5:00 PM // Midsommar (2019) turns traditional scary movie tropes upside down by setting its terrifying events in broad, sunlit daylight rather than the dark. Director Ari Aster crafts visually striking frames that look like a vibrant fairy tale, making the disturbing moments even more unforgettable. Instead of shadows and night, the movie uses these bright primary colors, lush green fields, and endless Scandinavian sunlight, to create an eerie contrast with the dark plot where lead actress Florence Pugh gives an incredible performance as a young woman named Dani dealing with an unimaginable family tragedy while stuck in a failing relationship.
8:00 PM // I Saw the TV Glow (2024) is a haunting, visually striking psychological drama that explores identity, repression, and existential dread through a unique 1990s nostalgic lens. Directed by Jane Schoenbrun, the film is drenched in neon glow, pastel shadows, and a hypnotic, fever-dream-like mood reminiscent of David Lynch or 90s cult television. Justice Smith delivers a devastatingly quiet, emotional lead performance as Owen, supported by Brigette Lundy-Paine as Maddy. The film contains deeply relatable existential themes, while functioning as a profound trans and queer allegory about realizing you are living a false life. Ultimately, the movie resonates universally with anyone who has ever felt trapped, disconnected, or stuck searching for themselves in the static of youth.
10:00 PM // Hereditary (2018) is a modern horror masterpiece that brilliantly blends crushing family grief with inescapable supernatural terror. Toni Collette plays the mother with raw and terrifying emotion that makes the family's tragic collapse feel completely real; Milly Shapiro’s deeply unsettling presence and quiet oddities set the tone for the entire nightmare; and Alex Wolff captures the agonizing guilt and panic of a teenager trapped in a spiraling tragedy. Grief and Trauma act as the core monsters of the story, showing how real emotional pain can tear a household apart just as much as an ancient curse and the occult twist slowly reveals a terrifying plot by a hidden cult, turning a sad family drama into a pitch-black nightmare.