Horror movies tend to come in one of two fashions. The first is the classic more “highbrow” atmospheric style of something akin to a classic haunted house scenario where the smallest wind howl or next floorboard creek could be a….PRELUDE TO DOOM! On the other hand, the 1980s brought a genre of gnarly gore, cheesy characters, DRUGS, and debauchery to a golden age. HOWEVER, what if a film did BOTH? That’s what’s presented in 1981’s Hell Night. 

Its plot is nothing new (a group of college kids pledging to a frat) must stay the night at an old mansion haunted by its deceased owner’s deformed son. HOWEVER, making those accosted by the horrors college students with more juvenile loves and urges (such as drinking, smoking, snorting, and sex…ing) gives Hell Night an especially 80’s feel. However, the mansion is in the middle of nowhere with a locked gate and very sharp fence to the grounds cutting them off from the modern world. The mansion itself is immense with MANY rooms where any number of horrors could jump out of. 

It also has a really fun way to set up the characters’ reason and drive to explore the house. This gives the viewer an interesting sense of the geography of the mansion letting them know where and what rooms to avoid without feeling too expository (and boring). The villainous Garth (despite having an awkward connection to a certain classic Dana Carvey character) has really great lore to him too. This lore is very well told and is done as an ominous ghost story while the pledges tour the grounds of the horrors to come. 

In addition to not feeling expository, it also focuses on the main characters’ (albeit cartoonish) reactions to help flesh out their personalities more. Again, despite the semi-cheesy acting, the characters all feel very real in their drives and reactions to various situations. That’s hard to talk about without spoiling the movie, but having two groups of college kids trying to get together adds depth too. Linda Blair and her fellow students seem to have deeper conversations about class and status VS the surfing stoner Seth (whose girlfriend always forgets his name) being goofier and more interested in just having sex.

This movie also has a lot of gnarly kills and despite having less of a practical effects team, the kill concepts, editing, and actors still make the kill scenes very memorable. Lastly, the pacing throughout in regards to fun and deep character moments, mood-building, and action without any cannibalizing the other. In conclusion, I’m amazed at how little this movie is discussed despite how well made yet fun it is IMO. The biggest reason that I can think of that it may be buried is that 1981 was probably the biggest year for horror movies. Don’t be afraid to dig this one up!

Spider-Man saved my life. Seriously, high school isn’t easy for anyone especially people on the spectrum (to say the least). However, tenth grade was my worst year. It was a traumatic year and I felt alone, anxious and seen as weak because I was misunderstood. I had no real friends and lots of pain and only pop culture to aid me.

This was when pop culture impacted me most especially three pieces of pop culture that I hold the dearest in my autistic development; Spider-Man, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and The Ramones. I felt a closeness and comfort in the lives and friendships in The Scooby Squad (from Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and the late sixties/early 70’s Spider gang as they were going through a lot of similar issues that I was.

Two of the Spider-man stories that inspired my autistic development the most were The Death of the Stacys and Kraven’s Last Hunt storylines. The death of the Stacys really hit me. That’s because it was the first Spider-Man story to really deal with trauma and a loss of innocence which between a sudden life changing trauma and inability to understand my autism I really related to.

I didn’t feel comfortable with discussing my pain or trauma with anyone at this point. Spider-man up until this had always been much more wholesome and warmer while the sudden loss of innocence felt like a punch to the face much like my life changing autism diagnosis I was adjusting to.

Spider-man of course is also the most relatable superhero for those with autism too. That’s because he’s shy and anxious as his exceptional quippy self he hides in lieu of outwardly appearing as a nerd. Kraven’s Last Hunt I’d also recommend to aspies as there’s a lot of things to think on regarding identity, morality and who one is and where one is in that. This really helped me in growing up especially in the formative years of high school where I could more understand those themes.

These may be odd recommendations for self-help…. but we tend to have odd and unpredictable minds and weird minds require weird inputs to aid it.Spider-man is also great because it’s earlier years also have great racy stories about drug addiction and the social/political issues of the time which is great for helping for developing autistic brains to understanding the larger world.

That also helps to establish and build a sense of empathy within an autistic kid to help them to be more rounded. The comics also don’t hold back on big words encouraging one’s spectrum quest for knowledge.
After the pandemic. I’d recommend for autistics to check out their nearest comic shop. Maybe mine has spoiled me, but I’ve always found comfort ability and acceptance for loving weird and different stuff at my local comic shop.

That kind of love, and acceptance does wonders for those on the spectrum. As far as other comic recommendations go, I’d say Ultimate Spider-Man is a great place to start as it can be brutally honest about the high school experience. This is great for those on the spectrum to delve into before or during high school to either understand or relate to it. Pop culture can be a strong two-sided sword with those on the spectrum.

It can help shape one’s ideas and understanding. However, younger aspies especially should be cautious of becoming overly absorbed/attached. I hope that this article showcases the importance of Spider-Man, comics and how pop culture (more on that in later articles) can help the developing autistic brain.

Until Next Time,
Lawrence

Straight up, I still live with my folks as it can be a lot harder for some autistics to survive in a lot of work scenarios (because of major sensory and/or social issues/anxieties). Due to that it can be harder for us to move out and move on. I know, this is most people’s sexual fantasy, already, BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!

Eye contact can also be…. different for us. It’s easier for some than others, but largely our eyes can be reverse magnetized to yours. This can understandably be very unflattering during a first date especially. Certain social situations can also be confusing for us as we miss things like ice breakers as I at least tend to overthink what to say and wind up getting lost in our thoughts. I also tend to wear graphic shirts and the subject of the shirt could be a good place to start conversation?

Along with the overthinking about what to say to you/ask you about ironically the meal in and of itself can become somewhat background noise. As such ordering can also be difficult because of the overthinking and over analyzing most things impulsivity doesn’t become us. It also may be weird for us or at least me to ask what you want to eat as I definitely appreciate a gal that eats more rounded than just healthy, but we tend to want to say something about it that may seem smart…ish to us, but often that falls flat.

The over thinking thing isn’t sinister or anything though. It’s mostly us being anxious about thinking of the best/worst possible things to say and us weighing the pros and cons of each (we can be annoyingly analytical yet somewhat very naive at least for me), The first conversation can also be weird because It’d definitely help if the neurotypical started the first conversation. However, pride or something may make us or at least me feel belittled because I feel that it’s something I should be able to do, but can’t.

On the upside, however, once we do lock into a conversation topic that we’re both into us autistics can get VERY deep into said conversation as we’ve been thinking about it thoroughly. Again, not in as sinister of a way as that may sound, but we really want to understand and relate to you who are kind enough to share in hopefully an exceptional meal with us. We can also get lost on tone and how one may mean something.

We understand what you’re trying to say but, perhaps not how you mean it. Along with the weirdness of eye contact for us silences can be good, but weird for us as I at least tend to worry about looking like I’m zoning out when I’m really trying to think of what to say. I think that that largely comes from bullying and the misunderstanding and false assessment of others thinking that we’re stupid or something because of it.

Another advantage of dating an autistic person is that we can be shameless and if you like or love karaoke, we can be damn into it (I’m partial to a duet of Jackson or Bobby Brown’s biggest hits, but that’s my prerogative). Ending the date can also be weird for us as it can be difficult for us to suss out where we stand as much as possible  to determine if the date  feels that it’s ended to too early and it looking like you’re not into them vs dragging it out in fear of rejection (as we tend to be overly use to the later). I hope that this helps those interested in potentially dating an aspie regarding understanding the fun side and how to navigate the less than ideal side of the spectrum.

Until Next Time,

Lawrence

Doctor Who fans say that “you always remember your first Doctor” and that’s half right for me. My first experience with Doctor Who was around 2010 streaming the show Netflix. As with the nature of the beast that is Netflix it’s easy to get lost in multiple titles as such my first experience with Who was both New Who with Tennant and classic Who with Jon Pertwee. That’s probably a bit of a ramble, BUT this is my first major Doctor Who discussion and I wanted to give context for the inception of my fandom. That being said one of the major things that drew me to Pertwee as The Doctor were his comparisons to James Bond especially the campier style of 70’s Bond.

 

I must admit I’m a sucker for 1970’s James Bond too and I agree that Pertwee’s era really captured that goofy charm. All that to say….this episode barely feels Bondlike, but not in a bad way. It honestly feels like a weird hybrid of Doctor Who and The Twilight Zone with a Rod Serlingesque parody of cheaper SciFi television. What is this episode about though?  Carnival of Monsters is best to go in as blind as possible given the twists and turns out the story. HOWEVER, I can say that the episode starts with The Doctor and Joe Grant arriving on a mysterious boat in the 1920’s while aliens meet amongst themselves and madness ensues.

 

Again, I hate how vague that I have to be to not ruin such a surreal experience, BUT I can also say if you love Cabin In The Woods and it’s approach to narrative you’ll adore this. I haven’t seen much Classic Who (but all of New Who) however, season 10 really seems to be almost meditative in terms of figuring out the show’s identity. It started with an episode celebrating the three men to play The Doctor. That same episode showed who created their society. The season had an episode with the character who was the most popular at the time (the Daleks). 

 

Additionally, it had THIS episode commenting on WHAT the show was. In that sense I feel that not only is this Doctor Who story quintessential Who viewing, but so is the tenth season. It also really tripped me out to see Ian Matter playing a small character in this episode, only to play a major role later as Harry during Tom Baker’s era. I’d love to hear what y’all think of the episode. Please comment below and let me know how you feel about Jon Pertwee as The Doctor. He may be my favorite classic Doctor.

From the rise of Mike Flanagan, the return of Michael Meyers and a Creepshow comeback the 2010’s have been an interesting year for horror movies. With that said here are my top ten favorite horror movies of such an innovative decade.

The Final Girls:
I love this movie and find it equally sweet, emotional and personal as it is funny and innovative.

The Ritual:
I found this movie on Netflix knowing little about it and am VERY glad that I did. It functions similarly to a version of The Descent with male protagonists. However it very much is doing it’s own thing balancing very well shot atmospheric horror and strong character development with likable realistic characters.

The Collection:
This movie is bananas. It somehow turns the original brutal Sawesque horror mystery to a crazy bloody as hell Aliens style action flick that somehow is only an hour and 29 minutes. It’s a hoot and has Shooter McGaviin and an awesome ending.

Cabin In The Woods:
What can I say? It’s this generation’s Scream times five in terms of it’s meta nature while being a non stop thrill ride throughout. It also has classically witty Joss Whedon characters while also showing what an exceptional film maker to be Drew Godard is and why Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford are gifts to cinema..

Creep:
On the other end of the epic horror scale comes the intimately creepy/awkward…Creep. I adore this film, but given how organically it flows and how natural this film feels I don’t want to spoil any of it. It’s on Netflix and I implore you to watch it.

Creep 2:

Same as the first this is on Netflix and I highly recommend it though I don’t want to say too much. What I can say is that these films really show what a great actor Mark Duplass is on many levels. These movies fascinate me in how equally hillarious yet completely unnerving they are.

Goosebumps:
It’s Goosebumps, I’m a 90’s horror kid.

Get Out:

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? What can you say on a heavily nuanced masterpiece that has been analyzed by basically everyone on the internet. All that to say this film is infinitely rewatchable and gets better every time I do.

Gerald’s Game:
I was very skeptical of this movie initially given how simple of a set up this had. However, that’s the magic of Mike Flanagan as he’s VERY much able to create an enchantingly intricate world within a bedroom.

Spring:
Of all of the movies on here this is the one that I most REALLY want people to see. I feel that the direction, acting and cinematography are all exceptional. The writing has a great combination of very human feelings and interactions with a fascinating lore.

Honorable Mentions:
Cult of Chucky.
The Endless
Happy Death Day
Happy Death Day 2 U
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
3 From Hell

John Carpenter’s Halloween is a horror classic to say the very least with an onslaught of sequels, prequels, remakes and rip offs it’s easy to see how Halloween is one of the most influential horror movies of all time. No Country for Old Men on the other hand is a gem of the thriller genre that reignited critical acclaim for The Coen Brothers, sky rocketed the career of a Mister Josh “Thanos” Brolin, launched the American career of Javier Bardhem and was arguably the start of Tommy Lee Jones’ physical metamorphosis into a Basset Hound. However, these films couldn’t be more different. Or are they?

Yes, despite their differences I’d say that Halloween and No Country (as the cool kids say) are very similar once you break them down. The biggest similarity I feel is the dynamics of their characters and their arcs. Firstly, I would say that Llewelyn Moss would be the middle age male equivalent to Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode as they’re both Hitchcockian everymen/women completely unprepared for the insanity and death that lay before them. Next, I would say that Jones’ Ed Tom Bell would be a reinterpretation of Doctor Samuel Loomis as they’re two both moral characters living in an increasingly immoral world that they can no longer understand. Finally, that leads us to our main villains Michael Meyers and Anton Chigurh which are the embodiment of the United States’ biggest phobias at the time.

This can be seen in Meyers as he’s the boogieman next door. Halloween came out during the seventies, when the crime rate was continually going up in the states and the news was filled with stories on serial killers such Charles Manson, The Zodiac Killer, John Wayne Gacy and more. However, those killers operated mostly in large cities, they couldn’t possibly be IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD…or could they? That was the fear that Halloween exploited with Michael Meyers.

Fast forward to 2005 when No Country for Old Men was published and what was America’s biggest national fear? Foreign terrorism, which Chigurh is the complete embodiment of, an enemy not from our neighborhoods, but one from an unknown foreign land sworn to destroy American lives and to be an agent of chaos. Granted the film is set in the 1980’s and if you want to get technical Chigurh is professionally a hitman for the cartel. However, multiple times during the film he’s shown a love for being loud and bombastic with his terror and lethal methods and if that’s not terrorism I don’t know what is.

They also have very all-American settings as if to highlight said fear’s corruption of Americana. Halloween has a very all-American setting of a warm and peaceful suburb near a school no less as if to highlight that not even innocent children are safe from Michael. No Country for Old Men on the other hand is set primarily in Texas which given most folks think Texans are all cowboys (a specifically American role) that gives No Country for Old Men a distinctly Americana feel as well. So, those are all the reasons why I feel that No Country for Old Men is a spiritual remake of John Carpenter’s Halloween, what do you think?

What is it about autism and Star Trek? Even on a metaphorical and literal level for a show with so many literal and metaphorical aliens coming together it still seems weird that for such an odd show how uniting Star Trek is to those on the spectrum.

How does Star Trek relate to autism though? On a more direct level I feel that each show has their own alien/alien feeling character that stands outside of the crew. Granted I’ve only really seen Star Trek the Original Series, The Next Generation and a pinch or Deep Space Nine, but I feel most confident in speaking to the former.

That being said, let’s examine Star Trek: The Original Series, particularly Spock. I feel that there’s an intimate reason why the late Leonard Nimoy is so well regarded among the geek/fanboy community and that is relatability.

Not the most obvious of example amongst typical autistic traits, but I really liked and related to Spock’s snark. I feel that there’s some misguided notion surrounding people on the spectrum having difficulties with snark and  while I may be potentially only speaking for myself here, I feel we can pick up when something one says is…. ill informed.

While we may not speak to it as much as neurotypicals maybe something in our over analytical fashion of thinking we may pick up dopey dialogue which I love and all too much relate to Spock’s quick witted although dry responses. The other thing that I love and relate to regarding Spock is his over analytical … analysis of situations when others will initially lead with a more practical/obvious solution to an issue (Data from TNG shares this but more on that later).

He also seems to be largely alone or as isolated as possible (even in a room full of people), but never seemed lonely. That and his repressed emotions/emotional awareness feel very traditionally autistic.

Now, let’s move onto The Next Generation’s loveable android with Data. He I feel is too displaced emotionally to be properly representative of autism as I know it (VS Spock’s half emotional human side) which seems to be a defining characteristic for him.

HOWEVER, I feel that Data’s analytical nature is more intricate/detailed then Spock’s. I feel that while they both have a strong desire to learn that Spock’s arc has always been more about understanding himself, his humanity and feelings vs Data’s unending search for knowledge and understanding others.

There are obviously crossovers between those between the two characters on those elements, but that’s how I see that breakdown. Regardless, I hope that that dual breakdown helps to contextualize some autistic symptoms of these two classic characters to better understand or relate to a character with your/someone’s spectrum.