In reviews and user comments I've read online about these films,
the writers will say things like `It's almost as if it's gay.' and `It
seems sort of gay.' The equivocal reactions are understandable.
Allow me to be more bluntly clear: This is a horror film which,
unlike Hollywood films, is more intent on pleasing a gay male
audience than a straight one (though technically none of the
characters are gay.)
In `Voodoo Academy,' along with his film `The Brotherhood,'
director DeCoteau has created what might be called `the non-gay
gay film.' These are films which are clearly designed to appeal to
a gay audience, yet nevertheless stop short of being overtly gay.
On the surface, they seem intended for a straight audience. The
characters are not gay and they don't engage in any romantic
activities together. (And certainly the marketing makes no
indication of a gay angle.)
Yet at the same time, it's clear that something is going on here.
There are lots of gratuitous shots of young men in designer
underwear. There's no straight romantic subplots and hardly any
women. Unlike Hollywood films, which bend over backwards to
please a straight audience (and avoid any possible hint of gay
subtext), these films are clearly more interested in pleasing a gay
male audience than straight ones.
As for the film itself, it's not very good. A bland young man enrolls
in a small (6 students) college, where something strange is going
on. Long stretches of the film are given to providing expository
information which ultimately proves irrelevant. Scenes lack
tension. And the overall story is fairly dumb and ends abruptly.
The technical stuff is good, but the acting is wooden and the
scenes just drag.
the writers will say things like `It's almost as if it's gay.' and `It
seems sort of gay.' The equivocal reactions are understandable.
Allow me to be more bluntly clear: This is a horror film which,
unlike Hollywood films, is more intent on pleasing a gay male
audience than a straight one (though technically none of the
characters are gay.)
In `Voodoo Academy,' along with his film `The Brotherhood,'
director DeCoteau has created what might be called `the non-gay
gay film.' These are films which are clearly designed to appeal to
a gay audience, yet nevertheless stop short of being overtly gay.
On the surface, they seem intended for a straight audience. The
characters are not gay and they don't engage in any romantic
activities together. (And certainly the marketing makes no
indication of a gay angle.)
Yet at the same time, it's clear that something is going on here.
There are lots of gratuitous shots of young men in designer
underwear. There's no straight romantic subplots and hardly any
women. Unlike Hollywood films, which bend over backwards to
please a straight audience (and avoid any possible hint of gay
subtext), these films are clearly more interested in pleasing a gay
male audience than straight ones.
As for the film itself, it's not very good. A bland young man enrolls
in a small (6 students) college, where something strange is going
on. Long stretches of the film are given to providing expository
information which ultimately proves irrelevant. Scenes lack
tension. And the overall story is fairly dumb and ends abruptly.
The technical stuff is good, but the acting is wooden and the
scenes just drag.