kinda infuriating how much i like this! its whole mechanical identity is more or less Stubbornly Refusing To Do Anything beyond a few fleeting formula twists and silly pastiches, and its whole thematic identity (from a birds-eye view) is a very shallow and condescending parody. but the charm is Everything, it is so incessant that it just wore down my defenses. and maybe its not so shallow and condescending: horror often counterintuitively thrives on predictability, benefits from establishing baselines of expectation or repurposing famous ones, so that even tiny disruptions to that status quo are adding color. being a Horror Fan often means , for example, watching enough generic slasher movies that u are fully capable of loving them, the beats of the genre so internalized that yr brain is free to pick up on whatever minor bits of strangeness and resonance u can find that are imperceptible to ppl who's brains are too occupied by being annoyed at the surface elements. it makes sense then that this concept that Should be a lame parody actually comes across more like a deeply insider note of appreciation and affection. god dammit i dont even think i hate the pastiches, i cheered when i saw that giant sickle! i like horror sue me!!