Mother Monster: Gaga on Hotel
October is always a good time for horror, and this year is shaping up to be an especially packed month for the genre on both the big and small screens. We’ve already had the M. Night Shymalan chiller The Visit and creepy foreign flick Goodnight Mommy, as well as the premiere of the campy Scream Queens this month; but the packed slate of October offerings promises even more chills and plenty of queer appeal.
BIG SCREAM TV
Scream Queens is from the creators of American Horror Story, and the newest iteration of that franchise, Hotel, hits FX October 7. This time around Lady Gaga assumes Head Bitch in Charge duties from Jessica Lange (though I’ve a sneaking suspicion Ms. Lange might check in at some point), playing a vampiress managing a hotel built by legendary serial killer Evan Peters. For hardcore fans, this season also boasts the return of realtor-from-Hell Marcy from season one—perhaps other fan favorite characters will pop up, too? Gay Factor: What isn’t gay about this show? Besides Gaga, there’s openly gay performers Matt Bomer, Cheyenne Jackson, Sarah Paulson, and Denis O’Hare—the latter as a crossdresser nicknamed “Liz Taylor.”
We Love Lucy: Lawless returns to TV
Fans have been clamoring for a fourth Evil Dead movie for years; next month they’re getting a series, Ash vs. Evil Dead, which premieres on Starz on Halloween night (natch). Spearheaded by Sam Raimi, the show stars the Chinned One himself, Bruce Campbell, and promises the same mix of rip roaring gore and goofy comedy audiences have come to expect from the Deadites. Gay Factor: Xena: Warrior Princess icon Lucy Lawless stars opposite Campbell as Ruby Knowby, a relative of the same idiotic professor who unleashed the Evil Dead in the first place.
Loki Here: Hiddleston and Wasikowska explores the mysteries of Crimson Peak
THE SILVER SCREAM
Guillermo Del Toro’s fans are chomping at the bit for Crimson Peak, an R-rated, big budget gothic chiller starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, and Tom Hiddleston. It’s the kind of sumptuous looking spectacle that begs to be experienced in the theater. (It opens October 16.) Gay Factor: It’s art directed within an inch of its life, features fabulous costumes, and stars Hiddleston. So there’s that.
90s horror fans rejoice… or not. R.L. Stines’ blockbuster Goosebumps series finally comes to cinemas October 16, but the premise is puzzling: rather than an anthology of tales like Stay Out of the Basement and Night of the Living Dummy, the film is framed as a Jumanji-esque romp in which the creations of Stine (Jack Black) escape into the “real” world. A Flame Con guest who stopped by the Monster Nation table had seen it… and he was unimpressed, to say the least. Gay Factor: Well, it’s going to be pretty campy, that’s for sure.
Does anyone still care about the Paranormal Activity franchise anymore? Studio bigwigs will find out when the latest installment, The Ghost Dimension opens October 23. Though it looks to find some intriguing connections with past entries and promises to show us the ghosts onscreen for the first time, this fifth (!) installment feels like a long way off from the innovation and simple scares of the 2007 original. Gay Factor: …….
Boys Are Back in Town: Scouts take on the living dead
Following in the footsteps of Zombeavers and last month’s Cooties comes Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, an 80s creature feature throwback pitting boy scouts against zombies—both human and animal (zombie cats look to steal the show here; the film opens October 30). The cast includes adorable Logan Miller, so terrific as a gay teen in the indie drama Take Me to the River, and son of the Terminator Patrick Schwarzenegger. Early buzz has this as a fun filled blend of laughs and scares in the tradition of Gremlins and The Goonies, and a breath of fresh air for the increasingly tired zombie genre. Gay Factor: Cute boys! And more campiness.
Watch Monster Nation on YouTube: youtube.com/monsternation
