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Looking Back on Another Year of Horror Pride Month

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Horror Pride Month

It seems like Horror Pride Month only just began and now it’s time to bring it to a close once again.

It’s always an interesting time for me to look back over the month and the many things that have happened. The comments, the interactions, the new fans, and the same old tired arguments against it.

Before I go any further, however, I’d like to apologize to those loyal fans of the series. I was unable to produce as much content this year. With everything going on in the world and here in the U.S., my attentions were divided trying to lend support where I could to all those communities in need right now.

Still, it was, as always, a privilege to post articles highlighting and spotlighting some of my favorite LGBTQ filmmakers and creatives and talk about their amazing accomplishments and their lives as members of the queer community who love the genre.

Two moments in particular stand out to me from this year’s Pride celebration, and I want to talk about them in more detail.

When I posted the article announcing the third year of Horror Pride Month, I braced myself–as I always do–for the backlash and the naysayers. It’s just a part of doing this. Anyone who has spent any amount of time online knows that a comments section can become toxic cesspool in no time at all. We had a couple of straight-up homophobic comments complete with name-calling which were booted from our Facebook page immediately.

Then there was this one guy. He took umbrage with my choice of featured image. I had taken a still from The Bride of Frankenstein and superimposed the Pride colors over it. I thought it was clever and just a little classy. This guy did not. To paraphrase, he asked, “What the hell does Bride of Frankenstein have to do with being gay?”

I can hear a few of you snickering out there now. I was going to ignore it, but I thought, “No, here’s a chance to teach the guy something.” So, I replied and told him that among other things the director, James Whale, was gay. He replied, “Okay so use a picture of him. Just because he’s gay doesn’t mean the film is. It’s not hard to do something right.”

Now…anyone who knows me knows just how hard it was not to pull my lectern up at that point. I’ve written entire articles about this subject and researched it in detail as an adult. I was ready to put this dude on blast.

I could tell him that the veil of queer-coding over Pretorius was so thin, it was almost non-existent. I could tell him that Whale often injected his own queerness into his films. I could tell him that if he really thought it through, the entire film was about two men creating life together. I could remind him to watch the sheer jealousy Pretorius displayed every single time Henry spoke to a woman or indeed when a woman shared the screen with them in any way.

I could have done all those things but I decided to let it go. Not because it wasn’t worth it, but because I have spent years now educating other people on this subject. I have written articles, spoken on panels, and expressed what some of those creators themselves had to say about their work. I have highlighted the works of historians and scholars who have written exhaustively on these subjects.

But I digress.

The second Horror Pride Month moment that stands out most to me from this year involved an interview I did with filmmaker Tiffany Warren. During the interview, she had this to say:

“When I watched movies growing up, I didn’t see anyone who was anything like me. So, I would put myself in the story with them when I was little and watching these movies. Like Nancy was my best friend and I was worried about what was going to happen to everyone else in our group. And I didn’t think about how I would be impacted because somehow I was just in this world watching everything happen and being unaffected because you couldn’t see me.”

The impact of that statement carries a hell of a lot of weight. To be invisible in a genre that you love is detrimental, especially for marginalized groups.

LGBTQ history is not taught in most schools leaving many of us adrift without a mooring. In the absence of that foundation, we naturally turn to film, television, books, and other artforms to search for answers to who we are and what it means to be LGBTQ.

When those examples do not exist or when they are based on toxic stereotypes that perpetuate negative ideas, then we are left with a shaky foundation at best, and no small amount of internalized homophobia is the result.

Honestly, I write this series for both the unnamed commentator and for the young people who find themselves in the same place Tiffany did as a child. It’s why I have spent hours researching and studying the history that seemingly exists only in shadows, and why I will continue to write these articles during Pride Month and throughout the year.

The truth is the LGBTQ community has not only been a part of horror since its inception, we are encoded into its very DNA, and we aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Below, you’ll find a list of all the interviews and articles published this month in case you missed any of them or would like to go back and revisit them. Happy Pride from all of us at iHorror!

Interviews:

Other Articles

 

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The Original ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Had an Interesting Location

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beetlejuice in Hawaii Movie

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s sequels to hit movies weren’t as linear as they are today. It was more like “let’s re-do the situation but in a different location.” Remember Speed 2, or National Lampoon’s European Vacation? Even Aliens, as good as it is, follows a lot of the plot points of the original; people stuck on a ship, an android, a little girl in peril instead of a cat. So it makes sense that one of the most popular supernatural comedies of all time, Beetlejuice would follow the same pattern.

In 1991 Tim Burton was interested in doing a sequel to his 1988 original, it was called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian:

“The Deetz family moves to Hawaii to develop a resort. Construction begins, and it’s quickly discovered that the hotel will be sitting on top of an ancient burial ground. Beetlejuice comes in to save the day.”

Burton liked the script but wanted some re-writes so he asked then-hot screenwriter Daniel Waters who had just got done contributing to Heathers. He passed on the opportunity so producer David Geffen offered it to Troop Beverly Hills scribe Pamela Norris to no avail.

Eventually, Warner Bros. asked Kevin Smith to punch up Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, he scoffed at the idea, saying, “Didn’t we say all we needed to say in the first Beetlejuice? Must we go tropical?”

Nine years later the sequel was killed. The studio said Winona Ryder was now too old for the part and an entire re-cast needed to happen. But Burton never gave up, there were a lot of directions he wanted to take his characters, including a Disney crossover.

“We talked about lots of different things,” the director said in Entertainment Weekly. “That was early on when we were going, Beetlejuice and the Haunted MansionBeetlejuice Goes West, whatever. Lots of things came up.”

Fast-forward to 2011 when another script was pitched for a sequel. This time the writer of Burton’s Dark Shadows,  Seth Grahame-Smith was hired and he wanted to make sure the story wasn’t a cash-grabbing remake or reboot. Four years later, in 2015, a script was approved with both Ryder and Keaton saying they would return to their respective roles. In 2017 that script was revamped and then eventually shelved in 2019.

During the time the sequel script was being tossed around in Hollywood, in 2016 an artist named Alex Murillo posted what looked like one-sheets for a Beetlejuice sequel. Although they were fabricated and had no affiliation with Warner Bros. people thought they were real.

Perhaps the virality of the artwork sparked interest in a Beetlejuice sequel once again, and finally, it was confirmed in 2022 Beetlejuice 2 had a green light from a script written by Wednesday writers  Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The star of that series Jenna Ortega signed on to the new movie with filming starting in 2023. It was also confirmed that Danny Elfman would return to do the score.

Burton and Keaton agreed that the new film titled Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice wouldn’t rely on CGI or other other forms of technology. They wanted the film to feel “handmade.” The film wrapped in November 2023.

It’s been over three decades to come up with a sequel to Beetlejuice. Hopefully, since they said aloha to Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian there has been enough time and creativity to ensure Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will not only honor the characters, but fans of the original.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will open theatrically on September 6.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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