welcome ghouls and gays

to the dark side of pop culture criticism. Back in 2023, Fangoria generously published a weird little piece I wrote, "The Horror of Reality: The Real Monsters of Vanderpump Rules." Approaching the 10th season of VPR as though it were a Gothic novel, the essay explored the relationship between horror and reality tv in terms of spectatorship, production, and the ways these shows' associated relationship to social media--also a narrative-driven medium--can also be deeply Gothic.

By their form, they necessitate a doubling in their subjects; a suspension of real life for an edited camera-facing "reality," the real of which blurs in bizarre, uncanny, sometimes terrifying ways. That's what I'll be writing about here: pop culture through the lens of horror and the Gothic. Horror and the Gothic in places you aren't necessarily meant to find them. Just imagine a hot Cryptkeeper doing critical analysis of Love Island.

See you after the Summer House reunion! xx L