#I started it ages ago with one of the postcards from Maximilian's patreon but it's been mostly blank bc I was waiting to watch WLP

[wardenmages]

I never actually posted any thoughts and opinions about Worst Laid Plans so, while I still have access for another ~12 hours through my virtual festival pass: hyperfixation machine go, as spoiler-free as possible since it's not available outside of festivals currently!

I could write full essays about both queer horror and analog horror but I want to wait until more people are able to watch it. I think the film will be at more festivals, so check their socials to find out when/where and if the festivals have a virtual option like NYCHFF did! It was very affordable and I was able to watch 4 films in my block for about $20, and had 48 hours to watch, which made rewatching for details & audio processing very convenient. I don't know how many festivals are offering that option, but aside from being able to watch the films while unable to travel, it was very helpful from a disability accessibility perspective.

Reviews of each part of the anthology below the cut. Any specifics I mention are only as deep as the summary on the festival's website, I'm trying very hard to make this spoiler-free because it's always better to go in fresh.

"Deep in the Heart" is the one I knew the most about going in, so I do have a specific fondness for it. It's very soft in a lot of moments, but there's a very uncomfortable tension of knowing what was probably going to happen but it just kept not happening until it suddenly Did. There's also a scene I'm very jealous of everyone who saw it in a theater for because it must have been so cool. And, of course, I always enjoy watching Chris and Maximilian work. I've known about the whole project for a while specifically through them and director John Hale, so this was an easy favorite.

"You've Been Saved" actually wrecked my brain because I had several guesses as to what was going to happen but the climax happened and I Was Not Ready because every single thought I had was wrong. Very clever play on Christian phrases and iconography, a solid emotional core, and really cool visuals.

"Taylor Family Vacation '93" was heartbreaking. It reminds me a lot of the analog horror that's been growing on youtube without falling into the common pitfalls that longer-form series tend to fall into. I love the look of the sections with the camcorder. It's really well-balanced between styles but I want more of the film-style just because it looked so cool.