URHorror Newsletter: Week of 10.26
Season 5 of Dragula, A SAG-AFTRA Halloween, & the Black, queer messy thriller that'll hook you
My lovely horror fiends. How are we this week? What Halloween-themed movies and books have you been busy with? I’d love to hear all about it.
The last two weeks were crazy! If you listened to last week’s episode, then you already know. New York Comic Con, Halloween Horror Nights, and Brooklyn Horror Film Festival?! Honestly, that’s all I ever wish to do with my life. If you’d like to hear more about those experiences, check out the recent fireside chat!
Horror News
Season 5 of Dragula
I first discovered The Boulet Brothers Dragula earlier this year after I subscribed to Shudder. It was an immediate love for me! As someone who was never really into RuPaul’s Drag Race, I had higher hopes for this horror-themed drag competition show. The horror gods heard our gay little prayers, and The Boulet Brothers announced season 5 in late September! The trailer just dropped this week. So, check it out and pencil it in for 10.31.
SAG-AFTRA Halloween Restrictions
Last week, SAG-AFTRA released perimeters surrounding this year’s Halloween and the on-going actors’ strike. The union urged its members to steer clear of costumes inspired by current struck work. Instead, they suggested that members should opt for more generic costumes.
Celebrities like Ryan Reynolds and Mandy Moore were not happy, and they made sure to vocal like it. Former SAG president Melissa Gilbert also took to her IG and she didn’t come to play: “This is the kind of silly bullshit that keeps us on strike.”.
It’s not my business, but there are probably more disruptive matters that can be considered.
It’s Not That Deep…
But it always it… isn’t it? This week’s movie of discussion is an English Black, queer thriller/horror. I saw Femme (dir. Sam H. Freeman & Ng Choon Ping, 2023) last week at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. I think I should note that the festival had an entire category dedicated to queer horror. Though I wanted to see every film, Femme really spoke to me as it had a Black lead. The history of '“queer horror noire” is slim. My past episode covering it was only, like, 30 minutes. Naturally, I will flock to any and every Black, queer horror.
It’s a complicated narrative with even more complicated and complex characters. My initial emotional response to it was weary. On the surface, the plot is dangerous that seems to play with Stockholm Syndrome. Because I knew it was a revenge plot, I was thinking Jules was going to kill that man (rightfully so). However, where it leads you is possibly even more jarring. Many reviews for this film have brought to light a conversation regarding queer archetypes in fiction. Too often, we fall under victim or villian: never more, or less, or both. Consider this film to be a rebuttal.
Because of these complexities, my emotional experience was so memorable. I really enjoy stories that provoke internal conflicts and expose the nuances of human nature. Though I’m unsure of when and where this will be available to watch, make sure you hop on it the first moment you get!
See ya next time!
Until the next newsletter, let me know your thoughts on this one! Next week’s episode will cover a Shudder original horror film: Perpetrator. With Alicia Silverstone, a Black queer lead, and it’s feminist themes, what else could you want?