...from whence it came.

I saw Rob Zombie's The Lords of Salem last night and, despite being in the midst of frantically trying finish my thesis, felt compelled to assemble a quick collage of some films TLOS seems to reference. Some are no-brainers (Zombie said he was influenced by Polanski, Russell, and Kubrick in interviews), others are educated guesses.

From upper left to bottom right: Rosemary's Baby (Polansk 1968), Don't Look Now (Roeg 1973), The Mummy (Fisher 1959), The Shining (Kubrick 1980), Suspiria (Argento 1977), The Devils (Russell 1971), The Witches (Frankel 1966), Inferno (Argento 1980), Witchhammer (Vavra 1970)

And maybe a dash of Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain...

The LA Zombie paper...

Nearly two years ago, I attended a midnight showing of Bruce LaBruce's LA Zombie and I have been talking and thinking and writing about it ever since--from the ride home (with the lovely, willing, and fearless Nikoba), to using it as an excuse to strike up a friendship with the gentleman/scholar Adam O., to writing a research paper and, thus, ensuring a home for LA Zombie in the university's film library. Whether anyone will ever watch it is another question, but knowing that I leave UWM covered in terms of gay zombie porn makes my heart pitter patter. As usual, the original paper emerged from the haze of sleep deprivation, carefully balanced alcohol and caffeine consumption, and made-up voodoo rituals involving keyboard pounding and ill-advised harem pants. I have since revised it for a PhD program application, but feel that it still lacks the character I want it to have, especially for a LaBruce film, which deserves a spirited response.

However, for the time being, this paper is the demon-child of my years at UWM and my best effort at forging an interdisciplinary pathway. To what end? I have no f**king clue. I am in need of a patron willing to indulge my interests in film studies, queer theory, cultural geography, and the urban milieu. I will wear a push-up bra if needed. Also, I own a blazer that can easily be fitted with scholarly suede elbow patches.

Without further fanfare, here is the LA Zombie paper. Many thanks to Gilberto for tolerating me and for the few people who will appreciate the effort. For the uninitiated, here is a trailer and link to the website:

 LA Zombie website: http://www.lazombie.com/ 

There is No Title Because I Have Erased the Title
(This is Not a Title)  

In this paper, I...

1.       Propose a theoretical model for the study of queerness and geography in film, including a discussion of the spatiality of film itself, the relevancy of cultural geography in the study of film, the role of built environments in the regulation of sexuality, and the zombie’s ability to “queer” space.

2.       Read Bruce LaBruce’s LA Zombie (2010) as a radical critique of the spatial marginalization of sexual minorities and as a utopian text that champions border-crossing and the queering of normative spaces.