SWEETNIGHTMARES RECOMMENDS

AUGUST ‘26

I read that Elon Musk is attempting to sue the state of Minnesota over the introduction of a bill to prevent AI from creating pornographic images of real children. I’m sure he will cite some nonsensical bollocks about ‘fReE sPeEcH’ but that just makes me think that the authorities should probably seize his laptop. You’ll probably be aware that I am not the biggest fan of AI – the water-monopolising data centres, the crappy art or music slop or the millions of right-wing chat bots on social media. But I don’t hate the idea of a technology that can streamline workflows, create a spreadsheet or proofread this article. In my day job I run my own small personal training business and in the last week I have acquired two new clients who were recommended my skills by an AI chat bot. It’s that kind of thing that makes me believe that the technology has its place – if only the CEOs who run these companies weren’t all fascist nonces.

Anyway, I’ve watched quite a few new films and read some amazing comics lately, so I want to talk about that, because now, more than ever, we need a little escapism. I’ll try not to be too spoiler-y but consider this your warning.

Obsession (Curry Barker)

This film has been an absolute phenomenon. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favour. This might be the most perfect debut film since Jaws!

The concept isn’t original – there really are no original ideas, but that’s okay if you put a unique spin on the concept and then just make it good! Obsession is definitely good. It’s a modern retelling of the The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs. But what makes it so good is the way it’s filmed by Curry Barker – who brings a real J-Horror feel and look to this film. But the real star is Inde Navarrette, whose unhinged performance is, frankly, mind-blowing and carries the whole film. Like any good horror film there are layers of subtext and meaning interwoven into this story. On the surface you appear to be watching a film from Bear’s point of view as he finds himself trapped in a toxic relationship with an abusive partner. But there are a couple of disturbing moments that reveal the pain behind Navarrette’s Nikki who, it is implied, is the real victim here. It flips the script: Bear is an unreliable narrator of Nikki’s story.

Obsession has taken over $400 million at the box office from a budget of around $750K. I argued here (link) that we are currently in a new golden age of cinema that is being driven by a new generation of horror films. But Obsession feels like the real pendulum swing moment for the industry. The studios have been blaming the audiences and saying that Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha don’t go to the cinema, preferring to stay at home and watch streaming services. Obsession proves this is not the case. They just don’t want to pay money to go and see some overinflated superhero CGI-fest. They want to see great stories that make them feel something other than motion sickness.

Backrooms (Kane Parsons)

Another debuting director who, like Barker, made his name on YouTube. If Obsession is an era defining masterpiece, Backrooms is an experimental blueprint for something potentially great. Like Zack Cregger’s Barbarian—a film that had some great ideas and great moments but didn’t quite put it all together—Backrooms is a vibe, a very unsettling and disturbing vibe that feels, to me, like what you might get if Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch got together and made a survival horror game. Backrooms is weird, confusing and thematically vague. It has some pacing issues and half of the second act seems to be missing. But it messes with your senses and builds tension masterfully. You feel so off-centre and disoriented that it fills you with a real sense of existential dread and, when the bad shit starts happening, it’s visceral and genuinely frightening. It’s been years since a horror film gave me nightmares but that’s exactly what Backrooms did for me.

If Parsons can refine his formula and dilute the weirdness just enough for you to make sense of the narrative, he could become a horror legend. He just needs to learn to make films for film fans in cinemas, rather than gamers on YouTube.

The Odyssey (Christopher Nolan)

If you haven’t heard about this film you’ve been living under a rock. If you haven’t seen it yet you really should. I’m not usually a huge fan of Nolan – I like most of his films, but I don’t love them. I feel that his scripts are often a little bland with dialogue that is largely forgettable. His characters tend to be pretty uninteresting, too. But the characters in this film have been inherited, he was handed a cake and just had to decorate it. He’s done a brilliant job of that, in my opinion.

If nothing else, it’s a great epic fantasy film that can sit alongside Clash of the Titans or Jason and the Argonauts. Criticisms of it not being ‘historically accurate’ are missing the point. This is a very modern adaptation of an ancient fable. None of these characters or events were real. Homer’s classics are all metaphorical analogues. The Odyssey is his warning about the pitfalls and distractions you encounter in life and how, if you aren’t disciplined or honest, they can pull you off course. But, in Nolan’s hands, this becomes a tale about a man’s PTSD and his struggles with guilt over the choices he has made and the lies he has told. Agamemnon’s weird-looking armour, that triggered the sitting room historians, isn’t supposed to be ‘historically accurate’, this version of Agamemnon is the shadow of authoritarianism that hangs over the Trojan War and represents Odysseus’s PTSD. While the framing of the wooden horse as a war crime is, in my opinion, brilliant.

Moth Hill (Afterlight Comics)

Written by Christian Jany and illustrated by DNS, Moth Hill is a small press comics mini-series published by Afterlight Comics from the UK. I had been backing this on Kickstarter but was saving it until I had all six issues to read in one go. I really liked this, it’s a dark supernatural detective story that has a lot in common with the likes of True Detective, Se7en and The X-Files.

The art and colouring really add to the atmosphere of a story that is not original but is well delivered and keeps you guessing. It’s based on the American folklore character the Mothman of Point Pleasant. A series of ghastly murders motivate a detective to reopen an old case that lines-up with her current investigation. There are twists, turns and political conspiracies galore. I felt the tragic backstory of the creature and how it came to be was well handled, it gave me Candyman vibes.

You can order Moth Hill from: https://www.afterlightcomics.com/

Zarjaz Prog 7

Zarjaz is a long-running 2000AD fanzine. All the stories are based on existing 2000AD IPs. Often the stories focus more on minor supporting characters or offer humorous twists on some of the main characters or their respective worlds. Edited and published by Andrew Lewis, who has curated some extremely entertaining stories and manages a pool of very keen and talented small press creators. Zarjaz is only available to order online:

https://zarjazvol3.blogspot.com/

Faces of War (Sector 13)

Faces of War is a brand-new small press anthology comic from Sector 13 comics, edited and published by Ireland’s Peter Duncan. It’s a beautiful, gloss cover Bande Dessinée-sized comic – the perfect comic size, in my opinion. Aside from the stunning painted cover by the always great Will Simpson, it also features a very thought-provoking 20-page strip by him. The other stories by a variety of small press creators vary in length and style but are all beautifully rendered, evocative and even provocative – as any good anti-war story should be.

You can order a copy here (if there are any left): https://buy.stripe.com/eVqaEX1Ma2hh2nrey7gYU0G

Across the Widest Sea (Mad Cave Studios)

I found this on Globalcomix. I don’t know what made me check it out, it didn’t look like the kind of comic I usually read. I was hooked from page one and couldn’t put it down!

It’s a beautifully illustrated and written tale that presents an analogue for what it feels like transitioning from childhood to adulthood and how you can feel lost at sea. I believe this is translated from French, by French cartoonist Jean Cremers. It opens with the main character, Leonie, sitting in a little rowing boat as her parents cast her out to sea with a storm brewing overhead. Leonie is petrified and begs her parents not to make her go; she’s scared, she wants to stay with them. She reluctantly sets off on a race to find dry land amongst an array of other young people on all manner of boats. A huge storm breaks, massive crashing waves, swirling winds, boats capsizing. Somehow Leonie survives the storm and is joined by Balthazar, a mute boy who she forms an unbreakable bond with, and Agathe, an old woman who drifts on the current, no longer hoping to find dry land.

The trio encounter all manner of people, mostly bad people with bad intentions, the rich and privileged are not cast in a positive light here. The storytelling is fast-paced, emotional and exciting all at once. The artwork perfectly compliments the tone of the book, such simple line work and cartoon-like characters that manage to be mesmerisingly expressive, Cremers is certainly a talent to keep an eye on.

Honestly, this is one of the best comics I have read for a very long time and is one that I will be adding to my bookshelf as soon as I get my hands on a physical copy.

You can purchase a copy here: https://forbiddenplanet.com/494573-across-the-widest-sea/

Final Word

An honourable mention for Masters of the Universe. I watched it on Prime. It’s twenty minutes too long, the third act drags a bit and there are too many jokes that don’t land. But, overall, I was pleasantly entertained and didn’t hate Jared Leto’s performance for once.

Speaking of Zarjaz, I have been working with Andrew on developing three scripts for the comic that are now being divvied out to artists. The Judge Anderson strip that Ed Traquino and I produced in prog 2 seemed well received and I think these new scripts are a step above that one. I’m not sure when they will see the light of day, but I will let you know when I do. Sector 13 Comics will be releasing a ghost/horror story anthology called Gothic soon (again, I’m not sure when) that features an original 10-page strip by myself, Torgo Wells and Dan Walls. I can’t wait for you to see the striking art and colours on this one.

But what about my recommendations? Have you seen these films yet? Or read these comics? Let me know what you thought about them and, if you have any recommendations for me, let me know in the comments.

Troy

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