Director Jane Schoenbrun’sI Saw the TV Glowis now streaming on Max, and viewers should not miss out on the best lo-fi horror movie of 2024 so far.ISaw the TV Glowearned rave reviews when the surreal, sincere horror drama was releasedin cinemas earlier in 2024. The critically acclaimed indie horror from A24 eschewed conventional horror tropes with its viscerally effective story of two troubled young outcasts who bond over their shared love of a cult TV show. Reality, fiction, and fantasy begin to blur in Schoenbrun’s affecting allegorical horror.
Schoenbrun’s debutWe’re All Going To The World’s Fairoffered viewers an unsettling introduction to the director’s unique brand of psychological horror back in 2022. However,We’re All Going To The World’s Fairwas a less ambitious, immersive precursor to Schoenbrun’s follow-up.We’re All Going To The World’s FairandI Saw the TV Glowform a secret trilogywhose third installment is forthcoming, butI Saw the TV Glowis a thoroughly satisfying watch on its own. A blend of wistful nostalgia, creeping dread, and thoughtful commentary on gender expression make Schoenbrun’s sophomore effort one of the year’s best.
I Saw the TV Glow Is Now Streaming On Max - Why You Should Watch It
Director Jane Schoenbrun’s Second Movie Is Now Available To Stream
I Saw the TV Glowwas heavily inspired byBuffy the Vampire SlayerandTwin Peaks, with the former ‘90s series shaping the movie’s in-universe cult TV seriesThe Pink Opaque. Twin Peaksco-creator David Lynch’s influence is all over the strange suburbia ofI Saw the TV Glow, but Schoenbrun’s movie is much more than a straightforward homage to the legendary director.I Saw the TV Glow’s story follows Justice Smith’s meek Owen as he meets a fellow high-school outcast, Brigette Lundy-Paine’s Maddy, who introduces him toThe Pink Opaque. This series consumes the pair, shaping their friendship.
Gradually, Owen becomes increasingly obsessed withThe Pink Opaqueuntil the viewer is left wondering where the line between the show and the protagonist’s reality lies.I Saw the TV Glow’s endingis a devastating conclusion that, despite its dark implications, is ambiguous enough to support numerous interpretations. In a piece forVulture, critic Emily St James proposed a radically hopeful reading of the ending that underlines the emotional impact and carefully crafted character work of Schoenbrun’s movie. While upsetting and occasionally surreal,I Saw the TV Glowis also urgent, moving, and, in its own way, empowering.
“A deeply moving, quietly unsettling story about identity, the passage of time, and gender dysphoria” (Kara Hedash onI Saw The TV Glow)
I Saw the TV Glowstands out in the crowded marketplace of 2024’s genre offerings thanks to its quiet, thoughtful tone. Devoid of conventional scares and gore,I Saw the TV Glowgets under the viewer’s skin with probing questions about their shared relationship with the media that raised them.I Saw the TV Glowquestions how identites are formed and reformed and, in doing so, does much more than scare its audience.I Saw the TV Glowforces viewers to rethink their assumptions about themselves and their identities. Owen’s struggle is both almost entirely internal and, simultaneously, tragically universal.
I Saw the TV Glow Is One Of 2024’s Best Movies
Schoenbrun’s Deservedly Acclaimed Horror Stands Out In A Stellar Year
What makesI Saw the TV Glowone of 2024’s best movies is its unique place in the genre landscape. 2024 has been a great year for horror movies, butthere is no other 2024 horror movie quite likeI Saw the TV Glow. Indie hits likeLonglegsoffered an unsettling alternative to mainstream chills, while studio successes likeAlien: RomulusandA Quiet Place: Day Onegave viewers blockbuster scares. In contrast, Schoenbrun’s nostalgic ‘90s nightmareI Saw the TV Glowprovided an intense, poignant interrogation of fantasy, media, and identity with no easy answers, but many important questions.
Owen and Maddy’s story might not follow the expected beats of an ordinary horror movie, but this is a feature rather than a bug. Ending the protagonist’s journey at such an urgent, upsetting moment leaves the viewer wishing for more of Owen’s story and forces the audience to ask what a happy ending could look like for the character if, as the chalk scrawled on his street states, there is still time. Many viewers might be surprised to discover just how muchI Saw the TV Glow’s unassuming story of a lost suburban kid in search of themselves lingers after the credits roll.
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