BloodyFM Blog
The Real-Life Horrors of Gregg Araki’s ‘Mysterious Skin’ [Horror Queers Podcast]
BloodyFM Blog / Updated: April 07, 2025
Heart-wrenching horror.
After kicking off May with discussions of Stephen Sommers’ perfect action-adventure-horror-romantic-comedy The Mummy (listen) and the iconic jump scare in the Audrey Hepburn-starring Wait Until Dark (listen), we’re delving into the real-life horrors of child sexual abuse in Gregg Araki‘s 2004 adaptation of Scott Heim‘s novel Mysterious Skin.
Mysterious Skin tells the story of how child sexual abuse affects the lives of two pre-adolescent boys in different ways. Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) becomes a reckless, sexually adventurous sex worker, while Brian (Brady Corbet) retreats into a reclusive fantasy of alien abduction. The film is told in parallel narratives before culminating in a heart-breaking reunion that will change each boy’s life forever.
Episode 282: Mysterious Skin (2004)
Look out for UFOs and stay away from Froot Loops because we’re discussing Gregg Araki‘s tender-yet-traumatizing adaptation Mysterious Skin (2004). Tagging in for the conversation is RogerEbert.com Assistant Editor and The Spool founder & EIC Clint Worthington.
Join us as we have many difficult conversations about a film filled to the brim with controversial subject matter. From Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Brady Corbet‘s heartbreaking performances to the accurate depiction of the long-term effects of child sex abuse, there’s no shortage of things to talk about.
Plus: a defense of the single working mother, praise for Michelle Trachtenberg, MPAA woes (again) and the journey of Scott Heim‘s source novel from page to screen.
Cross out Mysterious Skin!
