I SAW THE TV GLOW (2024)

as a genre, horror constantly revolves around themes of death, loss, and fears that stem from those themes. the majority of horror movies and books are quick to establish this by showcasing murder, someone going missing, or the implication of those things towards someone/something that will act as the narrative crux of the story. the ghost haunting the narrative. however, it is a common trope to showcase it in its brutality (slasher horror) or to establish it immediately with little time for emotional investment from the audience (funerals in the first act, most psychological horror)

not to say that these are bad things, but as someone that readily watches and reads horror it can become tiresome seeing these tropes deployed the exact same way every time. it becomes cliche and removes enjoyment for me when i can already guess the beats of the story. a lot of horror gains its intrigue in establishing a mystery, and i want to be lured in by it.

however, i saw the tv glow (2024) does a really great job establishing its horror in a steady pace. i wont discuss any outright spoilers, but it is an amazing example of knowing how to create dread in its audience. it's a shame that mainstream cis audiences couldn't pick up every fear that is woven into its story. it takes the denial of accepting who you are and staying in the closet and shapes it into the horror that it is, denying yourself the chance to live, at the fear of what you will lose. the real loss is you constantly killing who you are and choosing that violence every day. the use of being buried alive as the way to be reborn was a great choice.

since im not transfem, i cant fully speak to the inherently transfem horror/fears/symbolisms of isabel. but it's raw, it's visceral. after watching the movie it left me to contemplate it in silence with my wife for almost an hour. of course, not everyone can safely be out and have to be closeted, but this movie is for the people that are most afraid of who they are than anything else. but there is still time.