The Lodge
Belief, isolation, and the conditions that make an explanation convincing.
Explore the film essayN&N Foundations · Episode 01
Why horror?
Why I chose horror for Nightmares & Nerdscapes—and what looking closely at it can help us notice.
Halloween premiere · October 31, 2026 at 8 PM Eastern
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Contains full spoilers for The Lodge, Under the Skin, and They Look Like People.
The questions behind the work
A familiar thing, seen differently.
A home, a relationship, a belief: horror can make something ordinary difficult to take for granted. That curiosity is where Nightmares & Nerdscapes begins.
In this opening Foundations essay, CJ reflects on how analyzing horror has helped him examine his own fears and assumptions, and his responses to social questions about power, belonging, and how people treat one another.
The aim is to stay close to what a film shows, distinguish observation from interpretation, and leave room for pleasure, disagreement, and another viewing.
A way to follow the pressure
Need → promise → rules → action → cost.
A thought map to test against the film, rather than an explanation to impose on every story. Whose needs are being answered? What are the terms? Who lives with the consequences?
Continue watching
Return to the films.
Foundations introduces the questions behind the channel. The individual film essays put those questions to work.
Under the Skin
Desire, unequal freedom, and the body inside an encounter.
Explore the film essayThey Look Like People
Fear, friendship, and the possibility of a different action.
Explore the film essayAn invitation
What has horror made you look at differently?
Bring your own reading. Name the film and flag spoilers when joining the discussion.