Yo…
Give a hearty Yo(!) to a maestro behind the mayhem Erik Bloomquist; Erik and his brother Carson Bloomquist are the writing-director duo behind political-horror movie Founders Day.
I figured since it’s America’s Election Super Bowl today a distraction or two would be beneficial. And fun. And healthy.
I offer 2 and a half suggestions…to combat Election 2024 fatigue and to comfort those who dread the polls.
A Vote for Escapism with Founders Day: A Horror Movie
Founders Day is a murder-mystery horror slasher set in Fairwood, a slightly creepy New England town suddenly stricken by ominous killings on the eve of its tricentennial celebration and impending mayoral election.
Super Tuesday is more like Bloody Tuesday.
As the murders accumulate the question persists…who is doing it?
(By the way, as an actor, how fun would it be to perish in a horror movie? I’d enjoy being licked off by Hallowen’s Michael Myers or dashed by Ghostface in Scream.)
Oh speaking of “do you like scary movies…”
Introducing The Founder; if you’re a fan of slashers from classics like Psycho to modern and meta-horror like Scream to Halloween H20 you’ll be thrilled to meet The Founder.
I’ll let Erik explain The Founder; he’ll provide some Fresh Fun Facts that you can share at parties with other horror nerds.
He explains that the movie started as a love letter to the autumn season and formative slashers like Scream(s). With Founders Day he set out to capture the feelings of paranoia and mischief just like the Scream movies evoke.
Please Note: in this interview I refer to The Founder as “he” but that could be a hint or…it could not be a hint. I didn’t want to say it. I find it rude when we talk about a baby and call the baby an it. The Founder is a monster…as you watch Founders Day you’ll arrive at the same conclusion.
But to call The Founder it would dehumanize…him. Or not him. I’ve said too much. Just think of it as an October Surprise in November.
When I asked about the key elements of a solid slasher, Eric mentions that both the killer and the kills are important. Yes! Tis true.
He believes that creativity in terms of motive, killer and kills is crucial in making a slasher movie effective.
Chucky has 8 movies and a TV show. Nightmare on Elm Street with Freddy Krueger has 7 movies and a TV show. These things last because because that stew (motive, killer and kills) is potent.
Eric and I unpack the allure of mystery in slashers and how it adds intrigue to the story. In Founder’s Day, the mystery component plays a significant role in creating suspense and engaging the audience. Just like the Scream movies he enjoys so much.
(True Story: at the cinema for Scream 2...this was back in 1997. During the incredibly tense scene where Neve Campbell is trapped in a police car with the killer (Ghostface)...the entire audience knows the killer...will…jump...
Unable to handle all the suspense and tension a black lady, 2 or 3 rows ahead of me…stormed out yelling “Bitch: You’re On Your Own!!” Super funny but it ruined the moment.)
Founders Day had a fantastic screening at Toronto After Dark Film Festival, one of Toronto’s best film festival showcasing horror and sci-fi and surreal fever dreams. Erik and his brother Carson Bloomquist were there and they got to press the flesh and hand out campaign buttons. The Founder was also there with “his” silent yet deadly stump speech.
From eerie twists to the mind-bending turns, in this My Summer Lair conversation Erik guide listeners through the making of a modern slasher that’s as chilling as a summer breeze on a haunted beach.
You can enjoy Founders Day on Tubi and on Hoopla if you have a library card. (Both, free.)
This way you can maintain a political focus while not consuming endless Election 2024 doom on cable news and social media.
A Vote for Reality with Praying for Armageddon: A Documentary
An alternative…perhaps horror is not your jam and yet you wanna still be politically engaged today?
Praying for Armageddon is helpful primer on how we got here.
Praying for Armageddon focuses on an end times Armageddon lobby. That’s right…manipulating the American government to bring about the end of life as we know it, which for The Chosen Ones is…hope.
In my MSL conversation with director Tonje Hessen Schei she uses words like terrifying and sinister and dangerous and other dark adjectives to describe the reach and the influence of religious fundamentalists who’ve accepted their responsibility to act as God’s will and bring about the destruction of the Earth.
Praying for Armageddon isn’t an anti-religious doc or even an anti-Christian doc.
It asks the hard question: what’s the cost of allowing these corrosive end times beliefs to influence our politics, destabilize our democracy and impact global stability especially in the middle east?
How do you square a belief in Jesus with these strict end times tenets?
Can we do a better job of rejecting the serpent or do we succumb just like Eve all seduced by the signs and wonders?
I wish, I wish, I wish I’d done a better job with this My Summer Lair conversation.
One of the few positives out of the recent October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel is that it exposed America’s deeper connections with Israel.
The problem with Israel is you can’t absorb that dense history by watching 2 subpar TikTok videos.
I don’t feel I did a strong job of establishing the historical context and accurately conveying the religious lens through which counties like Israel are viewed. (It’s like being a lousy play by play caller for an NBA game.) To be fair, it’s hard. And it’s a lot.
Tonje Hessen Schei does an impressive job with such nightmarish material.
The documentary has been cut up into episodes on the Al Jazeera English’s YouTube channel. Here is Part 1:
And don’t forget today is also…the 5th of November.
“And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there?”
“Who’s to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.”
YES! Preach.
V for Vendetta is one of the best comic book movies of all time and just a freshtastic movie. Not sure where that’s streaming but oh how it’s worth a (re)watch.
There’s my offer of 2 and a half suggestions to ease Election Anxiety. (Half as I’m uncertain where V for Vendetta is streaming.)
Streaming is an amazing escape hatch to soothe end of the world drama.
No Matter What Happens Today: #DownWithPants…
Sammy Younan
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair podcast: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
Politics & Paranormal: An Election Night Escape