Holly Walrath's Blog, page 4

The Best of Interstellar Flight Magazine Year Four

AnnouncementsNow Available from Interstellar Flight Press!

We’re stoked that the Best of Interstellar Flight Magazine Year Four is now available for purchase wherever books are sold!

This print anthology collects all of our favorite articles, interviews, and essays from 2022. Available in print and eBook formats.

“A very diverse collection of essays and other works that really reminded me how much I used to love finding small, passionate works by people who viewed art outside of the mainstream.” — Dan O’Leary, reader

Founded by Holly Lyn Walrath, Interstellar Flight Magazine is an online SFF and pop culture mag devoted to essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. With interviews, personal essays, rants, and raves, the authors of Interstellar Flight Magazine explore the vast outreaches of nerdom.

Purchase your copy today!

Table of Contents

Original Articles
I Don’t Read Horror (& Other Weird Tales) by Lee Murray
Heroes and Villains in the Land of the Panther: The Future of Black Fantastical Narratives in Superhero Franchises by Todd Sullivan
TURNING RED and Navigating Messy Mother-Daughter Relationships: How Pixar Centers Asian Family Dynamics While Negotiating Intergenerational Trauma by Archita Mittra
Cat Horror by Christina Sng
The Dark Fantasies of SUSPIRIA and THE BEYOND: Comparing Italian Horror Filmmakers Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci by Patrick Barb
How to Read a Speculative Haiku by Christina Sng
Reviews
The Greatest Conspiracy of All Time: On TIMELESS, the History of Racism in America, and How We Reclaim Our Timeline by Brandon J. O’Brien
STRANGER THINGS 4 and Disability by Chloe Smith
LIGHTYEAR Is the Pride Movie We Didn’t Know We Needed: Pixar’s Latest Toy Story Spinoff Channels Pulp Scifi While Taking Down Toxic Masculinity by Holly Lyn Walrath
MOON KNIGHT and the Importance of Being Seen: Marvel’s MOON KNIGHT Depicts Contemporary Egypt in a Real, Living Way by Mahmud El Sayed
Indie Queer Comedy UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS Understands Intersectionality by Holly Lyn Walrath
John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN (1978): Watching Horror Unfold by Gretchen Rockwell
DREAM OF A THOUSAND CATS: The power of dreams can change the world by Christina Sng
Masculinity in Horror Comedy: Revisiting Vampire Mockumentary WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (2014) by Grace Kameyo Griego
Fatherhood, a Pandemic, Racism, and the Silent Hero: Review of Anime THE DEER KING by Holly Lyn Walrath
Jessica Jemalem Ginting’s poetic Voyages: Review of VOYAGES by Jessica Jemalem Ginting by Jamileh Alexandra
Belle and the Nature of the Beast: Review of BELLE, an anime by Mamoru Hosoda by Mar Vincent
Starved for Meaning: A Review of A BANQUET by Laura Díaz de Arce
THE MENU Is a Hilarious Satirical Takedown of Restaurant Culture by Holly Lyn Walrath
Do You Know What It Means to Multiverse New Orleans? Review of THE BALLAD OF PERILOUS GRAVES by Alex Jennings by Jamileh Alexandra
RESIDENT EVIL Falls Flat and is Canceled on Netflix by Emily Wagner
Indie Film THE ANTARES PARADOX Is a Love Letter to Women in STEM by Holly Lyn Walrath
Ladies and Gentlemen, THE ICE PIRATES: The Whacky Star Wars Knock-Out from the 80s This Author Hate-Watched for Fun by Robert Dean
In an Alternate United States, Witches Wage War: Review of MOTHERLAND: FORT SALEM by J.Z. Weston
HAUNT and the Halloween Haunted House by Holly Lyn Walrath
VAN HELSING Retrospective by Grant Butler
Duse is Wild: Review of PROTECTRESS by Kendra Preston Leonard by Jamileh Alexandra
Everything is Not Fine: Review of COMFORT ME WITH APPLES by Catherynne M. Valente by Christina Ladd
How FOUNDATION Missed an Opportunity: Apple TV+ Reboots Isaac Asimov’s Foundation for a New Generation of Fans by Aaron Emmell
Returning to Skywalker is Bad, Actually: On Luke, Lore, and THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT by Annika Barranti Klein
How to Return to Tatooine: Disney’s Obi-Wan KENOBI and Letting Go by Annika Barranti Klein
Waiting for Our Better Angels: A Review of BE HERE TO LOVE ME AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Sasha Fletcher by Taylor Jones
The Gift of Horror: The 1980s Horror Flick TERRORVISION Inspires a Career in Horror by Todd Sullivan
Japanese Film MISSING Surprises with Its Take on the Serial Killer Genre: A Thrilling and Horrific Exploration of Human Greed by Holly Lyn Walrath
Ends and Edges: Review of THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET by Catriona Ward by Christina Ladd
What It Means To Be a Woman (And a Witch): A Review of Juno Dawson’s Adult Fiction Debut, HER MAJESTY’S ROYAL COVEN by Taylor Jones
Snark, Bullies, and the Undead: Review of Blumhouse and Epix’s UNHUMAN by Emily Wagner
A Predator Retrospective: How 35 Years of Predator Lead to PREY (2022) by Grant Butler
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE and the Concept of “Fan Service” by Holly Lyn Walrath
Return of the KILLER KLOWNS (FROM OUTER SPACE): The Cult Classic Horror Film Gets a Video Game Reboot by Prof. Ryan Fay
Interviews
“UNKNOWN NUMBER”: Interview with Hugo-Nominated Author Blue Neustifter by Megan Wegenke
BRIDGING WORLDS IN AFRICAN SPECULATIVE FICTION: Interview with Nebula-winner Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki by Mar Vincent
MINTY FRESH: A Vampire Pulp Novella: Interview with debut author J. Corvine by B. Rae Grosz
The Fantastic Ms Yuriko Smith by Christina Sng
A Mythic Soap Opera: Interview with Randee Dawn, Author of TUNE IN TOMORROW by J.Z. Weston
Dicult Women, Catharsis, and Talking Skeletons: Interview with Tiany Meuret, author of LITTLE BIRD by J.Z. Weston
UNDER FORTUNATE STARS: Interview with Debut Novelist Ren Hutchings by Mar Vincent
Hot Mess Vampires, Strange Names, and B-Movie Plots: An Interview with SFF Author Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, Author of WHERE YOU LINGER by Mar Vincent
Reality, Truth, and Memory: An Interview with Deborah L. Davitt, author of BOUNDED BY ETERNITY by T.D. Walker
MIDNIGHT SOCIAL DISTORTION: An Interview with Mark O. Estes, Creator of a Podcast for Queer Black Horror Fans by vanessa maki
Three’s a Crowd(ed): Interview with Chris Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, and Tríona Farrell, the Team behind the 3-Volume Comic “Crowded” by Jamileh Alexandra
Apocalypses, Liminality, and Pocket Watches: An Interview with Meridel Newton, Author of THE FUTURE SECOND BY SECOND by Emily Wagner
Escaping the Body: An interview with Chloe N. Clark by Leslie Archibald
Scifaiku, Dark Fairytales, and Poetry: Interview with Christina Sng, Author of THE GRAVITY OF EXISTENCE by Archita Mittra

[image error]

The Best of Interstellar Flight Magazine Year Four was originally published in Interstellar Flight Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Short SFF, Day Jobs, & Late Night TV

An Interview with William Ledbetter, author of THE LONG FALL UP: AND OTHER STORIES from Interstellar Flight PressAuthor William Ledbetter

Interstellar Flight Press is lucky to have acquired the print versions of William Ledbetter’s bestselling audiobook series, The Killday Series. In November, we published Bill’s latest collection of short stories, named after the Nebula Award winning short story, “The Long Fall Up”. The collection is full of stories that meld high-concept science fiction with the character-based, emotional storytelling any reader will love. Managing Editor Holly Lyn Walrath interviewed Bill about his love of sci-fi, writing short fiction, and of course, pets!

INTERSTELLAR FLIGHT PRESS: Why science fiction? What about the genre is it that you love? How did you get into SFF?

WILLIAM LEDBETTER: I guess I started writing science fiction because I’ve always loved it. I grew up watching Lost In Space, Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and those old late night, black and white movies like The Day the Earth Stood Still, Them, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Earth vs the Flying Saucers. When I started reading books for pleasure, I seemed to immediately gravitate toward science fiction as well. So much so, that when assigned the task of writing a short story for homework in high school, it was of course science fiction, and it received a lot of praise from my teacher and even a few classmates. I think I was kind of hooked on the idea of writing SF after that.

IFP: We know you’ve got a pretty science-heavy day job. Does your day job impact your writing, and if so, how?

WL: Most of my day job career has been in the aerospace industry, where I worked on interesting projects like the radiator system for the International Space Station, a new rocket launch system, and aircraft turbine engines. I learned a lot about the nuts and bolts engineering side of that industry and what was required to get big clumps of metal to fly in the sky and space. I’ve always been excited by that, so once I started trying to write science fiction for publication, I tried to make it as realistic as possible in order to make my fiction seem like something that was possible.

IFP: You’ve been writing short fiction in the SFF fields for a while now. What are your thoughts on the current state of SFF short fiction?

WL: I think SFF short fiction is in a good place. With the addition of online magazines that require only an internet connection to read and online submission systems that enable stories to be sent from anywhere in the world, we are seeing new and interesting voices emerge, telling stories from unusual and original perspectives. It’s an exciting time and I’m so glad to be a part of it.

IFP: All your stories are heavy on the tech AND the emotion of the characters. How do you balance the “hard” and the “soft” sides of science fiction when you’re writing?

WL: I try to make my stories about people, so I think the emotional core is the most important part, and it should drive the story, but I also think those hard and soft aspects are often complimentary. Cold, uncaring machines or those unassailable laws of physics are often the antagonists in real life and in fiction, can be used to make human problems all the more human. I think the best science fiction is really about how some future situation like an apocalypse or space travel, AIs, or alien invasion affects the protagonist in the story.

IFP: We know you love pets (and so does IFP) — can you tell us about your furry friends?

WL: We have three cats and a dog. All rescues. Two of the cats, Molly Murder Mittens and Princess Buttercup are sisters from a litter of five that we fostered (this is why we don’t often foster kittens.) They pretty much own the humans in the house. The other cat, Trixie, was a hungry, skinny stray that wandered up into my mother-in-law’s backyard during a family gathering about fourteen years ago. She is not a fan of the younger sisters, who pick on her all the time. Annie is our black lab mix who came home with us after a stop at PetSmart to pick up cat food. She believes she is a princess and expects to be treated as such.

Annie the black lab, Princess Buttercup, and Molly Murder Mittens

IFP: Your novelette “The Long Fall Up” won the 2016 Nebula Award. What was it like winning the award? Did you have any idea your story was a contender before it was nominated?

WL: I have to say winning a Nebula Award is definitely one of the highlights of my writing career. Seeing my name on that long list of amazing writers who also won a Nebula is stunning and still amazes me. But yes, there were early indicators. “The Long Fall Up” received a lot of really good reviews. It did well in the SFWA recommended reading list for that year. One of my friends sent a text message cursing me for making her cry, and someone even asked my permission to use it as an example in a writer's workshop. I ended up on the shortlist with some amazing writers in my category, including my long-time friend Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam. This was both good and bad. I was pumped that people in the SFWA writing community felt my story was of high enough quality to be in that group, but also, upon reading those stories, I felt I had little actual chance of winning. So, when I did win, I was truly gob-smacked.

IFP: Can you share any advice for new writers, maybe specifically those interested in getting into short fiction?

WL: Even now, after having written multiple novels, short fiction is still my preferred form. It enables writers to stretch their wings and try new things without the huge time, dedication, and risk of trying them in a novel. I think it is also a perfect medium for new writers to hone their skill set and find their voice. Once you start selling short fiction to professional markets, that’s a good indicator that your novel can succeed. I also think short fiction has become a rather uniquely speculative fiction thing. Short fiction used to be popular across all genres and literary forms but seems to have dropped out of the mainstream consciousness in the past 10–20 years. If you tell someone you are a writer, they don’t ask where they can find your stories; they ask about your books. But shorts are still a strong storytelling vehicle in speculative fiction. Short stories are even picked up by Hollywood from time to time. Check out the story origins in the animated series Love, Death & Robots or the movie Arrival, etc.

IFP: What are you working on right now?

WL: I’ve recently sent my agent the synopsis and first three chapters for a new standalone novel. If he can find it a home, the story will be told entirely from the POV of an alien race as they try to save their planet. No humans at all in this tale. I’m also working on a few other short pieces I haven’t sent out to publishers yet. “Level Seven,” the third novel in my Killday series, will be published in audio on December 7 (then in print next year), and I have a new short story called “Enough,” about a graffiti artist taking on an illegitimate fascist government, coming out in the March/April edition of Analog magazine.

About the Author

William Ledbetter is a Nebula Award winning author with two novels and more than seventy speculative fiction short stories and non-fiction articles published in five languages, in markets such as Asimov’s, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Analog, Escape Pod and the SFWA blog. He’s been a space and technology geek since childhood and spent most of his non-writing career in the aerospace and defense industry. He is a member of SFWA, the National Space Society of North Texas, and a Launch Pad Astronomy workshop graduate. He lives near Dallas with his wife, a needy dog and three spoiled cats.​

Grab a copy of THE LONG FALL UP today!

Interstellar Flight Magazine publishes essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, we need “writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope.” Visit our Patreon to join our fan community on Discord. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

[image error]

Short SFF, Day Jobs, & Late Night TV was originally published in Interstellar Flight Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Announcing the Acquisition of BURY MY HEART UNDER THE MARTIAN SKY by Juan Manuel Pérez

AnnouncementMexican Indigenous Futurism in Haiku Form

once they were the gods

now they’re hunted by a God

a few became less

Interstellar Flight Press is delighted to announce the acquisition of a new book of Mexican indigenous futurist poems from Juan Manuel Pérez, BURY MY HEART UNDER THE MARTIAN SKY.

From the perpetual war between dogs and cats to the enduring tensions between humans and mermaloids; from the folly of man’s play with the occult, nature, and deep space to the reimagined Indigenous past and futures to come. This book of provocatively christened “haiku crowns,” whose mention make English professors cringe, pushes the sacred limits of what “professional poets” believe are the only poetic rules. Faced with plenty of discriminating obstacles (as well as a few poets and editors), this warrior-class gourd dancer and experimental poet Juan Manuel Perez, delivers to you his expanding, speculative mind according to these quick, short verses. Like your first drink of mescal, your poetic taste will never be the same again. Never.

About the Author

Juan Manuel Pérez, a Mexican-American poet of Indigenous descent and the Poet Laureate for Corpus Christi, Texas (2019–2020), is the author of numerous poetry books, including Another Menudo Sunday (2007), O’ Dark Heaven: A Response to Suzette Haden Elgin’s Definition of Horror (2009), WUI: Written Under the Influence of Trinidad Sanchez, Jr. (2011), Live From La Pryor: The Poetry of Juan Manuel Perez: A Zavala Country Native Son, Volume I (2014), Sex, Lies, and Chupacabras (2015), Space In Pieces (2020), Screw The Wall! And Other Brown People Poems (2020), Planet Of The Zombie Zonnets: Seasons One And Two (2021), Casual Haiku (2022), Christian Haiku For The Daily You (2022), Terror Of The Zombie Zonnets: Planet Of The Zombie Zonnets Season Three (2022), Live From La Pryor: The Poetry of Juan Manuel Perez: A Zavala Country Native Son, Volume II: The Early Chapbooks (2022), Truth In The Time Of Chupacabras (2022), and Thirty Years Ago: Life And The First Gulf War (2023), as well as, the co-editor of the speculative poetry anthologies, Unleash Your Inner Chupacabra (2012; Archive Edition 2022) and The Call Of The Chupacabra (2018).

“Space in Pieces,” “Planet Of The Zombie Zonnets: Seasons One And Two,” and “Terror Of The Zombie Zonnets: Planet Of The Zombie Zonnets Season Three” are all Elgin Award Nominated Books through the Science Fiction And Fantasy Poetry Association.

Juan is also The 2021 Horror Authors Guild’s Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award winner and a recipient of a 2021 Horror Writers Association Diversity Grant.

He is the 2011–2012 San Antonio Poets Association Poet Laureate and the Lone Star State’s only El Chupacabras Poet Laureate (For Life), as well as a Zombie Texas Poet Of The Year.

The former Gourd Dancer for the Memphis Tia Piah Big River Clan Warrior Society is also a Pushcart Prize Nominee as well as a SEATTAH Scholar (Striving For Excellence And Accountability In The Teaching Of Traditional American History) through the University Of Dallas.

Juan is a ten-year Navy Corpsman/Combat Marine Medic (1987–1997) with experience in the 1991 Persian Gulf War (Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Desert Calm) attached to the 2nd Marines out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and was also a part of the 1992 Hurricane Andrew Relief Marine Air Group Task Force that went down to provide medical & linguistic support to a devastated Homestead, Florida.

This two-time Teacher of the Year, along with his wife, Malia (a three-time Teacher of the Year and now Librarian), is a co-founder of The House of the Fighting Chupacabras Press. Juan was also recently honored as one of the top ten 2023 Corpus Christi Hooks All-Star Educators in partnership with Reliant Energy honoring exceptional teachers in the Coastal Bend.

The former migrant field worker previously from La Pryor, Texas currently worships his Creator, writes as well as conducts poetry and history workshops, and chases chupacabras in the Texas Coastal Bend Area.

To learn more about him got to https://www.juanmperez.com/

Juan Manual Pérez’s previous publications include:O’ Dark Heaven: A Response to Suzette Haden Elgin’s Definition of Horror (2009)Live From La Pryor: The Poetry of Juan Manuel Perez: A Zavala Country Native Son, Volume I (2014)Sex, Lies, and Chupacabras (2015)Space In Pieces (2020)Screw The Wall! And Other Brown People Poems (2020)Planet Of The Zombie Zonnets: Seasons One And Two (2021)Casual Haiku (2022)Christian Haiku For The Daily You (2022)Terror Of The Zombie Zonnets: Planet Of The Zombie Zonnets Season Three (2022)Live From La Pryor: The Poetry of Juan Manuel Perez: A Zavala Country Native Son, Volume II: The Early Chapbooks (2022)Truth In The Time Of Chupacabras (2022)Thirty Years Ago: Life And The First Gulf War (2023) [image error]

Announcing the Acquisition of BURY MY HEART UNDER THE MARTIAN SKY by Juan Manuel Pérez was originally published in Interstellar Flight Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

THE CREATOR Props Up Hyper-Optimism with Gorgeous Visuals: But Does It Succeed?

Film, Fantastic FestGareth Edwards’ New SF Flick May Leave a Bad Taste in the Mouth of Those Worried about AIImages Courtesy Disney+

Less than a day ago, META debuted its chat AI, bringing AI to social media in an entirely new way. The database “books3” used to train AI recently had its list of books revealed, leading to loaded discussions online about AI and plagiarism. US funding for AI hit 3.3 billion in 2022 alone. These are just a few of the news items surrounding the controversial topic of AI — the center theme in Gareth Edwards’ (Rogue One) new film.

It took Edwards seven years to make his first original film after the sleeper hit of Rogue One, which I don’t think anyone expected to become the beloved classic it has. So, it’s no surprise that the film’s take on AI is going to be different, considering how much the landscape has changed.

The Creator is told in chapters and follows the story of Joshua (John David Washington), who is undercover in a war of humans vs. AI, searching for the Creator, the supposed architect of AI. While on a mission, his wife (Gemma Chan) disappears. Years later, Joshua is conscripted to find a secret weapon the Creator built that has the power to change the future. The weapon turns out to be a child (Madelein Yuna Voyles).

Most of the film takes place in the future Southeast Asia, which is a satisfying change of scenery when most sci-fi films take place in the US or UK. The setting lends itself to metaphor, giving the conflict of the film the opportunity to be compared to the Vietnam War. And like most Vietnam War films, the US soldiers are decidedly horrific in their actions.

There’s no doubt that the film is a visual delight to watch. Production designer James Clyne (Avatar, Solo, Star Trek 2009) does a fantastic job dreaming up a believable cinematic universe that feels real. It’s part Blade Runner, part Apocalypse Now.

The Creator was filmed in the same way as Gareth Edwards’ first film, Monsters, reverse-engineered by shooting scenes without a set and letting production design work happen after the shooting was done. The film was shot using a Sony FX3 camera, which runs for just under $4k.

On a storytelling level, the film doesn’t cover much new ground in terms of sci-fi tropes. The father and daughter escape plot works well to build emotional resonance. Gemma Chan makes a lovely love interest but is criminally underutilized (more on that later). Americans are bad. War is bad. Survival is violence.

What surprises is the story’s optimism about AI, skating over any potential problems therein by envisioning AI who are cuddly teddy bears who just want to protect humans, be Buddhist monks, and live in peace. Humanity (well, the non-US Part) even rallies around the AI in the end.

This “AI is all-good” approach lands awkwardly in today’s landscape. The film casts all of the AI as Asian characters, which will probably induce not a small amount of discomfort in viewers. In an interview with HeyUGuys on YouTube, Gareth Edwards talks about this choice:

“Originally, AI was used as a metaphor in science fiction for people who were different. It was more like a fairy tale. But then, when you research AI there are fascinating philosophical questions that come up that really start to worry you about them being real and turning them off and what if they don’t do what you want. The movie became more about that. Now watching it…I was like, Oh my god, this is really on the money with what’s happening right now in terms of this fear of AI, and is it bad, and should we get rid of it. I’m actually quite optimistic. I think we’re going to have some bumps in the road but I think AI is going to be an incredible tool.” (Gareth Edwards Interview, HeyUGuys)

This isn’t to say the film’s positive message is bad — it just comes across unclear — and that may be simply due to the current landscape surrounding AI. It was difficult to discern how to feel about the AI in the film. Without a K-2SO style robot for audiences to latch onto and love, the message gets muddled.

One last irk is that the film’s emotional journey centers heavily on the death of Joshua’s wife. Her death serves as a catalyst for the character, and it’s a shame we don’t get to see her have more agency. Most of the women in the film die, are villains, or are emotional pawns for the main male character.

The Creator is a delight to watch, but for me, it didn’t live up to Rogue One. And I’m fine with that because I want more movies like this. Give me more sci-fi — of all kinds — with unique, diverse settings, and phenomenal visual design.

This article is part of Interstellar Flight Magazine’s coverage of Fantastic Fest , taking place in Austin, TX, 9/21–9/28, 2023. We thank Fantastic Fest and Alamo Drafthouse for providing access to these films!

Now available for pre-order!

Interstellar Flight Magazine publishes essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, we need “writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope.” Visit our Patreon to join our fan community on Discord. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

[image error]

THE CREATOR Props Up Hyper-Optimism with Gorgeous Visuals: But Does It Succeed? was originally published in Interstellar Flight Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

South Korean Film SLEEP Weaves Sleep Disorders, Magic, & Marriage in Heartfelt Love Story

Film, Fantastic FestDebut from Jason Yu Explores Horrors of Sleepwalking

As someone with sleep paralysis, I’m fascinated (and justifiably creeped) by horror about sleepwalking. What most films don’t capture is how easily lulled those around you are by the phenomenon. Most of the time, it barely impacts them. But for the few who have a terrifying story of sleepwalking gone wrong, it can haunt your life forever.

Jason Yu, South Korean director of Sleep— wanted to explore just that. “Everyone has a morbid tale of a sleepwalker,” he told audiences at Fantastic Fest this week. “This was me wanting to make a fun genre film.” And as a feature debut, the horror/love story does just that.

What makes Sleep so convincing is the two leads — Jung Yu-mi as Soo-jin
Lee Sun-kyun as Hyeon-soo — who portray a couple dealing with the husband’s sleep disorder but refuse to give up. When Hyeon-soo starts to have more and more dangerous sleep behavior, the couple has to decide how to deal with it.

Hung on the wall of the couple’s apartment is a sign that translates essentially to “everything together.” And that’s essentially marriage. There comes a point in every marriage where you can choose to stay or choose to go. Successful marriages stick it out, no matter how horrific things get — for better or worse. Soo-jin is, as some women may feel, a wife living with two men.

When the couple’s baby is born, things reach a new height of urgency. The intimacy between the two actors entrances on screen. While movies about marriage can feel dull, Sleep manages to make every scene — no matter how sweet and silly— fascinating to watch. Director Jason Yu commented that the two actors were his first choices, “like winning the lotto twice.” As Yu notes, “the easiest acting is conflict but pretending you’ve loved each other for years and years as a married couple is harder.” This chemistry is no doubt helped by the fact that the two have been in four movies together so far.

The addition of South Korean myths and spirit magic give the film a necessary mystery and speculative element. It’s horror elements — from loud jump scares at precise moments to having its lead actor eat raw meat (something that Yu was afraid to do because of how respected Lee Sun-kyun is) are just the right amount of unsettling.

My favorite part of the film was that it got sleep disorders right. So many of the scenes in the movie draw on real-life problems sleepwalkers face. Sleepwalking can be very scary in real-life, and it can also be hilarious. Sleep does a fantastic job of melding those two truths.

Sleep is a satisfying watch, blending South Korean speculative elements with the universal fear of sleepwalking. And the best part is, the ending is spot-on. As Jason Yu says, he believes in “the power of love to save the day.” It’s nice to see a film choose a positive message, while still giving some delightful scares.

This article is part of Interstellar Flight Magazine’s coverage of Fantastic Fest , taking place in Austin, TX, 9/21–9/28, 2023. We thank Fantastic Fest and Alamo Drafthouse for providing access to these films!

Coming soon from Interstellar Flight Press!

Interstellar Flight Magazine publishes essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, we need “writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope.” Visit our Patreon to join our fan community on Discord. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

[image error]

South Korean Film SLEEP Weaves Sleep Disorders, Magic, & Marriage in Heartfelt Love Story was originally published in Interstellar Flight Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

SALTBURN Drips Sexuality and Intrigue

Film, Fantastic FestBarry Keoghan, Rosamund Pike Devastate in this Dark Masterpiece of DesireImages Courtesy Amazon Studios

Premiering as one of the secret screenings at Fantastic Fest, Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennel, a former actress who draws on her private school upbringing in England in this salacious miasma of a film.

Set at Oxford, Saltburn sets up Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) as the mousy, shy schoolboy who becomes entranced by the wealthy and charismatic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). With obvious nods to The Talented Mr. Ripley, Saltburn dives into a far more convincing portrayal of unrequired queer love — or does it?

There’s so much to enjoy about this luscious film that I hesitate to even write about it. Director Emerald Fennel draws on queer iconography by harkening back to The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the most intimate, disturbing scenes that had audiences salivating.

There are some real gasp-out-loud moments here. Twists and turns lie at every corner as Oliver Quick navigates and destroys the world of the hyper-elite British upperclass. His acting here is some of the best I’ve seen all year. He gives a no-holds-barred, wildly convincing, deeply unhinged character empathy and charm in the best ways, leaving the viewer rooting for “Ollie” to the very bitter end.

Jacob Elordi is sweaty and swoonworthy as the object of desire — a manic pixie dreamboy. Rosamund Pike is a treasure and should be protected at all costs — give her this kind of role for the rest of her life, please. Archie Uchena Madekwe is lovable and hateable all at once. And Alison Oliver is convincingly imperfect in all the best ways.

The film is drenched in the female gaze — which may be its undoing, given the subject manner and set-up. We’re supposed to believe Oliver is really and truly in love.

As I overheard a few women bemoaning leaving the theater, the only real imperfection in the film is its failure to give its queer anti-hero the kind of confirmation of his sexuality that would cement the film as a queer cult classic. In this respect, the film plays it far too close to the vest in its reminiscence of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Instead, it’s just too milquetoast, despite being hailed as “hedonistic” and “trippy”.

Absolutely worth a watch, though — maybe two, or three. Saltburn will have a limited release November 7, so stay tuned.

This article is part of Interstellar Flight Magazine’s coverage of Fantastic Fest , taking place in Austin, TX, 9/21–9/28, 2023. We thank Fantastic Fest and Alamo Drafthouse for providing access to these films!

Our next submission call opens 11/1

Interstellar Flight Magazine publishes essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, we need “writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope.” Visit our Patreon to join our fan community on Discord. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

[image error]

SALTBURN Drips Sexuality and Intrigue was originally published in Interstellar Flight Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Anne Hathaway Shines in EILEEN: A Story of Unrequited Love

Film, Fantastic FestStuck in Massachusetts in the 1960sImages Courtesy NEON

“I looked like a girl you’d expect to see on a city bus, reading some clothbound book from the library about plants or geography, perhaps wearing a net over my light brown hair. You might take me for a nursing student or a typist, note the nervous hands, a foot tapping, bitten lip. I looked like nothing special. It’s easy for me to imaging this girl, young and mousy version of me, carrying an enormous leather purse or eating from a small package of peanuts, rolling each one between her gloved fingers, sucking in her cheeks, staring anxiously out the window.”

So opens EILEEN, the book by bestselling author Otessa Moshfegh. The film, which follows the book closely and was screenwritten by Moshfegh, follows the story of Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie, who most recently stole audience’s hearts in Last Night in Soho), a lonely secretary with a paranoid, alcoholic father and a dead mother. Eileen works at a boy’s prison and is chiefly ignored and underappreciated by everyone in her life, so she falls into grim, even deadly, fantasies.

I’m a sucker for “mousey girls who defy expectations,” and Eileen sits squarely in that category. There are layers of invisibility in identity. Eileen is invisible as a woman — specifically, an unattractive, plain woman without any confidence. So when she meets Rebecca, a blonde bombshell of a woman (in the book, she’s redheaded) who also is in a role of importance uncommon for the time as the prison’s psychologist — can anyone blame Eileen for falling in love?

Thomasin McKenzie is winningly naive as Eileen, making her darkest moments seem kind of sweet and funny. Anne Hathaway does an excellent job of being the seductive, enchanting older woman who leads Eileen into a dark situation, only to become another person who underestimates her.

The film captures the interiority of the book without spending too much time on inner monologues. As Eileen’s fantasies of murder and suicide become darker and darker, her relationship with Rebecca deepens. What the film manages so well is the audience’s expectations — we know before Eileen does that Rebecca will never fulfill her innermost desires.

Curiously, the movie verges into far more interesting territory than the book by coding Eileen as queer. In the book, Eileen says of her sexuality: “Let me be clear about this: I was not a lesbian. But I was attracted to Rebecca, and I admired her. You could call it a crush.” By making Eileen’s sexuality coded queer and placing her as the unrequited lover, Eileen’s motivations are far more intriguing. It’s one thing to be a mousy girl in the 1960s with no personality; it’s another to be queer and hide that personality for safety’s sake.

Underutilized in the film is Eileen’s eating disorder, which adds a layer of psychological intensity to her character. In the book, her character binges and purges. In the film, she merely has a sweet tooth.

Being a mess is kind of a shield for Eileen. As Moshfegh said about the character in an interview with the Guardian, “Eileen is a character that makes people uncomfortable. She is not going to, you know, cheer you up. But might it not be liberating to hear the thoughts of someone who is completely ignored by society?”

Eileen is worth a watch for its dry humor and unflinching portrayal of female sexuality in the 1960s.

This article is part of Interstellar Flight Magazine’s coverage of Fantastic Fest , taking place in Austin, TX, 9/21–9/28, 2023. We thank Fantastic Fest and Alamo Drafthouse for providing access to these films!

Interstellar Flight Magazine publishes essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, we need “writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope.” Visit our Patreon to join our fan community on Discord. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

[image error]

Anne Hathaway Shines in EILEEN: A Story of Unrequited Love was originally published in Interstellar Flight Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

STRANGE DARLING Flips Script on Serial Killer Movies

Film, Fantastic FestJT Mollner’s Second Feature Film Explores the Gender Dynamics of MurderStrange Darling, Image Courtesy JT Mollner

The description for the Strange Darling screening at Fantastic Fest was just one line: “One day in the twisted love life of a serial killer.” So, of course, I had to see it.

What followed is a twisty, turny take on the cat-and-mouse thriller trope that is lusciously shot and seductive to the end. In one of the best performances I’ve seen since Pearl, Willa Fitzgerald plays a woman who meets a nice guy (Kyle Gallner) at a bar, and the two head to a hotel. But that’s about as far as I can get in the plot without completely spoiling the fun of watching this unexpected exploration into gender, murder, and power.

Women live on a constant edge, always aware of violence creeping in from all sides. Women’s desire is carefully managed by society. In most cases, the power play sex can be usually ends in violence against women. But women are rarely killers. That distinction lies with men, who, as of 1990 made up 85% of the serial killers in the US (Hunting Humans: An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers). Yet whatever the gender, serial killers still fascinate us.

Horror that sharply manages the viewer’s expectations has always been some of my favorite films. Mollner does a fantastic job of holding the viewer out on a plank, asking them to look down, and then kicking them overboard. The film is structured in six parts, but those parts do not necessarily come in order, creating a non-linear story that reveals its secrets in satisfying pieces.

Shot on 35mm film, Strange Darling shines in its cinematography, feeling somehow like a 70s slasher mixed with a contemporary arthouse flick vibe worthy of a studio like A24. The film utilizes slow zooms that are reminiscent of Kubrick’s The Shining (1980), but they don’t feel overwrought because the focus is female rage, a topic rarely explored in horror in nuanced ways. As Mollner called it, the “candy-coated” Anamorphic format (a term for shooting widescreen on 35mm film) results in some stunning sequences.

The film also shines in its soundtrack. The original music was created by indie rock artist Z Berg specifically for the film. Since most of the songs are unfamiliar to the viewer, they give the film an atmosphere that pales in comparison to most contemporary horror.

Both Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner provide truly outstanding performances, and the two have a chemistry that pulls the story along to where as a viewer, you can’t wait for them to collide again and again as they bounce back and forth between kills.

Willa Fitzgerald is endlessly watchable. In some portions of the film, she is almost unrecognizable to other scenes, her face shifting to shift the viewer’s expectations. The end scene is particularly moving, a long shot akin to the ending of Pearl. If this is the new trope for female leads in horror movies, I’m down.

This is one you’ll want to go in without knowing much about and stick along for the bumpy, blood-filled ride. Someone get this film to the big screens, ASAP!

Image Courtesy Chris Bilheimer

This article is part of Interstellar Flight Magazine’s coverage of Fantastic Fest , taking place in Austin, TX, 9/21–9/28, 2023. We thank Fantastic Fest and Alamo Drafthouse for providing access to these films!

Queer disability fantasy poetry from Ennis Rook Bashe

Interstellar Flight Magazine publishes essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, we need “writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope.” Visit our Patreon to join our fan community on Discord. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

[image error]

STRANGE DARLING Flips Script on Serial Killer Movies was originally published in Interstellar Flight Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Dark Poetry Abounds in WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS

Film, Fantastic FestSet at a Carnival in the Great Depression, the Latest from the Adams Family Is a Rotten RiotImages courtesy Yellow Veil Pictures

If you’re not familiar with the Adams Family, they are made up of mother and father John Adams and Toby Poser, and their two daughters, Lulu and Zelda Adams — and they make horror movies. Together, the family not only acts in but writes, directs, produces, and sound designs movies. The films are self-funded, allowing the family team to make all the most important, integral decisions in making a film.

Coming off the success of Hellbender (2022), their latest is Where the Devil Roams — a movie about a family of carnies on a murder rampage through the Catskills, NY, during the 1930s depression.

The film opens as a vaudeville performer recites a deliciously dark poem that ends, “blood will thicken, the devil’s pulse begins to quicken, while the body rots to dust and bones, there’s a tear in the heart where the devil roams.” This is just the first of beautiful word play in a film that utilizes dark poetry as its beating, bloody heart.

https://medium.com/media/cc482dfc6cefa656d9db6e01934c9df2/href

Eve (Zelda Adams) is traveling with her parents (John Adams and Toby Poser) to various carnivals when she becomes entranced with a man who seems to have the magical ability to reattach his fingers after cutting them off for the benefit of awed audiences.

Meanwhile, her mother and father are a disturbing duo that wreaks havoc wherever they go. When their killing spree inevitably goes terribly wrong, Eve has to pick up the pieces (literally) and spell them back together.

The spell? A dark poem.

Dark poetry has a long history in horror — dating back to Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. But this is the first time I’ve seen it explored in a horror film, and as a dark poet, I was delighted. It captures effectively all of the thrall of dark poetry — which can dive into the most horrific of themes and often contains old-fashioned rhyme schemes.

Another poem referenced in the movie is Psalm 88, considered one of the darkest passages in the Bible:

Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.

The poems in this movie weave through and with the storyline, driving the characters to more and more terrible decisions. Added to this experience is the fact that the Adams write and sing their own music.

The Adams were influenced by classic horror like Frankenstein and Nosferatu. The film’s cinematography is dark, moody, and grainy in the best of ways. It utilizes part black and white and part color scenes, which, as Zelda Adams said in the Q&A at Fantastic Fest, “shows the characters and their story are rotting.”

The film was shot on location at their home and family friends’ homes in the Catskills. They shot mostly in winter and in snow, and the film took about a year to make. I was surprised to learn that Zelda was a senior at the time, about to head off to college. “The film is also kind of about not wanting to let go of my parents”, she said, which must be difficult in such a close-knit family.

Where the Devil Roams is intricate, weaving multiple themes and references throughout its narrative until everything comes together in the end. Artsy but gory, elevated but terrifying, the film is difficult not to fall in love with. Perfect for the fan of dark poetry!

Where the Devil Roams releases in November and has been picked up by Tubi for streaming.

Image Credit Chris Bilheimer

This article is part of Interstellar Flight Magazine’s coverage of Fantastic Fest , taking place in Austin, TX, 9/21–9/28, 2023. We thank Fantastic Fest and Alamo Drafthouse for providing access to these films!

Dark Poetry inspired by mythology from Maxwell I. Gold

Interstellar Flight Magazine publishes essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, we need “writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope.” Visit our Patreon to join our fan community on Discord. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

[image error]

Dark Poetry Abounds in WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS was originally published in Interstellar Flight Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Toxic Avenger Reboots “Toxic” Hero

Film, Fantastic FestThe Toxic Avenger Premieres at Fantastic Fest Starring Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, and Elijah WoodImages Courtesy

The word “toxic” has two connotations. One is in terms of toxic waste — an all-too-familiar reality of today’s world struggling with climate change. The other is the idea of something that is psychologically “toxic” — a toxic relationship, a toxic workplace, a toxic culture.

The 2023 reboot of The Toxic Avenger, directed by Macon Blair, explores the line between these two definitions. The cult classic gets new life in a bonkers, gonzo slayfest of a good time.

The original Toxic Avenger came out in 1984 from Troma Entertainment. Troma was well known for making “exploitation films” that aimed to disrupt the sensibilities of any average filmgoer (or New York Times Reviewer) by catering to the prurient curiosity and gore obsession of teenagers. At the time, films were often sold to home video sellers before even making it to the big screen, building on the large group of people who loved to buy or rent weird videos at their local video store. They were also regularly syndicated for TV.

“Sex, comedy, and an acceptable level of violence” was the goal. The original film cost less than $1.5 million to make. As one article of the time put it, the film relied “heavily on raunchy language, gory details, and a bit of soft porn.” (“Savage Movies Don’t Bloody Investors in Troma’s Schlock” by Patrick Reilly, Crains New York Business, 1986).

Troma’s Toxic Avenger was a surprise hit. It even spawned a musical score: The Toxic Avenger: New Jersey’s first superhero. After that, Troma began making films with bigger names. The original film addressed fears of suburbia: Petty criminals preying on little old ladies and kids, making its criminals easy targets.

The 2023 reboot stars Emmy Award winner Peter Dinklage as Winston Gooze, a step-dad struggling to make ends meet and connect with his son after his wife’s death. He has to face off against a cast of goons led by Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon) as the head of an evil corporation polluting suburbia.

Dinklage is buried in head-to-toe makeup and costumery that is satisfyingly realistic and clearly draws on Troma’s history of real-life, practical effects. The SFX here seem to be primarily in the slashing of brains with a magical, sludge-infused mop. It’s giving Goonies, and I’m here for it.

A surprising entry is Elijah Wood’s role as the mistreated brother of the big bad corporation exec, Fritz Garbinger. With makeup and mannerisms that are obvious nods to Tim Burton’s Penguin, Wood plays the role charmingly sweet under the uncanny surface.

The film has a high kill count and is a cheerful gore-fest with a heartfelt ending and a tutu-wearing, mop-wielding hero. It’s kitschy, silly fun, and a blast to watch. What isn’t to love?

For me, the film missed an obvious opportunity to tie the Toxic Avenger’s early climate change message (something people were only just understanding the devastation of in the 80s) to today’s audiences. Taylour Paige is a powerhouse as The Toxic Avenger’s co-lead, bringing much-needed variety to an otherwise heavily white cast. But the satire of the film struggles, peppering what should be a critique of the right with anti-woke culture jokes that aren’t as funny as we’re convinced they should be. After all, it isn’t woke culture that’s killing the planet.

The Toxic Avenger struggles in its jokes — some of which are delightfully perfect, while others rely on tired take-downs. At one point, Toxie turns to his black female sidekick and raises his fist in the black power sign, which she shakes her head at, and Toxie replaces it with a rock-on sign. In another, a clearly right-wing news pundit is told off after making the last of several boring jokes about the left. The film should be making fun of the movement that for years successfully convinced most of the world that climate change wasn’t real. It’s that connection that I was wishing for in the film.

Peter Dinklage has a unique ability to bring another layer of complexity to his roles. In the original Toxic Avenger, there’s a scene where an Asian laundress is killed. The punchline goes, “No ticky, no washy.” Of course, the actress, Norma Pratt, wasn’t Asian. But she was a little person. While B movies often pushed against norms in delightful ways, they also were well-known for perpetuating harmful stereotypes. That history is complex. (If you want a deep dive into little people in Troma films, I hesitantly point you to Lloyd Kaufman’s 2010 article on the topic). Dinklage’s role here is reclaiming that space, which he repeatedly does in his films, most recently the surprise romantic musical Cyrano (2021).

Avenging the toxicity that kills the planet? Maybe. Avenging toxic culture? I’m not entirely sure. Either way, it’s a gory, face-shredding crusade of fun.

Artwork by Chris Bilheimer

This article is part of Interstellar Flight Magazine’s coverage of Fantastic Fest , taking place in Austin, TX, 9/21–9/28, 2023. We thank Fantastic Fest and Alamo Drafthouse for providing access to these films!

Coming soon: Hard science fiction stories from the Nebula Award wining author William Ledbetter

Interstellar Flight Magazine publishes essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, we need “writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope.” Visit our Patreon to join our fan community on Discord. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

[image error]

The Toxic Avenger Reboots “Toxic” Hero was originally published in Interstellar Flight Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.