The True Horror of The Blair Witch Project

Dorrie SacksLeave a comment

*SPOILERS FOR THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999) – READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

If you were to ask me what my favorite horror movie of all time is, you might hear the sound of my brain making “dial-up” noises, followed by a short-circuit. With so many brilliant, innovative scary stories out there, it feels impossible to pick just one. As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I’m a fan of non-traditional horror, or horror that thinks outside the box just a wee bit more than your average ouija board flick (nothing against those types of narratives, just personal preference here). One movie that will always pop off at the top of my head, however, is the masterful piece that kickstarted the popularity of the famous “found footage,” genre – Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez’s 1999 cult classic, The Blair Witch Project.Read More »

Why are Horror Movies Turning into Action Flicks?

Benjamin BergstromLeave a comment

*Light spoilers for all of the Alien films, Jurassic Park, and Jurassic World, read at your own risk.

Are we really in a “Golden Age of Horror”? On one hand we get films like Get Out (2017), The Babadook (2014), and Hereditary (2018). On the other hand, we get films like… Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016). Horror films are either incredibly creative and dynamic or so god damn banal and obvious.

But there is a noticeable difference in horror productions now. For roughly thirty years studios have been remaking horror films into blockbuster action flicks. The most obvious contender is The Mummy (2017). However this trend isn’t limited to The Dark Universe franchise, it has seeped into others. If one looks at the trajectory of the Alien franchise, you can clearly see it’s deviation from its horror roots. Sure, Alien: Covenant (2017) has horror elements, but by the second act it ultimately becomes an action film. Two androids beat the shit out of each other and a Xenomorph is shot out into space for the hundredth time in the franchise.

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Doki Doki Literature Club: A Portrait of Uncanny

Dorrie Sacks1 Comment

*SPOILERS FOR DOKI DOKI LITERATURE CLUB – READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION

Happy Monthaween, everyone! Who else is madly in love with the month of October? I know that we have until the 31st for the world’s greatest secular holiday ever, but goddamnit, I just don’t feel like waiting. To celebrate my undying love for Halloween, I’ve decided that all blogs written this month will be horror themed. I must admit, I’m a bit of a horror addict. Whenever I watch or play something that is really, really terrifying, I get this rush, not too dissimilar to the feeling people get after they ride a rollercoaster. Call me a masochist, but I just can’t get enough of that feeling like I’m about to implode from sheer terror.

What kind of horror gets me jazzed, though? Horror has become an umbrella term, with so many subcategories from slasher to psychological thriller. I suppose I would call myself a non traditionalist, in the sense that the more typical things like haunted house movies and monster flicks don’t really do it for me. No. I crave horror that digs much deeper. Horror that doesn’t make you scream, but instead leaves you shaking because you feel like something is slowly and painfully crawling under your skin. Horror that stays with you well after the show is over. If you’re looking for an example of what I’m talking about, then look no further than Doki Doki Literature Club.Read More »

I See You, Bojack Horseman

Dorrie Sacks2 Comments

*SPOILERS FOR SEASON 5 OF BOJACK HORSEMAN – READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION

Every time I begin a new season of Bojack Horseman, I can’t help but feel this knot in the pit of my stomach. Shakily clutching my Roku remote, I think to myself, “Will this be it? Will this be the season where the writers’ room completely falls apart, and turns this masterpiece into more soulless Hollywood schlock?” I only think this because: 1 – I’m a cynical 22 year old, and 2 – I can say, without a doubt, that this is my favorite show. Ever. Of all time. Every single episode manages to deliver both razor-sharp wit and gut-wrenching raw emotion that can make anyone, human or horse, star or civilian, look themselves in the mirror and ask, “Am I the best version of myself that I can be?” Thankfully, season 5 is on top of its game, and has given me so much to think about that I can’t seem to focus on anything else. Seriously. Ask my family and friends, they’ll tell you it’s all I talk about.Read More »

The End of the F***ing World and the Portrayal of Teenagers

Dorrie SacksLeave a comment

cw: mentions of rape, violence and suicide

*SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE F***ING WORLD – READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION

When I heard that the TV series, The End of the F***ing World, based on Charles Forsman’s graphic novel of the same name, was getting renewed for a second season, I honestly had mixed feelings. In my opinion, the British Channel 4/Netflix black comedy concludes its first season right where it needs to after a span of eight 20-minute episodes. Sure, it could be argued that the finale ends on a cliffhanger, but I struggle to figure out what exactly they can do in season 2 that won’t feel like a total shift from the carefully grounded tone the show has built thus far. I do, however, remain hopeful that I’ll be pleasantly surprised, and that the team behind the show can create a narrative that is just as gripping as the first season’s.

I recently rewatched this series for the second time through, and I found myself really thinking about the title: The End of the F***ing World. It’s brutally honest, and so incredibly teenager. Nothing screams teen angst more than swear words and the intense feeling that everything is going to shit. That is what TEOTFW does best, though: portray teenagers honestly.Read More »