Night of the mannequins.

 

- Night of the mannequins. Stephen Graham Jones. 

Five childhood friends, high school sophomores on the verge of ending their childhood for good. One final prank to end them all —when everything that could go wrong, does. And now, five friends being killed one by one by a living mannequin. Or perhaps by an all too human menace…

Excellent, deceptively shot and simple horror novella from Graham Jones, at present one one of the most intriguing “genre” (and out of genre!) writers. What at first appears to be a winking, tongue-in-cheek B-movie plot soon reveals itself as an extended meditation on the loss of childhood masquerading as pop culture fodder. 

And so here, MAJOR SPOILERS come, because it’s almost impossible to talk at length about this novella’s themes otherwise. 

Much has been made about what becomes obvious halfway through —that Manny the mannequin isn’t actually out there, magically come to life, but that narrator Sawyer has gone insane, hallucinating a giant monster on their trail and using it to justify his murderous actions. 

There are hints carefully placed throughout the novel right from the start: Sawyer is on medication due to a “highly active” brain, and in the opening chapter stopped taking them three days ago, plus he never takes them again. Hence that moment of vertigo before their prank does not work the way they expected it to. He’s placed on AP classes for the same reason, and informs us that his brain constantly sees conspiracies where there aren’t any, making things more complicated than they really are. 

Then, some reviewers point out that this still does not explain a few details in the novel —who DID steal all that Miracle-gro? How did Manny walk out of the theater on his own, which at least three characters seem to agree happened —though one does not, and at the end Sawyer hints that he knows perfectly well that was itself a different prank (“I did not need to know about any mannequins in Lost and Found down at the movies”). Does it not seem too much of a coincidence that the exact same superhero movie is playing somewhere as everyone dies? It’s not impossible, but…

I think that this isn’t just a puzzle to solve, what happened and didn’t and how —I think the real point of the novel lies in its use of symbols, in this case taken directly from, again, pop culture. 

One thing we DO know is that Sawyer is quite childish from the start and only regresses more and more as the story advances. He cherishes his childhood bond with his friends to such a degree that any of them drifting apart from the group means they “had it coming” —indeed at first he makes it Manny’s entire motivation. “He was our best friend and then we forgot about him”. He elaborates for pages that Danielle, and even his cousin Shanna, can never be romantic options because they know each other way too well, yet he never stops resenting Steve for dating her. 

Steve, whom we are told is a crummy boyfriend but who in the book never seems to act as anything but a good guy —he tries to comfort Sawyer after a crying fit only to be pushed away. Sawyer describes his hatchback car as ‘a wimpmobile’ while adding, how telling “Of course he’d drive something like that, not anything cool and outlaw like a wrecked motorcycle” —like the one Sawyer is currently driving, the one that his father was almost killed in, the one that almost causes his parents to divorce. But back to Steve for a moment: Compare the moment before Steve is killed, where to Sawyer’s eyes it looks like he’s about to masturbate, versus Sawyer in one crucial scene taking off his underwear in front of the others to “show he’s not afraid”. It’s sex that Sawyer fears, like in so many horror and other genre stories, sex that keeps him away from the girls he wished would choose him, and that for him is the end of childhood. 

And then that childhood, as is often the case, is not remotely as idyllic as Sawyer appears to think. His father tried to leave them on a middle-age-crisis motorcycle, fell into a ditch and spent three weeks in the hospital. His mother “cooked everything in the pantry and threw it away”, meaning they themselves are prone to manic behavior not unlike their son’s. Cousin Shanna took her own parents’ divorce so badly she had to attend counseling regularly in grade school, which for Sawyer only confirmed his worst fears —family breaking apart. And his friends, he informs us directly, *were* his family. Until they weren’t. And so he started killing them one by one. 

Sawyer, whose name recalls Tom Sawyer, the perpetual child (the American Peter Pan, almost). Who glosses over JR’s gun-nut father with “crazy eyes”, who attempts to shoot a man out of suspicion. Who also glosses over Tim and Shanna each being in deep trouble at work and with family due to their “pranks”. Sawyer who loves his mannequin friend, with only a bulge ‘down there’ and not, as JR mimes, a garden hose. Sawyer, who at the end believes himself to be turning not just into another mannequin but into “A Boy Mannequin”, waiting for his father / friend to take him “home”, where summer with childhood friends will never end. 

Notice, by the way, that one moment when Sawyer, Danielle, JR and, yes, even Steven, briefly do gain their childhood innocence back, swimming in their underwear (naked, in Sawyer’s case) in a pond, wherein Sawyer briefly forgets his delusion that a giant Manny lies underneath the water. And that spell is only broken once he figures that his friends lie to him about helping with a project —the way their own parents do, all the time. 

There are still more ways to read the story. There is Graham Jones, a Blackfoot Native American man, talking about the ‘band-aid transparent’ mask that is Manny’s face and eventually Sawyer’s. There is the explicit tribute to so many classic Slasher films with their seemingly ambiguous supernatural killer turning out to be hallucinations of the main character. There is the use of Superhero films, the 21st century symbol of infantilized mass-marketed products. There is the final hurricane serving as metaphor for a destroyed mind…

…or maybe it really is a story about a killer mannequin’s revenge on his former human friends…

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March 2022 TV

Live-action.

 

- Dear White People, season 4. Sometimes stumbling, sometimes brilliant; a good ending for a still fascinating tv series overall. Worth several discussions. 

- Pieces of her. So-so thriller that becomes increasingly implausible as it goes on.

- One day at a time, season 3. Excellent sitcom, or rather excellent tv show in general, quite recommended.

 

Other

 

- Housamo: Shoggoth's memories. Peculiar, sometimes head-scatching yet often fascinating exploration of the concept of time loops and alternative history of sorts.

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Golden Kamuy, vol. 15

 

- Golden Kamuy, vol. 15. Satoru Noda.

A journey to the hostile region of Karafuto, a region of wild animals, extreme cold --and Russian combats. Wherein the cast will face certain revelations about themselves...

The extraordinary saga of Golden Kamuy continues with the characters spread into smaller groups and facing several twists of fate that will also force them to confront painful truths. Be it Sugimoto and his perceived failure to protect his loved ones, or Ashirpa seeing the terrible conditions in which her people are forced to live, or Tsukishima reckoning with the numerous times he was lied to and manipulated in the past...

But GK always knows its audience, and so homoerotism is never in short supply. A love for male bodies, or combat as a special kind of art therapy, say.

We shall watch these fascinating characters evolve through a chain of harsh adventures.

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Beastars, vol. 16

 

- Beastars, vol. 16. Paru Itagaki. 

After a few months' pause, I’m re-taking the notes for each Beastar volume. Let’s see…

C. 134

One detail about Leano’s mutation that a lot of people missed: Besides the scales in her back and part of her arms, one of her eyes becomes reptilian (pinprick pupil) and the other remains canine (big pupils). 

135 

The Deep Night festival, or just plain full moon party. I really like the street fair atmosphere it has. 

136 

This entire chapter pretty much confirms that Louis is a Sub —which is not the same thing as a Bottom, mind you! A lot of straight people make this mistake. Either way it stands to reason that both girls, Juno and Azuki, reason that Louis would rather be seduced and dominated. They are not that far off…

137 

We see with increasing clarity how obsessed society is with pureblood and the discrimination that hybrids live under. Same-species couples, preferably same-breed, are well regarded in society, receive government subsidiaries and even get threats from business places. Then there’s the tv crew people requesting that interviewees keep their language tame and harmless, for the privileged majority audience. 

It’s not too different from our world…

138 

The origin of the 500 mice, Yafya’s allies. Notice that as they are so small, their life expectancy is about 43 years. 

Notice, too, the police corruption: They openly torture the mice and threaten to make them “disappear”, as no one will care about dead outcasts. 

Terrifying.  

139 

We know that Melon is a killer, but the fast food employee thinks he’s creepy merely for being an hybrid and for not eating what he’s expected to. The banality of evil, if you will. 

Then there is the sexual theme —notice Melon’s sadomasochist relationship with his tattoo artist, Holger. 

140 

And speaking of sexual themes: Legosi often gets physically intimate with his own opponents. Here, he goes so far as to fantasize about Melon hugging him from behind, both of them shirtless. 

Now: Pity can be deceitful, too. Here, it’s what makes Legosi fall into Melon’s trap, and so again he’s nearly killed by the same murderer. 

141 

Nevertheless, Legosi represents hope, as much as he often pays dearly for it. Here, against all odds, he survives and makes allies out of both friend and foe. 

142 

Finally, it is emphasized that for hybrids, from children to adults, life is constant peril. So much so there is an actual fascist organization that wishes to exterminate them. 

EXTRAS

I think it’s very interesting how Itagaki will sometimes draw on personal anecdotes and make them the basis for powerful scenes, as good writers will. Here, her somewhat silly moment in the subway, as a teen, later evolved into a crucial moment for one of her characters. 

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Winnie-the-Pooh

 - Winnie-the-pooh. A. A. Milne. Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. 

A series of tales told to one Christopher Robin and his teddy bear —originally Rupert Bear, then Winnie-TheR-Pooh, and finally just Pooh Bear —about themselves and several others in a forest. Be it easily spooked Piglet, bossy Rabbit, depressed (and sometimes passive-aggressive) Eeyore, chatty (and sometimes arrogant) Owl, motherly Kanga, very young Roo, and quite a few others more. Tales of adventure and friendship for young readers, with something of gentler fairy tales and wonder. 

Super-famous classic of children’s literature, almost as beloved as seemingly resented (usually by ‘edgy’ adults, ahem! But also, history has it, by the author, the illustrator and even the real Christopher themselves). While it’s much more known for the numerous animated adaptations, it’s the original text and illustrations that truly made it a perennial tale.

And like virtually all tales better known by adaptations (animated but also movies in general, or tv shows), readers are often surprised to see how different the original version is. In this case, with a charming propensity for clever, seemingly nonsensical poetry woven in, and a certain dose of dry British humor. Also the illustrations —Shepard gives the tales a certain whimsical spark that makes it all work so well. 

Followed by a sequel and two somewhat-related poetry collections, all usually presented as a single pack. 

Quite recommended for all ages. 

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A streetcar named Desire.

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- A streetcar named Desire. Tennessee Williams. 

The New Orleans French Quarter. Stanley Kowalski and his wife Stella (formerly DuBois). Into their lives of squalor, intense poker nights, wild lovemaking (currently expecting a child) and brutal fights —comes Stella’s older sister, Blanche. A once-glamorous but now fading Southern Belle, Blanche’s pretensions of glamour catch the eye of one of Stanley’s poker buddies, sensitive Mitch. But delusion and bigotry will prove no match for harsh revenge, leading to a memorably tragic finale. 

A multi-prized stage-play by Williams, adapted numerous times to television and cinema (as well as to stage, including musical and even ballet variations) —even presented in an infamous episode of the perennial pop culture product ‘The Simpsons’. It remains as powerful today as yesterday —if some of our sympathies have since shifted and others have acquired a certain nuance (but this IS a deeply nuanced stage-play). The raw exhibition of prejudice (racism, homophobia, classicism) on the part of Blanche can make her hard to like —yet she is such a complex character it is hard not to pity her eventual doom. Or to rage against the abuse she ultimately suffers. But the other characters have plenty to discuss about, all as well being sympathetic one moment and loathsome the next. They feel like, wonder of wonders —real people. People who as often fight and gleefully betray each other —and as often make up and genuinely love each other. 

A very thought-provoking play, then, more than worth a read. Is it a deservedly true Classic? Without  a doubt, but even more important is to read for ourselves and find out. To discuss amongst us and discover what we can see of ourselves in it. 

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February 2022 TV

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IN ENGLISH:

- Kevin can F himself. 

A put-upon housewife has had more than enough of her moronic husband and decides to off him. Intriguing fusion of braindead sitcoms and darkly comedic crime shows, which thus gleefully tear each other down. While it doesn’t go quite as far as the premise would have surely allowed for, it’s nevertheless a highly original concept that merits watching. 

- Yellowjackets. 

In the 90’s, a girls’ soccer team crashed in the Canadian wilderness. More than ten years later, the few survivors are determined to bury the truth about what happened during their ordeal —no one may find out the many horrible things they committed just to stay alive. Essentially a more exploitative version of “The wilds”. Far-fetched but pretty entertaining. 

- Unwell. 

Docu-series about assorted health fads, from essential oils to bee poison. While more ‘exploitainment’ than information, it’s nevertheless worth a look and a few follow-up discussions. 

- Inventing Anna. 

Dramatization of the real-life notorious con-woman who scammed many of New York’s wealthiest and naivest. Gleefully black humored, though it lasts a touch too long. At its best moments it plays almost like a Ryan Murphy show, with the mandatory camp that entails. 

IN OTHER LANGUAGES:

- Magia Record (season 2). 

- La divina gula. 

Literally “divine gluttony”, a docu-series about some of the wildest, most elaborate concepts in Mexican street food —as liable to make you hungry as to make you sick, but more than worth a look. 

MOVIES

- The Eternals. 

A very rare case of a movie that is at once too ambitious and too short-sighted for what it winds up being —the lastest MCU movie entry, and by now showing exactly why mega-conglomerates like Disney + Marvel + Tons more —are not the right people for high-concept productions. 

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