Friday has come around once again, so we must have a Flashback Friday moment! As our Shocktober marathon rolls on, we prepare for our upcoming show by looking back at Adam Wingard’s (You’re Next, Blair Witch) The Guest. It seemed like the logical choice as we get ready to talk It Follows, which also features Maika Monroe. Last year, this movie served as a soft transition into our Shocktober 2015 marathon. Everybody fell in love with Dan Steven’s as the titular Guest, the movie itself was pretty sweet as well.
We Welcome The Guest
For newer listeners, things may feel unfamiliar as the earlier format of the show was a bit different. We start with our synopsis and reviews as always, and then move straight to analysis. This week, our analysis begins with some quick bullet points before moving into a round table discussion. Dalton goes the formalist route to discuss how this movie could fall into any genre depending on how it is shot. The way it is it acts as a horror movie, but it could easily be an action film or action thriller. Arthur discusses the current resurgence in independent horror led by Ti West and Adam Wingard. Alex argues that this film is a critique of the military system and government experiments. Dustin brings up the homoerotic tensions within the film.
Dustin then asks a few questions, starting with “What is this movie saying about the nature of war and the dehumanization of soldiers?” Alex then ponders the key differences between action films and thrillers. Dustin next brings up the male gaze and whether or not the female characters are objectified. Finally, he brings up Luke and his sexuality, and the suggestion of hate crimes to keep Luke out of trouble.
After all of that wonderful analysis, we play our game. This week’s game has us highlighting our favorite Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing. And to wrap up the show, we talked about what had us Fired Up in Pop Culture. So now that we’ve shown our true colors, would you mind letting us in for a spell?
Timestamps
02:12 – Welcome and Introductions
04:19 – Synopsis and Reviews
09:56 – Analysis
35:20 – Shelf or Trash/Else or Instead
40:13 – Social Media
43:58 – The Game – Favorite Cinematic Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
49:30 – Fired Up in Pop Culture
53:25 – Wrap Up
Arthur is a creator of content, lover of movies, and father of dogs. If you want to keep the conversation going, then click here to follow Arthur on Twitter. If you would like to keep up with what Arthur is watching, then head over to Letterboxd and give him a follow!
