Viewers “can’t finish” one of 2024’s most acclaimed horror movies

Critics hailed this 2024 horror movie as a “future classic” – but it’s met a more divided response among horror fans, with many turning it off halfway through.

It has been a hell of a year for horror. Excusing the inevitable turkeys (Tarot has been inexplicably big on Netflix), there’s been a steady stream of bangers: Sting, Late Night with the Devil, The First Omen, A Quiet Place: Day One, and particularly Longlegs.

However, in this writer’s humble opinion, I Saw the TV Glow is the best movie of the year. Directed by Jane Schoenbrun, it’s a trans allegory for the Goosebumps and creepypasta generation; a coming-of-age Candle Cove with the vibe of a Phoebe Bridgers song, if you will, as bewildering and emotionally challenging as that sounds.

The film follows Owen (Justice Smith), whose classmate (Brigette Lundy-Paine) introduces him to a weird, consuming late-night TV show: The Pink Opaque. It comes off the back of the director’s debut feature, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, the first in their “Screen Trilogy.”

Since dropping on digital in the US, those who missed it in cinemas have been checking it out… and it’s left some viewers “struggling.”

“I was really excited to see this movie, the colors and overall aesthetics of it felt right up my alley… so I was really bummed that I couldn’t finish it, I was so bored. I stopped halfway and that’s where I left it,” one Redditor wrote.

Others have had similar experiences. “I just didn’t enjoy anything about the first 40 minutes and shut it off,” another wrote, while a third user commented: “I struggled too, and also didn’t finish it. Definitely planning on going back and finishing it though.”

A24

“I kept waiting for something to happen but I felt like most of the focus was on the dialogue which isn’t a bad thing but like you say the trailer shows a different movie… but someone commented about the ending which has me a bit more curious now,” a fourth added.

“It wasn’t a bad movie, it was just one of those movies where it was nothing like the trailer portrayed it to be. So I just couldn’t really get invested in it since I was waiting for the so called horror to start,” another wrote.

This is an important point: it’s not an outright horror movie. There’s scary stuff in there (moments that still occupy a space in my head), but there’s sci-fi and teen drama; one fan likened it to Donnie Darko, which is a great comparison.

Another fan distilled it more effectively than I ever could: “Queer existential doom tragedy neon 90s fantasy nestled in late Gen X and early Millennial malaise.”

And as for the ending… no spoilers from us, but it’s a lot.

In the meantime, you can check out our ranking of the best horror movies of all time and find new movies to watch this month.