Primal Screen
Directed by Rodney Ascher
Why are we simultaneously attracted to and repelled by the things that scare us the most? In this special presentation, acclaimed filmmaker Rodney Ascher (ROOM 237, THE NIGHTMARE) explores the pop culture that left dark impressions on us as children. Starting from the immortal ventriloquist dummy of MAGIC, Ascher asks real people to look back at pop-culture artifacts that traumatized them in their youth and describe the effect they had on their lives. A singular hybrid of documentary and horror, stare into the Primal Screen.
In this Shudder Original, acclaimed filmmaker Rodney Ascher explores the pop culture that left dark impressions on us as children.
Cast: Gregory Burkart, Daniel Ferranti, Gary Holland
Member Reviews
This was fun, I like documentary and behind the scenes shows of all things horror or phobia related. At 27 mins long it felt short. And Honestly this could have been a series with multiple episodes and seasons (There's so much to fear in the world and beyond). But for the time I did have i enjoyed it especially when the trailer for the movie Magic was on and the kids Dad was like "There it is again" with the dummy going "We're dead" I laughed so hard.
boring
Interesting half hour
Hey, now! I was very impressed, and I say this as someone who usually HATES Rodney Ascher. I think it works because he doesn't get in the way of his own work as much in this one, and also just because he finds fertile ground to explore and he figured out ways to capture the inherent creepiness of the narrator's experience so we believed it and lived it ourselves and fully empathized with it.
Just, so so