Sharkbait Retro Village: The Spiral Staircase

Published January 31, 2020 by biggayhorrorfan

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If the thought of the steel toed Holland Taylor taking over for the unrivaled Ethel Barrymore in matriarchal duties fills your heart with glee – as it should – then the 2000 television film reimagining of The Spiral Staircase will be right up your alley.

This third full length adaptation of Ethel Lina White’s classic Some Must Watch emphasizes the horrific elements of this piece. Revolving around a killer obsessed with handicapped women, its participants are now decidedly stranded on a sheltered island during a powerful storm. Thus, Taylor has much atmosphere to work with as she fills Barrymore’s boots portraying the rich and secretive Mrs. Warren. Joined by gorgeous nighttime soap mainstay Nicolette Sheridan (as her mute nurse) and former glamour boys Judd Nelson and Alex McArthur (Madonna’s Papa Don’t Preach video), Taylor simply and subtly steals the show here. SS2

Appreciatively, screenwriter Matt Dorff applies some new twists, allowing fans of the other versions to surprised by the revelation of the culprit (or culprits) here. Granted, the 1975 theatrical offering with Jacqueline Bissett may have been a bit more gruesome in its displays of violence, but this version does feature some nicely shadowy malevolence and makes crashing use of its titular inspiration in the final moments of this much adapted piece of gothic horror.

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

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: Marilyn Martin

Published March 11, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

Haters of ‘80s AM pop radio may believe that there is nothing scarier than doing a duet with Phil “Sussudio” Collins. But Marilyn Martin, a pretty blonde with a powerhouse voice, found her greatest success singing the nougat thick romantic ballad Separate Lives with Genesis’ most erstwhile band member.

Unfortunately, Martin’s follow-up hit, Night Moves, got nowhere near the recognition of the song that brought her that first taste of fame. But, it’s sinister synth action and dark, erotically charged energy make it the perfect background song for some obsessive horror flick in the making.

Martin, meanwhile, worked with Patrick Leonard and Madonna, on her second LP, which, sadly, received even less press than her first. After fading from the spotlight for a bit, this slinky chanteuse, thankfully, seems to be making music again and can be reached at www.marilyn-martin.com.

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

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The Real Monsters

Published May 9, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

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It’s a natural that we outsiders and geeks have promoted the likes of Frankenstein’s Monster, the Wolf Man, Freddy, Jason and Michael to hero status. They all reflect, in one way or another, the minor misanthrope beating, quietly, within us all.

But the public’s hero worship of real life monsters is something that truly baffles me.

Last week, 1,000,000’s cheered on Floyd Mayweather, a brutal practitoner of domestic violence, to victory during something referred to as The Fight of the Century. The cries of outrage for the public canonization of such a loathsome individual were there, but were far outweighed by those filled with rapturous support.

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The week before that, Chicago’s Cardinal George, one of the world’s most notorious Catholic officials in regards to covering up the sex crimes of the priests, was honored with a funeral that was broadcast on all the major Midwest television stations. Once again, there were gasps of protest, but they also were drowned out by the waves of adulation for this terrible individual. If one keeps in mind that George actually allowed officials to hire coaches to train priests how to get around the identification of their genitals by their accusers, then one quickly realizes that the networks were, basically, having a glorious parade for a criminal.

But a walk through your local entertainment section at Target or Best Buy reveals that this blind eye behavior exists everywhere. Why are Lady Gaga and Jennifer Hudson, two seemingly evolved entertainments, doing duets with R Kelly, whose damaging sexual exploits are legendary, on their latest recordings? Why does Madonna feature a clip of Mike Tyson, accused of domestic violence and rape, on her current song Iconic? There had to have been someone more substantial yet still appropriate to her theme to use, no?

But when the majority of the public are still being stunned by fame, money and ancient protocol, what is the answer?

The only thing I can think of is to not be silent. That no matter how voiceless the voices of the concerned may seem, maybe as time goes by, more and more voices will join ours and, eventually, people will stop buying the tickets and MP3’s and finally we will all turn away when the flag is waved for one of society’s actual demons.

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

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