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King Cobra Reminds Us: In Gay Porn, People Are Still Dying
King Cobra Reminds Us: In Gay Porn, People Are Still Dying
The film inspired by the real-life murder of a gay porn producer may be set in the past, but its characters' pain remains real and present.
The promotion of King Cobra, a new film by Justin Kelly inspired by real players in the gay porn industry, has invariably centered on sex. James Franco and Keegan Allen, who portray hustlers Joseph Kerekes and Harlow Cuadra, pose for a photograph in Nasty Pig underwear. Garrett Clayton, as teen porn star Brent Corrigan, showers in another teaser, as a voice-over phone call reveals a lie to his mother (Alicia Silverstone) about a summer internship.
These scenes and images, much like pornography, excite and titillate. They draw the viewer in and invite him to take a seat. Yet those who stay beyond the peep show will see that the film is much more than the sum of its sex scenes. King Cobra, which is based on the murder of Cobra Video owner Bryan Kocis, is fascinated with death and its causes.
“What would cause someone to murder a porn producer over his star?” Kelly posed to The Advocateat the movie’s premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. The director was referencing the real-life morbid motivations that inspired King Cobra. Much like his previous film, I Am Michael, about a gay activist’s denial of his sexuality, the film explores the flaws and complexities of its characters without judgment.
“There’s not an agenda really or a specific message,” Kelly said. “If anything, it’s about understanding people’s stories.”
A photo posted by Keegan Allen (@keeoone) on
Kelly may not have an agenda. Yet the film’s release comes on the heels of a string of deaths among young people in the gay porn industry. And it’s exorcism of an old crime raises questions and insights as to why this may be happening.
One outlet, San Diego Gay and Lesbian News, has called this string of deaths an “epidemic.” The list of casualties in the past few months includes 24-year-old Mehran Chestnut, 25-year-old Zac Stevens, 20-year-old Dimitri Kane, 21-year-old Jasper Robinson, and 30-year-old Xander Scott. The causes of death include suicide and drug overdose, but are often unconfirmed.
Disturbingly, there is little to no research to confirm if there is an industry-wide problem concerning mental health or substance abuse. There is also a lack of mainstream media attention. In its coverage of the deaths, SDGLN questions why this is the case, suggesting it is in the porn studios’ best financial interests “to keep details of actors’ deaths from public scrutiny.” The LGBT community is also complicit.
“There are human lives at stake and it appears that these performers are not getting the support they require,” the LGBT outlet noted, while urging the community to pay more attention to actors who may be “overcoming some unhealthy aspect of the industry.”
At least one member of the industry, performer Connor Habib, said there is not an epidemic. In fact, questioning if there is one may be a sign of bias against the industry. In a blog post on the issue, Habib pointed to the “thousands of healthy, thoughtful, happy porn performers in gay and straight porn that haven’t killed themselves.” He argued that the public unfairly blames porn whenever a death occurs of one of its actors, which never happens when practitioners of medicine or law die.
“The porn performer is, in general, not a victim,” he wrote, adding, “Why do porn actors kill themselves? is not the right question. It’s bound to prejudices, misconceptions, and shame. A better question: What can we do to make involvement with porn easier, less stressful, and healthier?”
The story presented in King Cobra is an exceptional one that showcases nearly every “unhealthy aspect of the industry.” The film follows a 17-year-old Sean Paul Lockhart’s Pygmalion-like transformation into porn star Brent Corrigan after being discovered by the 40-something Kocis (Christian Slater) in 2004. Corrigan’s popularity and monetary success, and Kocis’s initial refusal to release him from his contract, led to Kocis’s brutal murder at the hands of two hustlers scheming to take his star. After stabbing Kocis 28 times and slashing his throat, his killers burned his house down in attempt to erase the crime.
It’s a sensational, ripped-from-the-headlines plot (although the real-life Corrigan has denied its accuracy, calling it “Hollywood’s attempt at bastardizing my early years in porn” in a tweet). Yet in Kelly’s hands, the story exposes the pain and loneliness simmering and shaking beneath his characters’ well-muscled facades. Franco’s character, Joe, flies into a jealous rage when he believes his partner, Harlow, crossed a line of intimacy with a man who paid him for sex. At another point, Harlow, who struggles with his own mental health issues, reveals he joined the Navy after being abandoned by his family; he then left the military in order to be with his lover.
Although the plot is set over a decade ago, gay men can relate to these stories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that men who have sex with men are still at greater risk of having major depression, bipolar disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder than their straight peers, due to homophobia, stigma, and discrimination. This in turn leads to a greater risk of suicide, drug abuse, and risky sex, which also creates a perfect storm for health risks like HIV infection. Thus, the gay porn industry cannot bear the sole responsibility for why some of its performers die. Society’s biases has already ensured that many of its performers — and viewers — are in peril.
The community itself is also culpable, as seen in King Cobra, which addresses gay culture’s obsession with youth and the consequences of this grip. In the previously referenced scene, the youthful Clayton's shower is juxtaposed with clips of Kocis staring at his reflection, his face covered with a green anti-aging masque. “Why shouldn’t I be attracted to boys who look like you?” he whispers to Corrigan and the audience. Later he treats his boyish muse to a binge of beauty products from Kiehl’s.
Likewise, Franco’s character covets his partner’s youthful good looks, while also lamenting what he perceives as his own decline in value to other gay men. In a memorable line, he lambastes “twinks,” a porn archetype of thin young men like Corrigan. “You blink, and they're twunk,” he jokes, a sad critique of the shelf life of many of these adult film stars.
The film offers no prescription to address these flaws. But it does raise awareness of them. Spencer Lofranco, who portrays one of Corrigan’s lovers, Mikey, told The Advocate how filming King Cobra opened his eyes to the cost that can come with fame in an industry where youth and beauty are commodified.
“People die. They still do,” he reflected. He hopes that after viewing the film, audiences will remember their “self-worth, and to know that people will take advantage of you. It’s important to stay grounded and stay connected to yourself.”
