A Little Bit Rebecca – SUPERHOST (2021)

Hi friend! I’m glad to be here, talking to you on this sunny and beautiful Friday. Life has been busy and fun, and I am really happy to report that everything is good on my side, hope things are the same on yours.

Okay, okay, here’s the thing, have you watched Superhost (2021)? No? Please don’t tell me it’s because you’ve never heard of it. Okay, no matter, that’s what I’m here for. So, please get comfortable on your chair, your couch, or wherever it is you are reading and resting at the moment, try to slow down by taking a few deep breaths (I know how stressful it can be when spending soooo much time online… inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds, repeat twice), and simply try to enjoy this moment while learning about our hostess, Rebecca, even if just for a little bit.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Rebecca has the nicest of smiles which goes perfectly with her big, bright eyes. To see her looking at you like that is to witness a gentle gift from life, something rarely experienced; the gift of someone with both her guard down, and a rabid eagerness to accommodate you, to make you feel at home.

She goes by BettyLou52 in the all-popular vacation home sharing rental app where, if you are lucky, can book a night within the next few months. Her Castle Rock, Colorado home rental is a luxury cabin in the woods, secluded for absolute peace and privacy, a place so perfect that the occasional low water pressure and the at-times spotty cell service are the only minor snags you could encounter in this, your quiet lodging experience.

Rebecca takes pride in the beauty of her cabin—the floor-to-ceiling windows are breathtaking—even though she does not reside in it due to her already having a smaller place nearby. You see, she inherited the property from her dad (her stepmom got the other home in South Carolina), so instead of leaving the place empty she rents it to lucky visitors.

Among the many things that Rebecca enjoys doing for her guests are being available 24/7 in case of emergencies, making sure that any complaint that arises gets resolved immediately, providing state-of-the-art security with camera surveillance and alarm systems, preparing a surprise full breakfast (fresh coffee, eggs, pancakes, the works), and a fun little prank at the end of the visit to make it an unforgettable one.

You could say that Rebecca is a bit weird and eccentric as a person, and a little extreme as a hostess, after all, her goal is to make sure her guests have the best time at her rental. And yes, granted, she can be overbearing due to her constantly asking to be given a great review on the app but that’s okay because it’s Rebecca and we like her and she is a sweetheart and yes of course she deserves five stars yes all the stars all of them yes! (deep breaths)

Currently, Claire and Teddy are Rebecca’s guests and, coincidentally, are vloggers who review vacation rentals for their channel called Superhost. Prior to booking, they asked for permission to film both her and the property and naturally she said yes, which was odd as it almost gave the impression she desperately did not want to be on camera, not even for a second…

Oh, Claire and Teddy.

Claire was in charge of the channel and, sure, Teddy helped and worked really hard on it not only because he loved her, but because he had fun spending time with her. They were in a relationship and living together, albeit being helped at the moment by Teddy’s parents. You see, the reason why Claire was so uptight and neurotic about the channel was due to the recent unfavorable metrics; they were rapidly losing subscribers which translated into less views which meant less money, and the one thing Claire would not tolerate was to continue mooching money off Teddy’s parents. They needed their own place. They needed one more hit to make that happen. They needed another video just like “The Bitch From Draper.” Claire was sure of it.

Teddy had reservations about producing another clickbait video à la Draper because it could hurt people (again). The whole thing was wrong, but he would go for it if it meant making Claire happy.

Claire and Teddy could not be more different. She was bossy, mean, and way too serious off screen, but would become the total opposite when filming… it was actually unnerving watching her flip between personas. He was patient, sweet, and likable, but would become ten times more playful when being asked to perform for the camera. Teddy’s goal for this trip was to surprise Claire with a ring and a marriage proposal. Claire’s was to get those numbers up.

Claire had good instincts for sensational content so whenever she perceived it, she went for it. Here’s when she decided to get our beloved Rebecca involved in the middle of it and exploit her personality for clicks. Poor thing, she was innocently minding her own business, being the same little old quirky hostess as ever.

Except, it was all a lie.

[Rebecca did not have a place to live nearby; she slept in the cabin’s basement. The cabin was not under her name, and the real owner was not her dad either, but Betty and Lou; both dead and disposed of somewhere in the woods along with their cat. You see, Rebecca believed her hosts had been the nicest people she had ever met and, during her booked stay over the entire Holiday month, they really made her feel like she was part of their family… she couldn’t just leave… but, as expected, Lou got upset about it, changed the access code and kicked her out; when Rebecca was on her way out, just as she was walking away, Lou said something stupid to her and she just, well, snapped.]

Teddy and Claire got freaked out by some of Rebecca’s behavior so they agreed to cut short their stay, however, as they were driving away—mind you, in their car, yes, inside, both of them, safely driving away already—they were stopped by Rebecca who told them she had a great last surprise for their video. Teddy said no, but Claire being Claire said yes.

“We need to get more footage of her. Look at her. She is harmless. Teddy, this video is going to be huge.” -Claire

So, they got out of the car, took their camera with them, and followed Rebecca into the woods where a huge (big!) surprise was waiting for them. What happened next involved a third person, some tape, rope, a burlap sack, a knife… and a whole lotta acting!

Yes, that was a lie also.

Rebecca was just pranking them, teaching them a lesson. No biggie. It was all fun and games, right? Wrong! Claire and Teddy were in shock and relieved and happy it was not real, yet, their curiosity about Betty and Lou, as well as not knowing when to let it go (count your losses and leave!), would cause Rebecca to snap, again.   

“Boy, you weren’t kidding about these two. Can’t leave well enough alone. [pause] I am sorry about this. [stabbing] You guys, you were so close. Why couldn’t you just stop? What am I gonna do with her? Now what am I gonna do!?” -Rebecca

And so, our visit with Rebecca abruptly ends here. But please do not be sad, if you ever miss her contagious charm and energy, you are more than welcome to come back and pay us a visit.

In Love and Fear,

—Marath

© 2016-2024

@KurtsWorld96 Needs You to Follow, Share, Like, and Subscribe - SPREE (2020)

Happy long weekend, my horror friends, hope life is treating you well and that you are taking care of yourself. Things are pretty okay on my side of the world, here in sunny Los Angeles, although, for full transparency, I should disclose that right this moment it is not sunny but cloudy and cold with a chilly temperature of 56 degrees Fahrenheit (13.33 Celsius for those of you living outside the US), but hey, let’s quit the small talk and let’s get down to business, shall we?

Spree (2020) tells the story of a guy you and I may know in real life, you know, the one so obsessed with social media that makes things awkward for us, often complaining how the algorithm is out to get them, how their posts are not getting enough views or likes, the person blaming others for the poor performance on their streams or yt videos, often begging you to please follow, share, like, and subscribe.

In all fairness, our main dude, Kurt Kunkle, was a very young man with an arguably narrow view of the world, still living with his mother who was more likely struggling herself due to money problems—house had a For Sale by Owner sign—and relationship problems—the husband, Kurt’s dad, was out of the picture and was portrayed as a good-for-nothing junkie—also, we did not get the impression that Kurt had a college education or a technical skill that would afford him a stable and lucrative job in the immediate future. So all that, the lack of life experience, of independence, of a rock-solid home environment, of a career, all that combined with loneliness—Kurt did not appear to have a romantic partner or real friends—along with the ever growing unrealistic expectations to perform well—metrics or otherwise—online, all those things were what made Kurt break from reality and come up with #theLesson as a gift to his followers, or lack-thereof.

His delusions would culminate tragically on Friday, April 12, 2019 in sunny Los Angeles.

#theLesson was a Live online tutorial on how to “up your social media game” given by Kurt while he went about his day as a gig worker driving for Spree, one of the few rideshare app services in the city. #theLesson was streamed via LiveFly thanks to eight GoPro cameras rigged inside Kurt’s car, plus, as a special offer to his premium subscribers, he would also go Live on his socials and screen share his phone.

Okay, but what was the lesson, actually? It was a psychotic demonstration on how to go viral by committing multiple homicides in real time and on Live camera, simple as that.

Before we move forward, I would like to point out the obvious by saying that yes, Spree was an in-your-face commentary on the American society of the twenty-first century and how wrong we are as a group of people, how we have allowed our younger generations to lose touch with what matters most (family, education, progress, etc.) and see them rule their lives by things that are meaningless, truly inconsequential (numbers on an app designed by a few with the sole purpose of making money for an even fewer), and not only that, the fact that many have to face for the very first time the harsh realities of insane real estate prices and a saturated job market, no wonder why they turn to mom and dad for a place to crash, and to big tech for the extra cash.

Right. Now that that is out of the way, I would like to list all the things I enjoyed about Spree, spoilers ahead:

• The found footage and screenlife style (two of my preferred horror subgenres)

• The use of modern technology and apps

• Topics around family dysfunction, addiction, and mental illness

• Kurt’s draw my life YouTube video

• Him confessing on a clip—after ten years of continually posting online—that it was all a metrics game and that he felt “like a zero”

• His Starbucks cup misspelled as Curt #relatable

• His greasy hair and scumbro fashion

• Random San Fernando Valley and Hollywood sights

• The soundtrack and film score

• All the small details performed by the actor playing Kurt, that is, Joe Keery; from the odd tone and volume of his voice when trying to appear confident, to standing up awkwardly when being berated by the influencer kid, Bobby, and, of course, cannot forget his displaying uncomfortable sexual energy around women, or, wait, another one of my favorites for some reason was his twitching on the seat while discreetly scratching his genitals (don’t judge me)

• The entertaining scene with Mario and Jessie as the dialogue flowed so well, including the following line delivered by Kurt: “Full disclosure, FYI, I’m totally and completely transparent” (why was that so funny to me?)

• Then, when it was only Mario talking rubbish about Jessie—she got out of the car safely after standing up to Mario—and having a fit about being late to his, ahem, lovemaking date, Kurt suddenly matched his aggressive behavior and also started punching the seat like a lunatic (I thought this mirroring moment was pretty neat in a horror movie)

• The gas station scene when he was being super loud talking to the stream (Bobby was the only one watching at this point) then suddenly changing to being super quiet when realizing a cop was next to him filling gas into the patrol car, mind you, he kept talking about the murders (four by now) but in a quiet voice while inconspicuously wiping the blood off the windshield and front bumper

• The Black & White overhead security footage at the gas station which is, at this point in our modern lives, a quintessential staple for all true crime inspired content

• The drive-through car wash scene, specifically, when the car was covered in bloodied foaming soap, when an overexcited Kurt asked Bobby what he thought of the triple murder at the junkyard from just a few minutes ago, when Bobby was condescending yet again and told him he was simply “not good at this”

• Kurt being so offended by Jessie, an actual influencer, for not following ‘correct’ branding methods, for not posting relatable content, and for not recording vertically

• Kurt taking his social media resentment and metrics jealousy toward Jessie out on Bobby

• When Bobby gets stabbed and yells at Kurt, “THIS SHIT ISN’T SUPPOSED TO BE REAL!” which, in my opinion, gave gravitas to the entire movie

• Kurt taking a shower to get rid of Bobby’s blood and being super happy for reaching triple digits on his stream

• Kurt’s sinister google searches

• His DJ dad being worried about BPA’s but not heroin

• The taco truck scene for reminding me that L.A. has the best tacos in Southern California

• The chase scene on the freeway for reminding me that L.A. has the worst traffic in the US

• Kurt hilariously eating the asada fries as he is being chased on the freeway while driving against incoming traffic at nighttime

• When he goes to Jessie’s stand up show with the intention to ‘take over’ but has a change of heart due to her ‘inspiring message’ and leaves quietly and unnoticed

• Him realizing thanks to Jessie that “love is more powerful than anything… (*contemplates silently*)… it’s a good branding tool”

• The tweet by Spree CEO notifying L.A. County users that services were suspended effective immediately and until further notice due to an ongoing investigation #ridesharekiller

• Kurt planning his next move as he seats at the back of his GoGo ride (he crashed his car during the chase and needed a ride home)

• Seeing him succeed at going viral in less than 24 hours thanks to #theLesson, going from single digits to over 58K views

• On the other hand, seeing him fail at not getting killed (karma, baby)

• After all is done and over with, his social presence is taken down by all the various platforms with the exception of Reddit where his followers (aka Kurties) gather to praise him

• The not so secret 4chan forum where an anonymous user collects saved videos and links from 04/12/19 to make a movie about Kurt

• Finally, on 06/14/19 when said user releases his tribute movie and calls it SPREE

Circling back to the actor playing Kurt, Joe Keery, I have to give him huge props for doing an absolutely excellent job at portraying a very believable streamer/YouTuber as his mannerisms in general reminded me of a handful of real life vloggers and reaction channel personalities, you can tell he seriously prepared for the role.

Anyway, I loved this movie so freaking much that it’s low-key embarrassing and don’t ever want to talk about it again. Okay, bye.

In Love and Fear,

—Marath

© 2016-2022

Frightening Unblinking Dead Eyes & Disturbingly Unyielding Teeth-Baring Grins: SMILE (2022)

Alright, alright, I’ll be quick since everyone and their mother already told you about SMILE (2022). Hold on to your panties, girlies, major spoilers ahead!

Rose Cotter is a caring—too caring, maybe? [gurrrl, chill, you deserve to have a life of your own, sheesh!]—psychotherapist—psychiatrist? the internet keeps referring to her as a psychiatrist but that’s not what I got when I watched the movie because psychiatrists are famously known for their pill-pushing, no bs attitude (read: to them, you are not a whole person, you are an illness) and Rose was nothing but a bundle of cozy vibes (read: she would mother you and listen to you and give you emotional hugs, you know, like an overly sweet psychotherapist that does the most)—working at an Emergency Hospital.

But pause. Why did Rose do the most? Well, luckily for us the movie was not shy abut showing her traumatizing childhood because of course her trauma came from childhood because obviously it did (we humans are so basic lol). Her single mom was severely mentally ill, like, not being able to get out of bed for days on end ill, like, having a bad case of debilitating depression of the kind that would scare a child, you know, like precious Rose. So long story short, little Rose left her mother to die (pill overdose) when she’d asked her to go call for help (closed the bedroom door instead and, hours later, found her lifeless body), so big Rose became a devoted mental health professional to cope with her deep-rooted guilt.

Let’s continue. So yes, Rose is a super hard worker, loved by the entire staff including her boss who looks after her and instructs her to go home because, again, she overdoes it to the point of potential negligence; she obeys and grabs her coat and purse, closes her office door, listens to the phone ringing in the distance and, instead of keep on walking and doing the sensible thing by ending the days-long shift, going home and resting, she runs, quite literally, back into her office [gurrrl, your mama ain’t gonna come back] and picks up the phone and seals her fate.

Turns out, this last-minute patient has the “smile” curse which will latch onto Rose as soon as she (patient) performs a traumatic action—more easily done in the form of a violent, messy, and bloody suicide—in front of her, you see, the curse needs an audience to survive. Doomed, poor Rose sees the patient slash her throat while bearing those frightening unblinking dead eyes and a disturbingly unyielding teeth-baring grin… Rose is now royally f@cked… tick-tock, tick-tock.

At the beginning, Rose thinks her sudden odd behavior is due to her childhood trauma being resurfaced by the traumatic event at work so she, thanks to her boss giving her a paid week off to de-stress, takes it easy and goes back to her own therapist to get some clarity but of course she doesn’t get it because it is not normal human trauma but spooky demon trauma and—I am now fast-forwarding an hour into the movie here so heads-up on the information whiplash—she ends up finding out that in order to get better she has to commit murder in the presence of someone else (audience, remember?) so the curse can jump from her to that third person (instead of being from person-to-person), thus rendering her free and alive, yes, messed up and imprisoned, but alive nonetheless.

Buuuut she doesn’t hurt anyone because she is a good person (or because she STILL blames herself for her mom’s death and wholeheartedly BELIEVES she deserves to be punished for it somehow) and instead tries to stick it to the curse and goes into isolation (no audience) and hurts (okay, kills) herself by immolation at her abandoned childhood home which was a beautifully crafted full-circle moment tbh.

Unfortunately, while Rose thought she was alone when she set herself on fire her detective ex-boyfriend was actually there, behind her, bearing witness to the trauma so get ready for the sequel.

In Love and Fear,

-Marath

© 2016-2022