Daring yet Hopeful Queer Horror I Saw the TV Glow (2024) Shows a Sadder Side to Horror

Title: I Saw the TV Glow

First Non-Festival Release: May 17, 2024

Director: Jane Schoenbrum

Writer: Jane Schoenbrum

Runtime: 100 Minutes

Starring: Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

The memories we make as children have an indelible effect in how we move through the world. From the treasured to the traumatic, some are more powerful than others and shape us further. 

Two socially awkward teens, Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), bond over their shared love of a young adult supernatural tv show that only premieres at night. Over the years, this bond sustains them until one night Maddy disappears. Loneliness gnaws at Owen as he moves forward with a life without Maddy.

I Saw the TV Glow highlights the horror of longing for a better life with harrowing performances and haunting visuals.

Owen’s life is marked by this pervasive sense of loss that goes beyond his missing friend and favorite tv show being cancelled. It’s clear that something inside of Owen is aching to break out but his fears of expressing it to his emotionally unavailable father stop him. The horror lies in watching Owen grow up without addressing his needs. Wandering through life without much purpose, Owen makes deliberate choices to prioritize his comfort over the need to break free. Although he has a stable job, a house, and a family, it’s clear that Owen is unhappy. This existential horror might not be enough for some, but it certainly is plenty for those thirsting for horror that hits long after the screen fades to black. 

One of the more interesting approaches of I Saw the TV Glow is its marriage of queerness with the yearning of nostalgia. By crafting a narrative that focuses on the power of storytelling, Schoenbrun adds additional layers to their central metaphor while also serving as a compelling commentary on the thirst for sentimentality and familiarity in the digital age. ‘The Pink Opaque’, the story’s focal point young adult television show connecting Owen and Maddy, serves as a direct reminder of how nostalgia clouds and misdirects. It’s no surprise that the show that captivates Owen showcases two strong female leads, features a friendship that is forged through the power of their uniqueness, and has one of the villain’s main motives to capture, sedate, and drain the life force of the protagonists. Still, it’s Owen’s apparent but never realized queerness that haunts the film much like the long-dying specter of Maddy’s disappearance from his life.

Dreamy, technicolor visuals paint the somber horror drama with purpose, highlighting the dangers of nostalgia and the sad reality of our past. As Owen ages, so does the film. The strong images of his childhood, which had such a profound effect on him pale when viewed through the modern lens. Scary villains are reduced to men in hokey costumes and the terrifying monsters reveal the limitations of its time. Owen’s experience reflecting on ‘The Pink Opaque’ and his own life showcase the sadness of longing for a lost life. A life that doesn’t have to be completely lost forever.

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Through all this sadness though, hope does shine. Owen’s life is plagued by loss and regret, but his hurt isn’t the only aspect of his journey. In the final moments of the film, Owen is seen working another mundane day at the Party Zone-esque place where he’s spent years of his life. Hallow, visibly uncomfortable, and quite literally screaming for someone to notice his pain, Owen breaks down. It’s in this revelatory moment of great pain where he cuts into his chest with a knife showing a glowing tv burning bright within him before a smile eventually breaks from his face. That life and hope that existed within ‘The Pink Opaque’ and with his friendship with Maddy, is still inside him. It’s not too late to self-actualize, which is a message that every queer person out there should absolutely internalize.

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Truly unlike anything else in mainstream horror cinema, I Saw the TV Glow is a melancholic and atmospheric horror drama that haunts through its hopeful mediations on the passing of time. Justice Smith delivers an exceptional performance that balances earnestness with quiet desperation. The languid horror of loss melts away through iconic, mesmerizing visuals making I Saw the TV Glow one of the more daring approaches to horror this year. If you haven’t checked out this gloriously under-seen A24 Gem, don’t worry. There is still time. 

Overall Score? 8/10