The Silly, Campy Delight of ‘Psycho Beach Party’ [Horror Queers Podcast]
Homage to Gidget.
After spending July discussing slasher film The Slumber Party Massacre (listen), supernatural giallo film Phenomena (listen), and entry #2 in Park Chan-wook revenge trilogy Oldboy (listen), we kicked off August with a look at director Robert Lee King‘s Psycho Beach Party (2000).
In the homage to beach and surf films of the ’50s and ’60s, Lauren Ambrose plays Florence (aka “Chicklet”) a girl who wants to hang out with the surfer boys, but constantly finds herself swapping personalities due to a hypnotic suggestion.
Meanwhile, Captain Monica Stark (Charles Busch in drag) is investigating a string of murders targeting Florence’s friend group and anyone deemed “imperfect.” This includes queer-coded boys Yo-Yo (Nick Cornish) and Provoloney (Andrew Levitas), failed psych major Star Cat (Nicholas Brendon), and best friend Berdine (Danni Wheeler).
Will Chicklet’s friends be whittled down one by one? Will she learn how to surf under the tutelage of aging beach bum Kanaka (Thomas Gibson)? And will she land the boy of her dreams or lose him to her rival, Marvel Ann (Amy Adams)? Only the triggering circles will tell!
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Episode 346: Psycho Beach Party (2000)
Beware of circles and phallic surfboards because we’re talking Robert Lee King’s adaptation of Charles Busch’s stage play Psycho Beach Party (2000) for its 25th anniversary!
Lead by HQ fave Lauren Ambrose, this homage to sexual repression, Gidget and beach/surf movies is very silly, very queer, and very fun.
Plus: a primer on the origin of “teen films,” the stacked cast, Swedish accents, and constipation = apprehension about bottoming?
Cross out Psycho Beach Party!
Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of hypnotic Australian classic, Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 405 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8, Lurker, Together, Weapons and a brand new audio commentary on Wes Craven’s Red Eye for its 20th anniversary!
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