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NIGHTSTREAM: Horror Camp

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So my Nightstream festival started with an entertaining conversation between Peaches Christ (director, All About Evil), Renée “Nay” Bever (Attack of the Queerwolf), Stacie Ponder (writer, Final Girl) and William O. Tyler (Theater of Terror: Revenge of the Queers). The talk centred on campy horror: a subgenre of horror that is usually considered as low-brow and sometimes as entertaining as watching paint dry. But entertainment lies in the eyes of the beholder, and if you really submit to it, these campy horror films can be a lot of fun. What better way to spend a night out with friends, a couple of drinks and a trashy scary flick?

Peaches welcomed the guests at the panel. The question first shot towards everyone was about why they love horror. For Peaches, it's about exercising fears and identifying with monsters like Frankenstein. It gives her a medium to explore fantasies. Renée identifies it as a beautiful way to push boundaries and also practice survival skills along with thinking out of the box. Stacie shared an unusual story. Most children go MI6 to watch a horror film, hiding away from their parents. Not Stacie though. Her mother drew her to this genre—lucky her. For William, the genre became a calling due to the various Disney villains. He sees it as a way to analyze trauma and learn something from it. Did I mention how cool Peaches' green and William's red looked and matched with their backgrounds? 

Peaches went on to include slasher and sci-fi into camp horror. She is drawn to the over-the-top horror and connects with "humour horror" - horror with a sense of humour in it. If you are a Nolan fanboy, then I would suggest you to not ask her about "humourless horror." Renée made a nice comment on how camp horror allows people to be silly. I admit it is a blast to watch. Perhaps, the most interesting observation came from William. According to him, camp horror is a counter-culture where the norms are broken. Now that is something to ponder on. 

We then shifted to terms like misogynist and transphobic, followed by a look at the "murder by curling iron" scene from Sleepaway Camp (1983). Both William and Peaches approved of the film as William mentioned his attraction towards its blatant weirdness. 

The discussion moved ahead with films that had "redeemed" itself and are now favourites. I was delighted by the mention of Jennifer's Body. I had enjoyed it back then, I enjoy it now. We saw the clip where Jennifer and Anita go one-on-one at a pool. Peaches thought it was ahead of its time and majority, back then, hated it because of its portrayal of women in possession of power. Basically, it was sexism. Here, Stacie came up with the word "Bro Horror Area." 

Peaches also mentioned her dismay on young queers attitude of not respecting adults and old films. They do not ask important questions like why Mildred Pierce matters and seek answers to them. Peaches recollected how she identified with Hitchcock's Psycho. 

This gave way to talk about some older films they liked. William stated how classic Hollywood, with all the melodrama - is camp. Add horror to it, and it turns into something good and fun. He has an affection for Bride of Frankenstein. I am talking about the movie, of course. Not the actual wife. Peaches brought up Tod Browning's Freaks telling how beautiful it is and how relatable the "revenge on normal people" aspect is. She also suggests to check out Homicidal if you like Psycho. \

We then glimpsed at the "spinning wheelchair" scene from Robert Aldrich's horror-thriller What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? It sparked conversation around actors. How male actors were deemed Oscar-worthy by giving a campy performance (Al Pacino in Scarface, Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs) while females were mocked for the same. William expressed how Jack Nicholson was heavily praised for The Shining but Shelley Duvall, not so much. In his words, Jack was playing himself, and the real scene-stealer was actually Duvall. 

The success of films like Get Out made Hollywood realized there was an audience out there for these kinds of films. Peaches got a call to make a horror film that was queer.

Believe it or not, we took a leap from Get Out to Chucky. After watching a clip from Seed of Chucky, Peaches revealed how popular and huge Chucky was in Mexico. I didn't know that. She thinks Seed of Chucky should be revisited. I will probably give it another try on Netflix. I am not a Chucky fan, but that clip from Seed of Chucky has summoned something within me to take another look. Let's see. For Stacie, the appeal comes from it being whatever it wants to be. The same line was applied to Ratched by Renée. She finds the Netflix series to be gorgeous and is currently watching it a second time. I didn't love Ratched, but I also don't hate it. One thing we can all agree on is this - Sarah Paulson rocks in the show. 

Peaches shared a scene from her film All About Evil in which we saw some lip sewing as someone filmed the procedure. I am glad to have a mouth that can be opened and closed as desired. Peaches' film might be on streaming soon. 

Finally, everyone talked about future projects. Renée has something exciting in development she won't completely reveal. You never know when the rug would be pulled from under your feet. Let's hope she gets what she wants. Stacie is writing for a bunch of places. She is also making a short film. Did you know all the lesbians have a great sense of humour? If you ever meet her, she will tell you all about it. William thanked Peaches for their work together in a "Queer Horror Anthology." He also hosts Cinephilia on Twitch, so you know where to find him. And that's it. With a note of thanks, the meeting ended, and I resumed my offering to the Goddess of Death. 


   

    

             
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