In May, I went to a screening of a documentary called GOODBYE HORSES: THE MANY LIVES OF Q LAZZARUS about the singer of the cult song "Goodbye Horses" which is most prominently featured in Jonathan Demme's film THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. The film is a portrait of the musician behind the song, Diane Luckey, her tumultuous life, and the frustrating reality of a music industry that didn't know what to do with an unconventional Black singer. This conversation is with the director of that film, Eva Aridjis Fuentes, and we spoke about how the film came to be, the obstacle-filled filming process, and the documentary as Diane Luckey's legacy.
Show Notes:
Eva Eridjis Fuentes’ website Q Lazzarus website
Q Lazzarus LP Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus (Music from the Motion Picture)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Eva's film Children of the Street (2004)
Eva’s film La santa muerte (2007)
Eva’s film Chuy, El Hombre lobo (2014)
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
Man on Wire (2008) The Beatles: Get Back (2021)
Koko: A Talking Gorilla (1978)
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Film programmer Alison Lang and film writer Jess Sweetman came to talk with me about something they both feel really passionate about - their love of bad movies. This episode is a look at why film lovers relish watching movies that are overlooked, mocked, and discarded. We talked about being contrarians, what makes a bad movie entertaining, their niche favorites, and more!
Show Notes:
Jess’ other Substack Intermission
Movies Men Ruined For Me Instagram
In the Cold of the Night (1990)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
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It only felt right to dedicate another episode to David Lynch. In February, I put out an episode documenting a Lynch marathon that I co-organized, but that wasn't enough Lynch in my book, and so I approached two bonafide Lynch experts with the goal of having a more in-depth conversation about the filmmaker.
Bill Ackerman is a film writer and the host of the fantastic Supporting Characters podcast as well as a special podcast dedicated to Blue Velvet called From the Neighborhood. He's undoubtedly one of the best film podcasters full stop end of story. Courtenay Stallings is a film historian, the editor of the Twin Peaks themed Blue Rose Magazine and is also the author of Laura's Ghost: Women Speak about Twin Peaks. Her dedication to spotlighting Lynch and her access to Lynch's world is astounding. We discuss Lynch’s persona, his career throughout the years, the importance of Laura Palmer, the life changing powers of Blue Velvet, and a lot more.
Show Notes:Bill Ackerman's Podcast Supporting Characters
From the Neighboorhood – Blue Velvet Podcast
Supporting Characters Instagram
Laura’s Ghost: Women Speak About Twin Peaks
David Lynch’s Unrealized Projects
Lumiere and Company – David Lynch
David Lynch Keeps His Head – David Foster Wallace
The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer
Dino De Laurentiis Dune (1984)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
Cut! Horror Movies on Horror Movies
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In mid May, film collective Zelluloid 42 and US film label Vinegar Syndrome organized a mini festival called Vinegar Syndrome Weekender showcasing a selection of outrageous, nonsensical, incredibly entertaining B movies and celebrating celluloid film. I went there with my B movie loving friend Jess and this episode is a documentation of our time there. You'll hear our bewildered reactions to the films we saw, a Q&A with Vinegar Syndrome co-founder Joe Rubin and chief archivist Oscar Becher (apologies for the audio, recording it was a spur of the moment decision), and a short interview with Zelluloid 42 programmers Audrey and Tarek.
Did we leave the cinema forever changed after this weekend? Maybe so! And we've got Zelluloid 42 and Vinegar Syndrome to thank for it! If you live in Berlin and love transgressive, psychotronic cinema, Zelluloid 42's monthly film series Pleasure Dome at Filmrauschpalast is the place to be!
Show Notes:
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Madeleine Sims-Fewer & Dusty Mancinelli are a Toronto-based filmmaking duo who premiered their second feature HONEY BUNCH, an unconventional thriller set in a 70s medical clinic, at the Berlinale earlier this year. They're an exciting, genre-defying voice in contemporary cinema and it was great to get them on the podcast. We spoke about what it's like working as a duo, making the anti-revenge film VIOLATION, accessibility in film, and much more.
Show Notes:
Slap Happy (2017)
Woman in Stall (2018)
Chubby (2019)
Great dm interview with Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2004)
Brussels International Film Festival
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“People would leave me saying, ‘She’s a nice girl. What is this big thing about? She’s a nice girl.’ And the thing is, of course, I wasn’t a nice girl. And when they found this out, they hated me all the more.”—Elaine May, 2006
Elaine May is a game-changing director, writer, and actress that not enough people know about. Thankfully, I was able to talk to a May expert, writer Carrie Courogen, who wrote an Elaine May biography called 'Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood's Hidden Genius.' We spoke about her significance to cinema and comedy, her fascinating career, her elusiveness, and more!
Show Notes:
Miss May Does Not Exist – Carrie Courogen
Nichols & May -Teenagers in a Car
Nichols & May – Examine Doctors
The Heartbreak Kid (Full Movie on YouTube)
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Recorded a week and a half after David Lynch's death, this episode is a mishmash of interviews with Cinema of the Dam'd programmers Jen Bronson and Matt Cornell and clips of what we showed during our 15 hour twitch marathon. We spoke about our Lynch faves, what he means to us, and where our head was at after watching so much of his work at once (it was pretty divine). Lynch's death hit hard and this won't be the last time I feature him on Somebody's Watching.
Show Notes:
Jennifer's Bronson's Instagram
The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Blue Velvet edited for television
Angelo Badalamenti on Laura Palmer's theme
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Caryn Coleman is the founder of New York-based film initiative The Future of Film is Female which amplifies the work of women and non-binary filmmakers early in their career, offering short film grants. Caryn's initiative has been exponentially growing and I wanted to ask her how she made it all happen! We talk about how Caryn came to curating, her Future of Film is Female highlights, and the knots and bolts of indie distribution.
Show Notes:
Instagram @futureoffilmisfemale Twitter @fofif
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
You’re Not My Mother (2021)
Oddity (2024)
Mosquito Lady (2024) (YouTube)
I Could Just Die, And That Would Be All Right (2023)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) (YouTube)
Messaging the Monstrous Women Make Horror @MoMA
The Graduates Announcement in IndieWire
I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (2023)
Mirror, Mirror (1990) (YouTube)
There's a plethora of "eat the rich" films these days, films that relish in showing the wealthy suffer without, god forbid, rocking the status quo. My guest today is Tosha R. Taylor is quite skeptical of the trend. Tosha R. Taylor is a writer, former academic, and regularly publishes and presents on horror, extremity, and queerness.
We talk about the history of class in cinema, the invisibility of class issues in the majority of films, hillbilly horror, and Tosha picks some of her favorite class-conscious horror films.
Show Notes:
Tosha R. Taylor's twitter
Tosha R. Taylor on academia.edu
Films:
Lumiere Brothers – Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory (1895)
Battleship Potemkin (available on YouTube) (1925)
Man With A Movie Camera (available on YouTube) (1929)
Bicycle Thieves (available on YouTube) (1948)
American Hollow (available on YouTube) (1999)
Harlan County USA (available on YouTube) (1978)
Blood on the Mountain (available on YouTube) (2016)
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Figures
Kimberly Crenshaw on Intersectionality
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I spoke with fellow Anthony Perkins superfan, PhD student and podcaster Xanthe Pajarillo, all about the immensely talented and under-appreciated Anthony Perkins. Perkins was far more than Norman Bates and I wanted to delve into his interesting and eclectic career with someone who gets it. We discuss his early days as a teen idol, his career in Europe, midcentury masculinity, and chose some of our favorite Perkins performances.
Show Notes:
Xanthe Pajarillo’s instagram twitter tiktok
Xanthe’s Anthony Perkins article
My Anthony Perkins Letterboxd list
Films:
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
Goodbye Again (1961, movie on YouTube)
The Ravishing Idiot (1964, movie on YouTube)
Phaedra (1962, movie on YouTube)
Evening Primrose (1966, movie on Youtube)
Lucky Stiff (1988, movie on YouTube)
Television:
Bates Motel SNL – Anthony Perkins Episode (archive.org)
Music:
Podcast Interlude Anthony Perkins – How About You
Anthony Perkins – A Little Love Can Go A Long Way
Books:
Osgood and Anthony Perkins – Laura Kay Palmer
Haunted Life: Anthony Perkins – Ronald Bergan
Plays:
Tea and Symphony Look Homeward, Angel
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My friend Karolin joins me on this episode to talk about something we both really love - the coming-of-age film (and show). We spoke about why we love them, the depiction of movie high school and how they affected our own high school expectations, our list of the films and shows that mean the most to us, and a whole lot more.
Apologies for my freshly post-Covid voice in this and the technical glitches!
Show Notes:
Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
400 Blows (1959)
Almost Famous (2000)
IT (1990)
The Wonder Years (1988)
The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)
2023 Coming Of Age Retrospective @Berlinale
Ordinary People (1980)
Petite Maman (2021)
The Cosby Show (1984)
My Own Private Idaho (1991, movie on YouTube)
Say Anything (1989)
Heavenly Creatures (1994, movie on YouTube)
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (2023)
Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995, movie on YouTube)
Streetwise (1984, movie on YouTube)
Lilya 4-ever (2002)
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Today’s episode is all about grimy New York movies from the mid-20th century. So much was going on in that small stretch of the city and movies made in that time and place show it off so well. My guest is film historian and writer Samm Deighan, an expert on cult cinema and one of those people who really seem to have watched it all! You’ll hear about Times Square history, psychotronic cinema, and Samm’s list of films that best depict this iconic era.
Show Notes:
Samm Deighan’s Instagram @sammdeighan
Revolution in 35mm Book – Andrew Nette & Samm Deighan
The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film – Michael Weldon
Times Square Red, Times Square Blue – Samuel R. Delany
The Rialto Report – Jamie Gillis in Europe, 1977
Films mentioned:
Driller Killer (1979) (Film Link)
Bad Girls Go To Hell (1965)
Fleshpot on 42nd Street (1972)
Little Murders (1971) (Film Link)
After Hours (1985) (Film Link)
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In 2018, film scholar Dr. Erin Harrington wrote a vital book titled "Women, Monstrosity, and Horror Film: Gynaehorror" about the depictions of virginity, menstruation, pregnancy, motherhood, and menopause in horror. In this episode, I had the great pleasure of chatting with Erin Harrington about her book, the limits of psychoanalysis in horror, why horror is fertile ground for speaking about women’s experiences, and much more. I’d like to think this conversation won’t just interest the horror fans among you, I hope I'm right!
Show Notes:
Women, Monstrosity, and Horror Film: Gynaehorror
Follow Erin Harrington on Instagram/bluesky/letterboxd - @ladyhorrors
Robin Wood – Robin Wood on the Horror Film
Carol Clover – Men, Women, and Chainsaws
Barbara Creed – The Monstrous Feminine
Kelly Oliver – Knock Me Up, Knock Me Down: Images of Pregnancy in Hollywood Films
Sarah Arnold - Maternal Horror Film: Melodrama and Motherhood
Films mentioned:
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
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This is an episode that was released on my other podcast, The Bend. I talked with Lizzie Borden, director of BORN IN FLAMES and WORKING GIRLS, during the height of the pandemic. It was an honor to have a chance to talk with her about her craft. We talked about her films, of course, as well as what it was like to work with Harvey Weinstein, the #metoo movement, and quite a lot more.
The book about sex work that Lizzie Borden mentions in the episode is now out, you can find it here
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Programmer, writer, and podcaster extraodinaire Millie De Chirico co-hosts I Saw What You Did - one of the best, most entertaining film podcasts around. Millie also worked at the classic movie channel TCM for almost 20 years and so I had the chance to talk to her about film programming, her book "TCM Underground: 50 Must-See Films from the World of Classic Cult and Late-Night Cinema," and, of course, her podcast!
Show Notes:
Millie‘s podcast: I Saw What You Did
Millies‘ substack: Professional Sweetheart
Millie‘s book: TCM Underground: 50 Must-See Films from the World of Classic Cult and Late-Night Cinema
Films:
References:
Back in October I went to Sitges Festival in Spain for the first time. Sitges is one of the largest horror festivals in the world and I got to watch a slew of fantastic films and meet some excellent people from the film horror world. Overall, it was an incredibly positive experience and I hope that comes through here. Enjoy this somewhat disjointed episode!
Thank you to everyone who chatted with me at the fest! If you want to follow my guests, you can find their info is in the show notes!
Show Notes: Elizabeth Schuch instagram
Woman in Fan in Sitges
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas website
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas instagram
Heidi Honeycutt instagram
Heidi Honeycutt’s book I Spit On Your Celluloid
Sara & Eli’s Sitges Faves:
O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization
Films mentioned:
2023 Sitges Films directed/co-directed by women (thank you for the list, Sara!):
Where the Devil Roams
Tiger Stripes
My Animal
Birth/Rebirth
La Ermita
Superposition
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
Sacrifice Game Appendage
Auxilio
Club Zero
En attendant la nuit
Living with Chucky
The J Horror Virus
The Wrath of Becky
Luka
VHS/85
Wake Up
We Are Zombies
White Plastic Sky
You’ll Never Find Me
Pet Sematery
Siesta
Hollywood 90028
I talked to the Adams Family right before the world premiere of their latest film Where the Devil Roams back in July. I've been a fan of The Adams Family, who make films as a family, for some years now, and it was a delight to have them on the podcast! In our chat, we talked about how they started making films, the overarching themes in their work, and, of course, their new film Where the Devil Roams.
Show Notes:
Hellbender – Tiny Little Pieces (music heard in the episode) Hellbender Soundtrack
Follow the Adams Family:
Instagram: @adams.family.films
Twitter: adams_films
Website: www.wonderwheelproductions.com
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My guest this episode is Professor Nikolaj Lübecker, a French and film studies professor at Oxford who wrote the book The Feel-Bad Film. In this conversation, we talk about the different types of feel-bad films, catharsis, the ethical value of these films, and a lot more.
Show Notes:
Nikolaj Lübecker’s book The Feel-Bad Film
What is Literature? – Jean-Paul Sartre
Chroniques Du Temps Sensible – Julia Kristeva (for French speakers)
Films Mentioned:
Nikolaj Lübecker’s email: nikolaj.lubecker(at)sjc.ox.ac.uk
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I spoke with film scholar Dr. Kate Robertson about cannibalism in cinema! We talk a bit about the history of cannibalism in film, why cannibalism is considered a taboo, depictions of female cannibalism, and more!
Kate is going to publish a book about female cannibalism soon, follow her on social media to receive updates!
Show Notes:
Kate Robertson‘s website: https://katerobertson.me/
instagram: @kate_in_bk
twitter: @final_fatale
Kate discussing Trouble Every Day: https://podcast.womaninrevolt.com/episode/cb7a34a2/new-french-extremity-trouble-every-day-with-dr-kate-robertson
Films mentioned in the episode:
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This is part two of the top 3 horror films of the decade project, this time we talk about our favorite horror from the 2000s & 2010s. After we finished our lists, we discussed our favorite decades and certain common themes that popped up for us. Thanks to my guests Sara Neidorf & Jess Sweetman for joining me this episode!
Show Notes:
Top 3 Horror Films Letterboxd List
Film Links:
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