Four Favorites with Kier-La Janisse: psychotic women, Matt Dillon, Bee Gees and cockfights
Author and filmmaker Kier-La Janisse joins Slim and Mitchell to discuss the tenth-anniversary expanded edition of her book House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography Of Female Neurosis In Horror And Exploitation Films, as well as taking a dive through her four favorite films: Over the Edge; Melody; Cockfighter and The Last Wave. Plus: Kier-La’s trick to seeming so productive; Matt Dillon’s iconic outfits; knife fights in the woods; twelve year olds on acid; parents just don’t understand; Jack Wild’s preternaturally youthful looks; the dulcet sounds of the Bee Gees; the masterpiece that is Little Darlings; Kier-La’s work with Severin Films restoring underground classics; taking vows of silence; the amount of cockfighting in Cockfighter; our shared adoration for physical media; cosmic horror; the absolute legend Peter Weir; and Kier-La’s super-top-secret Letterboxd account (no we won’t share it, don’t ask). Sponsor: You can try MUBI free for 90 days at www.mubi.com/letterboxd. With MUBI, each and every film is hand-selected. It’s like your own personal film festival—streaming anytime, anywhere. Find out more about Notebook at mubi.com/magazine. Lists & Links: The Letterboxd list of films mentioned in this episode; MUBI – Notebook; Kier-La’s Magic Hour conversation with Ben Wheatley; “House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography Of Female Neurosis In Horror And Exploitation Films”; House of Psychotic Women: Rarities Collection boxset from Severin Films; “Warped and Faded: Weird Wednesday and the Birth of the American Genre Film Archive”; “Bleak and Gritty Teen Films” by Vanina Reviews of: Over the Edge by MandrakeGray and JRK; Cockfighter by Adam Robertson Credits: This episode was recorded in Philadelphia, Delaware and British Columbia, and edited by Slim. Facts by Jack. Booker: Brian Formo. Transcript by Sophie Shin. Art by Samm. Theme: ‘Vampiros Dancoteque’ by Moniker. The Letterboxd Show is a TAPEDECK production.