#robert eggers hear us out!

[neyafromfrance95]

charlie as jareth and miv as adult sarah in labyrinth sequel?

they can use "worship the light of its queen" and "heal yourself" scenes as their audition tape.

[jannwrites]

film ask meme : NOSFERATU (2024) directed by ROBERT EGGERS.

a selection of lines from the 2024 film nosferatu. modified for rp purposes.

you are not for the living. you are not for human kind.

do you swear it?

come here. there is nothing to be afraid of.

today is of the utmost importance for us.

it will be a great adventure for you.

why have you killed these beautiful flowers?

i must tell you my dream.

standing before me, all in black, was Death.

the stench of their bodies was horrible.

i had never been so happy as that moment, as i held hands with Death.

never speak these things aloud. never.

i wish you to have all you deserve.

it's worth celebrating your adventure. i envy you.

i fear their past melancholy is returning.

don't let them feed me to the monster!

remember, it's all for us.

you bring trouble with you.

beware his shadow. the shadow covers you in a nightmare.

you are late. the midnight hour is passed.

i fear we yet keep close many superstitions here that may seem backward to someone of your high learning.

they exhumed a corpse.

i might ease your wound.

come by the fire. your face shows you unwell.

why ever did you bring that here?

what can cheer this poor humor, my love?

do you ever feel, at times, as if you were not a person?

we all feel out of sorts, set apart, at times. small or alone.

you are fortunate in your love.

it is a black omen to journey in poor health.

no one. i am no one.

he loves the pretty ones best.

you are lost in his shadow.

remain here. his evil cannot enter this house of God.

soon i will be no more a shadow to you.

your spirit was never enough.

no matter. i miscalculated the stars.

hermes will not render my black sulfur gold this evening.

do not revel what is sacred to dogs.

does evil come from within us or from beyond?

this evil, what it it is, how it has been summoned - unleashed - i know not.

there is a dread storm rising.

your bond shall not survive me.

it is a force more powerful than evil. it is death itself.

i have wrestled with the devil as jacob wrestled the angel in peniel.

if we are to tame darkness, we must first face that it exists.

i told you, you are not of human kind.

i am an appetite. nothing more.

i cannot be sated without you.

remember how once we were?

you have never liked me.

nothing you can say will shake me - for there is a devil in this world, and i have met him.

don't touch me. i am not to be touched.

the grim reaper wields his heavy scythe with every change of wind.

your horror has rent our hearts, but you must hear us.

these nightmares do exist! they exist!

the monster left you to the wolves, and yet you prevailed.

we must know evil to be able to destroy it. we must discover it within ourselves.

i need no salvation.

you will put an end to all of this?

i feel his hold upon me this night.

i am ready. i bid you, come to me.

i relinquished him my soul.

god is beyond our morals.

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

Inspirations and Themes in “Nosferatu” (2024), according to Robert Eggers

At the surface this film appears to be “just another remake”, but it’s actually the opposite; it’s a subversion of every theme in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and on the original 1922 “Nosferatu”; because Eggers threw the “sexual purity”, “Christian salvation” and “Victorian romantic love” out of the window in this one.

What is Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” about? What are the themes? What makes his adaptation different from the others? Let’s explore the list of inspirations for this story, according to their own creator:

1. Emily Brontë “Wuthering Heights” (1847)

“You loved me then, what right had you to leave me? What right, answer me, for the poor fancy you felt for Linton? Because misery and degradation, and death, and nothing that God or Satan could inflict would have parted us, you, of your own will, did it. I have not broken your heart, you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.”

Themes of the all-consuming, obsessive and self-destructive passion, wrecking the lives of everyone around them and only stops when they are both dead; the destructive power of love; revenge; love triangle between a “beastly” man/mental unstable woman/gentleman; blend of hatred and love; couldn’t be together in life, united in death and reunited in the spiritual world; I already expanded on this topic in another post.

2. “Svengali” (1931)

“Oh, God, grant me in death what you denied me in life; the woman I love.”

Theme of the villain who induces others in a hypnotic and mesmerized states; infectious nature which causes contradictory feelings of repulse vs. attraction. Orlok using his sorcery to access Ellen (once again); Love triangle between a obsessive hypnotist/young woman/gentleman; Ellen’s life consumed by her connection with Orlok; couldn’t be together in life, united in death and reunited in the spiritual world.

3. “La Belle et la Bête” (Beauty and the Beast) (1946)

“Love can turn a man into a beast. But love can also make an ugly man handsome.”

Themes of reality vs. appearance: nothing is as it seems, and there’s more to the story than meets the eye. The storytelling is intricate, complex and requires intention and receptivity to truly understand it. Transformation and metamorphosis. Love and self-acceptance; embrace oneself and breaking free from social expectations. Cursed creature whose curse can only be broken by love: “And so the maiden fair did offer up her love unto the beast, and with him lay in close embrace until first cockcrow, her willing sacrifice thus broke the curse and freed them from the plague of Nosferatu.”

4. “Great Expectations” (1946)

“A young gentleman of great expectations.”

Themes of wealth and ambition vs. affection and compassion. Inspiration for Thomas Hutter character, who seeks social advancement, wealth and climb the social ladder, motivated by a desire of self-improvement. Friedrich Harding is Thomas’s Pip Estella; as he wishes to emulate him, and become a sophisticated gentleman. The arrogance and snobbishness of the upper class. Taking damaging risks in order to achieve ambition (traveling to a remote and mysterious castle), and falling into debt to sustain a certain lifestyle (with Friedrich). Learning that love is more important than wealth, the hard way (both Friedrich and Thomas).

5. “The Queen of Spades” (1949)

“If you've any human feeling in your breast, you can't refuse me. I beg. I beseech you. I know why you won't speak. The secret is connected with some terrible sin. That's it, isn't it? I'll make a bargain with you; tell me your secret and I'll take your sin upon my soul. Do you hear me? I mean it. A bargain. I'll take your sin upon my own soul.”

Theme of the horror element relying on Gothic ambience and atmosphere, than overt terror. Heavily rely on visual symbols to give meaning to the story: in “Nosferatu” are the lilacs and windows showcasing the connection between Ellen and Orlok. The idea that malevolent forces are at work is introduced early in the narrative. Theme of Faustian deals with the Devil. Themes of fate and the supernatural commanding the life of the characters, and leading to their demise. Themes of greed, power and pride leading to ruin; thirst for power as a pathway to madness, loss of dignity and loss of compassion for others, embodied in Herr Knock’s character, as he won’t stop at nothing to learn Orlok’s secret of immortality.

6. “The Innocents” (1961)

Miss Giddens: Were Quint and Miss Jessel in love? They were in love, weren't they? Mrs. Grose: Love? [Laugh] Oh, I suppose that's what she called it. But it was more like a sickness. A fever that leaves the body burned out and dry.

Themes of sexual repression and Victorian views of female sexuality (wickedness; sickness, shame; contagion; corruption) vs. love (pure; virginal; sacred; innocent; over-protective). The female protagonist overbearing protection of the children/Thomas masks her underlying conflict with her own sexuality (which she sees as sinful, shameful and diseased). Probably the inspiration for connecting flora (lilacs vs. willow tree) with the Ellen and Orlok, too.

7. “Andriesh” (1954)

Theme of the folk horror fairy tale, which also characterizes “Nosferatu”. The inspiration for Thomas dwelling in Transylvania and traveling to Castle Orlok, in the Carpathian Mountains; as he’s also given a magical token for protection, meets the people targeted by the supernatural, and faces a perilous journey to reach the castle, and then escape the castle; making allies along the way (Romanian old lady and the Nuns).

8. “Vechir na Ivana Kupala” (“The Eve of Ivan Kupalo”) (1968)

Theme of a darkly evocative, poetic and imagistic story deeply rooted in folklore. Use of several and overlapping cinematic techniques (fast motion, camera angles, etc.), to break the sense of reality within the film; in “Nosferatu” this probably translates in the dream/nightmarish atmosphere and hallucinations. Quick changes in tone (from horror to comedy to melodrama). Non-linear story and “show, not tell” approach; where the symbolism, mythology and cinematic complexity are more important than dialogue. Probably also the inspiration for Orlok giving Thomas’s a mount of gold as payment for his signature on the covenant, which will lead to the ruin of his marriage to Ellen.

9. “Leptirica” (“The She-Butterfly”) (1973)

Theme of a story and a vampire heavily influenced by folklore; in “Nosferatu”, by Romanian (strigoi). Use of humor to disarm the viewer. Withholding the reveal of the vampire to the audience; starting with close-ups on the hands, eyes, etc. Using a horse to find the grave of a vampire (in Balkan folklore it’s a black stallion, but Eggers probably choose white to be more visible in the night). A new and completely original ending to a cult classic. The female lead character appears to be naïve and harmless, but is revealed to be the true monster of the film.

[teotheratking]

ABOUT JEAN: The monthly discourse

Damn and I thought we were past monthly Jean discourse, y'all are quite off schedule this time.

I do think it's funny how Jean-Heron Vicquemare continues to be The Public Enigma with what could be equivalent of 5 minutes of screen time. All of his appearances can be put into 3 groups: worrying/searching for Harry, watching over Harry, spending 45 minutes on insulting him. So it only makes sense how his discourse as well is surrounded by conversation, what is his relationship with Harry? Him being Harry's Satellite officer is like another added layer to how his whole existence seems in a constant orbit around the center of the Earth - Harrier Du Bois.

When discussing both of these characters I think it is crucial to strip them down layer by layer. When we're doing this Harry and Jean, I think we see far too quickly, how similar they are even with many differences: both are addicts, depressed, having facial scarrings and, of course, both are cops.

When looking at them from purely 'superior and subordinate perspective, they remind me of Robert Eggers script from The Lighthouse (2019) particularly this bit:

The Lighthouse explores the themes of capitalism and perpetual cycles of new and old generations: Young and Old.

We can see similar themes explored in DE as well. The game isn't afraid of constantly putting the players head into the mud, saying: "Yeah, it is that shit." RCM is a constantly moving system that lures people in with the promise of help for community and spits out a hollow husk of their former selves. Though I would say it doesnt do that either as most of them die before ever reaching retirement age.

Harry is surrounded by old dog imagery.

Particularly dogs that are about to be put down or are already dead. I particularly love this segment of the game with Joyce - it is clear that in this segment the black dog licking his wound is Harry, who's getting put down by the system he works in. But what I think makes the scene even better is what follows it:

Every officer's fate in RCM is the same.

It's the years of violence, brutality, system that eats those, who help and enables those, who hurt. It's speed, alcohol, never ending poverty, and as years go by another officer is closer and closer to finally pull the trigger on the old dog that you have become.

One final act in the Disco Inferno.

And there's inescapable horror in all of this: seeing what you will become, what you're bound to become. Looking in the mirror and staring at your partner's reflection - ever present reminder: "This will be you in 10 years to come."

When Jean says "trying," what he actually means is "functional." Having context of RCM system and inherent ableism of it, I think it's safe to say, that "to try" means "to succeed."

Jean isn't anymore functional than Harry as he is simply younger. Harry through entirety of the game is experiencing raining bonefire of decades of drug abuse and effects of poverty and long lasting emotional physical abuse. Meanwhile, Jean is yet to experience the crashing sun. He has 10 years to do so.

In perpetual vortex that is this sinking ship, partnership and comradery, become essentials for survival. Harry and Jean form particularly tight bond, tight enough that both can't evade speculations about their sexuality or type of relationship they have, thus "hetero-sexual life partners" are born.

I see a lot of people insisting, that those two relationship, that they had is what we can see right now in the game: partnership that feels more like a race of self destruction, while putting sticks in each other's metaphorical bicycles. To see which one falls first. But I feel this is complete controdictory to what we hear from the game:

"Trouble in paradise" - I wouldn't use those words if my two coworkers, who try to sabotage each other on the daily would finally get into all consuming fight. Though what do I know about male-centric workplace humour.

No matter, which way you choose to look at it, at the events of Disco Elysium, Jean's and Harry's relationship is at their absolute worst. Rock bottom. Maybe even beyond it, though that depends how one evaluates forgetting 44 years of your life except lost ex goes into equation. What we see is culmination of their every moment together - good and bad, which erupts into terrible earthquake.

Finally, what we see of Jean and Harry's relationship is supposed to be merely introduction, or at least was (Kurwitz pls, let me read the scripts). By small bits and pieces Luiga has decided to reveal to the public is that Jean is supposed to be one of main partners of the second game featuring The Return.

This doesn't deny Jean's role as The Jury or The Executioner in the Final Tribunal. He represents RCM's bigotry, ableism and hypocrisy of it all - a broken system of a destructive cycle - ouroboros eating it's own tail. However at the end of the day he's as much a person as any other in Elysium - full of complexity and nuance, the verdict of we simply do not have enough information of.

Finally at the end of this... I don't know what to even call this, I have no idea how one would arrive to concrete conclusion, that is either: "Jean good' or "Jean bad." All game's characters are some kind of moraly grey - this isn't a MARVEL movie or a fairy tale that people want it to be. It is a commentary of cultures that we all have grown up in. For me DE really resonates from Baltic States history and culture context, because this is all I've ever known.

[thethreeirises]

Bound by Darkness: Love, Obsession, and Tragedy in Nosferatu

I know many people have already shared their thoughts on Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, and you might be tired of hearing about it by now — but I have to talk about it because I absolutely loved it. This surprised me, for I’ve never truly connected with a Robert Eggers film before. I’ve seen The Witch, Northman, and about ten minutes of The Lighthouse, but none of them really resonated with me. Don’t get me wrong — his talent as a filmmaker is undeniable, and his style is impressive — but I just didn’t find those films particularly engaging. Nosferatu, however, completely changed that for me.

The release of Nosferatu immediately captured my attention, largely due to its genre: Gothic Horror Romance. The film draws inspiration from the 1922 cult classic Nosferatu, which itself was an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s iconic novel Dracula. Robert Eggers’ adaptation of this specific genre has not only breathed new life into the story but has also drawn in a fresh demographic — fans of the dark, macabre, and hauntingly erotic allure of Gothic Horror — further expanding his already devoted fan base.

After my sixth viewing of the film (and my friend’s first), we found ourselves agreeing that Nosferatu draws subtle inspiration from Eggers’ earlier works, The Witch and Northman. Like those films, Nosferatu delves into themes of the occult and devil worship while embracing its identity as a period piece, immersing viewers in the lives and struggles of early 18th-century society. What truly elevates the film, though, is the romance! Eggers masterfully pushes the boundaries of what it means to love and the sacrifices one must make for those they hold dear. The sweeping fantasy, the heightened drama, and the gripping suspense all came together to create what I genuinely believe is Eggers’ best film yet.

The first thing I want to delve into is Eggers’ thoughtfully curated cinematography throughout the film. The long takes, rich with substance, were mesmerising. Even in shots where very little seemed to be happening, his execution elevated the storytelling — not just from the audience’s perspective but by intensifying the gripping suspense. While some might find this style of filmmaking tedious or slow, I was completely hooked, sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Eggers is no stranger to this type of filmmaking. His films often use long shots that linger, zooming in at precisely the right moment, only to pull you away just as the tension peaks. It’s a gripping technique, and in an era where modern filmmaking has often veered toward fast cuts to cater to short attention spans, it was refreshing to sit back and enjoy the slower pace. And let me tell you, the payoff was worth it. Those long, intense sequences, paired with hauntingly evocative music, masterfully built up the climaxes within the film. It was as though Eggers was edging me with his brilliant storytelling and filmmaking — teasing and drawing out every moment to its fullest effect.

From there, the dark ambiance was spellbinding. The slow zoom-in on the Count’s castle, coupled with the dream-like transition of Thomas magically standing before the massive door, was stunning. The sharp, razor-like music cut through the silence, only to halt as an eerie gust of wind — almost like an unseen force — creaked open the entrance door to reveal Count Orlok. The moment sent shivers down my spine. It’s a moment that will stay with me forever, a haunting masterclass in tension and atmosphere.

Eggers approached the horror aspects of the film with remarkable taste, steering clear of cheap jump scares used solely to startle the audience. Instead, every moment of brief, intense fright was thoughtfully crafted to enhance the story and deepen the fear surrounding the character. Even in moments where the audience might brace themselves for a predictable jump scare, Eggers subverts expectations, delivering something entirely different — and far more unsettling. This deliberate approach not only heightens the tension but also solidifies Orlok as a truly haunting and unforgettable figure.

As I mentioned earlier, I loved how the film seamlessly incorporated classic Gothic horror tropes into its storytelling. From the isolated and decaying locations to themes of madness and obsession, every element felt perfectly woven into the narrative. And, of course, we can’t overlook the biggest trope of them all: the mysterious and brooding character — Count Orlok.

Portrayed by Bill Skarsgård, Orlok was both unrecognizable and darkly enchanting. Every scene he occupied felt like his shadow consumed the screen, dripping with hunger and decay. I was thoroughly impressed by how Eggers chose to depict him, creating a character that not only stirred the Gothic sensibilities of the story but also caused quite the stir in pop culture.

Sharing the screen with Orlok was Ellen, portrayed by Lily-Rose Depp, whose performance absolutely blew me away. Together, their dynamic added yet another layer of complexity and intrigue. their relationship is a haunting interplay of forbidden desire, manipulation, and fate. It embodies the Gothic trope of a doomed connection where love and death are inextricably linked. Ellen is portrayed as a figure of innocence and purity, yet she possesses an underlying strength and agency that makes her more than a passive victim. Orlok, on the other hand, is a dark, brooding presence — a predator consumed by his hunger yet strangely drawn to Ellen in a way that goes beyond his vampiric instincts. Their dynamic is one of fascination and revulsion, as Ellen becomes both prey and something far more meaningful to Orlok.

Orlok’s obsession with Ellen undeniably transcends his monstrous nature, adding a layer of tragic complexity to his character. His attraction to her is not just driven by his vampiric instincts but by something far deeper — a longing that borders on the eternal, and an understanding that their connection is inescapable. Ellen, in turn, is not merely a passive figure caught in his thrall; she demonstrates a profound awareness of the darkness that surrounds her, and a willingness to confront it despite the cost. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that Ellen is not only grappling with Orlok’s manipulation but also her own internal conflict. Their relationship is not one of simple victimhood and control — it’s a tragic interplay of desire, fate, and the inevitability of death. The chemistry between them is undeniable, a magnetic force that pulls them together despite their differences. They are bound, as Orlok himself states, — a fate that is sealed by their shared connection, woven into the fabric of their existence. Their bond is not just a matter of survival or domination; it is, tragically, a fated love, marked by both darkness and an impossible longing.

There has been an ongoing discourse online suggesting that Ellen is a victim of abuse, both in her past and through Orlok’s manipulative nature. While I partially agree with this interpretation, I believe it oversimplifies the dynamic between them. Yes, Ellen’s past may hint at a history of abuse, it’s also evident that she harbors a darkness within her, a force so strong it metaphorically (and perhaps literally) summons Orlok from his slumber.

Orlok’s manipulative tendencies cannot be denied — he is a creature of power and control — but Ellen is drawn to his presence, even as she recognizes the danger he poses. This gives her agency within the narrative, positioning her not simply as a victim but as a complex character navigating her own inner turmoil and desires. Their relationship is deeply Gothic in its nature, built on a foundation of forbidden desire, tragedy, and an almost predestined connection that blurs the line between love and destruction.

This dynamic shifts significantly after Ellen meets Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), who serves as a symbol of light in her otherwise dark and twisted life. As stated in the film, Thomas made her feel her most “normal,” momentarily quieting the darkness within her and giving her a fleeting sense of peace. However, by the time he entered her life, it was already too late. Ellen had foolishly sworn her passion to Orlok, binding herself to him and leaving her caught between two opposing forces — a spectrum of light and dark.

There’s no denying that Ellen’s darkness exudes from within, consuming any light she might possess. While Thomas eventually grew to understand and accept Ellen’s dark thoughts, he could never truly comprehend her in the way Orlok does. Orlok, embodying the very essence of her inner turmoil, resonates with the parts of Ellen that Thomas could never reach — a connection both unsettling and deeply intimate. Their bond transcends mere understanding; it’s a shared darkness that binds them in a way no one else could.

This duality is one of the film’s most beautiful and poetic elements. To Ellen, her two romantic interests represent a yin-yang dynamic: Thomas embodies light, purity, and hope, while Orlok is the darkness, passion, and decay that consumes her. Yet, rather than these forces simply opposing each other, they coexist within Ellen, driving her toward her ultimate redemption and Orlok’s demise.

One scene I found particularly beautiful was the medium close-up shot of Ellen in her mourning clothes, with a large black bonnet elegantly framing her face, symbolizing grief and finality. As she discusses her destiny with Von Franz (Willem Defoe), there’s a haunting serenity to her demeanor. In that moment, it feels as though she fully accepts the inevitability of her fate, quietly mourning her own impending death with a sense of tragic dignity.

It’s a testament to the power of destiny, passion, and the inescapable pull of fated love. In the end, Ellen’s journey is as tragic as it is profound — a stunning exploration of love, sacrifice, and the interplay between light and shadow. Beautiful and poetic, to say the least.

Wrapping this up, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite scenes in the film, starting with Herr Knock’s (Simon Mcburny) moment when he bites into the flesh of the bodyguard’s neck. Blood splatters across his lips as he screams, “BLOOD IS LIFE,” a line that perfectly encapsulates the film’s overwhelming sense of hunger and craving that must be sated. It’s a visceral, chilling moment that reinforces the darker, primal themes throughout the movie alongside its most iconic line.

Oh, and Eggers is set on doing a Labyrinth remake/ sequel? what do you guys think of this?

[schrodingerspsycho]

Meet Cut(e) - Chapter 2

Pairing - Tara Carpenter x Reader

Warnings - None

Word Count - 2.9k

Summary - You and Tara take some time to get to know each other better.

Author's Note - Happy Birthday Jenna Ortega!!!🥳

Chapter 1

Help Palestine by clicking this link!🇵🇸

“So I take it you didn’t enjoy the movie?” you said as you and Tara walked out of class on Monday.

“God, no,” she replied, making a disgusted face. You laughed. “Why, couldn’t you tell?”

“I had a hunch when you only added to the discussion two minutes before class ended. And you just reiterated what I had just said.”

“Yeah, because that was the first time you didn’t talk for five minutes straight!” she exclaimed, nudging you. You grinned. “Seriously, you talked more than Professor Johnson did. And your eyes were sparkling the whole time like it was the most interesting topic in the world!”

“Sparkling, huh?” you smirked, raising an eyebrow at her. She just shoved you again.

“Yes! I don’t understand it! How can you get so much joy out of such a boring movie?”

You shrugged your shoulders dramatically. “Well…”

“No,” she commanded, pointing a scolding finger in your face. “I cannot stand hearing you talk about that movie anymore. Or any old movie for that matter. I forbid it.”

“Okay, fine, we’ll talk about something else,” you chuckled. “Why don’t you go on and on about something then?”

“Like what?”

“Those elevated horror movies you were texting me about all weekend,” you suggested. Tara’s eyes lit up.

“I wasn’t annoying you with all those texts, was I?”

“No, of course not.” You shook your head, trying to get rid of the blush you felt creeping up your neck as you thought of how you’d waited with bated breath for her next message. You’d nearly screamed with excitement when she’d sent I’m so proud of you! after you’d told her you’d seen all of Jordan Peele’s films. “I like hearing you talk about horror movies.”

Tara beamed, and you couldn’t help but smile at her. “Okay, which movie did you end up watching?”

“I watched two, actually. The Witch and Midsommar.”

“And what did you think?”

“They were great! Especially Midsommar. The cinematography and special effects really enhanced the growing sense of dread throughout the movie.”

“Oh my god, I know! Ari Aster is, like, one of my favorite directors ever, his work is so innovative” she babbled. “What about The Witch?”

“I loved how they used the Puritan setting to convey the theme, but if I’m honest, I thought it dragged a bit in the middle.”

Tara stared at you in disbelief. “Oh, I know you didn’t just call one of my favorite movies boring.”

“I didn’t say that!” you insisted, throwing up your hands in surrender. Then you grinned mischievously. “I just think it’s a little surprising you didn’t like Metropolis.”

She stopped walking and crossed her arms childishly. “I don’t even want to talk to you,” she scoffed, turning up her nose. “That’s the most insulting thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

“Oh, c’mon,” you said, rolling your eyes. “That can’t be true.”

Tara gasped.

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding,” you chuckled. She glared at you, and you smiled at her softly. “Tell me about The Witch.”

She pretended to be angry for another moment before dropping her arms back to her sides. “Fine,” she huffed, trying to hide her grin. “But you’re still an asshole.”

“It takes one to know one, Coffee Girl. Remember, you insulted one of my favorite movies first.”

Tara ignored you and launched into her spiel about why The Witch was so brilliant. She explained the origins of the folklore and the texts that Robert Eggers referenced when writing it, and she had a lot of thoughts about Thomasin’s strained relationships with her family members. You couldn’t imagine your eyes had ever sparkled half as much as hers did now. She made you want to watch the boring movie again if only to keep that beautiful smile on her face.

“If that’s what I sounded like in class, then I’m sorry,” you joked when you reached the crosswalk. She slapped your arm, her nose scrunching adorably as she snickered. “I wish I could hear more of your riveting analysis, but this looks like the end of the road.”

“Actually, I was going to go to the campus cafe and get some coffee,” she said, dipping her head and glancing up at you hopefully. Her cheeks flushed. “Do you want to come with me?”

“Yeah, that sounds great,” you grinned. “I’ve been looking for an excuse to get some caffeine in me.”

“Okay, let’s go.” She turned toward the cafe and you followed eagerly. “So as I was saying, I find Thomasin’s relationship with her mother to be the most compelling dynamic in the movie,” she continued without missing a beat. You just nodded.

You arrived at the cafe and ordered your drinks, smiling awkwardly at each other as you sat at a small table by the window. You took a sip and your eyes widened in surprise. “Damn, this is good!”

Tara giggled. “Have you not been here before?”

“No, I’ve been meaning to check it out, but I haven’t got around to it. So, thanks.”

“Anytime.”

“Now, I know why you love The Witch, but I don’t know much about you,” you said after a moment. “What are you into besides elevated horror? What’s something I need to know about Tara Carpenter?”

Something flashed in Tara’s eyes, but it disappeared before you could identify it. She shifted uncomfortably, gripping her coffee cup, and you noticed the scar on the back of her left hand. “Oh, I… I’ve been talking for a while. Why don’t you tell me something about you? Tell me about your tattoos!”

She gestured to your arms as she took a big gulp of her coffee, and you smiled sheepishly. “Well, this one is a reference to my favorite TV show,” you said, leaning forward and pointing to the design on your right bicep. Then you pointed to the tattoo opposite it on your left arm. “That one is a reference to my favorite band. And this one’s a reference to my favorite book.” You held out your right arm to show off the intricate design on your wrist. “They’re all things that mean a lot to me. In one way or another, they’ve kind of changed my life,” you explained. Tara smiled. Then you pointed to the bats on your left forearm. “And this one’s just because I think bats are really cool.”

Tara chuckled. “They’re really pretty.”

“Thanks.”

“How long have you had them?”

“Well, I got this one back home in Kansas on my eighteenth birthday,” you said, pointing to the one on your wrist. “And I got the other ones here over the summer.”

“I wonder if you bumped into my friend Chad, he got some here over the summer too,” she said. “I figured most other out-of-state students moved in at the start of the school year.”

“Yeah, well… I guess I just needed a change of scenery,” you replied, rubbing the back of your neck.

“I get that. It’s why we moved during the summer, too.”

“We?”

“My friends go to Blackmore too, so we moved at the same time. And my older sister kind of followed me here.”

“You must be close if you let her do that,” you commented.

Tara stared into her coffee with a small smile. “Yeah, I guess we are.”

“So, is there anything else you want to know about me?” you asked her. She thought for a moment.

“What kind of stuff do you write?”

“Oh, I hope you’re ready for me to ramble at you again,” you grinned. “I’ve written some sci-fi and fantasy stories and a couple of short films, but right now I’m working on a horror story.”

“Ooh, tell me about it!” Tara said, leaning forward excitedly. You did the same, and as you began to describe your passion project, her eyes sparkled almost as much as yours did.

You couldn’t help grinning all the way home. Tara had loved the idea of your horror story, and after making her beg you to let her read it, she had loved the first few scenes even more. Then when you had refused to tell her how it ended, she had thrown napkins at you until a server came over and told her to stop. Her brazen insistence that the server was in the wrong made you forget all about being embarrassed, and you talked for another hour after that. The conversation spanned a wide range of topics, and even though she hadn’t told you much about her past, you felt like you knew Tara pretty well now. Every moment you spent with her made you like her even more, which was why you decided to be bold the next time you saw her.

“Ugh, how many stupid silent films are we going to watch?!” Tara exclaimed as she slung her backpack over one arm, her eyes daring you to challenge her. You chuckled.

“For once, I agree with you. Even I think The Passion of Joan of Arc is boring,” you smiled.

“Finally! God, I was wondering when you would start making sense.”

“But Professor Johnson’s not wrong though. It has some great close-up shots and really interesting set designs,” you continued. Tara groaned.

“Why can’t you just hate the same things as me?”

“Because I have better taste than you,” you said, your smirk growing wider as she pouted back. “If you’re free this weekend, you should come over to my apartment and we can watch it together. It might make it a little more bearable.”

Her expression darkened, and she drifted to the edge of the sidewalk. Away from you. “Sorry, but I can’t- I’m busy this weekend. I can’t… go to your place.”

She avoided your eyes, and you felt a cold dread seep into your chest. Was that too forward? You thought you were friends by now. But of course, you had to go and ruin it. You stumbled over your words, rushing to apologize before she could tell you she never wanted to speak to you again.

“Oh, yeah, no, of course! It’s totally fine, I get it. I’m sorry, I- I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just thought- never mind. I’m sorry.” Your entire face felt hot, and you could’ve sworn she could hear your heart pounding in your chest. She looked at you, her expression probing, and you felt small under her gaze. Then she smiled shyly.

“How about after class on Friday,” she suggested. “If you reserve one of the study rooms in the library, I’m there.”

“Sounds good,” you grinned, heaving a sigh of relief. “Yeah, you got it. I can’t wait.”

“Me neither,” she said. She nudged you playfully. “I never realized how awkward you are.”

“I’m just a treasure trove of new information, aren’t I?”

Tara giggled. “Yeah, and you’re going to use all that information to help me pass this class.”

“Ah, that’s the real reason you hang out with me. You’re using me for my intelligence.”

“Oh, for sure,” she grinned. “No other reason.”

“Understood,” you said, nodding as you approached the crosswalk. “It’s good to know where I stand.”

“Alright, I’ll see you in class, Y/N,” Tara smiled. “And I’m going to hold you to what you said about making Joan of Arc less boring.”

“I’ll do my best,” you promised. “See you later, Tara.”

You fiddled with the drawstring on your hoodie as you walked to the library on Friday. Tara followed as you led her to the study room you’d reserved, the large oak tree outside the window blocking the sunlight and making it feel like a little movie theater. You had spent an hour scouting all the rooms to make sure you got the best one. Not that you would ever tell her that.

“Have a seat,” you said, gesturing to the plush chairs spread out in crude rows across the room as you pulled down the projection screen. You’d also made sure you had the room with the best furniture. “I just need to connect my laptop, and then we can start the movie.”

“How long is it again?”

“About two hours.”

Tara threw her head back against the chair, her eyes screwed shut in a pained expression. “Your job today is to convince me not to drop this class.”

“What, is getting to hang out with me not enough for you?” you smirked. She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you the one who chose to be a film major?”

“Yeah, but I want to learn how to make movies now, not watch films from a hundred years ago!”

It was your turn to roll your eyes. “Okay, I’ll do my best to convince you. Do you remember what we’re supposed to be paying attention to?”

“Yes,” Tara replied. “But I think you should say it anyway. So I’ll know if you remember or not.”

You smiled in spite of yourself. “The use of close-ups and the things that are off-kilter in the mise en scène.”

“Yeah, good job! You got it right,” she grinned.

“You’re a piece of work, you know that?” you said as you started the movie.

“Yeah, but you like me anyway.”

You didn’t respond as you settled into the chair next to her, feeling self-conscious under her mischievous gaze. “Watch the movie,” you said softly, and you heard her chuckle.

You did watch the movie, at least for a while. Then, as you neared the forty-five-minute mark, Tara’s fidgeting became unbearable. You raised an eyebrow at her as she crossed and uncrossed her legs for the hundredth time, an affectionate smile painting your face. “Do you want to watch it at double speed?”

“Oh, thank god. Yes, please,” she said, heaving a sigh of relief. “Seriously, I don’t know how you can watch this. It’s torture.”

“I never said I liked every silent film,” you replied, getting up to speed up the movie. As you sat back down, you noticed that Tara was shivering. You took off your hoodie and handed it to her with a smile.

“Are you sure?” she asked, glancing from you to the hoodie and back again.

“Yeah, take it. The library is always freezing, and I run hot anyway.”

“Thanks.” She took the hoodie from you, and you realized she had a scar on the palm of her left hand. You couldn’t quite tell, but it looked like it was almost parallel to the one on the back of her hand. But before you could decide if it would be too insensitive to ask about, you saw her poking curiously at the snake embroidered on your favorite hoodie. She looked more adorable than you could’ve imagined, and you weren’t sure how you’d ever tear your eyes away.

Luckily, your hoodie seemed to have placated Tara, and she sat still for the rest of the film. Whether she actually paid attention remained to be seen, but as long as she wasn’t complaining you considered it a win.

“Thank god,” Tara professed when it finally ended. “That was the most boring movie I’ve ever seen.”

You smiled at her. “Now we just need to finish the assignment, and then we never have to talk about it again.”

“I hate you.”

“Uh-huh.” You nodded, opening a new Word document. “What did you notice?”

“Professor Johnson was right. There were a lot of close-up shots.”

“Yes, but what purpose did they serve?”

“I don’t know, making me uncomfortable? Why can’t you just give me the answers, I thought that was the whole point of watching it together.”

You shook your head. “I said I’d help you, not do it for you. The point is for us to collaborate.”

“My fist will collaborate with your face,” she grumbled.

“What?”

“Nothing!” she said, smiling up at you innocently.

“Why did they make you uncomfortable?” you prompted, choosing to ignore her.

“The angles were weird and the shots were so long. It felt like I was stuck in her head- oh.”

“There you go!” you cheered. “Now do you get why we had to watch this movie?”

“It’s still a terrible movie,” she insisted, but she couldn’t keep the shy smile off her face. “But maybe that was a really cool effect. And maybe I kinda, sorta, almost, just a little bit liked it a lot.”

You beamed. “I’m so proud of you!”

“Shut up,” she mumbled, blushing.

It didn’t take you too long to finish the assignment. And if you let her write down some of your thoughts, well, nobody needed to know. She put away her laptop and stood up, preparing to leave.

“Wait,” you said, holding up a hand to stop her. “Do you have anywhere to be right now?”

“No, why?”

“Well, if you want, the room is still reserved for a couple more hours. I figured we could watch a horror movie or something, to cleanse our palates.”

“Yeah, that sounds great!” she smiled. “Good job, Burgers. Maybe this is why I keep this class.”

“Happy to be of service,” you joked. “I’m glad you don’t have plans. I mean, I still would’ve enjoyed watching a movie without my roommate barging in and interrupting, but I’d rather watch something with you.”

“So, what do you want to watch?”

“You’re the horror movie expert, right? You choose.”

She tapped her finger against her chin. “Hereditary. It’s Ari Aster’s first film, I think you’ll love it.”

“Aye aye, captain,” you smirked, saluting her. You started the movie and sat back in your chair, and Tara laid her head on your shoulder.

You knew anything would seem exciting after watching The Passion of Joan of Arc, so you happily settled in for another slow-burn elevated horror movie. And it lived up to your expectations for a while. But then you felt Tara tense, hiding her eyes in the crook of your neck, and then-

“Holy fucking shit!”

It quickly became your favorite scary movie.

[katakankollector]

OTHERWORDLY LOVE SENTENCE STARTERS Sentences were taken from "Nosferatu" (2024), dir. Robert Eggers and shall suit such topics as longing, loneliness, darkness within and without, possession, fated encounters, dance with death, tenderness for the darkest parts of the world and yourself, love as an affliction, lust as a symptom. Warning for dark and suggestive themes. Change names and pronouns further as you see fitting.  [ art credit: "The Silent Voice" by Gerald Edward Moira ]

“Come to me. Come to me."

“A guardian angel, a spirit of comfort – spirit of any celestial sphere – anything – hear my call.”

“It’s as if there is something at play that is too awe-full or grave to explain.”

“I am not mad, [ name ].”

“Sometimes it was... it is like a dream.”

“I was so very alone, you see and... I wished for comfort…”

“From our love, I became as normal.”

“My dreams grow darker, they sicken me.”

“Does evil come from within us or from beyond?”

“You are not for the living. You are not for human kind.”

“Shall you be one with me ever-eternally. Do you swear it?”

“Why have you killed these beautiful flowers?”

“They will only die in a few days. Throw them out.”

“I had never been so happy as in that moment... as I held hands with Death.”

“Never speak these things aloud. Never.”

“It portends something awful for us.”

“You will press thy lips to my cold mouth and I will drink upon thy soul.”

“You mustn’t leave, I love you too much!”

“I have felt you like a serpent crawling in my body.”

“Do you ever feel, at times, as if you were not – as if you were not a person?”

“It is not me. It is your nature.”

“‘Til you bid me come, shall you watch the world become as naught.”

“Love is inferior to you. I told you, you are not of human kind.”

“You are a villain to speak so.”

“[ His ] pull on me is so terrible, so powerful – yet my spirit cannot be evil as [ his ].”

“We must crucify the evil within us, or there is no salvation.”

“It was you that gave me the courage to be free of my shame – you!”

“Did not you think of me in that castle?”

“Our love was supposed to be sacred.”

“We should never have married! We are already dead!”

“I am an appetite. Nothing more.”

“Please. I’ll be good, I’ll be good.”

“A loathsome beast I lay within the darkest pit ‘til you did wake me.”

“You are my affliction.”

“I care nothing of your afflictions.”

“[ Name ], wake from this. I love you! I love you.”

“Yet even now we are fated.”

“You are a deceiver!”

“You are fortunate in your love.”

“You accept this, of your own will?”

“You deceive yourself.”

“And thought you I would not return? Your passion is bound to me.”

“I cannot love. Yet, I cannot be sated without you.”

“You could never please me as [ he ] could.”

“Let thus your tender embrace keep me now in bliss, away from everlasting sleep.”

“I need no salvation. My entire life I have done no ill but heed my nature.”

“Again. Kiss me here. Kiss my heart.”

“We must know evil to be able to destroy it, we must discover it within ourselves.

“In this strange and modern world your purpose is of greater worth.”

“Remember how once we were? A moment. Remember?”

“As our spirits are one, so too shall be our flesh. You are mine.”

“I abhor you.”

“So you wish me to prove my enmity as well?”

“Do you ever feel like a doll, and someone or some thing had the power to breathe life into you, to move you?”

“I relinquished [ him ] my soul...”

“I am ready. I bid you, come to me.”

“We will be torn apart and all will be despair.”

[aviculor]

I think Nosferatu just fucking cleared the competition for best horror film of 2024. Immaculate? Longlegs? The Substance? Terrifier 3? All stiff competition, but this was absolutely breathtaking. I was spellbound. Entranced, if you will. The visuals, the scenery, the sound design, the cinematography, the gothic aesthetics, the goddamn performances. Everything was perfect. I knew I could trust Robert Eggers to knock it out of the park with this. If you've seen The Lighthouse or The VVitch, you know what I mean. The man is an auteur of both period pieces and horror. I would definitely say I'm a fan of his. I haven't seen The Northman, but I really should.

Skarsgård's Count Orlok is downright hypnotic, every word from his mouth sounds like throat singing. I avoided spoilers as best I could, so I had not seen Orlok's design ahead of time.

Giving Orlok hair and a mustache is quite a bold departure from the classic pop culture image of him that's been around for literally over 100 years, but Skarsgård makes it work. He genuinely looks like a decrepit, undead aristocrat rather than some grubby rat man. It's almost like It (2017)'s Pennywise in that way. Bill Skarsgård just has that kind of magic to him. And I adore how we don't see Orlock out of silhouette until at least the halfway mark. He is a shadow. A voice. A nightmare.

I have never seen the 1922 silent film, but I did watch the Dead Meat video on it last week so I was able to follow the plot despite the period-appropriate dialogue.

I knew that sultry-voiced doctor seemed familiar, Ralph Ineson also played the father in The VVitch. He's been in a lot of films over the years, including Star Wars and Harry Potter. And he's going to be in next year's adaptation of Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro.

Nicholas Hoult was also Renfield in Renfield? That's pretty funny!

Lily-Rose Depp had a bit role in Tusk, but I'm otherwise unfamiliar with her work.

I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention Willem Dafoe's stellar performance as well.

This was the first time I've seen a matinee of a horror movie have a packed theater. The parking lot was literally full. By the time I parked on a side street, walked half a block, got my ticket, and entered the room, the lights were already off and the trailers were almost over. There's a remake of The Wolf Man coming. The woman I was sitting next to left in the middle, but this time it wasn't a bad date I was on. Still not 100% over that.

It's not a horny film, but there is a certain type of eroticism to it. This is one for the monster fuckers and the old man fuckers.

If I had any notes, it's that they use the G slur for the Rromani peasants. Historically accurate or not, it's still not something I enjoy hearing. I had to edit the TVTropes page for the latest Creature Commandos episode for that same reason.

[50books50movies]

Nosferatu (2024)

When I listen to a cover version of a song, I want to hear what the artist is bringing to the tune. (It's part of the reason Glee was so successful.) I might even hope that the cover version unlocks something that the original couldn't have accessed, an act that redefines whose song it is. (Otis Redding's 1965 version of "Respect" seems like a footnote to Aretha Franklin's version after 1967.) 

So, when Robert Eggers announced that he was adapting Murnau's "Nosferatu" and Bram Stoker's "Dracula," I was hoping for something more than Gus Van Sant's frame by frame remake of "Psycho." Eggers recenters the film on Ellen, make Thomas less passive, and expand the cast by adding more characters around Ellen and Thomas. To accommodate these additional characters and their storylines, the film grows to more than two hours. This comes with the additional cost that the film has to remind us in its lethargic second half things about Count Orlok's shadow and its connection to the plague and the conflict between scientific modernity and "the old ways." 

Eggers also tried to bring his special, research-driven touch by writing Count Orlok's dialogue partially Dacian, a predecessor to Romanian reassembled for the film by Florin Lazarescu. And he tried to raise the stakes by adding nudity and violence, which previous versions of Nosferatu could not have included.

I just wish the film, beautiful as it was, didn't leave me so bored and unsure what Eggers was attempting to say about the need for a woman to sacrifice herself for the good of the community. 

There are undeveloped strands of criticism of modernity (for all of the pride that Dr. Sievers has in his era's medical sciences, it still seems barbaric to our contemporary eyes, and technology in the form of a gun is no match for Orlok's eastern, supernatural power) and capitalism (Thomas's employer sends him to Orlok's estate in Transylvania to secure his job, and Thomas agrees to a contract he cannot understand earn a commission). There's even a small critique that remarks on how the rich react to quarantine during a pandemic: to look out for their immediate family and break quarantine with no regard for the welfare of others. However, these strands are not the film's primary concern. 

Eggers spends the film's energy on building Ellen as a character, but he isn't able to create new ways to express Ellen's agency. In Murnau and Galeen's version, Ellen makes the choice to sacrifice herself to save everyone else. That choice is built into the story, so Eggers cannot claim credit for making Ellen's sacrifice an active choice. On the other hand, Eggers places the blame for Orlok's coming on Ellen because she and Orlok acknowledge that she had summoned him. 

Eggers also adds another scene that muddies his attempt at feminist recontextualization. Thomas witnesses what he thinks is a Romani vampire hunt at the inn, where a nude virginal woman is led on a horse as bait for the local cemetery's vampire. The woman there is bait, just like how Ellen has to be bait to entice Orlok to destroy himself. The old ways, represented by the Romani peasants, and the embodiment of the modern world's attempt to understand the old ways, Professor Von Franz, both agree: the woman has to be sacrificed for the good of the community. In Ellen's case, we can add some Victorian prudishness to it, since she must be punished for her interest in sex by allowing Orlok to ravish her body. 

This cover of Nosferatu is very pretty. I just wish Eggers was clearer about what he's trying to explore in making Nosferatu now.

[sleepythug]

there were those rumors saying robert eggers was looking make a western which COULD'VE ACTUALLY BEEN NEW & INTERESTING FOR HIM TO DO and would work with his obsession for period accuracy but nope. another horror, it's so boring now

yeah this announced project feels a bit like him working himself into a corner artistically, like you hear robert eggers, and werewolf and you can already picture the look to it, the narrative beats, and textures it may take.

holding out hope possibly that maybe the fact that it's such an easy slam-dunk obvious narrative that's been done to death, makes it more likely for a chance to use it as a great launching pad to perhaps pivot in style.

maybe throw a curveball, instead of his usual classic gothic, old timey, black metal-flirting vibe (as much as I enjoy black metal), make something perhaps a bit more phantasmagoric, and colorful.

the problem I have with many of the newer directors, aster too, is that they make things that oddly feel like they've been made before albeit loosely because their films are so greatly indebted to their artistic inspirations. don't get me wrong I like some their films I just think they're capable of being even better.

if was harsh I would call it cinematic cosplay. think millennial artists, as millennials are in general, might be in an incubation, artistically stunted stage where they play in sandboxes for a bit longer than the prev gen, and are too conscious of their inspirations to break from them

idk sorry to get on the soap box -- my two cents

[might-as-well-tumble]

This is about Nosferatu (The new one)

Ok so lemme start with some context: I am a Robert Eggers fanboy. When the VVitch came out (Real fans spell it that way as a jovial poke in the ribs because we know it annoys him) I spent the next two years finding any excuse to work "Live Deliciously" into a sentence. When The Lighthouse came out I memorized the entire HARK TRITON speech, and though I will admit the Northman didn't have too many breakout lines like the others, I loved it the same.

Meanwhile I used to read Bram Stoker's Dracula once a year every October, right up until some nerds started doing it for me with Dracula Daily and I just do that now. For that reason I have always been perpetually disappointed by every film adaptation in one way or another. In this context I need everyone to understand this is my Super-Bowl. And before I say anything else I'd like to apologize to the nice goth couple (I think) I ended up seated next to in a Los Angeles movie theater who got to hear me vent my combined hyperfixations for ten minutes before the trailers started

So I watch the movie from beginning to end and my review is this: Robert Eggers' Nosferatu was not made for me, and that's ok because it's still a good movie, some Dracula nerds I know might go apoplectic over the story changes, that's also ok. Most people will probably have fun

[fandomtransmandom]

Bill Hader's Favorite Movies of 2023🎥

I still haven’t seen “Poor Things” or “All of Us Strangers,” both of which I hear are great. That said:

“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” — I think this came out in 2022, but I saw it this year and loved it. It turned me on to her photography, which is phenomenal.

“Anatomy of a Fall” — That couple fighting in the kitchen was so well written, directed, and acted I thought I was going to have a panic attack. And Milo Machado Graner’s performance is beautiful.

“Beau is Afraid” — This felt like the nightmare a nervous guy has before he visits his overbearing mother. One of the boldest American films I’ve seen in years. Kylie Rodgers drinking that paint! Jesus…

“The Boy and the Heron” — A legend! I like how he animates gusts of wind.

“El Conde” — Ed Lachman’s cinematography is gorgeous. And the visual effects are very well done.

“Evil Dead Rise” — I’m a sucker for “The Evil Dead” movies. I’ll never look at a cheese grater the same again.

“Fallen Leaves” — Simple and beautiful storytelling. Their first date is one of my favorite scenes of the year.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” — One of my heroes adapting one of my favorite contemporary authors, I went in with big expectations and was completely knocked out. Scorsese somehow continues to discover new moves in his storytelling. I’ve never seen a love story like this in his movies. And the banality of evil that De Niro portrays I haven’t seen either; it’s usually Biblical evil! It’s very inspiring. And it was nice seeing the light and the land of my home state faithfully captured on film.

“May December” — Unbelievable performances from everyone. Natalie Portman’s recreation of the letter! Stoned Charles Melton on the roof! And Julianne Moore continues to prove she might be the best living actor in the world. I’ve always been a huge Todd Haynes fan, and this is one of his best.

“Showing Up” — Kelly Reichart is a national treasure. Her films have the simplicity/complexity of a great short story. I love the sound in her movies. A campfire in one of her movies sounds different from campfires in most movies (although I don’t think there’s a campfire in this one).

“Talk to Me” — What a great idea for a horror movie! I said, “Oh no” out loud multiple times while watching it alone in my house.

“The Zone of Interest” — I can honestly say I’ve loved every movie Jonathan Glazer has made — all four of them! He’s so confident in his instincts. Like that opening title! The static camera. The sound design. The music! All the withholding. It adds up to an experience I’ve never had watching a movie. And all I do is lay around like a slob watching movies, so that’s really saying something.

Thank you @martymcdie88mph for bringing this to my attention❤️

[sockeyesoren]

I wrote this at 2AM a while back and now dug it out of my drafts enjoy my ramble I watched Caveat (2020) a while back, right before bed and that movie fucked me up bro. I don't remember everything so this is probably very rambly and dumb but I must scream. Spoiler warning for Caveat (2020)

I've never been that scared of a movie. The scene where Isaac is stuck in the wall with Olga's mom?? Yeah that kept me up dude oh my god. I couldn't get that part out of my head. The mothers face was just etched into my brain or something because I could not stop thinking about that part. Now I'm kind of a wuss but I somehow always end up searching out scary media. First off I loved the setting. Them being stuck on an island and Isaac being put into that harness made it instantly feel claustrophobic. I also just enjoy the aesthetic of it. Like that, gross, abandoned forest feel if you catch my drift. That's what drew me to the movie in the first place. I kind of lump it together with The Blair Witch , The Ritual and The Witch (by Robert Eggers ) in my brain, visuals wise anyway. I don't know if that makes sense but it does to me.

The ritual, The witch and Caveat in order Also the set up where we first hear the fox call during the day and how it's used throughout the movie, I thought that was very clever. I need subtitles so I spoiled the question of "oooh is a person or a fox screaming?" (Since the subtitles go like [FOX CALL]) But I think it worked very well even with subtitles. Just added that extra unsettling ambience.

I don't know if I can call it my favorite horror movie since nearly the whole runtime I wished it would just be over with, I was that afraid of it. But looking back I enjoyed it a lot, though the tension made me literally sick. Very well paced from what I remember. FUCK THE LADY IN THE WALL THOUGH I STILL GET LIKE A STUPID ADRENALINE RUSH WHEN I SEE HER SHE'S SO SCARY BYE I had a weird delusion that she was following me around after watching, like I would imagine her in my wall and watching me from the little window above my door.

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

Rewatching “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992) by Francis Ford Coppola and noticing a bunch of references in Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” (2024).

Are you telling me this wasn’t intentional? Nah, “Nosferatu” (2024) pays homage to “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” in more ways than just visual.

Ellen crying in the prologue, wearing a white nightgown, and Mina reminiscing about her past life as Elisabeta saying “There is always a princess with gowns flowing white. Her face...her face is the river. The princess, she is the river filled with tears and with sadness and with heartbreak.”

One of the brides of Dracula telling him “You yourself never loved!”, him saying: “Yes, I too can love. And I shall love” vs. Ellen saying to Orlok “You cannot love.” and him “I cannot. Yet, I cannot be sated without you.”

Orlok telling Ellen “Remember how once we were? A moment. Remember?” and Dracula and Mina OST being called “Love Remembered” (the entire OST of this movie by Wojciech Kilar is a masterpiece)

The entire psychosexual connection going on between Lucy and Dracula in this movie being almost the same as Ellen and Orlok (minus the vampirism).

Van Helsing telling Mina “There are darknesses in life, and there are lights. You are one of the lights, the light of all lights.” And Von Franz telling Ellen “I fear Nosferatu is impervious to any of our iron stakes. I believe only you have the faculty to redeem us.”

Orlok “I am an appetite, nothing more.” And Dracula “I am nothing, lifeless, soulless, hated and feared.”

Ellen promising to Thomas she’ll be good, and Mina thinking to herself “Perhaps, though I try to be good, I am bad. Perhaps I am a bad, inconstant woman.”

Dracula killing Lucy as “revenge” for Mina and Jonathan’s wedding and Orlok killing Anna and the children as revenge for Ellen having sex with Thomas to spite him (“Let him see our love”).

Van Helsing talking about Lucy and Dracula: “Hear me out, young man. Lucy is not a random victim attacked by mere accident. Do you understand? No. She is a willing recruit, a breathless follower, a wanton follower. I dare say, a devoted disciple. She is the devil's concubine!” and Ellen and Orlok covenant “You are not for the living. You are not for human kind. And you shall be one with me ever-eternally. Do you swear? […] You accept this, of your own will? […] Then the covenant is fulfilled. Your oath re-pledge […] As our spirits are one, so too shall be our flesh. You are mine.”

Ellen and Orlok covenant and Dracula to Mina, too: “Then I give you life eternal. Everlasting love. The power of the storm. And the beasts of the earth. Walk with me, to be my loving wife, forever.”

The whole ordeal of Ellen and Death, and Dracula and Mina: “to walk with me you must die to your breathing life and be reborn to mine.”

Something about biting the chest being rooted in folklore, but come on:

Both Ellen and Mina saying “I’m unclean!” because of their connections to Dracula/Orlok.

Mina killing Dracula (“Give me peace”) and Orlok and Ellen both dying.

“Bram Stoker Dracula” final words by Mina: “There, in the presence of God, I understood at last how my love could release us all from the powers of darkness. Our love is stronger than death.” And “Nosferatu” (2024) final words by Von Franz: “And lo the maiden fair did offer up her love unto the beast, and with him lay in close embrace until first cockcrow, her willing sacrifice thus broke the curse and freed them from the plague of Nosferatu”.

[wrasslinindirtpits]

My Ranking/Thoughts on Perverts by Ethel Cain

This is just a current list - my favorites on albums always change after a few months/listens! Overall I thought the entire album was just beautiful, giving sensuality to perhaps otherwise uncomfortable emotions. @mothercain truly outdid herself and I’m beyond thankful that she officially released this project. Note that I don’t really know much when it comes to proper music/composing terms so, sorry if I sound dumb lol.

9. Etienne: This song is lovely, I’m just not a soft guitar/lullaby type person. I can definitely see where fans who primarily like Hayden’s older works would find their space in this song though!

8. Thatorachia: Again, this song is really cool! I just don’t see it being one I come back to specifically. The vocal loop is clearly the standout for this one. Where Etienne felt like a lullaby of guitar and piano, this feels like a lullaby of Hayden’s voice.

7. Pulldrone: I’m so obsessed with the “I Have No Mouth but I Must Scream” reference. Admittedly, I didn’t know about this short story before Perverts (I didn’t have much access to the internet when I was younger). I can’t wait to read it as I have a profound interest in the implications of AI (I currently work in the tech field). The buzzing noise is hypnotic (the first listen was a little difficult, but on the second my brain was more familiar with the sound & began picking it apart), and I feel it leaves the listener to find their own rhythm in it based on how their brain processes the repetitive sound. I find that very cool…it feels like reading a book but in audio form? I’ve never had a song feel like that before.

6. Vacillator: This feels like a memory of a slow dance with your first love, looking back on it with the knowledge you have now. I enjoy the drums most and how you can hear extremely faint symbol strikes. “If you love me, keep it to yourself” is just a brilliant lyric.

5. Housofpsychoticwomn: I adore the small changes that have been made to this to fit it to Perverts. I might be going insane, but towards the end I swear I hear bullfrogs. Hayden’s chanting vocals in this are my favorite of hers out of any song she has done. It feels awesome to finally have this on official release. The encircling loop makes this feel like a heavenly acid trip in which you are continuously reaching for the one you love.

4. Amber Waves: Just atmospheric beauty. The specific wave of Hayden’s voice in “Is it not fun, to feel many other ways?” feels as if I’m a piece of paper, floating on the waves of Hayden’s voice. Addiction is covered in lots of varieties of music, but ambient/drone certainly does it the best service (in my opinion) especially when it comes to sedatives. The line “maybe it’s true, you were nothing to me” hits on a very special level for me…the true realization of how you may have treated someone in the throws of attempting to attain something is heartbreaking.

3. Onanist: I see this as a dark sister to Amber Waves, lyrically. The distortion of the piano feels like I’m watching an old film. Again, Hayden’s chanting vocals are otherworldly. In this track specifically, they feel like pure ecstasy. Finally achieving your carnal desire. Letting go. I watched someone’s edit of this song to the final scene of Robert Eggers The VVitch and I knew this was one of my favorites. That scene encapsulates exactly what I think this song conveys, and man is it so cool.

2. Perverts: When I started this one, I immediately remembered she played the Nearer My God To Thee intro at her LA show!! This serves as a perfect intro to this album, informing the listener of what is ahead. No other track on the album could have been the first. The distortion on the vocals are perfect. After, I can hear the distorted noise of the water rushing Hayden recorded. I adore her incorporation of the sounds all around us in every day life. I feel this connects to the concept of the album - Simulacrum, tenets of life that can be seen in everything. The “ttttttttt” sounds remind me of crickets - but the kind where it feels like it’s too late in the season to be hearing them or too late in the night for them to be up.

1. Punish: I’ve never heard a song so correctly and unapologetically portray the feelings of shame. Vyva’s guitar combined with Hayden’s vocals sound not of an ascending angel, but of one falling, crashing, plummeting. This song cemented in me my gratitude for Hayden’s willingness to explore the uncomfortable and ugly feelings of existence. The looped sounds of an old swing set sound closer to moaning than they do mechanical, making the listener feel as though they are listening or seeing something sexual and private, encapsulating the feeling of shame into ambient sound. Just otherworldly and novel.

[s3840808]

Assessment 4 - Blog s3840808

Week 1:

I found the introductory class to AudioVision very interesting. We had a look at a unique instrument created by Canadian composer Mark Korven, called the Apprehension Machine. It features multiple components; some metal rods, a single string with an attached ebow, metal rulers, etc. From what I’ve read, it was designed for writing horror scores and was actually featured on Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse and The Witch. I’d be very keen to play and experiment with it in the future. We also had a look at the Japanese concept, ikigai, which translates to ‘ a reason for being’. The ikigai states that your purpose in life should consist of what you love, what you’re good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs. Darrin also recommended Sweet Anticipation, a book by David Huron on psychology and music, which I’ll definitely have a read of.

Week 2:

During the second week I worked on assignment 1 which involved creating sound for an animation of Gina Moore’s. It was fun composing for visuals again - I haven’t done it since 2020 when I was studying sound production. It was interesting seeing everyone’s approach to the assignment. Despite being completely different from one another, I can see why each person went the direction they did. I watched an interesting interview with Hans Zimmer where he discussed the creative process of scoring Dune. He made a good point in saying that it’s odd that almost all sci-fi movies like Star Wars, Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey, etc. feature european orchestral sounds despite them taking place in other worlds and cultures. Zimmer set out to create a unique sound that mirrored the dark atmosphere that the Dune universe encapsulates. It was also interesting hearing how he described what kind of sounds he was going for, for example, he’d tell his celloist to play the cello like a Tibetan war horn or his flautist to play the flute like it were the wind whistling. It was a fascinating insight into how he operates as a composer and it gave me a lot to think about moving forward as a sound designer/composer.

Week 3:

During week 3 we had a guest lecturer, Mark Hooper, who has done sound design work on multiple films/tv shows throughout the years. I found his lecture very engaging and gained alot of insight on his thought process when it comes to approaching a new project. A useful piece of information I picked up from Mark was how to effectively fade in and out audio between scenes; Fading audio for scene A out one frame after and fading audio for scene B in one frame before. Mark also emphasized the importance of prioritizing time when working on a project, saying its better to focus more time on impactful moments - themes, motifs, signature sounds, etc. , as opposed to getting caught up on less important details. This is something I often struggle with myself. I find myself obsessing over tiny details and then begin to stress out when deadlines grow closer. This is something I’ll need to work on continuing on in the future. Mark also recommended a book by Walter Murch called In the Blink of an Eye, which focuses on the art of editing in filmmaking. I intend to look into this in the near future. I recently watched Justine Triet’s, Anatomy of a Fall, and really enjoyed it’s approach to sound design. From memory, all sound is diagetic and I assume they went for this approach in order to keep the audience’s attention on the dialouge as it plays the most important role in the film. The sound feels extremely grounded and realistic - you really get an idea of the tone and character of each space in the film, whether that be interior or exterior. There are a few recurring songs that play throughout the film, serving as important plot devices. I wont spoil anything but I enjoyed how they used sound as a pivotal factor in driving the plot forwards.

Week 6:

These past two weeks I've begun working on the soundtrack for my collaborative project. The soundtrack will complement a horror game featuring elements of traditional Chinese folklore and Taoism. My collaborator, Yue, wants the music to be eerie, atmospheric and slow burning rather than grandiose or jump scare orientated. In terms of instrumentation, gongs, vocal choir chants, droning synthesisers and bells are being utilised. I recently watched a Japanese film called Kairo, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. I found the film's sound design particularly interesting; dialogue often sounds extremely close in proximity and white noise can be heard in almost every scene creating quite an unnerving atmosphere. Additionally, the soundtrack itself is rather minimal for the most part, often revolving around some droning sounds, which lends itself to the dark atmosphere of the film.

Week 7:

This past week I've made some significant progress in my collaborative project. I created a few different demos of potential soundtracks and sent them to Yue to get an idea of what direction I should be heading for. They were very happy with one demo in particular so I've been working on refining the idea and creating two other pieces with a similar essence. I’ve been reading Karen Collins' Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design and have been picking up a few ideas and tips from it. Collins speaks of the importance of experimenting with different variables to ensure that a composition gets a “longer shelf life”. One of the aforementioned variables includes rhythmic changes - in a major key a sudden rhythmic change can create a sense of positive anticipation, whereas in a minor key it can create a sense of dread or fear. Collins also states that avoiding harmonic resolutions can make a composition more adaptable to gameplay changes, allowing the music to flow in multiple directions. I've also been reading Michael Chion's Audio-vision: Sound on Screen. Chion states that there are two ways in which music and sound can establish a specific emotion: empathetic effect or anempathetic effect. Empathetic sound correlates directly to the emotion being shown on screen, while anempathetic sound is indifferent to what is being shown on screen. The juxtaposition of anempathetic music and on-screen visuals has the effect of intensifying an emotion.  I recently watched a Japanese psychological horror film called Cure by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and noticed it utilises the anempathetic effect multiple times during its runtime. For example, during the opening scene quirky jovial music plays as a man murders someone in cold blood. The music being played is emotionally detached to what is being shown on screen and made the scene seem far more disturbing as a result. Perhaps this is a technique I could try to incorporate into my collaborative project.

Week 8:

This week I’ve been developing my collaborative work further. Taoist and Buddhist themes are a key element of the game I’m working on and my collaborator has expressed the importance of including traditional Buddhist instrumentation in the compositions. As such I researched what instruments are involved in Buddhist rituals. As Zhang states, Buddhist instrumentation and music differs depending on region but a few notable instruments include gongs, the Gu drum, di and xao (two different flutes) and chimes. Vocal chanting is also prominent in Buddhist music and is an element I’ve utilised heavily in one of the compositions. I read Tibetan Tantric Buddhism: Envisioning Death by Kathryn Coster to get an idea of the instrumentation used for Buddhist funeral ceremonies, as a major scene I’m composing for in the game is set at a funeral. I discovered that the kangling, a trumpet made from a human thighbone, representing death and impermanence, is commonly used. The kangling produces a haunting sound and fits in well with the themes of the game’s narrative.

Week 9:

I’ve made further progress on my collaborative work this week. Presently, I’ve been focusing purely on the musical composition of the project but I’m beginning to prepare myself for the sound effect aspect. To gain further insight into horror sound design in video games, I’ve been reading Sound and the diegesis in survival-horror games (2008), a paper by Daniel Kromand, and have picked up a lot. Kromand (2008) states that sound design in horror games often create “a framework of uncertainty that constantly holds the player between knowledge and ignorance”. Horror games purposely confuse and mislead players by making it uncertain which sounds are diagetic or not. The inability to locate the source of these sounds causes unease in players. As Kromand (2008) puts it, “collapse of the barrier between the diegetic and non-diegetic soundscape is a strategy to build a horror atmosphere”. Kromand (2008) also brings up an interesting sound design technique used in the game, Bioshock (2007), in which crescendos, which often are used in horror films to create fear and symbolise impending danger, are instead activated by how much time has passed. This preconceived notion of the traditional use of crescendos (in a horror context) causes constant confusion in players and puts them on edge as they begin to anticipate conflict that may not even happen. 

I’ve also been reading a paper by Mark Grimshaw called, The audio Uncanny Valley: Sound, fear and the horror game (2009), which goes into the utilisation of the uncanny valley phenomenon in relation to sound design. Grimshaw (2009) states that by defamiliarising an everyday mundane sound through use of different processing techniques, you create an unnerving uncanny valley-like feeling. An example of this can be seen in Ringu (1998), in which the sound of the ringing telephone is actually a combination of four different phone rings at once. 

I look forward to putting these different techniques to use for my collaborative work.

Week 10:

This week I did further research into video game-based sound design. I came across a really interesting youtuber called Marshall McGee. His videos often break down specific games, analysing how they've approached the sound design and how they've achieved it. He also interviews industry experts from time to time, which is rather insightful. A recent video of his I watched goes through a trending sound stylisation being frequently used in the industry at the moment. The sound I'm referring to is a low mid-range rumble. The sound is achieved by using an envelope follower which opens up a filter, creating a sense of movement, and by focusing in on 180hz -400hz. The sound is then ran through various modulation effects and multi-band compression. I've also been watching another youtuber, David Dumais, who makes similar videos. He has a video providing tips on creating a sound design demo reel which I've found useful as I'm in the process of creating one at the moment for an internship application.

Week 11:

This week we all uploaded our works-in-progress to Canvas and gave each other feedback. For Angus' project, I suggested some extra harmonies could slowly be introduced for the sadder song as it progresses to add some extra emotional weight. I also recommended utilising more percussive elements to the happier-sounding song to bring more energy to the composition. I really liked what both Hugh and Ryan were able to accomplish in the Us! animation. I think the score and sound design match the style and tone of the animation perfectly. One thing I suggested though was to cut out the music from 1:36 to 1:48 to enhance the comedic effect of the situation on screen. Also, I think adding a large, spacious reverb to the sound of the character's movements during the outer space scene would work well to reflect the sense of the environment. I was a big fan of Nick's work on the Worm's Memoirs score. The gradual transition from playfulness to horrific was well-executed and I loved the piano tone of the ending rendition of the main theme. One piece of criticism I had though was the tone of the flute; it came across as quite jarring and 'pokey' sounding. I suggested using some subtractive EQ to mend the issue.

I was very pleased with the positive feedback I received from my peers. I feel that I've been successful in accomplishing what I set out to achieve. Regarding criticism and suggestions, Nick feels that the synth tone in one of the songs is too clean sounding and suggested using downsampling or modulation to help it flow with the rest of the instrumentation. Dylan echoed something similar, pointing out that the synth's timbre is quite different from the rest of the organic-sounding instrumentation present in the soundtrack. This is something I'll look into mending. I've already begun playing around with downsampling, saturation, and modulation and it's already sounding a lot more fitting. Erin suggested adding more bass melodies to fill out the sound on some of the tracks which I agree with. Some sections of the songs couldn't definitely use lower-end elements to add more depth to the compositions. Angus liked the whispers present in one of the tracks and would like to hear them come in more often. He also suggested making an alternative version of one of the songs when the camera mode is activated which might be difficult to achieve this close to the deadline, especially considering that camera mode is a key mechanic of the gameplay and reoccurs constantly throughout its entirety. This would mean I'd have to create an alternative version of each of the tracks. I do think it's a cool concept though and it's something I'd like to experiment with in similar projects in the future.

Overall, I'm happy with the feedback and suggestions I received from my peers and found this exercise very useful. I'm really excited to see everyone's final projects!

Final Entry:

I've finished my project for the semester and I'm pleased with the outcome. I was glad to receive feedback from my peers and implemented a few suggestions. I ended up downsampling and saturating the synth's lead line, which both Nick and Dylan said sounded a little out of place, and it definitely made it fit better in the mix. I experimented with using different instrumentation altogether but it didn't feel quite right and my collaborator was already sold on what I had previously delivered and I didn't wanna alter too much as the deadline approached. In response to Erin's suggestion, I implemented bass notes from a piano and boosted around 100hz to add more low end to one of the song arrangements. Although I'm happy with how the soundtrack worked out, there are a few things I'd change and add if I were to do it again with the insight I have now. Firstly, I liked Angus' suggestion to make an alternative version of each track depending on which camera mode is activated. I would have worked on it if I had more time, but unfortunately, I was too close to the deadline to make this a reality. I also would have liked to have worked on more of the SFX for the game. Yue (my collaborator) ended up doing a majority of it as she wanted me to focus more on the music and already had her heart set on a lot of the specific sounds. It's a shame as I had a lot of fun working with more SFX-orientated work for my Sound Design class, where I reworked all of the sound for the opening sequence of the game, Bioshock. Here's a link if you're interested in checking it out. After all the projects I've worked on this semester in both AudioVision and Sound Design, I know that working in sound design is definitely the career I want to pursue moving forward.

Bibliography:

Chion, M. (1994). Audio-vision: Sound on Screen.

Collins, K. (2008). Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design (1st ed.). MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/7909.001.0001

Coster, K. (2010). Tibetan Tantric Buddhism: Envisioning Death.

David Dumais Audio. (2020, December 14). How To Make A Video Game Sound Design Demo Reel | 10 Tips [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VTG6zTyZpg&ab_channel=DavidDumaisAudio

Grimshaw, M. (2009). The audio Uncanny Valley: Sound, fear and the horror game.

Huron, D. (2008). Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation.

Kromand, D. (2008). Sound and the diegesis in survival-horror games

Kurosawa, K. (Director). (1997). Cure [Film]. Daiei Film.

Kurosawa, K. (Director). (2001). Kairo [Film]. Daiei Film.

Marshall McGee. (2023, August 2). The “Secret Sauce” In Modern Sound Design [Video].https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T14Er_xHRRo&t=387s&ab_channel=MarshallMcGee

Murch, W. (2005). In the Blink of an Eye.

Nakata, H. (Director). (1998). Ringu [Film]. Rasen Production Committee.

Triet, J. (Director). (2023). Anatomy of a Fall [Film]. Les Films Pelléas.

Vanity Fair. (2022, March 18). How 'Dune' Composer Hans Zimmer Created the Oscar-Winning Score [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93A1ryc-WW0&t=2s&ab_channel=VanityFair

Zhang, J. (2023). Buddhist Music as a Contested Site: The Transmission of Teochew Buddhist Music between China and Singapore.

2k Games. (2007). Bioshock.