The punch line is the 2011 gay “slasher” comedy Sister Mary, a pretty funny little flick that brings back the spirit of 1990s gay indie films. There are cute young boys, campy humor, and jabs at the Catholic Church. Plus, there’s a killer nun!
A really terrible boy band called The Ex Choir Boys performs at the local gay club. I hope the terrible singing is intentional, because it’s really bad—and there’s way too much of it. I guess shirtless, gyrating young men are supposed to make you ignore the vocals?
Once you get past the first awful performance (the first of a few in the movie), a creepy nun approaches one of the members of the boy band and the guy he’s blowing in a back alley and kills them! An older, homophobic cop is put on the case and begins to have a very strong, almost fatherly connection with the cute lead singer of the band.
Naturally, more boy banders begin to bite the dust. There are flashbacks of a little girl being verbally abused by a nun, played by Judy Tenuta. Is Judy the killer?
Gay comic Ant is brought in as a really bad FBI profiler. And the police begin to suspect a priest is to blame for the killings, leading to plenty of gay priest and pedophile priest jokes. Bruce Vilanch makes an appearance as a cow-fucking redneck. And Sean Paul Lockhart (aka: porn star Brent Corrigan) of Chillerama has a very sexy cameo.
Sister Mary is funny and sexy with the type of “twist” that has become a staple of “queer” killers over the decades. The only thing that could have made it better is if there was more attention paid to the horror side of things. The kills are quick and simple, making this horror-lite. Horror comedies have shown us that they can be funny and still be scary. A more suspenseful atmosphere, gore, and even a chase scene could have made Sister Mary a strong entry in the desperately lacking gay slasher genre.
