

Disney villainesses, the hysterically hobbled, unseen diva in Argento’s Opera and the matriarchal forces in such modern fright offerings as You’re Next & Ready or Not, for instance, definitely find themselves embedded in the emotional lifelines of Flora Goforth, her character in 1968’s incredibly wacked out Boom! A mean-spirited mansion dweller, Goforth is one of Tennessee Williams’ most indulgent characters. Cruel to all around her, she seems to both long for the escape of the grave while desperately and cravenly clinging to her seemingly very miserable mortality.

Enter Richard Burton as the enigmatic Christopher Flanders. Viewers soon realize, after some lustful thespian volleying, back and forth, of very cryptic dialogue that Flanders, who has descended upon Goforth’s remote paradise, is the Angel of Death and that Goforth’s time on earth is going to be very limited. After Noel Coward’s arch appearance as (of all things) The Witch of Capri, the dialogue between Taylor and Burton gets even more inscrutable.

This delirious denseness, even though Williams, perhaps in as doth protest too much moment, listed this as his favorite filmed adaptation of his work, resulted in a critical and financial failure upon release. Still peach ripe and filmed through a lusty lens, Taylor’s glitter edged work here does lend itself to camp, though. This has allowed uber-fans like John Waters to sing the project’s many awkward praises as the decades have passed.

Interestingly, the piece is also very reminiscent, in an orgiastic, oversaturated manner, of Nothing in the Dark, the 1962 The Twilight Zone episode in which a very young, almost achingly lovely Robert Redford plays the male equivalent of the grim reaper.

That Redford, in this author’s opinion, surely bests Burton as a figurehead of muddy mortality, does nothing to take away from Taylor’s power in Boom! The prototypical movie star, she also provides enough essence to feed the minds of genre critics for decades to come.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan