TVG Presents: All Things Horror.

[Farmer John]

The prequel was apparently filmed on the back of Avatar 2 with a lot of the same crew. Strikes me as kind of funny

Even just typing "Avatar 2" makes me laugh.

[VinylGuy]

Im sure Jim Cameron doesnt know that

[Farmer John]

Someone should tell him.

[Ms Harmless]

Avatar is going to have as many sequels as The Land Before Time

[VinylGuy]

they are going for five movies right?

[Ms Harmless]

I thought it was like 7 or 8 but I don't know

[Ms Harmless]

"Choose or Die"

it's bad but mildly entertaining

[VinylGuy]

X

I enjoyed it a lot. Its funny and violent and very well shot. I love Ti West.

[VinylGuy]

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair.

Boring really, a let down.

[Ms Harmless]

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair.

Boring really, a let down.

I watched this tonight and came in here to say how much I liked it; didn't expect it to end as chillingly as it did, and then leave us hanging

[VinylGuy]

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair.

Boring really, a let down.

I watched this tonight and came in here to say how much I liked it; didn't expect it to end as chillingly as it did, and then leave us hanging

please give me your thoughts....i was bored to death and i didnt understand the ending at all

[Ms Harmless]

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair.

Boring really, a let down.

I watched this tonight and came in here to say how much I liked it; didn't expect it to end as chillingly as it did, and then leave us hanging

please give me your thoughts....i was bored to death and i didnt understand the ending at all

can I do that without the spoiler tags because they're so much work!

[VinylGuy]

yeah

[Ms Harmless]

the story was paper-thin and a really slow burn, but I liked that; and I liked how the long, drawn out scenes created this creeping sense of dread and anxiety, even when there was no "in your face" horror imagery

I feel like it's important that the director is trans, because what there is of a story seems to be about trying to find a community, a way out of isolation, through playing a game that a lot of online users collectively add to and create consequences around

you've basically got that search for friendship and connection, while simultaneously there's also a story about online predators (the creepy older guy at the end, who very jarringly takes over from the story-telling and tells us "what happened next" to our female teen protagonist; but we don't have any idea of whether any of it is true... she's in a facility now? why? how do we know that the "end of the game" wasn't him killing her?)

to me, it's kind of about how online communities create creepypasta and games to scare us, as a cover for simultaneously gaslighting girls out of the fear of real threats to their safety that come in the form of "friendship"

[Ms Harmless]

and it's all done in a really plain and mundane style that contrasts the motivations of "innocent" and "predator"; they both want to play the game and do whatever it takes to connect with people; the creepy guy is not portrayed as a villain or slasher, just another guy on the internet with his own loneliness and needs, and that's what makes it scary

[VinylGuy]

I see.

Yeah i got that. I dont think its ultimate successful in how it tell us that story. The storytelling...wasnt as strong as the subjects its trying to grab.

I was confused by the ending too...Did she meet her? This guy is telling the story to us? She basically fell for whatever they were trying to do in that creepy pasta story and game, and felt embarrassed when this guy took her out of that...we have to believe this guy then?

It felt cheap in terms of how much is asking for the viewer to complete.

But im glad you liked it anyway.

[Ms Harmless]

your frustration that you "have to believe this guy" is where the horror is; it puts you, the viewer, in the seat as if you have no choice, almost as if you could be his next victim

[Ms Harmless]

I don't think it "tells" you a story as much as makes you feel things through scenes that play at your senses; that approach will divide people, I liked it

a similar style of film is "The Strings", which I also liked and maybe you wouldn't

I don't think this was the best film I've ever seen do the things it does, but it's a short and inconsequential enough film that I enjoyed it

[VinylGuy]

its not a frustration per se, its more of a question to the director...i would have liked a more nuanced storytelling. I had troubles believing whatever was happening. Also believing him of course. But i wasnt shown a different thing, or something that could give a stronger hint that what happened was just that.

[Ms Harmless]

but that's the thing, throughout the film you were only shown what the characters were seeing, nothing about how they were interpreting events (as you would in more typical storytelling); and the director doesn't break from that approach for the ending, you know she's gone because the only person at the screen is him; and you're given no choice but to believe his version of events, because he "finished the game" and she (for whatever reason) didn't; she doesn't get to speak for herself

I think how disturbing you find the ending will depend on how believable you think his story could possibly be; we're told that this game "changes you" but never why or how (whereas in another film we'd have this big montage sequence showing us how past players "changed"); so in the end it's up to us, did she change and go mad because she so badly wanted to be accepted? (you could call that the victim-blaming mentality), or was she predated upon? that question is left and the film is all the more chilling for it, imo