Science Fiction Double Feature: The Science Fiction Film as Cult Text

284 Pages·2015·2.488 MB·English

by  J. P. Telotte (editor), Gerald Duchovnay (editor)

Science Fiction
Double Feature
Liverpool Science Fiction Texts and Studies, 52
Liverpool Science Fiction Texts and Studies
Editor David Seed, University of Liverpool
Editorial Board
Mark bould, University of the West of England
Veronica Hollinger, Trent University
rob latham, University of California
roger luckhurst, Birkbeck College, University of London
Patrick Parrinder, University of Reading
andy Sawyer, University of Liverpool
Recent titles in the series
30. Mike ashley Transformations: The Story of the Science-Fiction Magazine
from 1950–1970
31. Joanna russ The Country You Have Never Seen: Essays and Reviews
32. robert Philmus Visions and Revisions: (Re)constructing Science Fiction
33. Gene Wolfe (edited and introduced by Peter Wright) Shadows of the
New Sun: Wolfe on Writing/Writers on Wolfe
34. Mike ashley Gateways to Forever: The Story of the Science-Fiction Magazine
from 1970–1980
35. Patricia Kerslake Science Fiction and Empire
36. Keith Williams H. G. Wells, Modernity and the Movies
37. Wendy Gay Pearson, Veronica Hollinger and Joan Gordon (eds.) Queer
Universes: Sexualities and Science Fiction
38. John Wyndham (eds. David Ketterer and andy Sawyer) Plan for Chaos
39. Sherryl Vint Animal Alterity: Science Fiction and the Question of the Animal
40. Paul Williams Race, Ethnicity and Nuclear War: Representations of Nuclear
Weapons and Post-Apocalyptic Worlds
41. Sara Wasson and emily alder, Gothic Science Fiction 1980–2010
42. David Seed (ed.), Future Wars: The Anticipations and the Fears
43. andrew M. butler, Solar Flares: Science Fiction in the 1970s
44. andrew Milner, Locating Science Fiction
45. Joshua raulerson, Singularities
46. Stanislaw Lem: Selected Letters to Michael Kandel (edited, translated and
with an introduction by Peter Swirski)
47. Sonja Fritzsche, The Liverpool Companion to World Science Fiction Film
48. Jack Fennel: Irish Science Fiction
49. Peter Swirski and Waclaw M. osadnik: Lemography: Stanislaw Lem in
the Eyes of the World
50. Gavin Parkinson (ed.), Surrealism, Science Fiction and Comics
51. Peter Swirski, Stanislaw Lem: Philosopher of the Future
Science Fiction
Double Feature
the Science Fiction Film as cult text
eDiteD by
J. P. telotte anD GeralD DucHoVnay
liVerPool uni VerSity PreSS
First published 2015 by
liverpool university Press
4 cambridge Street
liverpool
l69 7Zu
copyright © 2015 liverpool university Press
the authors’ rights have been asserted by them
in accordance with the copyright, Designs and Patents act 1988.
all rights reserved. no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher.
british library cataloguing-in-Publication data
a british library ciP record is available
print iSbn 978-1-78138-183-0 cased
epdf iSbn 978-1-78138-464-0
typeset by carnegie book Production, lancaster
Printed and bound by cPi Group (uK) ltd, croydon cr0 4yy
contents
list of illustrations vii
notes on contributors x
I. Introduction
Science Fiction Double Feature 1
J. P. Telotte
II. The Multiple Texts of the SF/Cult Film
1 From “Multiverse” to “abramsverse”: Blade Runner, Star
Trek, Multiplicity, and the authorizing of cult/SF Worlds
Matt Hills 21
2 the coy cult text: The Man Who Wasn’t There as noir SF
Mark Bould 38
3 “it’s alive!”: the Splattering of SF Films
Stacey Abbott 53
4 Sean connery reconfigured: From bond to cult Science
Fiction Figure
Gerald Duchovnay 68
5 the cult Film as affective technology: anime and oshii
Mamoru’s Innocence
Sharalyn Orbaugh 84
v
vi Science Fiction Double Feature
III. SF Media and the Audience
6 Whedon, browncoats, and the big Damn narrative: the
unified Meta-Myth of Firefly and Serenity
Rhonda V. Wilcox 98
7 Iron Sky’s War bonds: cult SF cinema and crowdsourcing
Chuck Tryon 115
8 transnational interactions: District 9, or apaches in
Johannesburg
Takayuki Tatsumi 130
9 a Donut for tom Paris: identity and belonging at
european SF/Fantasy conventions
Nicolle Lamerichs 143
IV. Occulting the Cult: The “Bad” SF Text
10 Robot Monster and the “Watchable … terrible” cult/SF Film
J. P. Telotte 159
11 Science Fiction and the cult of ed Wood: Glen or Glenda?,
Bride of the Monster, and Plan 9 from Outer Space
Rodney F. Hill 172
12 Visual Pleasure, the cult, and Paracinema
Sherryl Vint 190
13 “lack of respect, Wrong attitude, Failure to obey
authority”: Dark Star, A Boy and His Dog, and new
Wave cult SF
Rob Latham 205
14 capitalism, camp, and cult SF: Space Truckers as Satire
M. Keith Booker 220
15 Bubba Ho-tep and the Seriously Silly cult Film
Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock 233
a Select cult/SF bibliography 249
a Select cult SF Filmography 253
index 257
list of illustrations
illustrations
Introduction
a. rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) explores a world of doubles in
Blade Runner (1982) 6
b. Star Wars cultists: the 501st legion Marches at Walt Disney
World 7
Chapter 1
a. Director ridley Scott discusses Harrison Ford’s role in Blade
Runner (1982) 26
b. Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013): J. J. abrams revisions the
relationship between the series’ central characters, Kirk
and Spock 27
Chapter 2
a. Doubled imagery in The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001), as a
low-key noir scene recalls ann’s tale about circular lights
and a mysterious uFo 42
b. the uFo visits ed in the prison yard at the end of The Man
Who Wasn’t There (2001) 43
Chapter 3
a. one of the slug-like parasites emerges from a drain in
cronenberg’s Shivers (1975) 58
b. Frank recoils at the horrific hospital birth, the centerpiece of
larry cohen’s It’s Alive (1974) 59
vii
viii Science Fiction Double Feature
Chapter 4
a. tired of being the “face of bond,” Sean connery becomes an
unlikely bride in Zardoz (1974) 72
b. Sean connery as a brutal is examined in Zardoz (1974) 73
Chapter 5
a. Searching for the truth of “human” relationships in Innocence
(2004) 88
b. Innocence (2004): togusa encounters the ball-jointed gynoids 89
Chapter 6
a. the cast—and crew—of Firefly/Serenity (2002–03 and 2005) 104
b. Firefly (2002–03) cast members and creator (l to r) alan
tudyk, nathan Fillion, Joss Whedon, and Summer Glau
speak to fans at comiccon 105
Chapter 7
a. Iron Sky (2012) envisions a nazi revival on the moon 120
b. the first female american president (Stephanie Paul) warns
of the nazi menace in Iron Sky (2012) 121
Chapter 8
a. the Japanese cult film Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) depicts the
human transformed into technology 134
b. evoking the “city destroyers” of Independence Day (1996), the
Prawns’ starship settles over Johannesburg in District 9
(2009) 135
Chapter 9
a. Varieties of cosplay at the German science fiction convention
Fedcon 2014 150
b. Fedcon 2014 attendees celebrate Stargate (1994) and Aliens
(1986) 151
Chapter 10
a. young Johnny begins his dream of the ro-Man invasion of
earth in Robot Monster (1953) 164
illuStrationS ix
b. Robot Monster (1953) demonstrates its “condensed cultural
logic” in the amalgam of gorilla and space-helmeted alien 165
Chapter 11
a. ed Wood, Jr.’s transgressive gender vision in Glen or Glenda?
(1953) 178
b. Bride of the Monster (1955) shows the mad scientist (bela
lugosi) menaced by his monstrous creation (tor Johnson) 179
Chapter 12
a. the sexual tensions of Cat-Women of the Moon (1953) are
visualized as Kip (Victor Jory) twists Helen’s (Marie
Windsor) arm 196
b. the powerful—and dangerous—woman (allison Hayes) in
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) 197
Chapter 13
a. arguing with a nuclear weapon in John carpenter’s Dark
Star (1974) 210
b. A Boy and His Dog’s (1975) post-apocalyptic vision 211
Chapter 14
a. Space Truckers (1996): the big rig in outer space 226
b. technological sex aids in Space Truckers (1996) 227
Chapter 15
a. Serious silliness in Bubba Ho-tep (2002), as elvis (bruce
campbell) reads an alien message inscribed in a
bathroom stall 238
b. elvis (bruce campbell) and JFK (ossie Davis) head down the
“Hero’s Hallway” in Bubba Ho-tep (2002) 239
notes on contributors
contributors
Stacey Abbott is a reader in Film and television Studies at the
university of roehampton. She is the author of Celluloid Vampires (u
of texas P, 2007), co-author, with lorna Jowett, of TV Horror (i. b.
tauris, 2013), and the editor of The Cult TV Book (i. b. tauris, 2010). She
has contributed to The Routledge Companion to Science Fiction (2009) and
Fifty Key Figures in Science Fiction (routledge, 2009), and written on the
relationship between computer-generated effects and sf for the journal
Science Fiction Studies. She is currently writing a book on twenty-first-
century dystopian vampire and zombie films and tV.
M. Keith Booker is the James e. and ellen Wadley roper Professor of
english at the university of arkansas. He has authored or edited more
than 30 books on literature, film, and television, including Monsters,
Mushroom Clouds, and the Cold War: American Science Fiction and the Roots
of Postmodernism, 1946–1964 (Greenwood, 2001), Strange TV: Innovative
Television Series from the twilight Zone to the X-Files (Greenwood, 2002),
Science Fiction Television (Praeger, 2004), Alternate Americas: Science Fiction
Film and American Culture (Praeger, 2006), Postmodern Hollywood: What’s
New in Film and Why It Makes Us Feel So Strange (Praeger, 2007), and,
with anne-Marie thomas, The Science Fiction Handbook (Wiley-blackwell,
2009).
Mark Bould is reader in Film and literature at the university of the
West of england and co-editor of the journal Science Fiction Film and
Television. He is the author of Film Noir: From Berlin to Sin City (Wallflower
Press, 2005) and The Cinema of John Sayles: Lone Star (Wallflower, 2009),
co-author of The Routledge Concise History of Science Fiction (2011), and
co-editor of Parietal Games: Critical Writings by and on M. John Harrison
(Science Fiction Foundation, 2005), The Routledge Companion to Science
Fiction (2009), Fifty Key Figures in Science Fiction (routledge, 2009), Red
x