Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a rewatch.
The Throbbing: Stranger by the Lake
One of the most talked-about films of 2014 (or 2013, for folks living in France), Stranger by the Lake might be the film Alfred Hitchcock would have made if he’d been allowed to show gay sex in his movies…if indeed Hitch had a stomach for it. The film follows Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps), a horny gay man fond of frequenting a gay nude beach in France. One day he meets Michel (Christophe Paou), and the two have an instant, electric attraction for one another.
Then Franck sees Michel kill a man. What would have sent many a sane queer man packing instead seems to excite Franck even more, even after the police arrive on the scene. More than that we won’t reveal here, other than to say that the film doesn’t shy away from graphic scenes of eroticism (supposedly the sex scenes are not faked), or violence.
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Much in the tradition of Blue Velvet or Rear Window, Stranger by the Lake examines the strange connections between sex, violence, and death. Just how different are the excitements of fear and sexual attraction? Dark, twisted and taut with suspense, we recommend the film as a good way to welcome the Halloween spirit…or as a date night feature. Whether it leads to crazy sex or somehow puts the kibosh to any follow-up dates may vary…
Streams on Netflix, Amazon, Kanopy, Shudder and YouTube.
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dhmonarch89
Disappointed when it was established stand ins were used for the erect/sex parts.
jayceecook
That kind of bummed me out as well. I mean I understand that it is an actor’s choice but other films exist where the nonsimulated sex scenes were performed by the actors. So I guess I just assumed it would be the case here.
WashDrySpin
You are an idiot why would one be disappointed…that is lame and plainly stupid
meduel
disturbing…
HoldenCaufield
It’s NOT streaming on Netflix as you reported…but nice try.
David Reddish
It is Holden, at least according to Netflix, though not in all territories. Hope you can catch it on another option.
glennmcbride
I couldn’t find it on netflix either
ShiningSex
It used to be on Netflix. I remember seeing it on there.
RandomGuy
Disturbing(and dumb) the main character is a shallow and selfish idiot who gets at least two people killed and then at the end goes back to search for his sexy homicidal hookup.
ShiningSex
how was it dumb? please explain. most gay horror films on TLA are awful but this one was a breath of fresh air like B&B, Knife+Heart, and Rift.
JPB
It was interesting in parts, but the ending sucked. No puns intended.
The real Bruce
I saw it in the theater first and then bought the DVD as part of my gay cinema collection. Interesting, disturbing, somewhat erotic. The ending left me feeling, “What the hell happened?’ Did they run out of film stock?
wooly101
Oh it’s not in English.
ShiningSex
you can’t read or something?
ShiningSex
GREAT FILM!!! WATCH IT!! DON’T LISTEN TO THE NEGATIVE QUEENS. OTHER GOOD LGBT HORROR FILMS ARE: “B&B”, “HELLBENT”, “HEART+KNIFE”, “RIFT”. WATCH THEM!
Dick Gozinia
That movie IS very dark and almost pornographic but it’s a good movie. It’s been years since I watched it, but as I recall it’s one of those that starts slowly but then becomes captivating.