by Alice-Ginevra Micheli, Contributing Writer
We all have that feeling. You know the one: You finish watching a movie and something about it hits you in just the right spot.
Whether it was the theme, the story, or even the characters, there was a quality about it that almost makes you want to turn around and go back a second, third, or even fourth time!
Bar the reality of living in the movie theater for the rest of your days, you turn to the rest of pop culture and start to look for other avenues where you can find that same feeling.
Well I’m here to make this plight easier for all. Each month, I take a piece of pop culture that was prevalent in the social consciousness — whether it is a movie, TV show, or something else — and then recommend other forms of media for those who want to stay in that world a little bit longer.
Welcome to your One Stop Pop, internet!
Ah, the beginning of fall. The leaves are starting to brown, pumpkin is suddenly the flavor, and theme of the moment, and movies, tends to start showing their darker, more perverse side, after a summer of entertainment that is generally happy and lighthearted, with plenty of mass appeal.
Well, the movies tend to take this idea and bring it to cinemas a month early really, with August starting to showcase some of the scarier horror movies that the year has to offer, before the weather does actually begin to turn.
So it’s no surprise that Weapons came out of nowhere and shocked audiences out of their heated leisure, with a movie that is as horrifying as it is hilarious, bringing to the forefront a viewing experience that must be seen to be believed.
Therefore, it’s our duty to make some hearty suggestions for those who have walked out desperate for more of what makes this movie about children disappearing in the middle of the night so moreish.
Book: The Only One Left by Riley Sager
One of the most appealing elements of Weapons is undeniably the mystery at its center. Enticing, beguiling, and absolutely head-scratching, it’s no wonder audiences were drawn to see just what the answer could possibly end up being.
Another story with a mystery at its center too delicious to turn away from is from the book of the month: The Only One Left, written by Riley Sager.
Many will already know the haunting crime of Lizzie Borden, who allegedly murdered her family and got away with it. Taking this basis and adding a twist, Sager’s novel follows a young caregiver who’s been given the task of looking after a woman who has been living with a Borden reputation since the murder of her family 54 years earlier. Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, our caregiver is suddenly given insight into what actually happened all those decades prior, and how even the smallest truths can uncover the most dangerous realities.
Many praise this book for its mastery of psychological suspense. There’s the mystery of the past weighing on the events of the present, but also the delicious added elements of multiple unreliable narrators, which will have readers speeding through to the end to find out what the truth actually is — and whether the community whispers had been right all along.
Like Weapons, the magic of this story is in the way the mystery interweaves with the juicy generational atmosphere at its heart, uncovering more than just a gruesome story of death and mayhem.
TV Show: Shining Vale
While Weaponsis a horror movie through and through, director Zach Cregger’s other identifier is in his ability to insert moments of surprising yet effective comedy into the story, edging out some of the darkness, while also consistently pulling the wool over his audience’s eyes.
Therefore, it makes sense that this recommendation would be of a horror-comedy that lasted two seasons, and screwed with everyone’s psyche — characters included. Starring Friends’ Courtney Cox, Shining Vale follows Cox’s Pat, who moved with her family to a small town as a chance to restart. However, when strange things start happening around their new house, she must fight to convince everyone that she might actually be possessed — when everyone else thinks she’s just depressed. The question is: who’s right?
Also starring Greg Kinnear and Mira Sorvino, this is a show that definitely grows on the viewer, luring them in with the promise of strange, and keeping them there with twists and turns that are likely to shock, awe, and keep one hooked to the television, desperate to see the next episode quickly.
Yes, there are some strong horror elements, inspired by some of the most iconic movies of our time, such as Rosemary’s Baby and The Shining, but the comedy cannot be denied. A snappy script, with a cast that’s able to keep up with its punches and turn their head at a moment’s notice, this show, like Weapons, is sure to make viewers scream from laughter, as well as horror, all in the one scene.
Album: All Things Must Pass by George Harrison
One of the first iconic moments of the Weapons viewing experience is the song that plays during the defining “children running away” scene. Weirdly hopeful, and strangely uplifting, this song sets an eerie tone on what is otherwise a horrifying and tension-inducing scene.
This song, “Beware of Darkness,”also gives us the opportunity to talk about the probably least-discussed Beatlesmember, George Harrison, who sings it, as well as the other ones, on the album being recommended here today, All Things Must Pass.
Released as a triple record, this was actually Harrison’s seminal work, with it being the first major project he released post the breakup of his iconic group. Highly anticipated at the time, the album went on to celebrate great critical and commercial success, which surprised many audiences given his previous unassuming role in the boy band.
It’s considered to be his raison d’être, where all the emotions, perceptions, and musical talent that had been previously overshadowed by his more magnanimous bandmates were finally given a chance to step into the forefront, and shine for what they were: the fruits of great talent.
With other iconic songs such as “My Sweet Lord,” “Isn’t It A Pity,” and “What is Life,” if the first part of this month’s movie is still rattling around the brain, then it’s high time to put this 23-track album to use, and get listening.
Video Game: 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
Weapons had some great horror, some great comedy, and some great music. This we know. However, what’s also unique, and worth talking about, is the way it chooses to tell its story — that is, in chapters.
Taking the idea of the unreliable narrator and putting it into visual format helps elevate this movie into another level of entertainment that might not have been possible otherwise.
So it only makes sense that the video game suggested here is one that takes a similar approach, and splits the player’s experience amongst not just one, but multiple perspectives.
An adventure video game, this story has 13 characters whose viewpoint you will play through. You heard that right — 13! Who are they? Teenagers who are ripped from their fictionalized ’80s Japan, and straight into a futuristic war where they must fight robots, Kaiju, and all the perils of an imagined but incredibly dangerous future.
Many consider this game to defy explanation, with stories so intricate and beautifully told that they will require a player’s full attention to keep on top of, while also being a total overload of story, lore, and possibility.
With intensive time-traveling battles, multiple modes of gameplay, and intertwining arcs that will result in the world being saved — both in the past, and in the future — or completely destroyed, this is a game that will test talent, yes, but also one’s ability to keep their head together.
This has been an electrifying month, with many different directions that one may run down in the middle of the night without question. Whether it be tension-filled stories, comedic scares, legendary music, or a multi-perspective experience, you’re guaranteed to not be bored as you come down from the Weapons high. We’ll return in October with what the actual beginning of fall has in store for us. Until then, thank you for visiting SiftPop’s One Stop Pop — we hope to see you again soon!
You can read more from Alice-Ginevra Micheli, and follow her on Instagram and Letterboxd