Although I SAW THE TV GLOW (2024) is an interesting movie, it never really connected with me. That is not to say that I think it is a bad film - it’s just one that doesn’t work for me. I can see what the story is doing and I’m impressed by the goal and the style (not to mention the excellent central performance) but I was never engaged with what I was watching. To be clear, I think the fault may lie with me rather than the film itself. It is such a sad tale and told in such a detached fashion that it feels purposely distancing so maybe my reaction isn’t as off as I fear it might be. I think the last time I saw a movie so drenched in a sense of melancholia it might have been INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (2013) or ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004) but both of those films were easier for me to identify with and enjoy. I’m not sure if this disconnect relates more to the genre ISTTVG sits within or if it is that the depressive time of life the main character is enduring is less relatable for me now. I can imagine a younger person in their twenties having a very different reaction to this film and possibly a profound, emotional one at that. The final scene with the main character apologizing to his co-workers brought real tears to my eyes as it is the type of situation I find compelling and relatable in a heartbreaking way. That need to calm people and assure them that the fault is with you and not them is tragic and very much part of my mental makeup. The constant sense of loss the film exudes can be a painful, off-putting experience but that last scene feels emotionally right. In the end I know I will one day return to this film to see if my reaction remains the same or if anticipating that final scene colors my view of the story that leads to it.
The List
THE STRANGLER (1964) – 6 (solid thriller)
ODDITY (2024) – 8
SALEM’S LOT (2024) – 7 (wish it was longer but it is gorgeous)
CANDYMAN (2021) – 8 (rewatch)
SALEM’S LOT (2004) – 6 (Cable TV version isn’t bad)
BARON BLOOD (1972) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
THE CURSE OF THE VOODOO (1965) – 5 (rewatch)
TOWER OF EVIL (1972) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
THE NEANDERTHAL MAN (1953) – 4 (overwritten and overacted mad science tale) (rewatch on Blu)
THE 13TH FLOOR (1988) – 3 (Australian horror film that is mostly dull)
THE WOMAN WHO CAME BACK (1946) – 6 (is it a reincarnated witch? Maybe.)
STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP (1946) – 6 (rewatch)
SALEM’S LOT (2024) – 7 (rewatch)
BODIES BODIES BODIES (2022) – 5 (only catches fire in the final act and never very funny)
PET SEMATARY: BLOODLINES (2023) – 4 (pretty dull and pointless)
HALLOWEEN II (1981) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
THE HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORROR (1969) – 6 (Tigon production is not bad)
BLACK SABBATH (1963) – 9 (rewatch on Blu)
DRACULA – PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW (1971) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)
THE PRIMEVALS (2023) – 6 (fun stop-motion adventure 50 years in the making)
I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943) – 9 (rewatch)
HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944) – 7 (rewatch)
SHE DEVIL (1957) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)
FINAL PRAYER (a.k.a. The Borderlands) (2013) – 7 (British found footage creeper about a team investigating a possible miracle)
I SAW THE TV GLOW (2024) – 5 (melancholy drips from every scene and the intense sadness of the main character is palpable but it didn’t really connect with me)
THE PHANTOM SPEAKS (1945) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)
THE UNKNOWN TERROR (1957) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)
THE LADY AND THE MONSTER (1945) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
SMILE 2 (2024) – 7
MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (1935) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
THE WITCH’S MIRROR (1962) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
DRACULA’S DAUGHTER (1936) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
THE MASK OF SATAN (1989) – 6 (Lamberto Bava’s version of the tale) (rewatch)
