Compared to the last couple years, 2022 has been a great year for the horror genre. Fans of every subgenre, from slasher to body horror to monster flicks, have received at least one solid film to gush about on Twitter. Unfortunately, the one area that seems to be lacking once again is queer horror. Sure, there’s been a couple nods to queerness in mainstream films like Jordan Peele’s Nope and Ti West’s X, but unfortunately the only mainstream queer horror film has been the experience that was John Logan’s They/Them. And honestly, with the state of LGBT rights worldwide at the moment, something like They/Them is not really the kind of film we need right now. No, we need a film that’s not just meaningless representation created and produced by people way out of their depth and honestly overstepping their bounds. We want agency, we want a solid story and themes, and most importantly we want a lot of neon lights.
Luckily Alice Maio Mackay, whose debut feature So Vam debuted on Shudder earlier this year, has released her sophomore feature Bad Girl Boogey. Much like So Vam, her second feature is another microbudget film financed mostly on Indiegogo with an entirely LGBT cast and production team. But, Mackay once again creates an enthralling world with endearing characters on a budget of nearly nothing. Additionally, again like in her debut feature, Mackay shows her obvious love of horror films — especially the strange and gorey bits that we as queer horror fans tend to gravitate towards. Bad Girl Boogey has the perfect balance of having a good time with horror as a genre while still covering serious topics of homophobia and transphobia with the respect and depth they’re meant to be covered in.
As most supernatural slashers do, this film centers around a cursed object. In this case, it’s a mask very reminiscent of the Dollface mask in The Strangers; if that movie taught us anything, it’s that doll masks are nothing but trouble. This mask is cursed in “black magic and bigotry” that compels whoever wears it to commit acts of targeted violence. Angel’s (Lisa Fanto) mother was a victim of this mask when she was a baby; her patient Oskar (Hjàlmar Marteinsson) acquired it before immediately intuiting she was a closeted lesbian. Sixteen years later, Angel is reeling from coming out to her unsupportive family by getting into trouble, relying on unhealthy coping mechanisms, and spending time with her much more supportive friends. Unfortunately, her best friend Lila (Prudence Cassar) is murdered on a night out by a figure in the exact same mask. Angel and her other close friend Dario (Iris Mcerlean) must deal with the trauma of seeing their brutally murdered friend while simultaneously trying to piece together who exactly the murderer is. As more of their friends continue to get brutally slain and the mask seems to haunt them in both waking hours and in dreams, Angel and Dario must wade through the red herrings and find out not only who but what the masked killer actually is.
Despite only being made a year after So Vam, Mackay’s skill in the director’s chair has increased considerably. This film is drenched in a neo-giallo flair that’s been having a deserved comeback in the horror film recently; neon lights and disorienting close ups are strewn throughout the entire film and lend it a very distinct, memorable style considering its microbudget. Now there was one brief yet major cinematic choice that I think could’ve been left out of the film, but it’s a very “blink and you miss it” inclusion. The montages in this film are incredibly well-constructed and are perfect extensions of the even more well-written feelings that Mackay and returning co-writer Ben Pahl Robinson have imbued into the script. There’s a lot of heavy topics covered in this film — namely self-harm, mental illness, homophobia, and transphobia — and they’re all handled with the same care and attention to nuance and detail that So Vam had. Nothing ever felt forced or exploitative, but instead was obviously treated with intense care and attention to detail. The themes of queer suffering going unnoticed until it becomes a visible tragedy is also handled very well. These themes are extremely potent especially now where an uptick in outright homophobia and transphobia is at the forefront of queer people’s minds. Things like forced detransitioning and the infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill are being fought by us and us alone while cishet people seem to sit by idly, sending their well wishes but not doing anything material to stop it.
Alongside the writing, the entire cast gives stellar performances despite this film being most of their feature film acting debuts. The chemistry — especially with the short lived bliss Angel experiences with her friends and the deep bond she shares with Dario after Lila’s death — between the actors enhances the writing and the themes so well. In its lighter moments, the friend group reminds me of my own: throwing snarky comments at each other with light homoerotic tension. In its heavier moments, the friendship and bonds over shared trauma felt real and brought a tear to my eye. Several actors from So Vam return to Mackay’s set and are able to show a less outright campy, more dramatic performance. The best example is Iris McEerlean who gave a very lighthearted, campy performance as Harley but gives an equally amazing dramatic performance as Dario: a teen crushed under the pressure of living as a nonbinary person in a transphobic community and a grieving friend being hunted down by a supernatural monster. Likewise Chris Asimos, who was a stellar heel in So Vam, gets to play a more sympathetic character as the misunderstood Gary. But it’s Lisa Fanto as Angel who really carries the film. She absolutely nails the nuances of a traumatized teenager trying to deal with the continued stress of living in an unsupportive household, losing her friends one by one, and being treated as an outsider freak in her own home. Even in scenes where it’s simply showing her eyes she still manages to convey a litany of emotions in a few glances. On a bit of a lighter note, Bad Girl Boogey also has a cameo from a figure horror fans will immediately recognize: Bill Moseley. Yes, the man that gave life to Chop Top and the random patron from Evil Bong makes a very brief appearance as a grumpy radio host that openly roasts the music he plays.
Bad Girl Boogey is a very mature second outing for Alice Maio Mackay. Where So Vam leaned into the campier side of horror while exploring what it means to be the other, this film is a lot more grounded and serious while still showing Mackay’s love for the horror genre through her neo-giallo stylistic choice. While this one might not be for everyone right now, seriously heed the trigger warning at the start of the film, it’s still a very solid outing for the 18-year-old filmmaker. With the recent announcement of her third feature wrapping production, I’m excited to see what Mackay adds to her already impressive film roster.
