Special Guest: Bertrand Mandico Guest Co-Hosts: Kyler Fey, Michelle Kisner
Kyler Fey and Michelle Kisner join Mike to dig into Bertrand Mandico's striking 2017 feature debut, The Wild Boys (Les Garçons Sauvages). A fever dream of transgression and transformation, the film follows five privileged boys who rape and murder their literature teacher — then are spirited away by a mysterious sea captain to the strange and sensual Dress Island, where nature itself begins to reshape them.
The trio explores the film's roots in transgressive literary tradition, its place within a rich lineage of queer underground filmmaking — from Jean Genet and Kenneth Anger to Guy Maddin — and Mandico's bold formal choices: tactile black-and-white cinematography, analog practical effects, and the provocative decision to cast women as the "wild boys," destabilizing gender from the very first frame.
The conversation ranges across Mandico's developing filmography as well, examining how After Blue and She Is Conann extend the obsessions on display here: artificial worlds, collapsing gender binaries, and the body as a site of punishment and desire. More than a debut, The Wild Boys emerges as a manifesto for a wholly singular cinematic vision.
Starting 2025 with a bang, we're diving into Todd Haynes's groundbreaking feature film debut, Poison (1991). Co-hosted by the fabulous Rahne Alexander and Kyler Fey himself, this episode unpacks the audacious triptych of tales—Hero, Horror, and Homo—that propelled Haynes to indie cinema stardom. Bold, provocative, and unapologetically queer, Poison challenges conventions and leaves an indelible mark on the New Queer Cinema movement. Join us as we explore the film’s layered narratives, its haunting aesthetics, and its enduring impact.
Mike, Dr. Nicholas Schlegel, and Heather Drain bring the eerie vibe of #Shocktober2024 to new heights with a Patreon request from Kyler Fey: The Bell from Hell. This sinister 1973 gem by Claudio Guerín, written by Santiago Moncada, follows John (Renaud Verley), fresh from the asylum after a stay orchestrated by his aunt, Marta (Viveca Lindfors), and her three daughters. Now he’s back—and his intentions? Is he a prankster with a wicked sense of humor, or is he dead-set on revenge?
Another month of requests continues with one from Kyler Fey who joins Kat Ellinger and Mike to discuss Guilio Questi's Arcana (1972).
Released four years after the one-two punch of Django Kill, if you Live Shoot! and Death Laid an Egg, Questi goes from a Western and a Giallo of sorts to the supernatural in a story about a mother and son psychic duo who may or may not be quacks.
Shocktober 2022 continues with a look at Tomas Alfredson's Let the Right One In (2008). Based on the book and adapted by John Ajvide Lindqvist, it’s the story of Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), a young boy who’s being picked on at school. When a vampire, Eli (Lina Leandersson), and her helper move into the apartment next door, things change for young Oskar.
Kyler Fey and Chris Bricklemyer join Mike to discuss this unusual vampire film as well as its American remake.
Special Guest: Bertrand Mandico
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