Episode 34: Roger Earl's BORN TO RAISE HELL (1975)

Cruising the Movies

Guess who’s back? The podcast returns for a special holiday Fistmas treat, with one of the roughest films we’ve covered: Roger Earl’s BORN TO RAISE HELL. Filmed with an unflinching documentary feel, Earl’s film comes with a disclaimer that it is 'based on a psychological study of a sadomasochistic relationship between adult men.' Quite an understatement for a film that features golden showers, ruddy beaten asses, alligator clamps, and — yes — brutal fisting. We’ll go in-depth on the Brazilian leather icon and star sadist, Val Martin; discuss the cyclical influence of Fred Halsted and Earl; and learn why the film is banned from screening in L.A. to this very day.

And speaking of L.A., we also take a deep dive into one of the most notorious chapters in the city's queer history: a 1976 charity "slave auction" that resulted in the arrest of 40 leathermen, including many of the principal cast and crew of BORN TO RAISE HELL, Fred Halsted, and the staff of Drummer magazine. We cover the raid from its initial discovery via a postal inspection informant to detailed reports of the auction to its the accused’s lengthy legal battle.

This is a corker of an episode — sit back, grab a recycled beer, rest your legs on a willing sub, and listen!