Ep 109 - The Fan

In this episode, Jon Larkin is joined by fellow queer horror fanatic soap writer Steve Hughes! The man responsible for bringing Silas the serial killer to UK soap Hollyoaks talks influences from 70s TV thrillers to Joan Collins, before helping write a love letter to an under-rated camp classic.

The Fan (1981) starred Lauren Bacall as an ageing actress being stalked by a psychotic admirer, but it took flak from all sides. LGBTQ audiences didn’t like how gays were portrayed, Bacall fans didn’t take kindly to their icon being embroiled in a slasher movie, and NOBODY liked how it was released so soon after John Lennon was murdered by his own crazed stalker.

So does The Fan deserve to be re-appraised? It’s got showtunes by Tim Rice, a cute male psycho and more fawning Broadway gays than Marie’s Crisis on Tony night. But is it any good?

 

Listen and find out!