Made to be Monsters: ‘Darkman’

When the man inside begins to change.

Welcome back to ‘Made To Be Monsters’, the series where I talk in-depth about my favorite films and why I think they’re secretly about the transsexual/queer experience. Remember: I am not trying to argue for the genuine, intended text of these films, and this is all in good fun.

You can find all previous and future entries into the series here!

Recently celebrating its 31st anniversary, Sam Raimi’s Darkman marks the second time the writer/director has been featured on this series! What can I say besides that this man has a finger to the pulse of Other’ed cinema, to the stories of societal outcasts and the journey of boy to Man. Although this film, released in 1990 to moderate financial and critical acclaim, has faded into the background for most superhero fans, I maintain that it is one of Raimi’s best, a true horror film within a comic book skin.

The story of Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson), a scientist turned vigilante after being disfigured by a mobster, is a story of slow corruption, of a loss of identity resulting in further loss of humanity. It helped launch Liam Neeson into the American spotlight, as well as to prep Raimi for the Spider-Man trilogy twelve years later. And in the current landscape of Marvel and DC dominating the comic book film…