Now that we’re in October already, it’s a fine time to reflect on the uncanny grasp that horror has in the hearts of so many queer people. So for this week’s episode, we’re heading into the Sewers archives for a chat with director Jeffrey Schwarz, for whom horror is just one small slice of the story. Jeffrey’s made a lifelong study of film, starting with an early job editing the documentary The Celluloid Closet, right up to today with documentaries about people like Divine, Vito Russo, and horror icon William Castle. I chatted with Jeffrey back in 2017, when he was about to debut a documentary about the flamboyant producer Alan Carr — a fitting subject, since as a young gay man, Jeffrey found kindred spirits in people who, like him, reveled in intensity and excess.
We’ll have that conversation in just a minute. First, a reminder that I have a new YouTube videos out about the movie Kiss of the Spider Woman. That’s available now at youtube.com/mattbaume.
And also! For the entire month of October I’m hosting livestreams of films by and about James Whale, the iconic director behind 1931’s Frankenstein and many other classics. Join me every Saturday and Sunday on Twitch for movies like The Old Dark House, The Invisible Man, and of course Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein. This weekend we’ll be watching clips from the 1994 film Gods & Monsters, and examining how closely that fictional account of Whale’s life follows the reality. That’s at Twitch.tv/mattbaume this Saturday and Sunday.
And as always, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, support the show on Patreon at Patreon.com/mattbaume.