#while still being very honest and realistic about the world and the dangers/horrors within it

[lilbirdblu]

i admittedly dont watch fit's streams very often because him & ramon are the sole family that reminds me that i didnt actually survive my childhood w/o some sort of daddy issues

so as im working on his character's playlist it fucking. hits me like a spear to the chest that the song that always reminds me of my dad is also very applicable to q!fit

[niteshade925]

EMH and House of Leaves Pt.1:  References/Details/Parallels

WARNING:  If you haven’t at least seen the Night Mind summaries of EMH or read HoL, and don’t want spoilers, then please stop reading now.  I won’t be spending a lot of time explaining HoL either (too long), so it would be best if you already read HoL.

************MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD**************

(I’m probably just reading too deep into it.  If I sound like I’m talking nonsense, that’s probably true.)

Not a lot of people have touched on the many, many references to House of Leaves (HoL) within the series, so I’m going to just point out all the connections I can catch.

And just to clarify, while I do think there are connections and parallels, I think the parallels only apply to a degree:   just to some characters, some aspects.  When you look at them both as a whole and try to compare them, then it doesn’t really make sense.

Meaning of House:  

It’s pretty well established now that the “Leaves” in the title of HoL can refer to paper, making the “House” the book itself.  In “Bridge to Nowhere” (Tribetwelve), HABIT’s sarcastic “let’s run from him (HABIT) in his own house” can very well be interpreted the same way, but with this “house” being the EMH show.  However, I do not think the “house” here is truly his, and I will come back to this later.

The Growing and Shifting of the House/ Impossible Geometry:  

In HoL, the House on Ash Tree Lane contains an impossible dark maze that changes its layout constantly (presumably based on the changing mindset of the person trapped within).  In EMH we experience this first hand in the video “The property”, where Vinny goes to different houses just by walking through them, as if the house was changing its own layout and appearances.

The METAness of “Authorship”:  

Self-explanatory.  Either way you look at the theories in HoL, they all theorize that Zampano, Johnny Truant, or Pelafina is the author of the entire book, when in fact it is Mark Z. Danielewski who is the actual author in the real world.  EMH is the same, except as of the latest video, the possibility that HABIT is the editor and director in-universe is being called into question.

Iterations and Mazes:  

Everyone knows how the iterations work in EMH so I’ll skip to HoL.  In HoL, there’s no iterations, but there are mazes.  And what’s more, the maze IS the house.  Remember that the book is the house?  “a=b=c, therefore a=c”.  The book is also the maze.  The entire fiction is the maze where the characters wander about, progressing their story.  EMH is the same.  The iterations repeat, always ending in Hamlet-esque tragedy (“everyone dies, the end”), like a tragic play production performing over and over again, with small bits tweaked here and there each time, except the characters are trapped inside.  The EMH series, the EMH “house”, is a maze.  It’s also a maze with ash-colored walls.  Which brings us to………..

Ashes, Ashes everywhere:  

Oh boy is it everywhere.  In EMH there's Ashen wasteland (presumed to be Centralia after the mine fire disaster), Ashland (an actual town just south of Centralia), and “half acre of ash” (first brought up by Stephanie and now the title of a video).

In HoL there's Ashtree lane (where the house is), there's the ash-colored hallways of the ever-changing maze within the house, and there's the Yggdrasil mentioned at the very end, which is an ash tree.  Personally, I believe the “ashes” in EMH is more of a clue that we should look to HoL for direction, but nothing more, since it does not have the connections to ash trees like HoL does.

Found Footage/ Cinema Vérité:

Page 4 of The Navidson Record (TNR) in HoL:  

“The Navidson Record did not first appear as it does today.  Nearly seven years ago what surfaced was ‘The Five and a Half Minute Hallway’--a five and a half minute optical illusion barely exceeding the abilities of any NYU film school graduate.  The problem, of course, was the accompanying statement that claimed all of it was true.”

That is basically a description of the found footage horror genre.  Read the beginning of House of Leaves and you will find that its description of TNR is stunningly similar to EMH.  To quote bits from the first chapter:

“Where one might expect horror, the supernatural, or traditional paroxysms of dread and fear, one discovers disturbing sadness, a sequence of radioactive isotopes, or even laughter over a Simpsons episode” (HoL page 3)

“The structure of ‘Exploration #4’ is highly discontinuous, jarring, and as evidenced by many poor edits, even hurried.  The first shot catches Navidson mid-phrase.” (HoL page 5)

“There are several more shots.  Trees in winter.  Blood on the kitchen floor.  One shot of a child (Daisy) crying.” (HoL page 5)

So, jarring structure.  Sometimes continuous shots.  Sometimes all jump cuts.  Very documentary-like to give a realistic quality.  Home video-esque feel.  Disregarding the different plot/story, stylistically EMH is practically TNR brought to life.  And when you add in the ARG element of EMH, it becomes more interesting:  perhaps EMH is just like TNR of the book.  And I will be expanding on this idea in my theory.

Fictional Sources

This is more of a META aspect thing.  The Navidson Record in the HoL world was said to be nonexistent, 100% fiction.  The characters, the interviews of the characters in TNR…...also pure fiction in the HoL world.  Now think about the Corenthal papers, the articles…...they are a part of the ARG, and therefore also 100% fiction.

Unreliable Narrators

Also self-explanatory.  In EMH, neither HABIT nor Vinny are completely honest with the audience in their videos.  And in HoL there are three:  Johnny (lies, mental illness), Zampano (if he’s the author), and Pelafina (mental illness, and if she’s the author).

L’esprit de L’escalier

It’s a French phrase for “spirit of the staircase”, meaning thinking of the perfect response but it’s already too late.  In the EMH episode titled with this phrase, Evan met Vinny as himself (temporarily released by HABIT) for the first time after the killing spree happened.  In HoL, the phrase comes in page 72 of TNR, in Johnny’s footnotes:  

“Now though, I realize what I should of said--in the spirit of the dark; in the spirit of the staircase--

‘Known some call is air am’

Which is to say --

‘I am not what I used to be’”

This quote comes right after Johnny’s account of his first major panic attack from fear, where he accidentally made a mess at the tattoo shop he worked at because of his panic episode.  Curiously, something (presumably the monster whose presence he felt) also put a long bloody scratch on the back of his neck.  When asked, he said nothing, but the above quote was what he think he should have said, in retrospect.  This matches up exactly with the meaning of the phrase.  

The phrase also appeared in page 618 in original French, but I can't see any connection there in terms of plot or meaning.

And although the phrase didn’t make a lot of sense to me as the title of the EMH episode, it does now.  The connection here is the line “I am not what I used to be”.  That was the whole gist of what Evan wanted to tell Vinny.  At the time of the episode, Evan has now become the “danger” due to being HABIT’s favorite human puppet, has already committed atrocities under HABIT’s control, and received the healing factor that made him unable to die.  Evan is not what he used to be.

Guns, Rifles, and Insanity

I don't think I've seen HABIT actually use a gun except that clip where he pointed one at the back of Vinny's neck.  HABIT’s thing has always been about blades:  knives, saws, chainsaws, etc.  But now a gun is becoming relevant.  Two characters in HoL also resorted to guns as their sanity deteriorated:  Holloway and Johnny.  The former accidentally shot and killed one of his two companions before he killed himself with it, and the latter’s fate is unknown.  There are two theories:  Johnny died, though not by the gun; and Johnny lived because he’s finally freed from the burden of putting the book together.

The North Star.

North Star has become prominent in the latest videos of EMH.  And it is also present in the book.  The cover of the book has a red and yellow symbol (probably a compass rose) that looks like a North Star.  Page 29 mentions the North Star by name, calling the lamp in the children's room the North Star.  Vinny found the North Star drawing within Fairmount, where the Mining Town Four spent their iteration as kids.  

Page 545 of the book has a more alarming message, however:  

“Stars to live by.  Stars to steer by.  Stars to die by.”  

And by “all good things”, this has been confirmed.  HABIT and Vinny both died in this iteration by the knife and gun with the North Star branded on them.  

So is it a coincidence that the EverymanHYBRID symbol looks like a North Star?  I don’t think so.  The EMH story was meant to end in tragedy all along.

The Radiation Detector

Yes, in TNR, Navidson also had a radiation detector that ticked .  And the following quote:  

“Navidson turns to the time telling tick of radioactive isotopes to deny the darkness eviscerating him from within” (HoL page 381)

Evan doesn’t really try to “deny” the darkness (HABIT) within him in “Sigma”, but of course, there’s still purple duct tape on his bandage.

The Quote Jeff Circled

“Why did god create a dual universe?  

So he might say,

‘Be not like me, I am alone.’

And it might be heard” (HoL page 45)

This quote, by itself, is confusing as hell.  One has to put it in context of the chapter to make any sense of it, just for the book alone.  The chapter it appears in, nicknamed the “Echoes chapter”, is one of the most important chapters of HoL.  Basically it explores the concept of echoes, what it is, what it implies, in various different aspects.  Echoing is indicative of a closed, finite space, and there are no echoes in infinite space.  Echoing can also create a sort of illusion that someone is there, repeating your words.  So the quote above can mean the loneliness of god, the duality that comes with echoes, the universal need for social interaction, the universal need to be individuals,.........etc etc.

The “be not like me, I am alone” part also came up on Steph’s blog.

This quote, I haven’t quite figured out what it really means in the context of EMH, but I have a guess.  

Leaning Against a Tree

Just an interesting bit I’ve noticed that might have some significance.  In the end of HoL, if you believe Johnny died, then he died leaning against an ash tree.  Holloway also died leaning against the ash-en walls of the maze, by gun, although it was suicide (the book also talks about Holloway suffering for a minute after he shot himself).  Both HABIT and Vinny died leaning against a tree in “All good things”.  Hmm.

Apartment 3103 and the abyss

In the climax of TNR, Navidson is trapped within the endless abyss of the maze, where the ashen walls and floor disappear gradually until he’s on a small platform, with only a book to keep him company.  Navidson was literally in an endless isolation chamber.  Sounds very much like Vinny when he was trapped in Apartment 3103 for two years.

Can You See The Words

This one has been covered by the EMH wikia.  CYSTW does have a formatting style similar to HoL.

Water, Drowning, and Insanity

In earlier videos (hidden videos), Evan has been shown to be drowning in water.  There were also clips of flooding.  In HoL, the person who talks about drowning and the hopelessness of it is Johnny.  As Johnny spirals downward mentally, both the number of times he mentions drowning go up, each time with greater detail.  Water here is symbolic of madness.

Interestingly, water is also crossed out in CYSTW, similar to passages about the Minotaur in HoL.  The Minotaur is the imaginary monster in the house/maze.  This gives weight to the theory that HABIT was just Evan’s insane alter ego.

Falsity of Images

Page 527 of HoL has the following quote:  

“they (images) may be heartwarming but what they imply rings false.”

As of “All good things”, this quote becomes very interesting when applied to Vinny.

CYSTW and The Whalestoe Letters

Steph’s blog is very reminiscent of The Whalestoe Letters section in HoL.  The cryptic messages, the way her character feels like Pelafina.

Finding Fairmount/ Finding Whalestoe

Johnny’s journey to find Whalestoe (HoL pages 503-504) is very similar to Vinny’s journey to find Fairmount.  Whalestoe was a mental institute, where Johnny’s mother, Pelafina, use to live.  When Johnny got there, however, the institute has long been abandoned, with graffiti on the walls.  Just like Fairmount.

“This is no longer their game.  Consider yourself marked.”

This message could only be found by tilting the screen while looking at Steph’s blog.  In HoL, at least one of Pelafina’s letters are entirely in code, and one letter leaves decoding instructions.

And finally, a note on the META aspect

In HoL, TNR is discussed among scholars who wrote works after works arguing over details in the film.  Taking into account that EMH is like TNR…..and everyone who took part in the ARG or discussed EMH theories, including me and this post, also becomes part of the story.  It’s pretty crazy.

[briangroth27]

A Quiet Place Review

A Quiet Place is an excellent movie! It's confident about what it wants to be and very effectively achieves that terrifying goal while still crafting characters who are easy to care about. It also makes great use of the fact that the characters are almost never able to speak vocally to each other or make any sound at all, lest alien monsters hunt them down. 

Slight hints at spoilers...

Every one of the actors was great at expressing emotion despite limited spoken speech and I think Emily Blunt got to show off the most range. Blunt was fantastic at conveying love, concern, terror, and agony, but still found small moments to inject levity and even a bit of romance into the proceedings. I do wish she had more to do as Evelyn Abbott, but there's no question that going into labor without being able to make a sound (and later keeping a newborn baby quiet) is an incredibly effective way of ratcheting up the tension. Plus, she never came off as incapable of defending herself or her kids and the movie does show she can be tough; her final moment is a great one.

John Krasinski (also the director, executive producer, and co-writer) gave a great performance as Lee Abbott, a father desperate to protect his family and discover the invaders' weakness...if they have one. Krasinski nailed the worn-down father still clinging to hope while struggling to show his kids he loved them and that they should keep their hope alive too; definitely not a role I’ve seen from him before. I liked that even though the end of the world had clearly taken a toll on him, he hadn’t become a hard man despite huge losses and still took the time to have positive moments with his wife and kids (even if one of his children didn’t see it that way). His arc did feel a little predictable (not that the only way for a movie to be good is complete unpredictability), but I absolutely felt the emotional intensity of his relationship with his family (especially his daughter Regan, played by Millicent Simmonds) despite the growing sense that I knew where things were going.

The kids—Simmonds, Noah Jupe (Marcus), and Cade Woodward (Beau)—were very good too. Simmonds gets the deepest emotional range to work with and totally knocks it out of the park! Though Regan could’ve easily come off as a defiant teen whose rebellious nature puts her in unnecessary danger, her reasons are completely understandable and Simmonds’ acting made her sympathetic. Her bravery and reasoning skills in the face of horror were also great to see. Marcus’ near-constant terror and stress felt appropriate to the situation and Jupe never felt like he was over the top or one-note. Marcus also gets a bit where he can play a board game and an excellent moment of release when Lee shows him a place where it’s safe to scream; rare moments where this family’s lives aren’t horrible and a kid can still be a kid. Woodward was also solid as a child who—much more than his siblings—just wanted to be a kid in this horrible situation. Their dramas felt like realistic kid struggles and the question of whether their father still loved them after an incident felt like real doubts teens might have; a nice connection to reality in these outlandish circumstances. Even though the kids do make some foolish mistakes, they were honest accidents or character-driven moments rather than beats where they were written as “dumb” just for the sake of creating danger.

Krasinski created an excellent, foreboding sense of terror throughout the whole movie. He also achieved a brisk pace that moved quickly without feeling rushed at all. Everything the movie sets up is paid off well—even if it’s not exactly how you think it will happen—and there’s just enough exposition to give us an idea of the backstory without feeling unnatural or unnecessary. I wouldn't mind seeing more of this world, but the movie also feels totally complete and satisfying as is. Including a deaf character was very cool and I liked the use of sign language throughout the whole film. I thought Lee and Evelyn still whispering a bit as they signed was exactly what I'd do had I learned it to communicate with my child, lending it another layer of relatability. It was great that Krasinski insisted on casting a deaf actress as Regan so that she could bring authenticity to the role and help with nuances in the cast’s use of ASL, as well as how each character would sign with their own variations on the language; a brilliant addition that added a lot of character to their interactions. Beyond all that, representation is simply important: everyone should all get to see themselves in stories. The sound mixing was really well done, switching between full volume with spoken speech on the rare occasions when it was safe, the hushed panic of trying to evade creatures while making the least amount of sound possible, and total silence when we experienced the world from Regan’s perspective. I thought the score weaved into the fabric of the film without feeling obtrusive or undercutting the idea that there wasn't much sound happening. 

I loved that even though there were relatively few monsters, they could be anywhere and were extremely quick to show up at the slightest sound. I also appreciated all the thought that went into making the Abbott home as sound-free as possible, from paint marking squeaky floor boards to sand used to dull the crunch of leaves and even cloth game pieces. That gave credence to the "you can never make a sound!" idea. The film also employs a wide variety of things doing just that to imperil our heroes, making the jump scares very effective at fueling the growing dread of the overall film. I was shocked one apparent jump scare from the advertising actually resulted in a death that stuck; I sat there stunned for a good while after that! They took a risk showing what was essentially an enlarged ear within the monster heads, but it worked and the whole design of the creature was very cool and scary. I liked the movable plates of "armor" they had, and Krasinksi was very smart to mostly imply the kills rather than dig into the gore; it's much better and creepier this way.

A Quiet Place is one of my favorite movies of the year so far and definitely worth seeing! If you're looking for a confident and creepy horror thrill ride, this one’s for you!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

[heyyy-hey-babyyy]

Creep 2, dir. by Patrick Brice (Blumhouse Productions, 2017)

Academic film review below-- May contain spoilers 

Access the trailer here 

Since the prequels’ beginnings in 2014, audiences have long awaited the return of Mark Duplass as Joseph (or Aaron as he is referred to in this film), the unstable protagonist of the Creep franchise. Filmed in the recognizable “found-footage” style, made famous by films such as The Blair Witch Project (1992), Creep 2provides enough tension to rival the prequel. The slasher style of Creep 2is not new, as horror audiences recognize the long stare and sinister smile Duplass perfects. What sets the sequel apart, however, is its important commentary on mental health, with its protagonist recognizing the severity of his situation, and converting a seemingly stable individual to his dangerous lifestyle.

Creep 2 follows Sara (Desiree Akhavan), a video artist with a focus on unusual Craigslist requests, and those who are behind the screen making the request. The movie begins with her answering an online advertisement from Aaron (Mark Duplass) who requests for her to come out to his remote house to video him for the day. Fans of the original film recognize this request, and go along for the ride without question.

Within the first seconds of the film audiences are witness to a similar plot from the prequel: a character appears on the screen, opening a cardboard box which contains the camera (as audiences are looking up as the character is looking down into the box), and a disk which the words “Watch Me” written on it. As the character watches he witnesses something distressing that the audience is not privy too, as all they hear is whistling. There’s a knock at the door and the character leaves to let in Duplass’ character Aaron. As the two talk, Dave, as the audience now knows him as, tells Aaron about the random packages he has received and the video of his house. Dave then leaves the room, which allows Aaron to smirk at the camera and blow it an air kiss, the audiences’ first instance of the plot line of the film. The tension continues to mount as Dave returns and Aaron admits to filming his friend saying, “You are a beautiful person and you deserve that… but I don’t know if I can do this anymore”, before graphically killing Dave. Aaron is silent for awhile before whispering, “what’s happening to me?”. After the credit roll we are introduced to Sara, star, writer, and director of the show Encountersthat she describes as “the show where I look behind the strange world of personal ads to try to uncover the humanity within”. She is frustrated with the amount of views she received on her latest video and the movie continues with her searching the Internet for the perfect personal ad. We happen upon Sara during her closing episode of Encounters, where she hopes to bring out the best in some “weridos”, when she finds an ad “looking for a videographer” in which the advertiser is looking for someone to “…go deep. Together”. She follows up with the ad poster, and agrees to meet and drives to his remote location.  

Upon meeting Sara, after a very real interaction where the two hug and enjoy a smoothie, Aaron casually confesses to her that he is in fact a serial killer with a strong killing streak—however, he further confesses to losing the taste for it recently. If Sarah films him as he truly is, he promises to not harm her, but make her witness to his lifestyle. Sara is thrilled, as she has truly found her unstable requester that will give her show the online following that she desires. While interviewing Aaron, he states that he considers himself to be a “murderer” as he does not like the nomenclatural of “serial killer”, but the numbers classify him as such. Aaron’s insouciant approach to being a murderer is reminiscent of the discussion surrounding mental health, in that he identifies much like someone would identify as depressed or having anxiety. In this way, audiences are alienated from what is happening before them. Bertolt Brecht theorized the idea of Verfremdungseffekt, which is“…the technique of defamiliarizing a word, an idea, a gesture so as to enable the spectator to see or hear it afresh”. [1]This distancing effect forces the audience to become a critical viewer of whatever text is being preformed before them. Verfremdungseffektcan also be seen as having a purpose of which, “…to denaturalize and defamiliarize what ideology makes seem normal, acceptable, inescapable” (79). Audiences are made to be un-familiar by what is happening on the screen, text, and stage before them in order to question the ideology of what makes this seem obscure or confusing, as Brecht theorizes. In this way Creep 2 makes a powerful decision, allowing audiences to recognize the moves Aaron is making, but also further questioning why it isn’t normal for him to be talking about murder so carefree.

As the film continues, Sara begins to see Aaron as unstable when his plans for the documentary begin to fall apart, but also develops a connection to him, perhaps in response to Aaron freely opening up to her. This connection comes to a head, in a pivotal scene, where Sara finds Aaron in a hot tub, after he has shut himself downstairs out of frustration. She begins to push him to speak to her, and Aaron tells an unsettling story about his first murder. They have an intimate moment after, where Sara massages Aaron, and after, he tells the audience (through the camera) that he is having “feelings” for her that he never thought he would feel again, while the camera focuses on a large kitchen knife. Aaron then follows Sara to the shower where she is hiding in the corner to successfully scare him. They commence an interesting game of hide and seek and Aaron confesses to Sara that he would like to kill her, but they are having too much fun together, so he feels as if he can share his work with her.

Eventually, Aaron admits to Sara that he recognizes what she is doing; buttering him up to get what she wants (as he has seen her show). Sara admits she does not think he is a serial killer and Aaron tells her that the movie he wants to make is actually a “murder film”, where Sara murders him. Sara is hesitant, but does not say no, either from a want to make a unique film, or her sanity is slipping in the presence of Aaron. The film continues with a few odd scenes where Aaron, “plots” his murder, leading to the finale of Aaron confessing he likes Sara and admits to being “not a murderer”, though the audience knows that to not be true.  The movie concludes with Aaron and Sara heading into the woods, where he presents Sara with a locket, as his symbol of love for her. He spins Sara around to face a grave; he presents a knife, and stabs himself, telling Sara they could die like Romeo and Juliet. Instead, Sara turns and runs leaving Aaron. The two take off running and Aaron eventually catches Sara, stabs her and drags her in the grave—The movie concludes with Sara hitting Aaron over the head with a shovel. There is a cut scene that then shows Sara walking through a crowd with the locket still attached to her neck, and someone with a camera following her.

A major strength of Creep 2 is the focus on mental illness. Throughout the film you feel for Aaron, even as you see the horrors of his actions from the previous film. Sara begins to develop feelings for Aaron and audiences witness intimate scenes between the two that waver between honest and raw, and uncomfortable. Another underlying strength is the real-ness audiences’ witness. Opposite of the original, we as the audience see the real “Aaron”. There is no tension surrounding what he is or is not; we know him to be a serial killer. But perhaps more important, his realness allows Sara to engage in some sort of relationship with him which changes her, in an intense commentary on the human experience. Are we able to be manipulated by someone being too real?

As Alex Mclevy aptly states in a review for AVClub[2],“Given a performer who can match him in talent, Duplass has transformed his twisted killer into a flawed and charismatic soul, radiating a quiet desperation that’s far more magnetic this time around. He’s made a monster more intriguing…Not many film series can make that claim” (Mclevy). Creep 2 has done what rare other films have accomplished; made the audience relate to a serial killer. Upon completion of the film, audiences are made more aware of the fragile line between stable and unstable; mentally capable and mentally ill. How then can the horror genre further open our eyes to the truth within society? Creep 2 begins the important conversation that horror critics alike seek the answers to. As Maria H. Loh in her article, “Introduction: Early Modern Horror”, states, “…representations of horror steel us for the experience of horror in real life”[3]. Through Creep 2 we are able to recognize the unstable nature of mental health. And that recognition could be the key to discussing mental health in its entirety. Creep 2 appeals to many audiences in giving them an inside look at the potential for the instability of seemingly “normal” individuals, and provides Creep fans with familiar signposts, including the return of Peach Fuzz the terrifying wolf mask. I applaud the writer and director of Creep 2 for giving audiences a realistic look at mental health, through the eyes of Aaron, the serial killer the audience has empathy for.

[1]Diamond, Elin. “Brechtian Theory/Feminist Theory: Towards a Gestic Feminist Criticism”. Performance Analysis An Introductory Coursebook, edited by Colin Counsell and Laurie Wolf, Routeledge, 2001, 77-85.

[2]Mclevy, Alex. “Creep 2 is Smarter, Funnier, and More Engaging Than the Original”, AV Club, <https://www.avclub.com/creep-2-is-smarter-funnier-and-more-engaging-than-the-1819815646> [accessed 27 March 2018].

[3]Loh, Maria H. “Introduction: Early Modern Horror”, Oxford Art Journal, 2011, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 321-333.