TMD: Watch this space—sorry, I’m early today.
MG: Maybe if you’re a dentist it’s “Happy Halloween.” Or an industrial confectioner.
Too cynical?
PS: As for the scary business, there’s the series “Servant” (30 half-hour episodes so far since 2019) from M. Night Shyamalan (producer, occasional director) on Apple TV+. It’s billed as a psychological horror series—but for me, it’s always been a (an?) hilarious farce.
Here’s the promo:
The titular servant is a mysterious, young-adult live-in nanny (Leanne, played by Nell Tiger Free) to a wealthy urban couple’s infant son Jericho—who is actually a doll placed to fool his mother, Dorothy Turner (played by Lauren Ambrose), who is herself psychologically broken by the child’s death some weeks prior to the narrative beginning. But the servant manages to bring the baby to life when she’s present. And this is only one of Leanne’s oddities and secrets, ever so hauntingly revealed, in teasing dribs and drabs.
The series has excellent cinematography, an entertaining story, a lot of expansive moments of overwrought suspense, exquisitely hammy performances magnified by very intimate close-up shots, and is engagingly funny as it pokes fun at the horror genre. Except, when I listened to the companion podcast from Shyamalan, it turns out it’s supposed to be a straight-up horror story.
Makes me wonder how many other instances there are in life of my completely having missed the plot. Was the last decade of political drama nothing but a sick joke, mistaken for a horror movie? The main characters all seem too oblivious to the fact that they’re fundamentally ridiculous. They’re all over-acting, miming seriousness. Is it all an intricate practical joke that keeps you in perpetual suspense as it draws out the final punchline?
At any rate, aside from that hyper-real plot complication, I highly recommend “Servant” as an entertaining series for anyone who likes cinematically lovely and well (over-)acted horror dramas and/or farcical genre-busting comedies told with a very, very straight face.
4.5/5 grinning jack-o-lanterns.
I love Halloween, and I miss getting trick or treaters...I still have a bunch of adult costumes, but, doubt I will ever dress up again....
I mailed my ballot this morning...it was long,. like 5 pages...lol...lots of local issues...interestingly, last time I voted on a bunch of local stuff, most of my local politicians were dems and no one was running against them, this time they all had competition...I just hope it isn't all the crazy ones...I did vote R for the common please judge as he is a family friend and close to my sister ( she used to work for him) and is well respected by everyone, and I didn't know a thing about the woman running against him...
Also, other than when he panders to MAGA, I like DeWine, thought he handled the pandemic well...so voted for him too...at least he is a sane R
"when I listened to the companion podcast from Shyamalan, it turns out it’s supposed to be a straight-up horror story"
Well, everyone knows there's always a twist in a Shyamalan movie; now you know what this one's is.