TRIGGER WARNING // A SHORT FILM REVIEW OF "TINGLE MONSTERS"
The explosion in popularity of ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) is nothing short of an online phenomenon. Even so, it's also a phenomenon that many still find puzzling. If you simply don't know what ASMR is, here's the basics of it. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response is a tingling sensation that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. There are now a treasure trove of options for ASMR online, from YouTube videos to Podcasts, all with different hosts speaking softly in a mic, sometimes simply talking to you or perhaps telling a story to you softly. Now millions of people listen to these ASMR videos or Podcasts, which help them maintain a calm sense about them or even helps them go to sleep at night. The new short horror film TINGLE MONSTERS presents itself as the first ASMR Horror film, unfolding like a new spin on the found footage genre.
The concept of the film is that you are watching a chat forum video, experiencing the ASMR vlogger Dee (played by Alexandra Serio, who is also the writer/director) broadcast a new ASMR video. Cleverly, to the right of the screen is a stream of comments to Dee from those watching, most of which are very appreciative and welcoming. This makes it feel all the more real. Dee apologizes that she hasn't been online in a while, explaining that she moved across country due to a bad relationship that she was in. As she is settling in, one user suddenly makes disgusting comments to her, so she blocks him. She tells us that the user triggered her a bit, so she's going to gather her thoughts and go offline for a moment. Which means that we, the viewers, can still see and hear her, but she can't see us. And that's when things get terrifyingly creepy. The comments get more and more concerned, trying to converse to Dee, but she can no longer see the user comments. However, is what we're watching a real, terrifying situation that Dee has found herself in? Or is it completely staged, simply wanting more clicks and viewers?
The online world is as terrifying as it is wonderful. And the situation Alexandra Serio presents feels authentically creepy. The idea that we can only watch a horror scene play out, without being able to "warn them," per se, is a very scary situation. Equally scary is the idea that a blogger may stage something horrifying to simply get more online clicks. So which scenario is the one that Dee is in? Serio gives no definitive answers, leaving us only with what we can see and leaving it up to us to believe what we will. TINGLE MONSTERS works great in presenting this side A/side B structure, though it could use tighter editing to make the big scare actually scary. As it plays now, the structure and idea is very creepy, just not quite scary. But it opens up a lot of questions in it's short running time, and if you're not familiar with the ASMR world, this will give a fascinating look into the world of online vlogging and the unfortunate cyber stalking that continues to affect women across the web.
GRADE: B
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Alexandra Serio STARRING Alexandra Serio, Kareem Rahma. Now available to stream here: http://omeleto.com/253187/