As a media scholar, I remain interested in the duality of media, the kind of symbiotic relationship shared between creator and audience. Movies, after all, are both stable artifacts and living works of art, and our relationships therein are in constant flux. Consider the works of famed filmmaker Roman Polanski. Classics such as Repulsion and Rosemary’s Baby, despite their age, are imbued with new meaning, knowing what we know about Polanski now.
In the streaming age, I am particularly interested in our ongoing relationship with digital media. The methods of access have changed considerably. Now, we can watch whatever we want wherever we want. Want to watch the latest Jurassic World movie on your Apple Watch? Well, you can (though I’d advise against it). Dovetailing from that, I am fascinated by the origins and development of so-called cursed media. With access broader than ever, cursed lore is harder to accomplish. Luckily, there are still some contemporary gems, and one recent Netflix hit perhaps best conceptualizes how to create a cursed aura in the current age.
Learn more below:
Per Netflix: Six years ago, Li Ronan was cursed after breaking a religious taboo. Now, she must protect her daughter from the consequences of her actions.
Kevin Ko’s Taiwanese shocker Incantation was one of my favorite movies of 2022. In my year-end list, I wrote,
“Kevin Ko’s Taiwanese found-footage opus is this generation’s Noroi: The Curse. It lingers in the marrow, infecting its audience with the curse of its distinct, viral terror. Empathetic, terrifying, and ingenuously crafted across multiple timelines, Ko accomplished something remarkable here, a movie that is fundamentally poised to shift the trajectory of found footage horror at large.”
It’s a movie that thrives on cursed feelings, and more remarkably, the method of distribution augments the movie’s central conceit. We shouldn’t be watching this, but because we are, we’re no less susceptible to the evil on display.
It’s terrifying stuff, and alongside His House, one of the best original horror movies presently streaming on Netflix. Going even further, I reviewed the cursed origins of Incantation, writing, “The social nature of the curse, the desperation to disseminate it as wide as possible, is uniquely suited to streaming. The impact of the twist would have been dulled in theaters. It doesn’t quite hit the same in a dark auditorium with maybe one or two other people. At home in the dark, though, with the gnawing recognition that several thousand other people are likely watching it at the same time, is chilling.” If you’ve seen Incantation, you’ll know exactly what I mean. If you haven’t, this weekend is the perfect time to subject yourself to one of the decade’s gnarliest curses. Incantation will sink its teeth into you.
What do you think? Any plans to check out Incantation on Netflix? If you do, be certain to let me know what you think over on Twitter @Chadiscollins. And take it from me—beware the curse.
Categorized:News
