Amelia

This started off good and kept getting better. With this being my introduction to the Halloween franchise, I'm sure I'm missing some important context or the nostalgia / mystique of the originals that caused this movie to flop originally. I also just can't help but love the Rob Zombie-isms present throughout this entire film, from the editing to the characterization to the pacing, further solidifying him as one of my top voices in modern horror. I'm very excited to watch the second one (despite its abysmal reception) because it's well-loved by two creatives whose tastes I deeply trust. A nice kick-off to Gabe and I's Halloween Horror marathon! Community quote: Britta removes her mask while holding her knife.

This may come as a shock to anyone who knows my opinions on Jane Schoenbrun's work, which can be boiled down to "important and I respect it, but absolutely NOT for me." I walked away from I Saw the TV Glow rather disappointed and like I watched a good idea of a movie, but not a good movie. And We're All Going to the World's Fair was everything I didn't like about I Saw the TV Glow turned up to 100. Still, given the gap between my ratings of both, I figured there was a solid chance I would at least enjoy Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma if the trend of me liking their later films exponentially more continued. And I'm SO happy I was right. This film is brilliant. Truly brilliant. The dialogue is just campy enough while being rooted in a clearly deep understanding and immersion into real-world puritanical queer beliefs. The people claiming this movie shames sex are flat-out wrong; this is a movie about the shame OF sex. And god, the Little Death characterization and imagery throughout is PERFECT for this. Schoenbrun also chose the two most interesting characters to tell this story, which was one of my gripes with their previous works. The chemistry, the motivations, the rawness, I could go on and on. Some truly stunning cinematography and sound design as well, which I knew would be the case coming in. Every shot has three different meanings, each dependent on one another. Definitely one of my favorites this year, so much so that I think I'm due for an I Saw the TV Glow rewatch. Maybe I missed something that first time around. Also, shoutout to Jane Schoenbrun's titles. I love a long title that matches the freak and intensity of the film and if anyone does that well, it's Schoenbrun. Community quote: Troy fixes an air conditioning unit while blindfolded.