I Saw The TV Glow Review: Are You Afraid of the Dark?

An unsettling, effective journey that blends horror, self-acceptance, and '90s Nickelodeon-style storytelling.

By Evan Valentine

What if the television show that you remember growing up on turned out to be a little more real than you expected? This is the question that filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun presents with their latest horror film, I Saw the TV Glow, which grabs onto a twisted, skin-crawling '90s aesthetic and never lets go. In this moody, atmospheric campfire tale, Schoenbrun intricately weaves together a teenager's love with pop culture and a search for self-understanding that leaves viewers to question the world of the "Pink Opaque."

Justice Smith takes on the role of Owen, a young man who has always felt that there is "something wrong with him" that separates him from everyone else. In a chance encounter, Owen comes into contact with Maddy, a classmate two years his senior who is hooked on a young-adult spooky series known as The Pink Opaque. As Owen tries to come to terms with the direction of his life, Maddy disappears, returning ten years later to inform her friend that their love of the Nickelodeon-inspired series might be far more insidious than they had originally believed. What follows is Owen coming to grips with the horror of both accepting Maddy's fairy tale and the life he must live if he plays it safe, returning to normalcy. 

Those expecting a flat-out horror film from I Saw the TV Glow might find themselves disappointed once the credits roll here, in that the film's commitment to Nickelodeon-style aesthetics, such as The Adventures of Pete And Pete and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, translates to its chills and thrills. The A24 film doesn't have much in the way of jump scares and/or slasher-style murders, but its surreal trappings and reality-bending story beats will stay locked into your head for days following the run time. What viewers get from the film instead of a straight-up horror might be far stronger, as Schoenbrun takes the chance to dive deep into the idea of self-acceptance and the true horror that comes from attempting to fit in with the crowd by pushing your true personality beneath the surface. 

As a kid myself who grew up on a steady diet of SNICK (Nickelodeon's Saturday night programming block that housed more of its mature outings), I Saw the TV Glow immediately scratches that itch for those looking to revisit that time period. The director is able to create a series in The Pink Opaque that would easily fit right in with the likes of Clarissa Explains It All, Roundhouse, and The Secret World of Alex Mack. Schoenbrun is also able to inject some unsettling horror within it, as the main stars find themselves attempting to defeat a supernatural threat known as "Mr. Melancholy" from the Midnight Realm. 

Justice Smith's Owen is the star of the show here in more ways than one, as it is the pinnacle performance for the young actor's resume. "I know something is wrong with me," Owen quotes early in the film and he's more than confident that the world at large feels the same way. Becoming hyper-fixated on The Pink Opaque offers Owen an outlet from the hum-drum normality of modern-day suburbia, but in doing so, begins to distort his reality. Smith's Owen captures the confusion and terror of Maddy's new reality, following her return to his life, as he speechlessly portrays the sheer horror of the choice being presented before him.

Brigette Lundy-Paine's Maddy follows closely behind Owen here, presenting a character struggling with the world's view of her sexuality and the best method of escaping a troubled household. When Maddy returns after so many years away, Lundy-Paine does an excellent job of selling where Maddy's been and what she has to do next. The ordeal sounds ludicrous on paper, but the young actor's sincerity sells the plight. In Owen and Maddy, I Saw the TV Glow expertly creates an analogy for LGBTQ+ issues that countless young people struggle with.

Hot off the heels of their freshman production, We're All Going to the World's Fair, Schoenbrun's sophomore film effortlessly captures the constraints of the suburbs, needling in unsettling imagery via mundane trappings such as chalk drawings on the sidewalk, fuzzy television reception, and Mr. Melancholy's lunar-faced henchmen looking to add human hearts to their collection. Well, that last part isn't exactly a staple of suburbia, but it feels more mundane when viewed through the lens of a '90s-era cable broadcast. 

The biggest issue with I Saw the TV Glow is in its finale, which wraps a little too quickly rather than letting the terror of the scenario sink in. The film has a lot of unanswered questions, and rightfully so considering that there are many unanswered questions in most peoples' lives, but giving the final scenario a little more time to breathe would have ultimately benefitted the film.

I Saw the TV Glow might not be what you were expecting, but it's a film that feels tailor-made in paying homage to the creepy children's shows of yesteryear and blends them with some of the issues facing the youth of today. Cataloging the film as simply a horror movie almost does it a disservice, as it's one that is sure to be considered a cult classic for years to come. 

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Rating: 4 out of 5

I Saw the TV Glow opens in limited release on May 3rd and nationwide on May 17th.

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