‘Siege’ Is A Rare Example of Queer Representation In ‘80s Horror [The Overlooked Motel]
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The queer horror landscape was pretty desolate in the ‘80s. I say that from years of experience poring through representation in horror cinema for a book I co-edited called Queer Horror: A Film Guide. It’s a reference manual tackling LQBTQIA themes in genre cinema from the dawn of time through 2021. So, I have watched and written about enough of it to have a good idea of how rare positive representation was circa 1983.
That’s what makes today’s pick such a pleasant surprise. Siege (released as Self Defense in its native Canada) is a rare example of (primarily) positive representation in a time when queer people were largely ostracized from mainstream society. The film features a gay leading man and a group of allies who come to his aid. Interestingly enough, the picture comes from the creative team behind a forgotten Canadian kindertrauma called George’s Island that I happened upon at just the right age. More on George’s Island some other time.
What is Siege about?
The setup sees a group of right-wing extremists called the New Order storm a queer club during the infamous Halifax police strike of 1981. The bigots arrive on the scene with the intent of roughing up the patrons and striking fear into their hearts. But their violent delivery of a hateful message ultimately leads to the unplanned death of a bartender. The terrorist group responds by calling their head honcho in for guidance. The ruthless leader arrives and begins systematically killing the remaining witnesses. However, a resourceful young man called Daniel (Terry-David Després) escapes to a nearby apartment building and takes shelter with a fellow named Horatio (Tom Nardini) and his friend group.
This film is nothing if not fast-paced. The action starts immediately following an actual news broadcast from the strike which prefaces the picture. Matters careen ahead nonstop from there until the final frame rolls. There’s nary a dull moment.
Chester (Friday the 13th: The New Blood writer Daryl Haney) is among the tenants with whom Daniel finds himself trapped. Chester is a neighbor with an arsenal of weaponry, plenty of tactical gear, and no shortage of ingenuity; he’s like a long-lost relative of Kevin McCallister. He’s full of good ideas and gives the protagonists a competitive edge against the well-armed terrorists. His ingenuity makes him a compelling character, leading to exciting exchanges.
Chester is also important to the narrative because his unit connects to Horatio’s through the ceiling and a conjoined medicine cabinet. The cast going back and forth between the apartments leads to some harrowing setups as they move to and fro to discreetly gather supplies and eventually catch their assailants off guard.
Truth is sometimes scarier than fiction.
A lot of the scares here come from the blurred line between fact and fiction. The film is fictitious, but the strike and the type of hatred portrayed within are each very real. Siege effectively captures the fear, helplessness, and loss of identity that comes with being marginalized and targeted based on who you love.
Siege takes gay bars, which are normally a safe space, and makes them scary. Queer clubs were created so we could live freely and openly without the fear of judgment, retribution, or violence. But as the Pulse nightclub shooting recently reminded us, no place is ever completely safe for queer folk.
Speaking of queer folk, I am amazed that directors and co-writers Paul Donovan and Maura O’Connell actually featured a queer protagonist in their film. In 1983, it would have been more common to script the primary character as a straight guy who happened to be in a gay bar at the wrong time. That would have made the film easier to sell during a much more conservative era. But O’Connell and Donovan stuck to their guns. The flick also defies convention for the time by painting a fairly well-adjusted queer protagonist. Daniel is rational, resourceful, and perfectly ordinary.
The queer representation in Siege is primarily positive…
My one qualm is that there are a couple of times when Daniel is depicted as weak. Case in point: He hides in fear during an intense moment of the standoff with the assailants. That’s a natural response for anyone. But in this context, it runs the risk of suggesting the gay man ran away and left his straight allies to fight his battle. I don’t know if that was the filmmakers’ intent. But it can easily be read that way. With that said, the representation at large is primarily positive, especially for the time. And I appreciate that.
I further appreciate the way the filmmakers never try to humanize the antagonists. They are cold-blooded killing machines. They’re more like a force of nature than human characters. It may have been tempting to give them some depth and dimension by showing us a softer side of the assailants. But this is a case where two-dimensional villains serve the subject matter better than well-rounded opponents. Giving them depth may have read as a sympathetic portrayal, especially at the time the film was released.
Speaking of the villains, there is a twist in the final moments of the picture that provides added context and sends a chill down my spine. It’s a clever subversion of expectations and a reminder that hatred comes in many different forms, often hiding in plain sight.
All in all:
There you have it, dear reader. Siege is an action-packed home invasion tale that stands as a rare example of quality queer representation from a time when that was all but unheard of. Not to mention, it’s fast-paced from the jump and never slows down. If you’re unsure if you want to make the time investment, take note that the film runs fewer than 90 minutes. It’s a minimal investment with a substantial payoff. You can watch Siege free (with ads) on Tubi as of the publication of this post. However, I would suggest picking up the Severin Blu-ray instead.
That’s all for this installment of The Overlooked Motel. If you would like to chat more about under-seen and underrated films, feel free to hit me up with your thoughts on Twitter, Threads, or Instagram.
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