For the penultimate post of our ten-year retrospective, I thought Id recommend something fresh which also happens to (sorta-retrospectively!) cover a genre I dont often tackle: Scream, Queen!, the horror film podcast. With the finale for season two coming up, this podcast has cemented itself as a hands-down favorite for me, because I too was a weird kid who cut their teeth on horror VHS tapes smuggled out of the Blockbuster or binged at friends houses. Scary stories, strange happenings, and things that go bump in the night hold a visceral, endless fascination for mewhich, anecdotally, resonates with a ton of other queer folks across the world toobut I dont often see these movies explored from that angle.
So: Scream, Queen!
Per the introductory tagline, its a podcast about scary movies, by people not typically depicted in scary movies. The hosts are Los Angeles-based photographer and videographer Drea Washington and indigenous queer poet Tommy Picowhom podcast aficionados will recognize from the brilliant Food4Thot. These hosts approach scary movies across the decades from a black/queer/indigenous perspective, with each episode following a three-act structure of a short intro segment, a main discussion on a given film or two, and a chosen scream queen of the week to close. They covers classics like I Know What You Did Last Summer or Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knightbut also new movies!
Also, definitely worth mentioning, there are episode titles like Sabrina and the Manic Pixie Bisexual Sex Torture Demons.
Opening each episode with a deliciously long cackle, Tommy and Drea bring a theatrical flair to the typical pop culture podcast; their mix of critical insight, clever gags, and dedicated horror fandom make for an unforgettable listening experience. The Act I intros alone showcase their hilarious rapportlike the recurring segment What I Woulda Done Was, which lets us all engage in the schadenfreude of thinking why on earth did she go back in the house, I woulda via the razor-sharp repartee of two talented speakers. As a performing poet Tommy brings fantastic vocal tone and pacing that I admire (a supreme delight in an audio medium) while Drea similarly brings an incisively witty, outright gut-busting sense of humor (and willingness to rib her co-host).
Scream, Queen!s biggest charm is that it runs on the intimate candor and playful verbal sparring of two good friends who also happen to be sharp-eyed critics, sharing their thoughts on some most-beloved and often most-ridiculous scary movies. Much like the texts under discussion, the podcast balances camp and seriousness, schlock and art. Neither of our illustrious hosts see a problem with treating movies as patently ridiculous as Triassic Attack with a healthy mix of serious, respectful appraisal and endearing love forwell, awesomely silly garbage. Its thoughtful, socially-engaged media criticism, sure, but its very much also fun.
A recommended episode that encompasses the energy of the podcast for a first-time listener might be Din Dont Believe in White Mans Afterlife. The Act I segment explores Nightmare on Elm Street 2, which our hosts describe in the show-notes as the gayest movie in American history. Drea and Tommy discuss the queer subtext (or, flat-out text) of the film alongside the personal experiences of Mark Pattonthe actor who played Jesse Walshas a gay actor facing discrimination in Hollywood. For example, in response to the critical panning of the film (as Tommy notes, in part due to homophobia) the screenwriter David Chaskin blamed Patton for bringing in gay contentwhen it was in the script from the jump. Act IIs main discussion is on NetflixsChambers and real experiences of reservation life in critique of the show, while Act III uplifts scream queen Naomie Harris from 28 Days Later. The episode has it all: social commentary, jokes about sucking on Freddys claw, and a quality conclusion that brought good laughs.
Another aspect of the show that grips the listeners attention (say, through a decadent social-distancing-oriented podcast binge) is Drea and Tommys ability to range far and wide through the film decadesand their main topics. There are episodes like Black History is Black Horror, which focuses on the documentary Horror Noir: A History of Blackness in Scary Movies and the cultural/historical/political implications of Blackness in the horror genre. Othersfor example the episode titled This is Some Real Shittake a general topic (like IRL scares) and explore the subject from multiple angles. Our hosts first examine how scary movies affect thembut then they shift to fold in scary things that happen on films sets, like the story of Mercedes McCambridge in The Exorcist and how ageism, sexism, and other institutional pressures combined to hide her astounding, painful labor as the voice of possession.
As you mightve noticed, a lot of the movies featured arent themselves queer, per sebut the reading is. The personal attachments and anecdotes shared by the hosts are, as well as the frequent acknowledgement of the crooked-mirror versions of ourselves we see sometimes in monsters or in the girls (because its so often girls) these movies put through the wringer. While most of the other posts in the QSFF series are about specific queer texts, I also want to point up the readings and interpretations that individual queer people bring to the table when they consume media. Perspectives outside that mainstream, heteronormative, white, cisgender gaze also exist and have things to say that are valuableabout the same texts from an alternate angle. Paying attention to queer critics and queer readingsand how those readings interact with and change the media they engagedoes a body good!
And, more than thatpersonally, it lets me enjoy a pop culture podcast about scary movies in a way I never have before. Tommy and Drea talk about these movies in a manner that reflects how I saw them, with critique alongside their appreciation, in a way that makes me feel welcomed home to that youthful fascination with the frightening, the spooky, the monstrous. A weight lifts off the shoulders for me when queer vibes, queer ways of looking, are represented, you know? A podcast about scary movies, by people not typically depicted in scary movies: Tommy and Drea deliver as advertised, and its a fuckin great time.
Lee Mandelo is a writer, critic, and editor whose primary fields of interest are speculative fiction and queer literature, especially when the two coincide. They have two books out, Beyond Binary: Genderqueer and Sexually Fluid Speculative Fiction and We Wuz Pushed: On Joanna Russ and Radical Truth-telling, and in the past have edited for publications like Strange Horizons Magazine. Other work has been featured in magazines such as Stone Telling, Clarkesworld, Apex, and Ideomancer.
Continue reading here:
Ten Years of Queering SFF: The Scream, Queen! Podcast - tor.com
- Forget the tired franchises, a new wave of horror movies will make us jump out of our seats - The Guardian - July 17th, 2024
- Surprise horror hit Longlegs raises the question, is Oregon safe to live in? - OregonLive - July 17th, 2024
- House of the Dragon star unrecognisable in hair-raising new horror movie - Express - July 17th, 2024
- Monster Summer trailer: Mel Gibson family horror film reaches theatres in October - JoBlo.com - July 17th, 2024
- Is Longlegs Really the Scariest Movie of the Year? - Decider - July 17th, 2024
- Terrifier, Scream Included in Spirit Halloweens New Horror Movie Babies Collection - ComingSoon.net - July 17th, 2024
- Is Longlegs Really That Scary? Inside the Horror Movie's Gruesome Twists and Turns (Spoilers!) - PEOPLE - July 17th, 2024
- Is the Next Jay and Silent Bob Sequel Going to Be a Horror Movie? - Cracked.com - July 17th, 2024
- Christian Bales Upcoming Horror Movie Can Help Pay Off The Actor's Divisive Superhero Movie - Screen Rant - July 17th, 2024
- Longlegs Star Alicia Witt Recalls Being Gently Slapped by Al Pacino During Scare on 88 Minutes (Exclusive) - Us Weekly - July 17th, 2024
- Longlegs Scores Highest Opening Weekend for an Original Horror Movie This Year - Bloody Disgusting - July 17th, 2024
- A four-star horror movie? Expertly crafted Longlegs achieves the impossible - St. Paul Pioneer Press - July 17th, 2024
- Psycho stars son directs Nicolas Cage in this creepy new horror movie - Sydney Morning Herald - July 17th, 2024
- Nicolas Cage's new horror movie Longlegs is certainly terrifying, but not in the ways you were probably expecting - Gamesradar - July 17th, 2024
- Chilling haunted doll horror movie with 100% Rotten Tomatoes score drops this week - Dexerto - July 17th, 2024
- Osgood Perkins Gets Into the Family Business With Longlegs - Vulture - July 17th, 2024
- Kevin Smith's Next Jay And Silent Bob Outing Could Be A Horror Movie - SlashFilm - July 17th, 2024
- House of the Dragon star unrecognisable in snaps from chilling new horror movie - The Mirror - July 17th, 2024
- Exploring the genius (and terror) of the 'Longlegs' marketing campaign - Euronews - July 17th, 2024
- Longlegs Ending Explained: Digging Into The Dark Mystery In The Nicolas Cage Horror Movie - CinemaBlend - July 17th, 2024
- A True Story Inspired The Horror Movie Open Water - SlashFilm - June 20th, 2024
- Horror Movies In Theaters This Weekend - FANGORIA - June 20th, 2024
- 'Lumina' Trailer - Alien Abduction Horror Movie Crash Lands in Theaters This July - Bloody Disgusting - June 20th, 2024
- The First Trailer For NOSFERATU Will Be Released This Weekend in Theaters GeekTyrant - GeekTyrant - June 20th, 2024
- 10 Best Horror Movies Of 2024 - Screen Rant - June 20th, 2024
- 20 Horror Movie Villains With Motives You'll Understand - The Pryor Information Publication - June 20th, 2024
- This Korean Horror Film Is One of the Scariest Movies of 2024 - CBR - June 20th, 2024
- Zazie Beetz Shines in Muschiettis Scary Movie They Will Kill You - Digital Chew - June 20th, 2024
- Scary Summer: Five Aquatic Horror Movies to Stream This Week - Bloody Disgusting - June 20th, 2024
- This Lovecraft Adaptation Has Some of the Best Practical Effects Ever in a Horror Movie - Collider - June 20th, 2024
- Forget Ghost Ship, Wes Craven Gave Us the Best Horror Opening - CBR - June 20th, 2024
- Nicolas Cage's New Horror Film Debuts With Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score and Stunning Reviews - CBR - June 20th, 2024
- Stephen King Called This Classic Scene the Scariest Moment in Horror History - Collider - June 20th, 2024
- Dark R-Rated Supernatural Horror Mystery Thriller One Of The Best In Years, Stream Without Netflix - Giant Freakin Robot - June 20th, 2024
- Kyra Sedgwick on Finding Freedom in Directing, Plans to Make a Horror Movie With Her Family, and That One Time She Was Jealous of Kevin Bacon -... - June 20th, 2024
- 'Circles' - Sequel to the 2015 Horror Movie 'Circle' in the Works - Bloody Disgusting - June 20th, 2024
- Sequel to one of the best horror movies of the decade gets amazing first trailer - Joe UK - June 20th, 2024
- 20 Most Anticipated Horror Movies Of 2025 - WhatCulture - June 20th, 2024
- Everything You Need to Know About the Alien: Romulus Release Date - Geeks World Wide - June 9th, 2024
- The Watchers Review: Dakota Fanning Horror Movie Is Heavy on Exposition - TheWrap - June 9th, 2024
- Mike Flanagan Promises His Exorcist Movie Will Be 'Really Scary' - MovieWeb - June 9th, 2024
- Isolated Horrors: Appreciating the 2012 Horror Movie 'ATM' - Bloody Disgusting - June 9th, 2024
- Star of new horror movie The Watched says it features things she's never seen in a film before - Gamesradar - June 9th, 2024
- New horror movie The Watched was inspired by one of the best supernatural thrillers and a very divisive 2009 horror - Gamesradar - June 9th, 2024
- Horror Movies in 2024 - Cineworld - June 9th, 2024
- This new horror movie told mostly from the killer's POV may not be destined to be a classic, but its innovation is very ... - Gamesradar - June 9th, 2024
- Best of the scariest: The top 10 horror movies of all time - Popverse - June 9th, 2024
- This Divisive 2024 Horror Movie With 91% On Rotten Tomatoes Is Finally Streaming - Screen Rant - June 9th, 2024
- The Watchers - Plugged In - June 9th, 2024
- The 6 Best Sci-fi and Horror Movies to Watch on Peacock for Pride Month 2024 - Syfy - June 9th, 2024
- Under Paris: Netflix has delivered one of the best shark movies ever made - The Guardian - June 9th, 2024
- 100 mins of unrelenting intense overwhelming dread say fans as new horror movie is SO scary people are le... - The Sun - June 9th, 2024
- New follow up to 'grotesque' Netflix horror movie that left viewers 'bothered for days' is on the way - LADbible - June 9th, 2024
- Munjya review: Dinesh Vijans latest horror-comedy is neither scary nor funny, goes downhill after 30 minutes - The Indian Express - June 9th, 2024
- 'In a Violent Nature': How this innovative Canadian horror movie hacked its way to success - Toronto Star - June 9th, 2024
- The 25 best Korean horror movies of all time, ranked - Entertainment Weekly News - June 9th, 2024
- Alien: Romulus Is Making Xenomorphs Scary Again And Its About Time - Giant Freakin Robot - June 9th, 2024
- 31 Friendly Creatures From Fantasy/Horror Movies And TV Shows - MSN - June 9th, 2024
- Best Horror Movies Of 2024 (So Far) - Time Out - May 20th, 2024
- The Best Horror Movies If You Loved The Strangers - CBR - May 20th, 2024
- The Smartest Horror Movie Heroes, Ranked - CBR - May 20th, 2024
- 15 Horror Movies So Controversial They Got Banned - CBR - May 20th, 2024
- Before 'Psycho,' This Is The Twisty Horror Thriller Hitchcock Wanted to Make - Collider - May 20th, 2024
- 10 Most Rewatchable Horror Movie From Each Year of the 2010s - Collider - May 20th, 2024
- Jaws and Hitchcock's Psycho inspired new horror movie The Strangers: Chapter 1, as director explains its lack of gore - Gamesradar - May 20th, 2024
- The monsters that made me: Growing up disabled, all of my heroes were villains - Polygon - May 20th, 2024
- Shocking Horror Movie The Coffee Table Is Earning Raves From Stephen King. Its Director Wants Audiences to Suffer and Hate Me - Variety - May 20th, 2024
- Netflix fans freak out over 'insanely scary' horror film that found its way into the top 10 - Daily Mail - May 20th, 2024
- 10 Best So-Bad-They're-Good Horror Movies of the '90s, Ranked - Collider - May 20th, 2024
- Making Sense of I Saw The TV Glow's Tragic and Terrifying Ending - TIME - May 20th, 2024
- New Horror Movie With 21% RT Score Nearly Triples Budget At The Box Office In Just 10 Days - Screen Rant - May 20th, 2024
- Sting director says he's "kind of remaking Alien" with the giant spider horror movie - Gamesradar - May 20th, 2024
- How Scary Is The Strangers: Chapter 1? It's R-Rating Explained - Screen Rant - May 20th, 2024
- New Upcoming Horror Movie Gives Five Nights At Freddy's 2 Its Biggest Rival After $291 Million Success - Screen Rant - May 20th, 2024
- 10 Impossible Horror Movie Kills (and the Visual Effects Behind Them) - CBR - May 20th, 2024
- 10 Most Satisfying Horror Movie Reveals - WhatCulture - May 20th, 2024
- Stephen King Reviews Horror Movie With 88% RT Score: "You Have Never Seen A Movie As Black As This" - Screen Rant - May 20th, 2024
- Wolf Man Producer Reveals If the Horror Movie Is Part of Universal's Dark Universe Franchise - CBR - May 20th, 2024
- Nicolas Cage is set to take on another horror movie, this time about Jesus? - Gamesradar - May 9th, 2024
- Horror Tips from Director Jeff Wadlow and the Set of 'Imaginary' - No Film School - May 9th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero