Sharks invade Paris 🦈, Parker Brennon talks Hauntology, Werewolves howl in December 🐺, and more!

[If you missed our first issue, you can learn about some of the films we wrote about here, or visit the first issue on the Horrorverse site)

Horror came into my life at an early age. In the summer of '88, I was home alone with a high fever while my parents were at work. I put aside my G.I.Joe figures and raided their VHS cabinet, stumbling upon a number of classic films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Poltergeist, but one title stuck out, scribbled in ink: The Hidden. While more on the sci-fi front, it contained a number of horror elements and great, futuristic weaponry (plus, Kyle McLaughlin was a badass), and I needed more.

My local video store, VideoMat, became my escape. My Legos and G.I.Joes began to collect dust, and frequent visits (with my parents) to VideoMat became an almost daily routine. It was there that I became familiar with the staff and their love for all things horror. From Black Christmas and From Beyond, to The Evil Dead and Sleepaway Camp, they would always have a handful of videotapes ready for me to rent. Around this time, my mother would take my friends and I to the theater to see films such as Child's Play, Darkman, and Shocker, leading to upset parents calling mine to complain that their child had nightmares.

A few years later on June 13, 1992, exactly 32 years ago from the publication of this issue, I had my Bar Mitzvah. For those who are not familiar, when you turn thirteen, you're given a party for which you choose an important theme. While the other boys and girls chose sports, computers or skiing, I took a different path and went with Horror Films. There are a few photos on my Instagram and Instagram Stories for this epic day.

Today, horror still continues to be a big part of my life, and (hopefully) this newsletter ensures that it will do the same for you.

Stay Scared,
Brett Petersel | Instagram | Letterboxd | X

Hellbent Slashes Its 20th Anniversary

Jorge (Miguel Angel Caballero) and his lover sneak into the woods for a sexy rendezvous. Borrowing elements from the urban legend about two lovers on a backroad, Hellbent sets up its slasher saga with two gnarly, head-spinning kills. As Jorge and Michael (Samuel A. Levine) get busy in the backseat, a bare-chested, scythe-wielding maniac shows up for a good time. And it’s absolutely deadly.

Turning 20 this year, the film – helmed by writer/director Paul Etheredge-Ouzts – mercilessly goes for the jugular… quite literally. When it began its festival circuit run in June 2004, “queer horror” was a fairly fresh conceit. It was preceded by three notable heteronormative-busting films – Make a Wish (2002), Dead Guys (2003), and High Tension (2003) – all of which set in motion the next 20 years of queer-featuring films, including Bugcrush (2006) and The Gay Bed and Breakfast of Terror. Hellbent walked, so modern fare like Slay and Summoning Sylvia could run.

Taking place on Halloween, Hellbent follows Eddie (Dylan Fergus) and his band of queer friends – comprised of Tobey (Matt Phillips), Joey (Hank Harris), Jake (Bryan Kirkwood), and Chaz (Andrew Levitas) – as they head out to West Hollywood for some tricks ‘n treats. On their way downtown, the group makes a pitstop at the site of the film’s earlier murders, where Eddie regales the harrowing tale in great, disturbing detail.

Instead of parking closer to the Halloween party, the group takes a shortcut through the nearby woods and has a run-in with the killer, which they dub “Devil Daddy.” With a penchant for collecting the heads of gay men, the devil-masked killer stands at attention, as the group taunts the unknown assailant and drops trow to entice him. But the killer quickly dashes into the brush – he likes to play with his prey. Now is just not the time or place. He enjoys the spectacle of it all.

Throughout the next few hours, Devil Daddy picks off the group one by one in the most vile ways. There’s one particularly gruesome death that takes place on a dance floor with strobe lights flickering across the victim’s face. It’s gnarly and downright cool. More body parts burst as the film progresses – and there’s also a flying head! (Think: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan)

Despite how damn fun the film is, Hellbent isn’t without its flaws. To start, the characters are all performed by straight men – indicative of the times (Eric McCormack played a gay man on Will & Grace, after all). Then, there’s the problematic use of the T slur, a homophobic characteristic of mainstream horror at the time. Just look at Kelly Rowland’s use of the F slur in Freddy vs. Jason, for example.

Today, there’s far less bigotry than there used to be in horror cinema. In fact, it’s decidedly queerer than it has ever been – with LGBTQ+ characters appearing in Swallowed, Evil Dead Rise, Freaky, Attachment, Knock at the Cabin, and countless others! There’s also the flood of queer-identifying filmmakers, including Dima Barch, Monster Makeup (Brandon Perras-Sanchez and Mike J. Ahern), Jamie Brandel, Alice Maio Mackay, Christopher Wesley Moore, David Teixeira, and more. These rising voices are tomorrow’s era-defining filmmakers.

Notwithstanding its low points, Hellbent remains the true celebration of queerness. Eddie lives and breathes as a real person, a hero, and a good friend. Once an aspiring policeman, he suffered a severe eye injury that slashed his vision and dashed his dreams of following in his father’s footsteps. While we don’t get any answers regarding his parental figures, there are context clues that his father died – he keeps his father’s uniform in a box in his closet, for instance. These tiny details give the film weight and allow Fergus to dig a bit into his acting arsenal.

Jake, Joey, Chaz, and Tobey don’t get much backstory, but their chemistry onscreen makes up for any shortcomings. You actually believe they’re close friends, and the actors sell every single joke and line with authenticity. Plus, queerness abounds in the group. It’s infectious. Tobey gets dolled up in a plush purple gown and blonde wig as the true drag queen he is, and Joey dons assless chaps (over jeans – they don’t wanna push too far!). Their queerness is not necessarily defined by how they present but by who they are as people.

In one poignant scene, Tobey laments that guys only care about what’s between his legs rather than for his mind. The sadness in his voice is heartbreaking, and even though the scene is fleeting, it’s in many ways the backbone of the entire film. Loneliness permeates many corners of queer culture, and individuals often seek out sex and drugs (also present in the film) to find companionship and fill those holes in their self-worth – or to cope with the world.

I’d argue Devil Daddy exemplifies these elements, too. His getup (softcore S&M) teases his possible sexual proclivities and ulterior motives. Perhaps he’s a self-hating gay man who seeks to tear down gay culture – or maybe he’s a cis white man leaning into sexual tropes to entrap unsuspecting gay men. Details are few, but his fixation on the theatrical remains a fascinating element and potentially indicates his unaddressed gayness. Flashy and staged deaths take place in public locations, elevating the film as some gay Michael Myers.

Celebrating queerness oozes from each frame – there’s also bisexual representation! If you know your gay history, you know bisexuality has been joked about and looked down upon. Here, it doesn’t feel like a joke. During an early scene, Eddie discovers Chaz getting hot and heavy with a straight couple from out of town. Chaz boasts and laughs it off. It’s one of those “Chaz being Chaz” scenes, a gag that still works today as much as it did then. Chaz lacks real depth, yet Levitas’ charming performance makes you care and root for his survival. Along with the other characters, the group melds so well together that their inevitable deaths are tragic. There’s no “bury the gays” here when all the primary characters are gay – progress!

From its classic slasher template to the masked killer and its queercore nature, Hellbent is essential viewing not only during Pride Month but all year long. It’s campy, bloody, and a damn good time. Put it on for June, Halloween, or if you’re just longing for the cool, crisp air of autumn.

It’s sure to give you that slasher fix. I know it does for me.

Silver Scream Con, the horror convention that brought 5,000 blood-thirsty movie fans to Boston's North Shore in each of its first two iterations, brings the Three-quel everyone's been dying for to Worcester’s DCU Center on September 13-15, 2024. Tickets and information are available now at silverscreamcon.com.

The Fantasia International Film Festival will celebrate its upcoming 28th edition with an electrifying program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 18 through August 4, 2024, returning yet again at the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screens and events at Montréal’s Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.