Heiress Horror: Sudden Fear (1952)

Published May 5, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Heiress Horror explores that subgenre of terror wherein sweet moneyed lasses find their lives threatened by evil spouses and duplicitous family friends. For shame!

That bully Alexander Grumpface always stole my lunch money in the fifth grade. Did that mean that he secretly wanted to marry me?

Well, if the example of Joan Crawford in 1952’s classic noir-thriller Sudden Fear is any indication then maybe he did. Here, Crawford plays Myra Hudson, the benefactress of a large San Franciscan fortune, who, also, just happens to be a wildly successful playwright. Having fired the cleft chinned David Blaine, played with smooth charm by Jack Palance, from her latest production for not being matinee idol handsome, the regal Hudson soon finds herself charmed by this rebuffed gent, on a long train ride to her hilly mansion home. Soon, they are married and, naturally, both the other woman (a pouting, perfect Gloria Grahame) and his ulterior motives soon appear. Things turn decidedly deadly when Blaine and his cutie discover that Hudson is handing her inherited fortune over to charity and, mistakenly, conclude that he will be left in the lurch.

Naturally, since Madame Crawford is ever powerful, Hudson soon discovers, in a neat plot twist, everything that her supposedly loving spouse is up to. Once she gets over the shock of the duo’s murderous intent, this creative mogul soon rallies with a plan to turn the tables on them. But will her need for deadly retaliation ultimately melt beneath her expansive humanity? Of course, it will! But as always, Joan-Hudson has the last shot – as in close-up – as she regally faces life without her two timing gent, a silk scarf drifting gently from her hands and tears streaming down her face.

Accented by Elmer Bernstein’s moody score and Charles Lang, Jr.’s appropriately dusky black and white cinematography, Sudden Fear is, ultimately, the leading actors’ show. Both, Crawford and Palance, deservedly, received Academy Award nominations for their work. Most notably, as in her other 50s pictures such as Female on the Beach, Crawford telegraphs every emotion with a perfected movie goddess technique that is as grounded in artifice as it is in natural emotion. She is a wonder to behold.

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

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: Lesley Gore

Published May 3, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

While the divine Lesley Gore (1946 – 2015) lived the majority of her life as an out gay woman, her 1964 single Sometimes I Wish I Were A Boy really put a delightfully gay swing on things.

Here, Gore, the perky female narrator, relates how she wishes she was a boy so she can ask out other guys and/or cut in while they are dancing with their sweethearts – making this sweet slab o’ wax one of the most inadvertently and gloriously homosexual things ever!

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

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Bad CGI Fridays: Cerberus (2005)

Published May 1, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

What if the hair of the dog that bit you actually has three heads? Well, then you might end up with a crazily CGI ridden opus like 2005’s Cerberus.

When Attila the Hun’s prized sword is stolen by a group of mercenaries, including a hard hearted soldier of fortune portrayed by television favorite Greg Evigan, the famed marauder’s deadly Cerberus, a three headed dog with a snake for a tail, is unleashed upon a tiny, confused Romanian village. (Perhaps, part of their confusion derives from the fact that the Cerberus is, primarily, considered an offspring of Greek mythology, but I digress…)

Thankfully, gorgeous museum director Dr. Samantha Gaines and the roguish Jake Addams are on hand to stop the computer generated madness from ending everyone’s life.

Directed with energy by John Terlesky, whose own acting credits include such action ventures as Deathstalker 2 and Damned River, this toothy timewaster is perhaps most notable (to queer kids who love their horror gals) for the involvement of eclectic genre goddess Emmanuelle Vaugier (Saw 2, Ripper, House of the Dead 2, Return to the Cabin by the Lake, The Fear: Resurrection).

Lovely, isn’t she?!?

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

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The Backside of Horror: Dreamaniac (1986)

Published April 29, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Let’s face it, half the fun of horror and exploitation is seeing some hot bodies frolicking around in the buff. And while I worship the female form, I believe exploitation definitely veers into the exploitive when only gorgeous women are on display while their male counterparts remain chastely buttoned up. Therefore, The Backside of Horror salutes the filmmakers and actors whom even up the score a bit by showing us instances of hot and juicy male flesh in their bloody celluloid fantasies.

I must admit. The soiree that was thrown to get me into Sister Rosario’s Leather Tutorial when I was 18 was totally and regrettably forgettable.

Thankfully, Pat’s party to help get her sister Jodi into a sorority, in 1986’s totally bad yet achingly fun Dreamaniac, comes complete with bitchy backstabbing, death by electrocution, an alluring succubus and lots and lots of male nudity.

Yes, unlike his current 1313 offerings, which feature plenty of gym boys whose underwear remains firmly on, director David DeCoteau actually fills the frames here with plenty of bouncing male ass cheeks! This includes a deliciously long opening intro featuring male lead Thomas Bern, playing the most unlikely heavy metal rocker ever committed to the screen, walking naked, in light strewn languidness, down a never ending dream corridor. When Jodi’s antagonistic rival Frances beds Brad (Brad Laughlin), the object of the other’s affections, more fleshy global goodness is soon on display, as well. Of course, tough guy Ace (Michael Warren) does give a very homoerotic take on DeCoteau’s favorite celluloid subject – the trussed-up jock in tighty whities. So, there is something for everyone, here!

Filled with rancid performances, with future adult film star Ashlyn Gere, here billed as Kim McKamy, giving the only fairly decent portrayal as the determined Pat, and super silly dialogue (with “There’s no phone? What if I have to call my broker? Mondo bad planning, Jodi!” and “I’m a Lionel Ritchie girl” among the winners), Dreamaniac eventually succumbs to the delightful. Well, that is, if like me, you enjoy the cheese on your bread a bit on the burnt and moldy side.

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

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Hopelessly Devoted To: Ashley Laurence

Published April 28, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Ashley’s Investment in Death

Best known to terror mavericks as the feisty and determined Kirsty of the Hellraiser film series, the graceful Ashley Laurence’s eclectic resume includes turns in comedy (Suddenly Susan), soap operas (Capital), crime-action (Felony, Stranger By Night) and, of course, other horror offerings (Lurking Fear, Warlock III: The End of Innocence, Mikey, Chill).

But a couple of 1989 television appearances by this well travelled beauty, who also logs in time as an artist of some acclaim, ultimately show her true versatility.

As the privileged Erica in the Investment in Death episode of the longstanding detective series Hunter, then in its 6th season, Laurence radiates with motherly concern and determined support as she learns of the assassination of a college friend. But, as Erica discovers that her wealthy boyfriend (Stephen Eckholdt) might be holding the keys to that murder, Laurence, also, shows levels of finely distressed confusion.

Granted, if one wants to view the role in a social context, in many ways, Erica is a typical accommodating girlfriend type. Laurence, though, invests everything she has in her and even adds subtle touches that clue us into the character’s financial status and background without the benefit of dialogue. Subtext, thy name is Laurence!

Laurence’s Jodie in The Match Game, a first season episode of Monsters, though, is a perfect illustration of why many fans are drawn to horror due to its show of strong female characters. The infectious ringleader of a quartet of friends, Jodie, is definitely the most powerful character on display here.

Orchestrating the group’s annual ghost story marathon, Laurence shows Jodie’s significant terror when their imagined tale starts to come true. But, she is also the one who, wisely, discovers how to reverse the deadly circumstances, making her character a truly strong and well rounded one.

Featuring a cast that, also, includes a pre-90210 Tori Spelling and genre favorite Sasha Jensen (Halloween 4, Ghoulies II, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), this episode is truly one of the most effective in the Monsters universe, featuring honest ghost house spooks along with Laurence’s truly effective emoting.

Ashley n Tori: Scared!

Be sure to keep up with Laurence at http://www.ashleylaurence.com and http://www.twitter.com/1ashleylaurence.

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

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: Carly Simon

Published April 26, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

I once wore white socks with my business suit and my boss, the Dragon Lady, never let me forget it!

Thankfully, 30 years ago, the interstellar Carly Simon, along with director Jeremy “Dead Ringers” Irons, blended styles much more successfully with their video for Tired of Being Blonde.

Released as the first single off of Simon’s 1985 commercially aggressive pop offering Spoiled Girl, this visual bombshell contains moments of film noir rhapsody, science fiction glamour and exquisite Ingmar Bergman style angst – all wrapped in the sugary sheen of bubblegum goodness.

Carly Simon as Barbarella? Carly Simon as Bibi Andersson in a cocktail dress?!? Best video ever, no?!!!?

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

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Hobo With A Trash Can Charity Event!

Published April 24, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Compassion thy name is Grindhouse!

Clare “Fluff” Llewellyn, one of the visionary forces behind the anthology Hobo With A Trash Can, wherein a homeless man discovers stories of horror among the refuse, is planning a blowout charity event and food drive for the film’s premiere.

The film, featuring scary segments from Llewellyn and 7 others including Christopher Kahler, Steven Grainger, Lloyd James Emmons, Kyle Leonard, Mark Charles Adams, Vincent Marshall and (Big Gay Horror Fan favorite) Tonjia Atomic, will make its debut in Chicago on June 14th, 2015 at the Patio Theater. More information is available at: https://www.facebook.com/events/974440952568158/.

Llewellyn, who is still looking for raffle items and other forms of event assistance, can be contacted at http://www.twitter.com/trashanthology. Meanwhile, the film’s official site is http://hobowithatrashcan.wix.com/hobowithatrashcan.

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

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Backcountry Excitement!

Published April 23, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Bear with me for a minute, but as a formerly disgruntled backwoods dweller, almost any forest bound horror gets me howling with excitement!

Thus, I was thrilled to hear about IFC Midnight’s Backcountry, the new terror flick detailing what happens when an urban couple goes toe-to-toe with a grizzly. Reviews, from the brief theatrical run in March 2015, highlighted director Adam MacDonald’s nice grip on the tension of the situation and the amazing cinematography, which the official trailer highlights, nicely.

— and, yes, happy horror fans, that was Eric Balfour (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dinoshark, Rise of the Gargoyles) and Nicholas Campbell (The Hitchhiker, The Dead Zone) supporting the young leads!

For those who can’t wait for the film’s physical release in September of 2015, it is now streaming on Amazon, ITunes and other devices. More information is available at https://www.facebook.com/BACKCOUNTRYfilm, as well.

So, until the next time, don’t leave your cell phone in the car while strolling through the nature — and…

SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: Concrete Blonde

Published April 19, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

If you travel across the galaxies, I’m sure you will find multiple differences among the various populations.

But, one thing will always be true: As evidenced by (director) Jack Sholder’s modern science fiction-thriller classic The Hidden, even aliens with voraciously murderous appetites dig Concrete Blonde! So, in some ways, they really are just like everyone else!

Indeed, one of the film’s most memorable sequences occurs when (actor) William Boyett’s Jonathan Miller, possessed by a destructive space creature, creates a scenes of sonic mayhem in a Los Angeles diner, with Concrete Blonde’s Still in Hollywood blaring from his stolen, ever present jukebox.

But, after listening to that, can you blame anyone for being totally entranced with singer Johnette Napolitano’s eternally gravelly yet always passionate voice?!?

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Hopelessly Devoted To: Jennifer Rubin!

Published April 17, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Every terror fan should have a soft place in their heart for the captivating Jennifer Rubin. From her leather bound toughie in Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors to the resourceful heroine in Bad Dreams to the concerned fiancé in The Crush and her many other appearances in countless genre projects, she has always radiated with an approachable magnetism. Just prior to her appearance at the Sci Fi Spectacular in Chicago, where her post apocalyptic-horror effort Screamers will be screened, Rubin took a moment to chat with me about some of the many projects that she has embraced over her eclectic career. As you’ll soon be able to tell, it was one of the most delightful conversations, full of easy laughter and warmth, that I have been lucky enough to take part in.

BGHF: First of all, Jennifer, I have to say, I just love the sheer variety of your performances. It’s just amazing to me! From the innocent victim of Bad Dreams to the psycho stalker of The Fear Inside, and everything in between! It’s just an honor to be talking to you.

Jennifer: Thank you!

BGHF: I’m a theater critic here in Chicago, so I really appreciate a layered performance. I think you’ve given quite a few of those.

Jennifer: Thank you! I’ve got to tell you something. What was so amazing was that it was almost unheard of to go through Hollywood and do something in each genre. If you’re a comedian, you’re going to stay a comedian. If you’re in horror, you’re in horror. Now, in 2000 whatever, there is more variety in a performer’s career. But in the 80s and 90s, there was real pigeonholing and, somehow, I got through it! I did 4 in this category, 4 in that category, and 4 in another category… (Laughs) They couldn’t control me.

BGHF: I have a feeling the world is all the better for it, my friend! The world is all the better for it!

Jennifer: Thank you!

BGHF: They’re showing Screamers this weekend. So, first off, let’s talk about that.

Jennifer: That was Peter Weller’s project. He was developing it with the production company. He met me at a film festival and we hit it off. So, he called me in and I auditioned for it, once, and that was it! There was almost no script. So, Peter Weller and Christian Duguay, the director, wrote it at night. So, for me, Screamers was just kind of like a friendly thing that just happened to fall into place.

BGHF: Was that the vibe on the set? It just looks like it could have been a rough shoot with the desert style terrain and what-have-you.

Jennifer: I guess it was cold. It wasn’t rough for me because while Peter and Christian were writing at night, me and (co-star) Andy Lauer were like two little screw offs. We were partying too much, barely making it to the set on time, having the time of our lives! (Laughs) Meanwhile, those guys were overworking themselves! (Laughs) But, it worked! Andy and I weren’t very responsible on that one, no.

BGHF: Well, I’m sure it was just balancing out other work experiences when you were way too responsible!

Jennifer: (Laughing) Oh, right! Right!

BGHF: …and you’ve played everything from Edie Sedgwick in The Doors to a nun in Little Witches! The former altar boy in me just loves that you played a nun in a horror film!

Jennifer: Alright! Well, I’ll tell you the truth about both of them! Oliver brought me into read opposite all the Jim Morrison’s that he was testing for The Doors. So I wound up doing 8 or 9 readings against possible Jim Morrison’s. After I did that, Oliver said, “You know, I’ll give you a part. What do you want? Do you want to be a stewardess on a plane or do you want to be Edie Sedgwick?” And I was like, “Edie!” (Laughs)

BGHF: (Laughing) Is there even a choice?

Jennifer: Edie! And it turns out that plane scene wasn’t even in the movie because it turned out to be thirty hours long! (Laughs) Then he cut it down to 4 hours. He even apologized to me. Because I was on it for two weeks! But, I, at least, have my one little frame with just me in it, dancing around with the bombs dropping. But on Little Witches, I kind of think I felt bad about something in my career, so I kind of wanted to promote goodness. So, I thought playing a nun for a girls’ school would kind-of… (Laughs) You know, I can’t even remember! I think I was probably stoned when I was thinking it. (Laughs) But, anyhow, I was trying to give back with the nun thing!

BGHF: (Laughs) Give a little hope and grace back to society. I got ya!

Jennifer: Yeah, (laughing), I was giving! That was me, giving my heart out!

BGHF: So, one of my personal favorites is Drop Dead Gorgeous (AKA Victim of Beauty).

Jennifer: Oh, Sally Kellerman!

BGHF: She is exactly who I was going to ask you about! You’re a strong female performer and she’s a strong female performer, so what was she like to work with?

Jennifer: Divine! Divine! Divine! She’s amazing, as a woman! I know she was the original Hot Lips and whatever. But, she’s such a role model. I know I’m getting up there in years. Some people may say that I’m not that old yet, but I don’t want a high definition camera pointed in my face! You know what I mean?

BGHF: Totally!

Jennifer: But that Sally Kellerman loved a close-up! She probably still does! I just admire actresses that are just so committed to character and so giving and so sweet and so nice. I bought completely into it and then I completely forgot about that scene where her character hits on me! She was such a mother figure and then she started hitting on me and I was like, “Hey, Sally, what’s going on?” I didn’t know if it was real or not. But it was real! (Laughs) I just didn’t read the script well enough! It was funny. I mean I’ve kissed girls before, so it wasn’t homophobic. (Laughs) It was just Sally Kellerman, so it was a little weird!

BGHF: That makes it a perfect movie to talk about on this blog then!

Jennifer: Yes! I think it’s one of my mom’s favorite movies, too. That and the one you mentioned earlier, The Fear Inside, with Christine Lahti.

BGHF: That was another awesome one! You got to act crazed with Dylan McDermott and terrorize Christine Lahti. We doesn’t want to scare an award winning actress every once in awhile?

Jennifer: (Laughs) Christine Lahti! We used to call her Christine Cry-A-Lot-y!

BGHF: (Laughing) Oh, really?

Jennifer: (Laughing) Yeah.

BGHF: Why?

Jennifer: She cried in all my scenes! (Laughing) I was like, “Girl, don’t cry in all my scenes! I need to cry!” It was funny. It was fine.

BGHF: (Laughing) She was just not going to give you a chance of a close-up! She just wasn’t!

Jennifer: (Laughing) No, no. That’s true!

BGHF: I understand you are a writer, as well?

Jennifer: Well, let me correct you! I’m not a writer per-se. I really respect writers. But, I wrote. I did it once. I’ll see if I can do it again. If I can do it twice, I will take on the term writer! (Laughs) Yeah, people throw around terms too loosely these days! But, I wrote a script. I wrote it in Word Perfect and Final Draft, so if something comes of it…it was with the help of Word Perfect, of course!

BGHF: Of course!

Jennifer: Remember, in the old days, when there wasn’t Word Perfect? Oh, man!

BGHF: I wrote my college term papers on a portable electric typewriter that my mother got me, back in the day. I thought I was something back then!

Jennifer: (Laughs)

BGHF: There I was, in the lobby of the theatre department, just typing away! It’s just so hard to believe, right now! That era seems a million years away.

Jennifer: (Laughing) Right! But, I am thrilled about my script. It’s called Citizen Hemp!

BGHF: That’s awesome!

Jennifer: That’s the title! It’s my screenplay, and it’s a family, serious movie. Well, obviously, it’s going to be humorous, but family oriented. (Laughs) If like The Godfather is family oriented!

BGHF: Well, if you’re Marlon Brando’s son, I suppose it is family oriented! So, is there a project that you’d like to highlight that, unlike Nightmare on Elm Street 3 or what-have-you, hasn’t gotten a lot of promotion?

Jennifer: I just worked on a friend’s movie. It’s this movie called Untold. It’s a true story. This girlfriend of mine, she was abducted from a mall. She wound up being the only one who escaped from this child killer. She jumped out of the car window at 7.

BGHF: Wow.

Jennifer: I think the tagline for it is something like “Every Parent’s Nightmare”. I play the therapist in it. It’s such a wonderful story for her to tell as a first film, it’s so personal. It’s about her escaping from this molester and her journey towards the good life that she has now.

BGHF: So, it’s about recovery and survival, which is awesome.

Jennifer: John Walsh has endorsed it. So, if you’re searching for that needle in a haystack, there’s a needle in a haystack right there!

BGHF: Perfect.

Jennifer: Speaking of amazing, long standing women, you worked with comedienne Julie Brown in Plump Fiction. Can you talk a little about that?

Jennifer: Oh, she was phenomenal! Wow! That couldn’t have been better! I played Mrs. White, Harvey Keitel’s character. I even bumped into him and I was like, “I’m Mrs. White!” and he was like, “I’m Mr. White!” And I was like, “No. I’m Mrs. White!” We had that little moment and he kind of helped me with the project.

BGHF: Now, that’s a story!

Jennifer: Yeah! But Julie Brown was amazing. She was fun. She was so inclusive. I had never done improvisation before, so those people really taught me a lot. (Laughs) They, also, taught me that I have to practice! And Jennifer Coolidge was in that, too.

BGHF: Yeah! That was just a bit before her ascent!

Jennifer: Yeah, just before. She’s another great comedienne who made a niche for herself. Wowee! And how can those girls ever hang in that community of comedy? The guys are just a little too heavy for me. But those girls are just so light and fresh.

BGHF: Completely!

Jennifer: As a woman, I just truly appreciate them.

BGHF: And as a journalist and fan, I just totally appreciate you! Everyone, here, can’t wait for you to get to Chicago!

Jennifer: Well, I will be there soon, with bells on!

BGHF: Fantastic!

Jennifer: Oh, I wanted to give a shout out to Sandee and Bobby! I’m staying at their house!

BGHF: Awesome!

Jennifer: It’s nice to have friends in Chicago, already! It just makes the whole thing better!

Rubin will be appearing at The Sci-Fi Spectacular, featuring 16 hours of science fiction and horror features, on Saturday, April 18th at The Patio Theater. There will be free photos and autographs, amazing vendors and much more. Further information can be gotten at https://www.facebook.com/events/771555102921288/.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan