It
is the twenty-teens, well into the internet age. Many people would prefer to cocoon
rather than explore the world. For those media consumers, home invasion horror
hits them where they live and breathe—literally. There will be another breach
of home and hearth, the second of the current season of Vera Miao’s anthology
series Two Sentence Horror Stories, but there will be at least one big
sinister twist in store for viewers of Tutorial, which premieres tonight
on the CW.
The
home in question belongs to a beauty vlogger, who probably represents some of
the worst aspects of online culture. As she gushes over makeup, reasonably
observant viewers will notice an intruder slinking through her house. It is all
being broadcast over the internet, but apparently her followers are content to
watch it unfold.
Initially,
Tutorial is very much in keeping with the style and vibe of Blumhouse’s Unfriended
franchise, but it suddenly swerves into some pretty shocking territory.
However, it still presents a dark, pessimistic view of the internet and its
impact on human psychology. Be that as it may, Tutorial is definitely
scary. In fact, it could deeply disturb sensitive viewers (whoever they might
be).
Regardless,
Tutorial represents a radical and impressive change of pace for director
Tayarisha Poe, whose debut feature Selah and the Spades did not sound
particularly frightening when it screened at this year’s Sundance. It turns out
she can crank up the tension and drop a surprising plot reversal quite
adroitly.
Aleyse
Shannon shows considerable range before engaging in some good old-fashioned
scenery chewing as the materialistic vlogger. Mercifully, Poe and series
cinematographer Paul Yee do not hand-cuff themselves with a strict lap-top’s
eye view of the proceedings. In fact, he rather brilliantly frames two or three
scenes. As a result, Two Sentence Horror Stories continues to be some of
the scariest stuff on network television or commercial cable (while they last).
Highly recommended for horror fans, Tutorial airs tonight (8/29) on the
CW (but be wary of the constant commercials that intrusively interrupt viewing
on the network’s app).
