A24 has put out some incredible films since its founding in 2012, particularly horror films. Under the Skin, Midsommar, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and Hereditary are just a few that come to mind when it comes to the studios films that have helped to redefine the horror genre and open things up to new fans. However, one of the studios best recent horror films is about to leave HBO Max leaving fans only two short weeks to catch it before it’s gone.
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On February 28th, I Saw the TV Glow will be leaving HBO Max. The film’s departure from the platform comes after HBO Max lost two other great A24 horror films at the end of December, Hereditary and Talk to Me. Released in 2024, I Saw the TV Glow comes from filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun as the second film in their Screen Trilogy after 2021’s We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. The film was a critical success.
I Saw the TV Glow Is a Unique Film With Some Familiar Influences
I Saw the TV Glow follows a pair of troubled high school students who have an intense connection to their favorite television show The Pink Opaque which, in turn, causes them to question not only their realities but their identities as well, particularly when one of the friends goes missing only to return 8 years later claiming she’s been living inside the television show. The film is seen as being an allegory for being transgender by many with Schoenbrun themself having described the film as being about the moment when a trans person realizes their identity and their assigned gender do not align.
The film also has some strong influences in terms of some major pop culture television series, however. I Saw the TV Glow is heavily influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, particularly represented by the show The Pink Opaque as it is a very Buffy-like series with strong female leads and monster of the week episodes. The film also features a cameo by Amber Benson, who played Tara Maclay on Buffy. The film is also influenced by and references The Adventures of Pete & Pete with the incorporation of magical realism and cameos from Michael C. Maronna and Danny Tamberelli who starred in that series. There are also influences from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks in the film as well, something that is particularly noticeable with I Saw the TV Glow’s ending. It makes for an interesting combination of influences and references, all culminating in a deeply original film. It’s one worth watching — and you have just a couple more weeks to do so before it departs HBO Max.
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