The Quiet of the Woods

Dear Weirdlings,

I've been away. After a long and stressful few weeks of work, I settled myself into a remote cabin, drawn to the quiet of the woods for rejuvenation.

My days were spent in solitude, disconnected from the outside world. I filled my time with reading and writing, listening to the wind and the birds, to the little creatures scratching within the walls. In the evenings, I watched the shadows lengthen and thicken beneath the trees.

It was the respite I needed — and I wish you too rest when rest is needed most.

For now, I hope you enjoy this week’s roundup of the weird.

Movies

Is Anyone on Planet Earth Ready for Julia Ducournau’s Titane (A.V. Club)

Julia Ducournau's follow up to Raw is "a psycho-sexual-medical fever dream". In describing the teaser trailer, Matt Schimkowitz notes:

"It’s the type of teaser that punches you in the stomach and spits in your face. Weirdly enough, the only appropriate response to that is, “thank you, may I have another.” Flashes of violence, sex, muscle cars, butts, x-rays, and medical devices become the stuff of nightmares (or, at least, an update of some early-90s Nine Inch Nails videos) in this clip. Whatever it is, it’s fucking cool."

Tribeca Film Festival Review: Werewolves Within (Nightmarish Conjurings)

According to Dolores Quintana, the horror-comedy Werewolves Within is "a werewolf movie with the true meaning of the werewolf in mind. It’s about how the monster is within us. Hiding and biding its time, ready to spring out at us when we forget to think of others and act as a community."  

TV

Netflix's Sandman Has Cast Death and a Whole Lot More of the Dreaming (iO9)

Creators Neil Gaiman, David S. Goyer, and Allan Heinberg are making some delightfully interesting choices in their selection of actors for various roles — which has me cautiously excited about the possibilities.

Games

New Somerville Trailer Reveals A Family Struggling to Survive the Apocalypse (Once Weird)

In the eerie new Somerville trailer from new indie studio Jumpship, a family faces the shattered remains of the world following an alien invasion.

Life & Lore

The Most Secretive Club in America (The Bold Italic)

Andrew Chamings lets us in on a secrete society based deep in a forest north of San Francisco, which involves "atomic bombs, giant owls and the president’s pissing tree".

Celebrating the Surreal in the 2021 Creative Photo Awards (New Atlas)

From beautifully fantastical to unsettling surreal, this year's Creative Photo Awards explores the "inventive and experimental."

Literature

5 of the Best LGBTQ Horror Books for Pride (Book Riot)

In celebration of Pride, Jessica Avery provides a small sampling of excellent queer horror books.

Short of the Week

In "Weeji," directed by Allisyn Snyder, a group of friends summon a ghost with an unfortunate grasp of grammar. This comedic horror short had me cackling with laughter. (Discovered via Fun Size Horror.)