The Curse

Some of the best horror revolves around the places we live in. This is the scariest thing I’ve seen in a long time. The sound design builds tension in places I would never think to be concerned about otherwise, and they don’t really stray from the hgtv cinematography style too much. I think the warped mirrors on the house and the distorted title card represent their, especially Whitney’s, distorted view on whatever topic they try to reflect. Whitney wants to present herself as eclectic, as someone who cares about the community, and as a connoisseur of art. To a certain extent she is, but she don’t understand the art she consumes and when it comes down to it her personal aspirations supersede her interest in the community. Dougie wants to present himself, to himself, as responsible, as though he manages his dui issue well, but he always waits until he’s on the road to test himself. Asher is my favorite. Asher wants to present himself as strong, competent, and as someone who cares for others above himself.  Asher actively works toward his goals, and interestingly, he and Whitney seem to turn into their view on each other (at the beginning of the show) by the end of the show. I love the last episode, even if I think they could have made Asher flying a little more melancholy, maybe more static shots. I’m a sucker for when stories throw you through a reality shifting loop right near the end. I heard that Asher’s fall represented his rebirth in his son, but that seems far too distracted from the other focuses of the show to me. Dougie and everyone else saw him as someone trying to escape his problems. It horrified me the whole episode that he would die without anyone knowing he truly cared for his family and he didn’t run away. I think Asher’s ending had to do with his taking the fall for everyone else’s selfishness. I thought Dougie’s reaction afterwards was super necessary to give a last word to his narrative, but honestly that was probably some of the weakest acting in the whole show. Overall I was pretty blown away. I didn’t find myself bored by any part of this, which is pretty impressive for a show revolving around a show about gentrification and subsidizing displacements. Nathan Fielder might have a new follower, and Emma Stone was as good as ever.