Contents:
- CARLA: GOTHIC AND GAYALAI·FOLLOW5 M READ·APR 9--LISTENSHARE‘RLA’ IS AN EPISTOLARY NOVEL THAT CENTR AROUND LRA, A YOUNG VICTORIAN WOMAN AND HER EXPERIENC WH CARLA, AN ALLURG VAMPIRE WHO SC WOMEN OF THE SMALL STYRIAN TOWN, G THEM TO FALL ILL AND DIE.YOU ARE ME, YOU SHALL BE ME, YOU AND I ARE ONE FOREVER— CARLATHE BOOK PROVIS A UNIQUE PORTRAYAL OF FEMALE SAME SEX ROMANTIC RELATNSHIPS THE NTEXT OF A PATRIACHAL AND HETERONORMATIVE SOCIETY. PARTICULARLY TRIGUG IS LE FANU’S PRENTATN OF THE RELATNSHIP DYNAMICS OF TWO WOMEN; LRA, A NFORMG MEMBER OF SOCIETY, AND CARLA, A WOMAN WHO HAS TENTNS THAT DIRECTLY FY THE SOCIAL ROL ASSIGNED TO AND EXPECTATNS OF WOMEN. THE POTS WILL BE EXTRAPOLATED AND EPLY ANALYSED SOON, BUT FIRST WE NEED AN UNRSTANDG OF THE BOOK’S LERARY NTEXT.JOKE!VICTORIAN CONTEXT
- THE FEMISTS MAKG VAMPIR GAY AGAFEMALE GAZECULT CANADIAN WEB SERI ‘CARLA’ HAS BEEN LD FOR S CENTERG OF FEMALE, QUEER, AND NON-BARY PERSPECTIV. NOW THIS LBIAN LOVE STORY IS G TO THE BIG SCREEN.AMY ZIMMERMANENTERTAMENT REPORTERUPDATED OCT. 10, 2017 12:04PM EDT / PUBLISHED OCT. 10, 2017 12:00AM EDT CARLA IS THE QUEER FEMIST CANADIAN VAMPIRE WEB SERI YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEED. OVER THREE SEASONS, CARLA’S BE-SIZED YOUTUBE EPISOS HAVE BEEN EAGERLY NSUMED BY A GROWG FAN BASE, GENERATG MORE THAN 69 LN VIEWS SCE S 2014 LNCH. OVER THE URSE OF 108 STALLMENTS, THE NOW-PLETE CULT SERI TOLD THE STORY OF LRA (ELISE BMAN), A LLEGE HMAN, AND HER ROOMMATE OM HELL TURNED VAMPIRE GIRLIEND, CARLA (NATASHA NEANLIS). NOW CARLA AND LRA ARE BACK FOR THE CARLA MOVIE, WHICH WILL PREMIERE ACROSS CANADA AND ON STREAMG PLATFORMS ON OCT. 26.FOR TOO LONG NOW, VAMPIRISM HAS BEEN PRENTED AS THE EXCLIVE DOMA OF SCULPTED, PALE MEN AND THEIR FAWNG FEMALE VICTIMS. THE MOST POPULAR VAMPIRE STORY OF OUR TIME IS TWILIGHT, THE BLOCKBTER SERI THAT CHRONICLED THE RELATNSHIP BETWEEN A NTROLLG VAMPIRE AND HIS EASILY JURED MORTAL OF CHOICE. TWILIGHT IS MULTI-LAYERED PROPAGANDA—AN TENSELY OLD-FASHNED ROMANTIC RELATNSHIP PAIRED WH A CIDLY PRO-LIFE PLOT LE. BUT TWILIGHT’S STRAIGHT AGENDA IS NO MATCH FOR THE S AND CENTURI OF QUEER OCCULT NARRATIV THAT EXIST ON THE G; A FOTTEN HISTORY THAT PROJECTS LIKE CARLA ARE BUILDG ON AND RECLAIMG. WHILE THE ILL-RMED OCCULTIST MIGHT TRACE VAMPIRE POP CULTURE BACK TO DRACULA, CARLA’S SOURCE MATERIAL, A GOTHIC NOVELLA BY THE SAME NAME, PREDAT BRAM STOKER’S MASTERPIECE BY 26 YEARS. PUBLISHED 1871, JOSEPH SHERIDAN LE FANU’S NOVELLA ACTUALLY STS A WOMAN THE PREDATORY ROLE, TELLG THE STORY OF A FEMALE VAMPIRE AND HER HOMOEROTIC HUNTS. ALTHOUGH CARLA PRODUCER MELANIE WDLE IS QUICK TO POT OUT THAT THE ORIGAL CARLA IS “STUDIED MANY GENR STUDI,” ’S HARDLY STANDARD HORROR FARE—AND ISN’T STED TO START OUTSELLG EDWARD AND BELLA ANYTIME SOON.IN THEIR EFFORTS TO MAKE A GAY, FEMIST WEB SERI, CARLA’S CREATORS ME ACROSS THE GOTHIC NOVELLA AND SAW IMMEDIATE POTENTIAL. CARLA’S OWN SOURCE MATERIAL WAS, ACRDG TO CREATOR AND PRODUCER STEPH OUAKNE, “A UTNARY TALE ABOUT THE EVILS OF LBIANISM.” IT’S NOT HARD TO DRAW A NNECTN BETWEEN THE QUEER AND THE MONSTRO. AT THE HEART OF EVERY HORROR STORY IS A MONSTER THAT THREATENS TO UPEND A MUNY’S ENTIRE WAY OF LIFE. THE MONSTER IS THE ABNORMAL CREATURE THAT BARG TO AN IDYLLIC WORLD AND MAK STRANGE. AS KAREN TONGSON, AN ASSOCIATE PROFSOR OF GENR STUDI AND ENGLISH AT USC, TOLD THE LOS ANGEL TIM, “PEOPLE WHO LIVED WH A LOT OF THEIR LOVE AND THEIR PASSN THE CLOSET, OR WHO FELT MONIZED THE BROAR CULTURE, ’S VERY EASY TO FD POTS OF INTIFITN WH MONSTERS.” AUTHOR MICHAEL BRONSKI ADD, “IN SOME WAY, GAY PEOPLE, QUEER PEOPLE, ARE THE WORST FEAR FOR HETEROSEXUALS, AS WELL AS ON SOME LEVEL, THE BT FANTASY—THE SHEER PLEASURE OF NOT BEG ON THE SI, OF NOT HAVG TO NTROL EVERYTHG YOU DO AND THK AND SAY TO F NORMS.”NATASHA NEANLIS, WHO PLAYS CARLA’S TULAR VAMPIRE, BOILS THE QUEERNS/OCCULT NNECTN DOWN TO “FEELG LIKE AN OUTST.” LIKE ANOTHER POPULAR VAMPIRE SHOW, TE BLOOD, CARLA HAS “ED VAMPIRISM AS AN ALLEGORY FOR SEXUALY,” SAYS OUAKNE. THE IA IS TO PUT THE SOCIETAL “EVIL” OF NON-NORMATIVE GENR AND SEXUALY TO PERSPECTIVE. “WHAT WE’RE SAYG IS WHAT’S REALLY DANGERO HERE IS THE END OF THE WORLD, NOT YOUR SEXUALY,” OUAKNE SAYS, ADDG THAT THIS ETHOS IS ON FULL DISPLAY SCEN WHICH CHARACTERS ARE SO BY GRAPPLG WH AN IMPENDG APOLYPSE THAT A NON-BARY CHARACTER’S PRONOUNS BEE A NON-ISSUE. “YEAH, I GUS IF I N AL WH VAMPIR, I N CERTALY AL WH LLG YOU THEY.”THE STARS AND CREATORS OF CARLA DON’T SEE THEIR SHOW AS WILDLY RADIL ANY MORE THAN THEY SEE AS TRSILLY NICHE. IF ANYTHG, THEIR QUEER AGENDA IS TO SO NORMALIZE MEDIA REPRENTATNS OF THE LGBTQ MUNY AS TO ERASE THE BOX THAT QUEER NTENT IS NSISTENTLY NFED TO. AS -STAR BMAN SAYS, “I THK THE STORY OF CARLA OUR UNIVERSE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LOVE STORY BETWEEN THE TWO WOMEN, AND WAS JT PART OF THE STORY. IT DIDN’T NEED TO BE TRODUCED, DIDN’T NEED TO BE EXPLAED, AS DON’T NEED TO BE REAL LIFE. I DON’T THK SEXUALY EVER NEEDS TO BE TRODUCED OR EXPLAED, OR SHOULDN’T HAVE TO BE.” THE FACT THAT WE’RE NDUCTG THIS TERVIEW AT NEW YORK COMIC CON, EVINCE OF CARLA’S POPULARY NOT JT AMONG QUEER VIEWERS BUT WH A LARGER GENRE MUNY, DON’T GO UNNOTICED. ELISE NTU, “ONE OF MY BIGGT HOP FOR THE FILM IS THAT WE N REACH AN DIENCE THAT IS BROAR THAN OUR ORIGAL FAN BASE, WHICH HAS BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE AND SO WONRFUL THROUGHOUT THE SEASONS. BUT I HOPE THAT THIS MOVIE REACH PEOPLE WHO MAYBE HAVEN’T SEEN A LOVE STORY BETWEEN TWO WOMEN BEFORE, AND TO NOT HAVE TO MAKE THE DISTCTN. TO NOT HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS IS A QUEER LOVE STORY, TO JT SAY THAT THIS IS A LOVE STORY, THIS IS A FANTASY MOVIE, THIS IS A SCI-FI MOVIE, THIS IS A ROM-. THIS IS ALL OF THOSE THGS. I HOPE THAT WE ARE MOVG TOWARDS A POT WHERE WE DON’T HAVE TO MAKE THE DISTCTN. AND I HOPE THAT WE’VE PROVID SOME ACCURATE AND POSIVE CHANGE TOWARDS THAT DIRECTN.”WE’RE STILL A LONG WAY OM A POP CULTURE LANDSPE WHICH FEMIST, QUEER REPRENTATN IS UNEXCEPTNAL. CARLA IS A RELATIVELY UNIQUE PROJECT ON MULTIPLE LEVELS, CLUDG BUT NOT LIMED TO CENTERG QUEER, FEMALE, AND NON-BARY CHARACTERS—THE WOMEN GIDDILY TELL ME THAT ONLY ONE MALE ACTOR WAS ST THE UPG FILM—AND PRIVILEGG WOMEN’S CREATIVE VOIC AND PUT. NEANLIS WAS IMMEDIATELY TAKEN BY THE IA OF WORKG ON SOMETHG THAT WAS “VERY FEMALE-DRIVEN BEHD THE MERA.” HAVG FEMALE CREATORS, WRERS, AND PRODUCERS HAD A TANGIBLE IMPACT ON THE PROJECT OM THE GET-GO, SHE SAYS, RELLG THE “BETIFUL SCRIPTN” THAT WRER JORDAN HALL WROTE FOR HER CHARACTER. “SO OFTEN AS AN ACTOR YOU READ BREAKDOWNS FOR FEMALE ROL THAT ARE LIKE ‘FUN-LOVG AND PRETTY,’ AND THERE’S NO REAL MEAT TO THEM. AND I THK THAT’S CHANGG, BUT AT THE TIME WAS THE MOST TERTG BREAKDOWN I’D EVER SEEN. IT SCRIBED HER AS SOMEONE WHO WAS LANGUID AND SARSTIC BUT CHARMG BUT LONELY, ALL OF THE WORDS WHERE I WAS LIKE, ‘I NEED TO PLAY THIS, THAT’S ME.’” PL, CARLA, NEANLIS SAW “TWO THGS THAT I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO PLAY: A LBIAN AND A VAMPIRE,” SHE LGHS. “SO I GOT TO KILL TWO BIRDS WH ONE STONE.”ACRDG TO GLAAD’S ANNUAL “WHERE WE ARE ON TV” REPORT, 4.8 PERCENT OF CHARACTERS ON SCRIPTED PRIMETIME PROGRAMMG 2016 WERE INTIFIED AS LGBTQ (43 OUT OF 895 SERI REGULARS). WHILE THIS MARKED AN CREASE REPRENTATN, ONLY 17 PERCENT OF THE CHARACTERS WERE LBIAN INTIFIED—A 16 PERCENTAGE POT DROP. AND WHILE BISEXUAL REPRENTATN ON BROADST TELEVISN ROSE, THE REPORT NOTED THAT, “MANY OF THE CHARACTERS STILL FALL TO DANGERO STEREOTYP ABOUT BISEXUAL PEOPLE.”WHILE UNTG CHARACTERS IS IMPORTANT WORK, NOT EVERY PERCENTAGE POT MARKS A POSIVE STRI, AS SORELY UNRREPRENTED QUEER WOMEN ARE OFTEN PORTRAYED THROUGH HARMFUL STEREOTYP. CARLA’S CREATIVE TEAM ACTIVELY AVOIDS THE TROP THAT HAVE E TO FE QUEER WOMEN POP CULTURE. “ONE THG THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO BACK SEASON 1 IS THAT WE HAD ANOTHER CHARACTER, ANOTHER FEMALE CHARACTER THAT LRA WOULD BE TERTED THE BEGNG BEFORE SHE GETS MORE TO CARLA,” OUAKNE EXPLAS. “JT SO WE DON’T FEED TO THAT TROPE OF THE EVIL LBIAN WHO AND TURNS YOU—THAT’S JT A PART OF WHO [LRA] IS OM THE BEGNG.” AND WHERE A MORE NVENTNAL SHOW MIGHT FEATURE A BIG, EMOTNAL G-OUT SCENE, CARLA IS A LOVE STORY BETWEEN TWO WOMEN WHERE G TO TERMS WH ONE’S SEXUALY ISN’T ED AS A MAJOR PLOT LE OR SOURCE OF STRS. “ALL OF THE ISSU STEM OM WHERE THEY DON’T SEE EYE TO EYE AS PEOPLE,” BMAN POTS OUT. “IT’S NOT LIKE OTHER STORI WHERE ’S LIKE, ‘OH YOU’RE A WOMAN SO I N’T.’”UNSURPRISGLY, THE GROUP SEEMS TO AGREE THAT PRIVILEGG THE EXPERIENC OF ACTUAL QUEER WOMEN GO A LONG WAY TOWARD PRODUCG THENTIC SCEN EE OF STEREOTYP. “I THK THAT SOMETHG WE DISCS A LOT WHENEVER WE HAVE TO DO SCEN THAT ARE MORE TIMATE IS THAT WE JT WANT TO FEEL AS THENTIC AND GENUE AS POSSIBLE,” NEANLIS NOT. “AND SO WE DON’T WANT TO BE SOMETHG THAT’S FOR A MALE GAZE OR TO LOOK LIKE ’S FOR MEN, EVER. IT’S NOT LIKE, ‘OH LOOK AT WE’RE LBIANS AND WE’RE MAKG OUT!’ IT’S LIKE WE’RE TWO PEOPLE WHO LOVE EACH OTHER. FOR ’S MORE ABOUT THE NNECTN, GIVG EACH OTHER EYE NTACT AND MAKG SURE WE DO THGS THAT REALLY ARE REALISTIC, LIKE LOOK AT EACH OTHER’S MOUTHS OR TOUCH EACH OTHER’S HAIR OR JT HOLD EACH OTHER WAYS THAT ARE TIMATE WHOUT BEG SEXUAL."GIVG FOLKS A PLATFORM FOR TELLG THEIR OWN STORI SOUNDS SIMPLE; AND, AS CARLA’S YOUTUBE SERI TO FEATURE FILM TRAJECTORY HAS SHOWN, THERE’S A HUNGER FOR THIS SORT OF NTENT. SO THE ABSENCE OF GOOD QUEER REPRENTATN IS AS NFOUNDG AS IS TRATG. AS L WORD CREATOR ILENE CHAIKEN RELAYED JT BEFORE THE SERI’ REBOOT WAS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED, “WHEN WE WENT OFF THE AIR 2009, I THK A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT, OK, THE BATON IS PASSED NOW, AND THERE WILL BE LOTS OF SHOWS THAT PORTRAY LBIAN LIFE… THERE’S REALLY NOTHG. IT FEELS LIKE MAYBE SHOULD E BACK.”IN PART BEE OF THE PCY OF THE STORI, CARLA MEANS A GOOD AL TO S MOST DITED FANS. THE SHOW’S FANDOM ENSURED THAT NEANLIS TOOK HOME THE FAN’S CHOICE AWARD AT THE 2017 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS, SPE STARRG A RELATIVELY NICHE YOUTUBE SERI. DURG HER ACCEPTANCE SPEECH, SHE JOKED, “MOST OF YOU ARE WONRG WHO THE HECK I AM,” NTUG, “IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO PROVI MORE POSIVE ON-SCREEN REPRENTATN FOR THE QUEER MUNY. FOR MY MUNY.”WHEN I ASK NEANLIS IF SHE WAS EVER WORRIED ABOUT THE EFFECT THAT BEG OUT PUBLICLY OR “PLAYG GAY” MIGHT HAVE ON HER REER, SHE SISTS, “IT’S SOMETHG I NEVER REALLY NSIRED. I REALLY WANTED TO PLAY A QUEER CHARACTER, AND I DID, AND ’S BEEN NOTHG BUT GREAT FOR ME.”“I HOPE ’S SOMETHG THAT FANS TAKE AWAY OM CARLA, THAT WHEN YOU ARE YOUR THENTIC SELF YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FLOURISH AND BLOSSOM,” SHE ADDS. “IT’S NOT ALWAYS EASY AND ’S NOT ALWAYS SAFE TO BE OPEN, AND I UNRSTAND THAT AND I UNRSTAND THAT I AM VERY LUCKY, BUT I HOPE THAT THEY KNOW THAT—IF YOU ARE YOUR TE SELF AND YOU’RE REALLY LIVG YOUR TTH, YOU DON’T NEED TO FEAR NOT BEG SUCCSFUL OR NOT GETTG TO DO THE THGS THAT YOU WANT TO DO. I THK YOUR BT WORK IS GOG TO E WHEN YOU’RE BEG HONT.” AMY ZIMMERMAN
CARLA: GOTHIC AND GAYALAI·FOLLOW5 M READ·APR 9--LISTENSHARE‘RLA’ IS AN EPISTOLARY NOVEL THAT CENTR AROUND LRA, A YOUNG VICTORIAN WOMAN AND HER EXPERIENC WH CARLA, AN ALLURG VAMPIRE WHO SC WOMEN OF THE SMALL STYRIAN TOWN, G THEM TO FALL ILL AND DIE.YOU ARE ME, YOU SHALL BE ME, YOU AND I ARE ONE FOREVER— CARLATHE BOOK PROVIS A UNIQUE PORTRAYAL OF FEMALE SAME SEX ROMANTIC RELATNSHIPS THE NTEXT OF A PATRIACHAL AND HETERONORMATIVE SOCIETY. PARTICULARLY TRIGUG IS LE FANU’S PRENTATN OF THE RELATNSHIP DYNAMICS OF TWO WOMEN; LRA, A NFORMG MEMBER OF SOCIETY, AND CARLA, A WOMAN WHO HAS TENTNS THAT DIRECTLY FY THE SOCIAL ROL ASSIGNED TO AND EXPECTATNS OF WOMEN. THE POTS WILL BE EXTRAPOLATED AND EPLY ANALYSED SOON, BUT FIRST WE NEED AN UNRSTANDG OF THE BOOK’S LERARY NTEXT.JOKE!VICTORIAN CONTEXT
It’s provotive, ’s a quick read, and is very, very gay. The disguised vampire Carla’s longg for Lra is primarily sexual, and her cravg for the blood of young women suggts that female sexual sire—particularly homosexual sire—is herently threateng. Carla, by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, is a vampire novella that predat Dracula, and ’s pretty gay.
THE FEMISTS MAKG VAMPIR GAY AGAFEMALE GAZECULT CANADIAN WEB SERI ‘CARLA’ HAS BEEN LD FOR S CENTERG OF FEMALE, QUEER, AND NON-BARY PERSPECTIV. NOW THIS LBIAN LOVE STORY IS G TO THE BIG SCREEN.AMY ZIMMERMANENTERTAMENT REPORTERUPDATED OCT. 10, 2017 12:04PM EDT / PUBLISHED OCT. 10, 2017 12:00AM EDT CARLA IS THE QUEER FEMIST CANADIAN VAMPIRE WEB SERI YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEED. OVER THREE SEASONS, CARLA’S BE-SIZED YOUTUBE EPISOS HAVE BEEN EAGERLY NSUMED BY A GROWG FAN BASE, GENERATG MORE THAN 69 LN VIEWS SCE S 2014 LNCH. OVER THE URSE OF 108 STALLMENTS, THE NOW-PLETE CULT SERI TOLD THE STORY OF LRA (ELISE BMAN), A LLEGE HMAN, AND HER ROOMMATE OM HELL TURNED VAMPIRE GIRLIEND, CARLA (NATASHA NEANLIS). NOW CARLA AND LRA ARE BACK FOR THE CARLA MOVIE, WHICH WILL PREMIERE ACROSS CANADA AND ON STREAMG PLATFORMS ON OCT. 26.FOR TOO LONG NOW, VAMPIRISM HAS BEEN PRENTED AS THE EXCLIVE DOMA OF SCULPTED, PALE MEN AND THEIR FAWNG FEMALE VICTIMS. THE MOST POPULAR VAMPIRE STORY OF OUR TIME IS TWILIGHT, THE BLOCKBTER SERI THAT CHRONICLED THE RELATNSHIP BETWEEN A NTROLLG VAMPIRE AND HIS EASILY JURED MORTAL OF CHOICE. TWILIGHT IS MULTI-LAYERED PROPAGANDA—AN TENSELY OLD-FASHNED ROMANTIC RELATNSHIP PAIRED WH A CIDLY PRO-LIFE PLOT LE. BUT TWILIGHT’S STRAIGHT AGENDA IS NO MATCH FOR THE S AND CENTURI OF QUEER OCCULT NARRATIV THAT EXIST ON THE G; A FOTTEN HISTORY THAT PROJECTS LIKE CARLA ARE BUILDG ON AND RECLAIMG. WHILE THE ILL-RMED OCCULTIST MIGHT TRACE VAMPIRE POP CULTURE BACK TO DRACULA, CARLA’S SOURCE MATERIAL, A GOTHIC NOVELLA BY THE SAME NAME, PREDAT BRAM STOKER’S MASTERPIECE BY 26 YEARS. PUBLISHED 1871, JOSEPH SHERIDAN LE FANU’S NOVELLA ACTUALLY STS A WOMAN THE PREDATORY ROLE, TELLG THE STORY OF A FEMALE VAMPIRE AND HER HOMOEROTIC HUNTS. ALTHOUGH CARLA PRODUCER MELANIE WDLE IS QUICK TO POT OUT THAT THE ORIGAL CARLA IS “STUDIED MANY GENR STUDI,” ’S HARDLY STANDARD HORROR FARE—AND ISN’T STED TO START OUTSELLG EDWARD AND BELLA ANYTIME SOON.IN THEIR EFFORTS TO MAKE A GAY, FEMIST WEB SERI, CARLA’S CREATORS ME ACROSS THE GOTHIC NOVELLA AND SAW IMMEDIATE POTENTIAL. CARLA’S OWN SOURCE MATERIAL WAS, ACRDG TO CREATOR AND PRODUCER STEPH OUAKNE, “A UTNARY TALE ABOUT THE EVILS OF LBIANISM.” IT’S NOT HARD TO DRAW A NNECTN BETWEEN THE QUEER AND THE MONSTRO. AT THE HEART OF EVERY HORROR STORY IS A MONSTER THAT THREATENS TO UPEND A MUNY’S ENTIRE WAY OF LIFE. THE MONSTER IS THE ABNORMAL CREATURE THAT BARG TO AN IDYLLIC WORLD AND MAK STRANGE. AS KAREN TONGSON, AN ASSOCIATE PROFSOR OF GENR STUDI AND ENGLISH AT USC, TOLD THE LOS ANGEL TIM, “PEOPLE WHO LIVED WH A LOT OF THEIR LOVE AND THEIR PASSN THE CLOSET, OR WHO FELT MONIZED THE BROAR CULTURE, ’S VERY EASY TO FD POTS OF INTIFITN WH MONSTERS.” AUTHOR MICHAEL BRONSKI ADD, “IN SOME WAY, GAY PEOPLE, QUEER PEOPLE, ARE THE WORST FEAR FOR HETEROSEXUALS, AS WELL AS ON SOME LEVEL, THE BT FANTASY—THE SHEER PLEASURE OF NOT BEG ON THE SI, OF NOT HAVG TO NTROL EVERYTHG YOU DO AND THK AND SAY TO F NORMS.”NATASHA NEANLIS, WHO PLAYS CARLA’S TULAR VAMPIRE, BOILS THE QUEERNS/OCCULT NNECTN DOWN TO “FEELG LIKE AN OUTST.” LIKE ANOTHER POPULAR VAMPIRE SHOW, TE BLOOD, CARLA HAS “ED VAMPIRISM AS AN ALLEGORY FOR SEXUALY,” SAYS OUAKNE. THE IA IS TO PUT THE SOCIETAL “EVIL” OF NON-NORMATIVE GENR AND SEXUALY TO PERSPECTIVE. “WHAT WE’RE SAYG IS WHAT’S REALLY DANGERO HERE IS THE END OF THE WORLD, NOT YOUR SEXUALY,” OUAKNE SAYS, ADDG THAT THIS ETHOS IS ON FULL DISPLAY SCEN WHICH CHARACTERS ARE SO BY GRAPPLG WH AN IMPENDG APOLYPSE THAT A NON-BARY CHARACTER’S PRONOUNS BEE A NON-ISSUE. “YEAH, I GUS IF I N AL WH VAMPIR, I N CERTALY AL WH LLG YOU THEY.”THE STARS AND CREATORS OF CARLA DON’T SEE THEIR SHOW AS WILDLY RADIL ANY MORE THAN THEY SEE AS TRSILLY NICHE. IF ANYTHG, THEIR QUEER AGENDA IS TO SO NORMALIZE MEDIA REPRENTATNS OF THE LGBTQ MUNY AS TO ERASE THE BOX THAT QUEER NTENT IS NSISTENTLY NFED TO. AS -STAR BMAN SAYS, “I THK THE STORY OF CARLA OUR UNIVERSE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LOVE STORY BETWEEN THE TWO WOMEN, AND WAS JT PART OF THE STORY. IT DIDN’T NEED TO BE TRODUCED, DIDN’T NEED TO BE EXPLAED, AS DON’T NEED TO BE REAL LIFE. I DON’T THK SEXUALY EVER NEEDS TO BE TRODUCED OR EXPLAED, OR SHOULDN’T HAVE TO BE.” THE FACT THAT WE’RE NDUCTG THIS TERVIEW AT NEW YORK COMIC CON, EVINCE OF CARLA’S POPULARY NOT JT AMONG QUEER VIEWERS BUT WH A LARGER GENRE MUNY, DON’T GO UNNOTICED. ELISE NTU, “ONE OF MY BIGGT HOP FOR THE FILM IS THAT WE N REACH AN DIENCE THAT IS BROAR THAN OUR ORIGAL FAN BASE, WHICH HAS BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE AND SO WONRFUL THROUGHOUT THE SEASONS. BUT I HOPE THAT THIS MOVIE REACH PEOPLE WHO MAYBE HAVEN’T SEEN A LOVE STORY BETWEEN TWO WOMEN BEFORE, AND TO NOT HAVE TO MAKE THE DISTCTN. TO NOT HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS IS A QUEER LOVE STORY, TO JT SAY THAT THIS IS A LOVE STORY, THIS IS A FANTASY MOVIE, THIS IS A SCI-FI MOVIE, THIS IS A ROM-. THIS IS ALL OF THOSE THGS. I HOPE THAT WE ARE MOVG TOWARDS A POT WHERE WE DON’T HAVE TO MAKE THE DISTCTN. AND I HOPE THAT WE’VE PROVID SOME ACCURATE AND POSIVE CHANGE TOWARDS THAT DIRECTN.”WE’RE STILL A LONG WAY OM A POP CULTURE LANDSPE WHICH FEMIST, QUEER REPRENTATN IS UNEXCEPTNAL. CARLA IS A RELATIVELY UNIQUE PROJECT ON MULTIPLE LEVELS, CLUDG BUT NOT LIMED TO CENTERG QUEER, FEMALE, AND NON-BARY CHARACTERS—THE WOMEN GIDDILY TELL ME THAT ONLY ONE MALE ACTOR WAS ST THE UPG FILM—AND PRIVILEGG WOMEN’S CREATIVE VOIC AND PUT. NEANLIS WAS IMMEDIATELY TAKEN BY THE IA OF WORKG ON SOMETHG THAT WAS “VERY FEMALE-DRIVEN BEHD THE MERA.” HAVG FEMALE CREATORS, WRERS, AND PRODUCERS HAD A TANGIBLE IMPACT ON THE PROJECT OM THE GET-GO, SHE SAYS, RELLG THE “BETIFUL SCRIPTN” THAT WRER JORDAN HALL WROTE FOR HER CHARACTER. “SO OFTEN AS AN ACTOR YOU READ BREAKDOWNS FOR FEMALE ROL THAT ARE LIKE ‘FUN-LOVG AND PRETTY,’ AND THERE’S NO REAL MEAT TO THEM. AND I THK THAT’S CHANGG, BUT AT THE TIME WAS THE MOST TERTG BREAKDOWN I’D EVER SEEN. IT SCRIBED HER AS SOMEONE WHO WAS LANGUID AND SARSTIC BUT CHARMG BUT LONELY, ALL OF THE WORDS WHERE I WAS LIKE, ‘I NEED TO PLAY THIS, THAT’S ME.’” PL, CARLA, NEANLIS SAW “TWO THGS THAT I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO PLAY: A LBIAN AND A VAMPIRE,” SHE LGHS. “SO I GOT TO KILL TWO BIRDS WH ONE STONE.”ACRDG TO GLAAD’S ANNUAL “WHERE WE ARE ON TV” REPORT, 4.8 PERCENT OF CHARACTERS ON SCRIPTED PRIMETIME PROGRAMMG 2016 WERE INTIFIED AS LGBTQ (43 OUT OF 895 SERI REGULARS). WHILE THIS MARKED AN CREASE REPRENTATN, ONLY 17 PERCENT OF THE CHARACTERS WERE LBIAN INTIFIED—A 16 PERCENTAGE POT DROP. AND WHILE BISEXUAL REPRENTATN ON BROADST TELEVISN ROSE, THE REPORT NOTED THAT, “MANY OF THE CHARACTERS STILL FALL TO DANGERO STEREOTYP ABOUT BISEXUAL PEOPLE.”WHILE UNTG CHARACTERS IS IMPORTANT WORK, NOT EVERY PERCENTAGE POT MARKS A POSIVE STRI, AS SORELY UNRREPRENTED QUEER WOMEN ARE OFTEN PORTRAYED THROUGH HARMFUL STEREOTYP. CARLA’S CREATIVE TEAM ACTIVELY AVOIDS THE TROP THAT HAVE E TO FE QUEER WOMEN POP CULTURE. “ONE THG THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO BACK SEASON 1 IS THAT WE HAD ANOTHER CHARACTER, ANOTHER FEMALE CHARACTER THAT LRA WOULD BE TERTED THE BEGNG BEFORE SHE GETS MORE TO CARLA,” OUAKNE EXPLAS. “JT SO WE DON’T FEED TO THAT TROPE OF THE EVIL LBIAN WHO AND TURNS YOU—THAT’S JT A PART OF WHO [LRA] IS OM THE BEGNG.” AND WHERE A MORE NVENTNAL SHOW MIGHT FEATURE A BIG, EMOTNAL G-OUT SCENE, CARLA IS A LOVE STORY BETWEEN TWO WOMEN WHERE G TO TERMS WH ONE’S SEXUALY ISN’T ED AS A MAJOR PLOT LE OR SOURCE OF STRS. “ALL OF THE ISSU STEM OM WHERE THEY DON’T SEE EYE TO EYE AS PEOPLE,” BMAN POTS OUT. “IT’S NOT LIKE OTHER STORI WHERE ’S LIKE, ‘OH YOU’RE A WOMAN SO I N’T.’”UNSURPRISGLY, THE GROUP SEEMS TO AGREE THAT PRIVILEGG THE EXPERIENC OF ACTUAL QUEER WOMEN GO A LONG WAY TOWARD PRODUCG THENTIC SCEN EE OF STEREOTYP. “I THK THAT SOMETHG WE DISCS A LOT WHENEVER WE HAVE TO DO SCEN THAT ARE MORE TIMATE IS THAT WE JT WANT TO FEEL AS THENTIC AND GENUE AS POSSIBLE,” NEANLIS NOT. “AND SO WE DON’T WANT TO BE SOMETHG THAT’S FOR A MALE GAZE OR TO LOOK LIKE ’S FOR MEN, EVER. IT’S NOT LIKE, ‘OH LOOK AT WE’RE LBIANS AND WE’RE MAKG OUT!’ IT’S LIKE WE’RE TWO PEOPLE WHO LOVE EACH OTHER. FOR ’S MORE ABOUT THE NNECTN, GIVG EACH OTHER EYE NTACT AND MAKG SURE WE DO THGS THAT REALLY ARE REALISTIC, LIKE LOOK AT EACH OTHER’S MOUTHS OR TOUCH EACH OTHER’S HAIR OR JT HOLD EACH OTHER WAYS THAT ARE TIMATE WHOUT BEG SEXUAL."GIVG FOLKS A PLATFORM FOR TELLG THEIR OWN STORI SOUNDS SIMPLE; AND, AS CARLA’S YOUTUBE SERI TO FEATURE FILM TRAJECTORY HAS SHOWN, THERE’S A HUNGER FOR THIS SORT OF NTENT. SO THE ABSENCE OF GOOD QUEER REPRENTATN IS AS NFOUNDG AS IS TRATG. AS L WORD CREATOR ILENE CHAIKEN RELAYED JT BEFORE THE SERI’ REBOOT WAS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED, “WHEN WE WENT OFF THE AIR 2009, I THK A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT, OK, THE BATON IS PASSED NOW, AND THERE WILL BE LOTS OF SHOWS THAT PORTRAY LBIAN LIFE… THERE’S REALLY NOTHG. IT FEELS LIKE MAYBE SHOULD E BACK.”IN PART BEE OF THE PCY OF THE STORI, CARLA MEANS A GOOD AL TO S MOST DITED FANS. THE SHOW’S FANDOM ENSURED THAT NEANLIS TOOK HOME THE FAN’S CHOICE AWARD AT THE 2017 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS, SPE STARRG A RELATIVELY NICHE YOUTUBE SERI. DURG HER ACCEPTANCE SPEECH, SHE JOKED, “MOST OF YOU ARE WONRG WHO THE HECK I AM,” NTUG, “IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO PROVI MORE POSIVE ON-SCREEN REPRENTATN FOR THE QUEER MUNY. FOR MY MUNY.”WHEN I ASK NEANLIS IF SHE WAS EVER WORRIED ABOUT THE EFFECT THAT BEG OUT PUBLICLY OR “PLAYG GAY” MIGHT HAVE ON HER REER, SHE SISTS, “IT’S SOMETHG I NEVER REALLY NSIRED. I REALLY WANTED TO PLAY A QUEER CHARACTER, AND I DID, AND ’S BEEN NOTHG BUT GREAT FOR ME.”“I HOPE ’S SOMETHG THAT FANS TAKE AWAY OM CARLA, THAT WHEN YOU ARE YOUR THENTIC SELF YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FLOURISH AND BLOSSOM,” SHE ADDS. “IT’S NOT ALWAYS EASY AND ’S NOT ALWAYS SAFE TO BE OPEN, AND I UNRSTAND THAT AND I UNRSTAND THAT I AM VERY LUCKY, BUT I HOPE THAT THEY KNOW THAT—IF YOU ARE YOUR TE SELF AND YOU’RE REALLY LIVG YOUR TTH, YOU DON’T NEED TO FEAR NOT BEG SUCCSFUL OR NOT GETTG TO DO THE THGS THAT YOU WANT TO DO. I THK YOUR BT WORK IS GOG TO E WHEN YOU’RE BEG HONT.” AMY ZIMMERMAN
Vampirism has been an allegory for homosexualy for as long as cema has existed, and for a time, the only kd of reprentatn you uld fd for lbians was the horror genre. In fact, any kd of monster movie was symbolic of otherns bee was easy to homosexualy horror films whout sensors noticg. So afterward, when Lara falls ill, the film giv off the untentnal msage that Lara givg to her sir is what ma her ill—that homosexualy is the e of illns.
But if Carla has no monster, the endg untentnally livers another msage: that homosexualy is somethg monstro that we mt rid ourselv and the world of.
) At first, Carla feels like ’s gog to change the endg to f s genre, one that symboliz eedom and gay rilience, but stead, livers that unsettlg vlence that sparked crique about lbian vampire films the first place.