There’s a movie playing in select theaters this week called SLOTHERHOUSE. Directed by Matthew Goodhue, the film follows a college student who, in an attempt to win an election to be her sorority’s president, purchases a pet sloth for social media clout. Unfortunately, the sloth she now owns is actually a murderous mammal - carving its way through the student body with razor-sharp talons and slow-paced slaughter. Oh, and this sloth can also log into Instagram, do backflips, and drive a car. The biggest surprise of the movie, though, is that SLOTHERHOUSE is pretty damn good.
What separates SLOTHERHOUSE from the other gimmick-based horror films that exist only to feed the need for content on streaming is the fact that Goodhue and his filmmaking team (including writers Bradley Fowler and Cady Lanigan) seemingly set out to make a good movie. What a concept! It really does seem, though, that too many horror films nowadays are content to coast on audiences’ obsession with watching movies ironically. Cult films such as BIRDEMIC, THE ROOM, and TROLL 2 have helped nurture a generation of genre fans who love to watch movies for the lols - allowing filmmakers to put in the minimal amount of effort needed.
If you can’t make a good film, at least you can make a movie that’s “so bad, it’s good", right? Fuck that shit.
SLOTHERHOUSE is well-directed, well-acted and features a fantastic craftsman-created puppet at the center of the action. Sure, some of the kill scenes seem a bit neutered and the film may not completely live up to the promise of the premise, but it’s still a fun ride that was obviously made by filmmakers who knew what they were doing. That’s more than can be said about a lot of the other low-budget horror films competing for the same audiences’ attention. SLOTHERHOUSE is smart in its silliness, knowing exactly how to pace a joke and how to be scary. It never settles for a cheap or self-deprecating gag when an actual gag - usually involving the pissed-off sloth doing un-sloth-like things such as killing people - is more appropriate. It’s a real movie - not a 90-minute meme.
Listen, I like a good Neil Breen movie as much as the next guy. There’s nothing quite like a film made by a true cinema outsider - a self-financed, self-made expression of artistic creation, put out there by somebody who, while they don’t perhaps have a full grasp of cinematic language, have something they feel they absolutely need to say. That said, watching these types of movies non-stop can create an addiction in the same way smoking a pack of cigarettes daily can. It can change your brain chemistry, causing you to seek out other outrageous films. And, when genuine outrageous cinema can’t be found, talentless hacks will be there - with calculated outrageousness carelessly slapped together with the minimal amount of talent. See, for example, the garbage floating around Tubi’s listings - cynical trash churned out as quickly as possible and made without an iota of care or concern about whether or not the movie should even exist in the first place. Why waste time trying to make a movie good when audiences are just going to watch it to make fun of it?
If left unchecked, irony might just end up killing genre filmmaking as we know it. Audiences’ determination to feel like they are above whatever they are watching will surely lead to a detachment from what actual quality looks like. The good stuff will be impossible to separate from the garbage and filmmakers who could have become the next Sam Raimi or Peter Jackson will instead be forced to get a “real job” instead of allowing viewers into their unchecked imagination.
It’s a sad future we have to look forward to. Downright depressing. The kind of dystopia that makes you want to curl up into a fetal position and cry. Looking for a lift-me-up? Go watch SLOTHERHOUSE. It’s the best movie about a psychotic xenarthran you’ll see in theaters this year. Plus, it has a song that plays over the end credits that summarizes the movie you just watched. More importantly, it’s not “so bad, it’s good.” It’s just good.
Speaking of movies about rodents opening up this weekend, NANDOR FODOR AND THE TALKING MONGOOSE opens in theaters this weekend. I really dug this weird lil' movie, based on a true story. Simon Pegg stars as a paranormal debunker sent to disprove the existence of a talking magical rodent named Gef who can predict the future. It's an entertaining look at faith and humanity's deep-rooted desire to believe in something bigger than ourselves. The true story is super fascinating and the movie serves as a great primer to the facts of the case. Also, Neil Gaiman voices the Mongoose.
I read Tom Perrotta’s ELECTION for the first time this past week. Alexander Payne’s adaptation was a pretty seminal movie for me in high school and reading the book drives home just how great of an adaptation it is. The tone and themes of the film are all there on the page - proving that Payne followed the blueprint pretty damn closely - but Payne brought a slightly more cynical perspective to the story than Perotta’s novel did. The movie is angry, the book is about how anger is ultimately pointless. At this point in my life, I think I might cozy up more to the movie’s philosophy than the book, but I’m glad I experienced both takes. I’m now curious to read Perrotta’s recent sequel, TRACY FLICK CAN’T WIN.
Not enough people have watched both seasons of LITTLE AMERICA and this bums me out. The show - on Apple TV - is basically an anthology - with thirty-minute episodes about immigration and figuring out your place in America. For fans of MINARI, WILD ROSE or BLUE BAYOU. Some episodes are very sad, others are completely joyful. All are immense emotional experiences. Please check out this show, if only so we can get a third season.
In the world of WHERE WOLF, I was honored to have been asked to guest on Chris Condon’s podcast Cognitive Absolution. Chris is the writer of THAT TEXAS BLOOD and its recent spin-off, THE ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE. We talked about WHERE WOLF and the trials and tribulations that come with making an indie comic. You can give it a listen here.
I also recently discovered that WHERE WOLF had been reviewed by the Comic Patrol podcast. I emailed them a copy of the book a few months back, not expecting anything to come of it but I was pleasantly surprised that they took the time to record a 30-minute breakdown of the book. I was even happier to discover that they really got what I was going for with the book and had some great insight into the story and characters. You can give the episode a listen here.
Speaking of fun discoveries, I learned this week that WHERE WOLF is available to check out of the Texas Tech University library. Your move Texas A&M. The book is also available to check out of the Kenton County Public Library in Kentucky. If you know of a library interested in stocking WHERE WOLF, let me know. I’m always happy to donate a copy to a library.
Bookstore-wise, WHERE WOLF is still available to buy at Whose Books in Dallas and Brazos Bookstore in Houston.
For upcoming events, I’ll be tabling at a special book fair at Fantastic Fest on Monday, September 25. It’ll be free and open to the public at the Highball at the Alamo South Lamar. More information coming soon.
On October 7 and 8, I’ll be at Bedrock City Con in Stafford, Texas. I was touched to see my mug on a promotional banner Bedrock had set up at a local movie theater on National Cinema Day.
On Friday, October 27, I’ll host a screening of the Brazillian werewolf jam GOOD MANNERS at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston - Film. GOOD MANNERS is one of my favorite recent werewolf movies - a true masterpiece. It’s funny, sad, and scary - everything a good werewolf film should be. Plus, it’s a musical! Don’t miss this screening, plus a chance to buy WHERE WOLF at a museum!
Here’s a small preview of some new WHERE WOLF art by the absolutely fantastic Debora Lancianese:
And a reminder to leave a rating or review of WHERE WOLF on Amazon or Goodreads if you’ve not already done so. It all helps.
Until next time, beware the moon!
I am autistic, and have a hard time with irony, in conversation and in art. I love things, genuinely and with profound joy, that allistic people (and especially guys) tend to engage with ironically. The moment when I'm excited in a conversation and I realize the other person is participating as... idk, a joke? Not at my expense necessarily but at the expense of things I love. It is an instant shut down.
I feel the same way about movies, if I'm sitting in the theater and I can feel the love and craft from a director, or character actor, or anyone else, that can sustain me through an otherwise lackluster production. I think what connects people to the spectacle of good-bad movies is that love. It's unbelievable to see someone believe in, and devote themselves to, something that's not conventionally good.
Conversely, when a movie is going through those same motions from a place of mocking irony, and all the jokes appear to be at the expense of the work, I feel like I have a fever