Girls, Guts, and Giallo

We're entering a new era of GGG with video bonuses and better episode organization! I promise! I'm leaving my luddite era and I'm so excited to bring you the first ever video bonus episode! This one is juicy as hell. Academic queen of trash Ev Amaral joins me for a thorough discussion of ape sex cinema. YES, we know monkeys are different than apes! But I couldn't NOT use the "Monkey Love" title. It was simply too good. I absolutely love this episode. Ev and I are completely unhinged kindred spirits of sleaze and we dive deep into a collection of films that feature humans and apes doing the nasty. We discuss the racist history of the trope starting in the Enlightenment Era, up through films like King Kong, exploitation rarities, and arthouse gems like The Mafu Cage. Why are people so obsessed with ape sex? What does the ape represent in the Western psyche? Why did we watch all this trash? Watch to find out exactly what is wrong with us!

As appreciation for all your patience, I wanted to offer a bonus bonus review episode this month.

Recurring guest and horror fanatic Morgan Woolsey returns to the show to dissect the sapphic slasher homage on everyone's lips: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. Despite this being right up both our alleys as queer horror freaks, we did not like this film. I don't want to give too much away, you'll have to listen to find out exactly why it didn't work for us. This is a juicy and passionate episode. We really went off for an hour and a half. We discuss slasher tropes, our issues with media nostalgia, why we do not agree with people that this is a horny film, how we feel about tops constantly getting shafted in queer films, and so much more. Also, we both really hate Counting Crows. Like, a lot.

I highly recommend signing up for my Patreon where you receive much more bonus content right when I release it, including my "hater" episodes. patreon.com/girlsgutsgiallo

Have you read Lovers XXX yet? Well, get on it, because it is the most exciting novel of 2026. For this bonus episode, author Allie Rowbottom joins me to discuss her beautiful book. Set in the booming porno valley of 1980s Los Angeles, Lovers XXX follows two women, their intense friendship, and their diverging lives and attitudes towards their experiences in the adult industry. Allie and I discuss her 1980s porn influences, her research process, and our relationships to pornography as lifelong feminists.

If you want even more bonus content including reviews of new films and my special "hater" episodes, sign up at ⁠patreon.com/girlsgutsgiallo

Pro Dominatrix Mistress Rosette joins me on this bonus episode to chat about Gregg Araki's new film, I Want Your Sex starring Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde! We both liked this film and it's handling of murky/problematic consent. Araki's first feature in 12 years tackles the Gen X vs. Gen Z attitudes towards sex and our open millennial legs are the Y between them! We discuss risk taking and kink, generational sexual divides, being sadistic freak bitches, and why we love seeing an evil Domme on our screens. DM me if you're an older evil woman that want to unethically play psychological chess in my head, I think that would fix me.

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I'm Doctor Annie B. Gröss and this is my collection of horrific death footage I've scoured the world over to obtain. Just kidding!

Celeste de la Cabra and I discussed the Faces of Death reboot last month and now we're back to chat about the original cult film that started it all. We dive into the history and making of this controversial movie and discuss the ethics of making/viewing various death and horrors. We talk about what a snuff film is (IT IS VERY SPECIFIC) and how that urban legend came to be as well as debate about what the difference between footage of genocide and footage of individual death, namely suicide. We try to put this film in a contemporary context and map how viewing violence has changed since gory footage has become available en masse thanks to the internet.

As always, please consider signing up for my Patreon.

Author of Bound Together: Leather, Sex, Archives, and Contemporary Art Andy Campbell joins me for a review of the dom-com, Pillion! We loved it and you're gonna find out why. Andy and I get deep in those ear holes and discuss the novella the film is based on by comparing and contrasting narrative and thematic elements. How does the story change when we transport it from 1975 to the current day? Are there BDSM romance film tropes and how do we feel about them? What are old guard Motorcycle Clubs? What role does non-verbal consent and cruising play historically in leathermen's community? All these questions and more dissected in this big, juicy bonus episode!

For more bang for your buck, consider signing up at patreon.com/girlsgutsgiallo

The name says it all. Critic Devin Faraci and I discuss the last two months of Eros programming at the New Beverly Cinema here in LA, harkening back to the theater's old life as a porn house.

It's not too specific about the series, so don't feel like you can't listen if you're not in LA. What we do is use this program - and the backlash to it - as a springboard to talk about erotic cinema, dirty movies, smutty Heated Rivalry, the long human history of erotic artwork and how everybody who likes movies is, at heart, a pervert. We discuss why people were upset about the programming, why we love it, and why keeping erotic cinema alive is intellectually and culturally relevant, perhaps more than ever. We also chat about women's enjoyment of porn, adult cinema being categorized as male centric, the importance of communal sexual experiences, sex scenes that don't advance the plot, and more!

Get more bang for your buck at patreon.com/girlsgutsgiallo

Is anyone still talking about this mess? We are! Morgan Woolsey and I saw Wuthering Heights high off an edible and we kind of liked it. Miss Emerald's fan fiction version of the novel highlights the erotic, sadomasochistic elements of the story that captivated her as a teen girl and sometimes this was interesting! Listen to our discussion about what worked for us and what didn't, our feelings about Emerald Fennel, the absolute camp of straight women being horny, and our thoughts on the controversy surrounding this adaptation.

Sign up at patreon.com/girlsgutsgiallo for 6 years worth of bonus episodes.

I'm back! Sorry for the wait and thank you for your patience and patronage. Life is a crazy thing. I have a lot of Patreon content planned for this month so thanks for hanging in there.

But the timing seems to be perfect because Kim Gordon just released a banger of a top 4 for Letterboxd! Celeste de la Cabra joins me again for a discussion about Kristen Stewart's directory debut, The Chronology of Water. We talk about why we loved it, heavily digress regarding gender and violence, and why we both need Kim Gordon to beat us within an inch of our lives. We also talk about the film The Plague, another recent debut that deals with water sports and abuse, as well as other films that came out in 2025 that feature women losing their minds.

Recurring guest Lucé Tomlin-Brenner is back to talk about every weird millennial girl's filmic awakening, Ghost World! While not the kind of film I typically cover on the show, I think our deep dive ended up being full of topics that are quite relevant to GGG. This is a meaty episode full of discussions about subculture, poser violence, hipster ethos in the early aughts, girlhood and friendship, why having a job fucking sucks, age gap relationships, and so much more.

You truly get more over on patreon.com/girlsgutsgiallo!

Thank you for your patience while I've been recovering from the holidays and a flu that took me out for three weeks!

I've returned with a bonus review episode featuring critic Devin Faraci. We talk about the new addition to the 28 ___ Later Franchise: The Bone Temple! We discuss why we loved it and how we think Nia DaCosta's directorial vision is essential to the film's themes regarding colonialism and British history. We also dive into the religious themes, Devin rants about the origins of the upside down cross, and we digress into praise of Sinners. Enjoy!

Surrogate partner therapist Risdon Roberts joins me to discuss a collection of films that deal with sex addiction, sexual compulsivity, and nymphomania. We talk about the clinical definition of sex addiction and how the reality differs from what is represented in the movies. Do we care about "good" representation? What is the difference between how male and female sex addicts are portrayed? What are these films lacking? Listen to hear our takes!

For more bang for your buck and my entire back catalogue of bonus episodes, sign up at patreon.com/girlsgutsgiallo

True crime podcaster Cooper Moll joins me for a discussion about the new Aileen Wuornos documentary on Netflix. We talk about the history of trends in true crime media, how certain high profile crimes become emblematic of societal frustrations, and Aileen as a reviled man hating prostitute turned feminist folk hero. What made Aileen's personality and crimes so compelling? How has the way we discuss her story shifted over the years? We unpack it all!

For more bang for you buck and my entire back catalogue of bonus episodes, sign up on patreon.com/girlsgutsgiallo

This is the first episode of the podcast where I discuss a television show and this chat is RICH. Extreme cinema YouTuber Celeste de la Cabra joins me for a spirited dissection of the new Ryan Murphy Netflix trash fest, MONSTER: THE ED GEIN STORY. I'm one of three people that likes this show. Celeste and I really get into in this one. We largely discuss the ethics of making a show like this and what we think it was trying to do on a thematic level. Is it indefensible trash? Or an avant-garde surrealist art piece? Or perhaps it is just the new exploitation garbage du jour. We leave no stone unturned. I love this episode and I hope you like it, too.

You can listen on Spotify or Apple subscriptions, but you get way more bang for your buck at patreon.com/girlsgutsgiallo

Hello horror whores! Indie horror actor and sex worker Alyss Winkler joins me to discuss my budding theories about representations of sex work in horror. We discuss some categories I'm proposing as well as our own experiences in the industry.

Morgan Woolsey is a cool queer with a Phd in Musicology and she joins me for a bonus episode about music in horror films! This is a topic I've always wanted to cover on the show and I am thrilled to have met and befriended Morgan, who's breadth and depth of knowledge on the topic and on film in general is profoundly impressive. We chat about various theories concerning how music functions in film, the history of music in horror films, and we pick out some movies of importance and analyze them within this context. Some of our choices include Psycho, Cruising, Hellraiser, and Suspiria.

Comedian and bi-con Joseph Tolpi joins me to talk about Zach Cregger's new horror film, Weapons. Joseph doesn't like horror movies too much but he loved this exploration of grief and trauma from one of his comedic idols. I didn't like it as much. Listen to find out why. This episode contains discussions of suicide.

Carr Conaway is back to discuss another David Lynch masterpiece. This is one of favorite movies and we leave no stone unturned. We analyze the film scene by scene and discuss various theories about the plot, symbolism, and iconography. We attempt to unravel the mystery of this enigmatic work and take our time discussing topics like lesbian yearning, old Hollywood legends, dream logic, and so much more.

Horror film YouTuber Celesete de la Cabra joins me for a review of the new Robert Eggers film. We discuss the history of the original, the Werner Herzog version, and review the new Nosferatu. I had such high standards for this film. Did it meet my expectations? Listen to find out if I loved it or not.

Watch Celeste on YouTube and subscribe to her patreon!

https://www.youtube.com/@celestedelacabra

https://www.patreon.com/celestedelacabra

Draglesque performer, film programmer, and sex worker Ramona Slick joins me for a discussion about Sean Baker's new film. Although Anora is garnering praise from critics and festivals alike, many sex workers are having mixed reactions to the way their lives and livelihoods are portrayed. Ramona and I discuss what we love about the film, what we hated, and what kind of movies about sex work we long to see.

Coco and I chat about Coralie Fargeat's new feminist body horror film, The Substance. We talk about what worked for us as well as what didn't work, how this film fits into the history and canon of body horror more generally, and what we think about all that male gaze discourse.

We are celebrating Folsom Weekend on Girls, Guts, & Giallo! Director/artist Michelle Handelman joins me for an interview about her paradigm shifting, transgressive documentary on the leatherdykes of San Francisco. BloodSisters: Leather, Dykes and Sadomasochism (1995) is screening at the Roxie Theater Saturday 9/28, which is one of the theaters it originally was shown at back when it was first released. It’s a very special screening. Michelle and I talk about the making of the film, San Francisco in the 90s, leather culture then vs. today, and much more. The first part of this interview is available for free. To hear the whole conversation, sign up at patreon.com/girlsgutsgiallo.

Watch the film over on bloodsistersthemovie.com where you’ll find it available through Kino Lorber and Kanopy.

As a director associated with the Cinema of Transgression movement, Charles Pinion made three SOV horror classics in the late 80s/early to mid 90s: Twisted Issues (1988), Red Spirit Lake (1993), and We Await (1996). In this interview, Charles and I discuss his filmmaking career, as well as his foray into the porn industry. The director generously shares his stories in this full two hour interview.

My digital bodyguard and close friend Coco joins me to discuss Luca Guadagnino's new erotically charged tennis film, Challengers. We dish about throuple codependency, Zendaya's hair, how all sports should be erotic duels, and more.

Fellow pervert femme film critic Nea Ching (TheGayChingy) joins me for a discussion of Rose Glass's sophomore film. We talk about sexy buff giant women, Kristen Stewart as a dyke icon, and more!