Masterpiece of Horror Theatre- Bit

       Alright, so not a lot of history behind this, which, again, good news for me. Director Brad Michael Elmore, after directing two horror films, decided to make a film with a transgender protagonist played by a transgender lead, combining it with an idea of "Jem and the Holograms" meets the Lost Boys. Elmore felt that a lower budget horror movie could be a good avenue to introduce a trans lead such as this. Said lead, Nicole Maines, got famous for fighting for her right to go to the bathroom of her gender identity. She had a lot of input into the role. The film was released to relatively postive reviews in 2019 at the LGBTQ+ themed Inside Out in Toronto. 

     So, the film begins with the ending of another film. In this case, introducing one of the main foci of the film, an intersectional lesbian vampire group led by Duke (Diana Hopper), consisting of Izzy (Zolee Griggs), Frog (Char Diaz) and Roya (Friday Chamberlain) , who confront one of their own (Julia Voth), after she makes a man a vampire, verboten in their clique. Meanwhile, Laurel (Nicole Maines) is a young trans woman from Oregon who moves in with his brother Mark (James Paxton), and she soon crosses pathes with this gang. Hijinks ensue. 

      Well, the main thing I enjoyed about the film was the representation. Not just the trans representation (though that obviously appeals to me as a trans woman), but the representation of race, sexuality and gender was especially fantastic. It was very much a film that doesn't necessarily ignore these issues, but also doesn't obsess over them. The characters are their identities, but they're also fleshed out and sympathetic. I liked that the film didn't make a big deal out of Laurel's gender identity, but it's obviously still affects her and her outlook. I liked that it also examines power dynamics in a very nuanced way, showing that Duke's misandrist perspective, while understandable, can just as easily be turned against her (which it is.)

     Not much bad about this film. I felt parts could've been explored more deeper, like Laurel's journey as a trans woman, the backstory of the rest of the gang, and more of the characters interacting and having their misadventures. Not to say there isn't any of that, but a little more could've been explored. Then again, the fact that my main criticism is that a movie doesn't have enough, it's probably a good thing.

   So, yeah, really loved this movie. Already inclined towards it as a trans horror fan, but it definitely exceeded expectations.Definitely recommend to horror fans, trans people, both and even neither. It's definitely been a highlight of the year.

   So close to finishing this on time. Well, I suppose election weekend is hard to avoid. Anyway, regardless of how this election turns out, as always I want to thank everyone for reading these, and hopefully, we get to the next October alive. Please check out my rewatch of the recently departed Venture Bros. coming up this month.