Caetlin Benson-Allott

Just a quick reminder that the world is on fire and escapism is a powerful tool to fuel your resistance. Unconvinced? Please come to my talk at Cornell tomorrow (9/25)!

Escapism, Hope, and Human Difference: "I Saw the TV Glow"

Will you be in the Finger Lakes on September 25? Please join me (and Cornell's Department of Literatures in English) as I talk about escapism, TikTok, and I Saw the TV Glow, one of the best movies made this century: events.cornell.edu/event/escapi...

I am done paying for Ari Aster's childhood therapy. When he can make a movie that doesn't demonize mothers/matriachs, please, let me know. Until then, I've had enough.

Why don't FMST folks write about shame? Uncomfortable Television comes close, but there's this goldmine of 2000-2010s queer theory on shame and we keep talking about fandom in exclusively positive terms (bad apples, etc.). Sometimes loving TV is sucky & destabilizing & I want to talk about that too!

Let's try this again without the adult content block! Come for the cheeks, stay for the theory!

Reading philosophies of shame for an upcoming essay on Below Deck and discovering that I already thoughtfully, thoroughly highlighted all the passages I need now. But... when? why? Did I write something about shame that I have since repressed?

Too late, but maybe I shouldn't have tossed on the "adult images" warning. It's just tushies, after all.

Hold onto your butts, folks--my butt shot article is finally out! Thanks for all of your help, hivemind. I can't wait to hear what you think! Here's an open access link: www.google.com/url?q=https:...

Review | Stephen King’s favorite recurring protagonist shines in his new novel Private investigator Holly Gibney returns in King’s “Never Flinch,” and the story will keep you turning pages well past bedtime.

Professional dream realized: Got to review the new Stephen King novel for the Washington Post! wapo.st/3Hos7qQ

Why is it a competition exactly?

Nobody fucks with the Society of Jesus.

It's a rare day when I'm proud of Georgetown, but I am now.

Trump Attacks Child Care for the Most Vulnerable It turns out that you can’t just turn the government off and then back on again.

Remember when we let JD Vance masquerade as some sort of modern dad pro-family aisle-crosser? These people don't want to help working families; they want to do social engineering.
prospect.org/health/2025-...

Dying to hear more about your Stoner Comedy work!

I'm doing a deep dive on Last House on the Left right now and he's citing Leave It to Beaver in interviews, so...

You'd want to ask a media industry studies person, but my hunch is no.

If a person only had time to watch one or two Jean-Claude Van Damme movies for their theory of the butt shot, which ones would you recommend?

*hug* + empathy

Trash on trash

He and Jennifer Lopez seem to have garnered the most butt shot criticism so far!

Clothed, closed... what is criticism without a little word play?

1: pls know that there's no way to search "butt shot" in a way that brings up useful histories or outstanding instances of this cinematic trope. 2: any recommendations for criticism of butt shots, either specific instances or as a trope? 3: anyone willing to share favorite filmic butt shots?

Anora was a comedy?! The Golden Globes are such trash.

I was "yup... yup... yup"-ing my way through that whole article. Especially the part about women's productivity being less likely to be rewarded 😒

I have a panel for CP, so maybe another conference that looks good to you both? Could be SCMS 2026, but hopefully we spot something before then!

100% I’d love to join you—you know how much I love horror at home!

You will love it! It's on Vimeo--let me know if you have trouble finding it.

Life-Affirming Horror and the Films of Jane Schoenbrun Filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun’s trilogy of films are not horror movies but movies about horror media that collectively proclaim horror’s value for its trans, queer, and otherwise vulnerable fans. A Self-I...

Great news! My article on Jane Schoenbrun and I Saw the TV Glow is no longer paywalled! Thank you to @filmquarterly.bsky.social and @textplusimage.bsky.social-- here's the new link: online.ucpress.edu/fq/article/7...

There are way too many necessary causes that need our support right now but as co-chair of @scmstudies.bsky.social's Precarious Labor SIG I hope some of you might consider donating to SCMS' fund if able. We had 120+ applicants (!!) request membership fee waivers. Our lottery could only cover 43. 😑

Does everyone/anyone else's university UIS suck this bad? I should note that I'm not on a waitlist with UIS for a technician to investigate. B/c the folks who answer the phone at UIS don't actually do tech support!