That reminds me of a movie...

A life built on pop culture references

There’s one thing I love about film festivals almost as much as the films themselves - getting a chance to catch up on some reading. So much time at film festivals is spent waiting in line or waiting in a theater or waiting on a bus. Waiting, in general, is a big part of the film festival experience.

Now, one could spend this time doing any number of things - talking to strangers, scrolling through Twitter, staring into the void and contemplating existence. I personally choose to spend my time reading. This year, during SXSW, I was able to read three books: Anthony Burgess’ A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, Brian Jacques’ REDWALL and Stephen Graham Jones’ DON’T FEAR THE REAPER. Not bad for seven days.

DON’T FEAR THE REAPER is a sequel to Jones’ previous novel, MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW. In the book, readers are reintroduced to Jade Daniels - a once-and-future final girl who, despite knowing everything there is to know about the horror genre, is reluctant to accept her role as the final girl in her own personal horror story.

In the first novel, Jones detailed a gruesome whodunit in which Jade was forced to discover the truth behind a series of killings tied into a slice of local folklore. She (mostly) saved the day and, for her efforts, Jade spent the next four years of her life in court after the legal system had serious questions about the nature of her involvement in the murder spree. When readers meet Jade in DON’T FEAR THE REAPER, she is older, wiser and even more reluctant to own her final girl status. In fact, Jade is trying her best to shed whole slices of who she used to be. She has grown her hair out, goes by Jennifer and is trying her best to be a respectable member of society. Unfortunately, Jade/Jennifer’s homecoming tour is interrupted by the appearance of a deadly serial killer who has just escaped from prison transport.

It’s no secret that Stephen Graham Jones knows his horror. The writer is one of the most thoughtful and knowledgeable voices in the horror genre working today - expertly weaving together history, theory, criticism, and his own personal voice to examine and progress the horror genre across all mediums. It’s no wonder, then, that Jones’ fills his novels with cover-to-cover deep-cut references to the genre. Under Jones’ pen, the characters in DON’T FEAR THE REAPER are hyper-literate scholars in the horror genre, sprouting out references to movies such as CURTAINS, SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT and HAPPY DEATH DAY.

Narratively, Jones even delivers a steadfast logic behind having his characters be so learned in the world of horror cinema - having survived the ultra-traumatizing events in MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW, the supporting characters orbiting Jade Daniels have educated themselves nearly to the level of Daniels herself. They know, after all, that the only way to survive another horror movie scenario is to know all available horror movie scenarios.

Reading DON’T FEAR THE REAPER made me examine my own tendency to live in pop culture references. I too frequently find myself relating a moment in reality to a moment in a movie or book or comic or song that I’m reminded of. I think it’s a natural tendency to find patterns and - when you live a life so entrenched in media - those patterns tend to revolve around pop culture.

In the last couple of years, I’ve grown overly self-conscious about the number of pop culture references I make. Maybe it’s my fear of being a cliche, or maybe it’s my fear of being seen as a movie theater Walter Mitty but every time I reference a movie in conversation a nagging voice pops up in the back of my head asking the same questions: “Is this really who you are? A living, breathing Kevin Smith character?” And yes, I acknowledge the fact that I just made a movie reference.

It’s hard not to. I love cinema. I love the idea of shared communal memories. I may be the only one who experienced the tiny personal moments of triumph and tragedy in my own life but we all experienced the larger-than-life moments found in films such as STAR WARS, THE AVENGERS, and JURASSIC PARK. I think it’s a natural thing for people to enjoy finding a shared connection with strangers and pop culture references are a tremendous shortcut to that shared connection. You drop a reference in a conversation to GHOSTBUSTERS and, when somebody picks up on that reference, you feel seen.

And seen I felt as I read Jones’ DON’T FEAR THE REAPER. I would experience a small surge of adrenaline with every reference I caught. It’s a Pavlovian response to somebody raised in an era where the horror genre felt underground and under-recognized. Even as I cringe about my over-dependence on fiction as a cultural connection, I embrace the power of shared storytelling - especially when that shared storytelling is some gnarly giallo film or ‘80s SOV slasher. I felt especially seen as Jade Daniels struggled with her own addiction to pop culture references in DON’T FEAR THE REAPER. Is it cringe to live your life built on the back of pop culture references? Is it a natural reflection of humanity? Did cavemen drop references to cave paintings? Did apostles high-five each other after deep cut callbacks to The Bible?

I’m ashamed of my tendancy to make pop culture references but I also acknowledge it’s a big part of who I am and who I will always be. I love pop culture. I seek escape from pop culture. Like Shrek once said, I’m like an onion. I’ve got layers upon layers.