IT FOLLOWS / THE BABADOOK: THE CLASS OF 2014

HORROR 101 with Dr. AC

IT FOLLOWS (2014) d. David Robert Mitchell (USA) THE BABADOOK (2014) d. Jennifer Kent (Australia)

10 years ago, a pair of horror films exploded onto the scene, both from independent writer/directors not known for genre fare, both displaying exceptional visual confidence and storytelling skills, and both layered with multiple levels of metaphor and symbolism spicing their genuinely unnerving and clean mythologies. Critics and audiences celebrated this one-two punch of intellectually stimulating and emotionally gut-wrenching fright flicks, subtly shifting the terror landscape forever. Set in a suburban Detroit teenage wasteland of an indeterminate era, Robert David Mitchell’s IT FOLLOWS turns a by-the-numbers coming-of-age indie feature into a chilling campfire yarn: Sleep with the wrong person, and a nameless, unrelenting, shapeshifting Thing will pursue and destroy you… unless you pass on the curse to someone else. And if they don’t pass it along soon enough, the curse comes back to you. Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, Australian writer/director Jennifer Kent’s THE BABADOOK offers up a character study of a troubled widow wrestling with her own mental and emotional stability as well as that of her seven-year-old son, a struggle exacerbated by a malevolent presence invoked by the appearance of a mysterious children’s book. With extraordinary production and sound design, musical scores, cinematography, and editing, as well as a mutual uncanny knack for escalating tension and release, these two modern-day classics are the rare beasts that live up to the hype, announcing their creators as deserving of their rightful places within the hearts of the horror faithful. Join AC and his awesome panel of guests (Ashley Lamers, Nicola McCafferty, Brett Neveu, Gavin Schmitt) as we celebrate The Class of 2014, a haunting pair of psychologically stunning and genuinely frightening efforts, guaranteed to provoke spirited conversation and contemplation hours, days, weeks, and even years after the final credits roll. ------------------------------------ ASHLEY LAMERS is a professional counselor, animal advocate, coffee enthusiast, straight edge vegan feminist, and horror lover with a “do no harm, take no shit” sensibility. She has two cats, a business, and many opinions. NICOLA MCCAFFERTY is a PhD candidate in the department of Radio, Television, and Film at Northwestern University whose current research focuses on how screen representations of nonhuman women (think mannequins, cyborgs, and humanoid aliens) help us gain insights into the categories of both humanity and femininity. Outside of grad school, Nicola has a few stray bylines at Dread Central and runs an Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/vvitchroom), where she sells enamel pins, stickers, and prints inspired by horror and cult films from the 1960s to today. BRETT NEVEU is a professor at Northwestern University where he teaches writing for the screen and stage. His film/TV screenplays include Eric LaRue (dir. Michael Shannon) and Night’s End (dir. Jennifer Reeder) with Shudder/AMC. Past theatre productions include Revolution with A Red Orchid Theatre, Verböten with House Theatre and Red Bud with The Royal Court Theatre. Brett is also a recipient of a Steinberg/ATCA New Play Citation, The Marquee Award from Chicago Dramatists, The Ofner Prize for New Work and the Emerging Artist Award from The League of Chicago Theatres. GAVIN SCHMITT is Wisconsin's criminal historian and the author of several books. He's also a degenerate cinephile and has written on film topics, particularly cinematographer Karl Freund. He's been half naked with Norman Reedus, shared breakfast with Tiffany Shepis, and helped David Arquette find cocaine in Chicago. ------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!