Review: PansyVision Puts a Queer Spin on Cinema

America's cinematic classics are put into a queer blender for "PansyVision," a hilariously zany web series that launched its third season on January 7.

The latest video, "Easy to Kiss, Hard to Kill," focuses on a hunky gay cop named Kevin Martin (Anthony Gaudette), who goes undercover to catch a killer – of straight men. What he discovers is truly disturbing.

"All they do is eat casseroles every day," a horrified Martin reports to his boyfriend.

Season 2 featured "The Bath House of Dr. Caligari," "Singing in the Drizzle," "It's a Wonderful Ninja," "Uranus Needs Men," and "Nudist Camp Nightmare," a spoof of 1980s slasher films. The host of the videos is the handsome and debonair Dick Marlboro (Ron Martin), always seen enjoying a libation.

Marlboro's "Halloween Special" featured special guests Shelley Winters (Erin Haas) and Vincent Price (Paul Nolette). Winters storms off after Marlboro chastises her for drinking too much. It's all in good fun.

One of the most memorable videos was PansyVision's mashup of several Tennessee Williams classics titled "A Hot Tin Menagerie of Desire." Warren Usey gave an inspired turn as the legendary playwright in a special interview segment.

PansyVision produced a cheeky spoof of 1970s television action shows called "Bear Claw," starring Christopher Verleger in the lead role of a gruff cop. Terry Shea, another theater veteran, plays Bear Claw's boss, Vic Mustang.

A behind-the-scenes look at "Bear Claw" has an interview with legendary producer Evan Roberts (Geoff White). Roberts is responsible for the blockbusters "Revenge of the Twinks" and "DILF Beach."

"Justice doesn't count calories, only bullets," Bear Claw says when he's informed he has to go on a diet. Verleger's deadpan delivery of his dialogue is note perfect.

"PansyVision" is the brainchild of writer/director Richard Griffin ("Code Name: Dynastud").

"PansyVision started as a small mountain of short film scripts that my writing partner Robyn Guilford and I wrote during lockdown," explains Griffin. "We kept wondering what we'd do with these, but then we realized they were all queer-themed and tended to all be period pieces, so we hit on the concept of, 'What would the history of cinema look like if the queer community was not only always out and accepted, but running the major movie and television studios?,' and that's how PansyVision was born."

At first, Griffin's intention was to make a single feature-length movie.

"As we started creating episodes, I found myself having so much fun with it that we just kept adding and adding to it, until my friends Graham Stokes and David Olsen suggested it be a continuing running YouTube channel."

"Our cast is almost entirely from the Rhode Island theater community," Griffin noted. "For such a small state, we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to amazing thespians, so we are blessed to have access to this seemingly bottomless well of talent."

For now, Griffin believes "PansyVision" could go on for many more years.

"Our base is growing, and the show really does seem to bring a lot of joy to people. And that's all a goofball artist like myself can ask for," Griffin added.

The PansyVision channel can be viewed on YouTube.