T Blockers (Frightfest 2023)(Review)

Alice Maio Mackay is a horror phenomenon.

At 18 years old she has already directed three genre features in the span of three years, with another two pictures in post-production at the time of writing. More importantly, she’s an out-and-proud transgender woman who isn’t afraid to let the world know how she feels about the current socio-political landscape. To refer to Mackay’s films as “defiant” would seem a little redundant in this modern age of increasingly prevalent anti-trans hatred, where queer existence itself has seemingly become a radical act of defiance.

Alice’s previous two films – the adorable vampire coming-of-ager So Vam (2021), and the ‘80s-inspired supernatural teen slasher Bad Girl Boogey (2022), both prominently featured non-binary and transgender supporting characters, but her latest, T Blockers, is the first of her features to make the transfeminine experience its central subject. Although recent mainstream horrors such as Evil Dead Rise and Talk to Me have been praised for their quiet examples of trans representation, it’s clear that Mackay wasn’t content to let T Blockers be a film where queer stories are restricted to a dark, nebulous realm of implication and subtext. Even the film’s title – a reference to testosterone-blocking medication – refuses to make any excuses.

This is the trans cinema of today, fuelled by anger and radical love, unwilling to be “acceptable” by the standards of cisgender society – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

T Blockers follows Sophie (Lauren Last), a young trans filmmaker trying to survive in modern-day Australia, and I can only assume that some elements of her character and the movie’s narrative are inspired by director Mackay’s personal experiences. Following a date gone wrong Sophie hits the local gay bar with her roommate and best friend Spencer (Lewi Dawson), intending to drown her sorrows, but their plans are interrupted by a horrifying discovery – the town’s most susceptible young men are being taken over by slug-like parasites who are fuelled by hate and hungry for queer blood. Local law enforcement turns a blind eye to the creatures’ attacks, which leads Sophie and Spencer to join forces with bartender Storm (Lisa Fanto), and cis love interest Kris (Toshiro Glenn), to enact vigilante justice against this invasion of the body-snatchers.

But even if the supernatural threat is defeated, how will Sophie and her friends survive the real-world wave of transphobic hatred sweeping the globe?

Sure, T Blockers pays tribute to the slimy splatter flicks of yesteryear, but to call it an ‘80s throwback would be disingenuous. Part goopy creature-feature, part trans girl hang-out flick, part political manifesto, this is a refreshingly modern genre outing with a strong enough sense of identity to stand apart from its inspirations. The film’s unashamedly rebellious heart and decidedly un-sanitised portrayal of queer life and culture have led people to compare it to the likes of Troma and John Waters, and like Pink Flamingos (1972), and The Toxic Avenger (1984), T Blockers cynical, nihilistic edge does not contradict its nature as a loud, non-compliant celebration of outsider life, and love in the face of adversity.

As mentioned before, an element that a lot of examples of modern trans cinema have in common with each other is a focus on “hanging out” with the film’s cast of gender-diverse characters. From Sean Baker’s critically-acclaimed Tangerine (2015), to Canadian filmmaker Louise Weard’s upcoming 6-hour transfeminine epic (which is set to feature an appearance from Alice Mackay herself), movies told from transgender perspectives (particularly the perspectives of trans women), often feature extended sequences of queer folk living life and spending time with each other – sequences to which we, as the audience, are implicitly invited be part of. T Blockers is a prime example of this, not least because the protagoinists are people that you actually want to spend time with. Sophie in particular is a compelling, sympathetic and believable lead, performed superbly by actress Lauren Last in what I was surprised to learn is her screen debut.

The thing is, there’s a profound sense of purpose as to why T Blockers is a “hang-out flick”. It’s the story of a group of survivors who support and protect each other in a hostile world, just as real-life trans and queer communities act as a support network in the face of homophobia and anti-LGBT violence. Perhaps the idea of a “hang-out movie” appeals to transgender creatives (myself included), because filmmaking provides them and their audiences a chance to have their own space where they can kick back and spend time with others without being questioned or erased.

T Blockers is quite possibly Alice Maio Mackay’s best film to date, and beyond my opinion as a critic and horror fan, I admire what she has achieved here and will continue to achieve going forward. Whilst the rights of transgender people in the UK are being threatened daily, the fact that FrightFest – a major film festival in the heart of the capital – has decided to platform a micro-budget tale of queer rebellion made by a teenage trans girl gives me at least a little hope for the future.

Robyn’s Archive – T Blockers