What We're Watching: Spooky Season, October 2021
It’s October, so you know what that means… it’s ~Spooky Season~ {Insert deep spooky laugh here}
Whether you’re a horror novice or a seasoned expert, we have a variety of picks to get you ready for the season. So light a candle, grab some candy, and prepare to be mildly to extremely spooked. 👻
Scream (1996 Directed by Wes Craven) - Rated R
CW: blood, violence
Scream is one of the first horror movies I ever watched that made me go “okay I think I like horror now??” It balances humor and self-awareness with the violence and gore one would expect from a slasher flick (prepare to never look at a garage door the same way). And the ending - oof. Sometimes I wish I could erase my memory, because watching the reveal of the Ghostface killer for the first time gave me chills. But I’m getting ahead of myself aren’t I?
In the small town of Woodsboro, teens Casey (Drew Barrymore) and Steve (Kevin Patrick Wallis) are brutally murdered by a masked killer known as Ghostface. At the same time, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is struggling with the trauma caused by the violent death of her mother the year before. As Ghostface continues their murder spree, growing closer and closer to Sidney and her friends, it becomes increasingly difficult for her, and the audience, to know who to trust. If you love a good mystery like I do, Scream will definitely keep you on your toes trying to figure out who the killer is before the big reveal.
To celebrate Scream’s 25th anniversary this year, I highly recommend going thrifting for some 90s clothes and throwing a little viewing party. Between the current resurrection of 90s fashion trends and overall nostalgia for the era from Gen Z and Millenials, this is the perfect spooky season for it. - Brynna A, Editorial Lead
Jennifer’s Body (2009 Directed by Karyn Kusama, Written by Diablo Cody) - Rated R
CW: sexual violence
ICYMI: Jennifer’s Body has gone through a renaissance of sorts the last few years. There are people discovering that the oversexualization of Megan Fox throughout the initial marketing of the film completely misses the point of it. Jennifer’s Body is so much more than just ‘hot cheerleader becomes monster’, even though there are some that refuse to see it through another lens - it’s about female friendship, the struggles of forming identity at a young age, the horrors of the patriarchy, and did I mention that it’s also queer?
Jennifer Check (Megan Fox) and Anita “Needy” Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried) have been best friends since childhood - “sandbox love never dies” as they say. But after a chaotic night out involving a bar mysteriously going up in flames and Jennifer disappearing with a sketchy boy band, their friendship is never the same. When Jennifer reappears at Needy’s house later that night, she’s different (like possessed by a hungry demon different). As Needy discovers what truly happened to Jennifer that night, she really wants to help her - that is her best friend after all. But when boys around town are found brutally murdered, Needy starts to wonder if the Jennifer she knew is still in there, or was she really this cruel all along?
The film’s take on codependent female friendships is really unlike anything I’ve seen before (and not just because one of them becomes a man-eating demon). Even before Jennifer starts eating people, her and Needy’s relationship isn’t super healthy. Maybe it’s repressed romantic/sexual feelings that come with living in a small town that probably doesn’t have comprehensive sex-ed. Maybe it’s just that they’re young people growing into their identities and are unable to see that the connection no longer serves them. Whatever the reason, Jennifer’s Body is able to explore this relationship in a meaningful way while still delivering lots of good spooky fun that is a blast to watch with friends. Just make sure no one leaves in the middle of the night with a sketchy boy band intent on performing a creepy ritual to further their career or you may have to learn how to be friends with a demon. - Brynna A, Editorial Lead
Raw (2016 Directed by Julia Ducournau) - Rated R
My appreciation for body horror (and horror in general) was immediately solidified when I watched Ducournau’s stomach-churning feature debut during my college days. The twisted coming-of-age film revolves around shy vegetarian Justine (Garance Marillier) as she leaves home for veterinary school. During her first week, she is forced to eat a raw rabbit liver as part of a hazing ritual, causing her to develop an unusual taste for meat. As her strange craving becomes concerning, her older sister Alexia (Ella Rumpf) reveals her own secrets and helps Justine navigate her budding thirsts for flesh--the literal and the sexual.
Ducournau and Marillier worked together on several previous short films, and their chemistry and understanding of how one another work is palpable. Marillier’s slow-burning performance is captivating—she plays Justine with an unassuming vulnerability that makes every shocking twist as jaw-dropping as the last. This is especially impressive considering that this is her first starring role in a feature!
On top of that, it is a truly unique exploration of female sexuality; the feminist undertones made for an experience that, for me, was very visceral and thought-provoking in its nuance. Raw is starkly beautiful and deeply unsettling in a way that not many first features pull off easily. Ducournau’s vision is strong and cutting, and I can easily see myself being a fan for life. - Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp, Partnerships and Content Developer
What We Do In The Shadows (2019 Created by Jemaine Clement) - Rated TV-MA
If you’re looking for more laughs and less screams this spooky season, I highly recommend checking out the series What We Do in the Shadows. This mockumentary follows roommates Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), Guillermo (Harvey Guillen), and their supernatural shenanigans on Staten Island, NY. Nadja, Laszlo, and Nandor are ‘traditional’ vampires - they drink blood, catch fire when exposed to sunlight, sleep in coffins, and have been alive for centuries. Despite this, they still have no clue how to live in modern times without the help of their human familiar (unpaid intern) Guillermo.
What We Do In The Shadows does still have some blood, these are vampires after all, but is absolutely a comedy more than anything. Vampires are typically portrayed as all powerful and incredibly intelligent beings and predators, which is why I love that these vampires can be so incredibly stupid and lazy. It’s a twist that makes for a really entertaining and unexpected show perfect for spooky season, and year round. Note: While this series is based in the universe of the 2014 film of the same name, you don’t have to watch the film to understand what’s happening. - Brynna A, Editorial Lead
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020 Created by Mike Flanagan) - Rated TV-MA
Before watching The Haunting of Bly Manor, I truthfully wasn’t really into haunted houses or ghost horror. It was one of the horror subgenres I avoided because I thought it was just jump scares and demonic souls (which aren’t my thing, but props to anyone that enjoys them!) and not much else...but boy was I wrong.
Looking for a fresh start in England, American teacher Dani Clayton (Victoria Pedretti) takes a job as an au pair for orphaned children Flora (Amelie Bea Smith) and Miles (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) at their family home Bly Manor. From the beginning, the children seem to be aware of the supernatural spirits that also reside at Bly, doing odd things to keep Dani and the other adults safe from the ghosts that killed their former au pair Miss Jessel (Tahirah Shariff).
The characters, both dead and alive, are truly what make The Haunting of Bly Manor so compelling. The series isn’t just about lost spirits that haunt the manor. It’s about a brother and sister coming together after a family tragedy. It’s about a woman embracing her queer identity and finding the love of her life. The point is, Bly Manor doesn’t sacrifice character development for cheap scares. It takes advantage of its spooky location to tell a story that is both heartwarming and emotionally devastating (in the best possible way). By the end, it’s hard not to feel something for almost everyone, even some of the more vengeful spirits. This series won’t necessarily leave you with nightmares, but, if you’re anything like me, it will leave you haunted. - Brynna A, Editorial Lead
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
What We’re Watching is our guide on tv and films from our team at the Light Leaks. Finding new things to watch shouldn’t feel intimidating- too many of us have been bombarded by bro-y film culture telling us what’s good. This column is our way of introducing you to new (and maybe some familiar) favs to watch. Happy viewing!