‘Eraserhead’ Meets ‘Dr. Caligari’: Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Hottieween’ Film Pays Homage to Spooky Greats
By Dread Central
3 min read“I’ve been dreaming of making a horror film forever,” the Hottieween creator said when sharing her spooky video.
“I’ve been dreaming of making a horror film forever,” the Hottieween creator said when sharing her spooky video.
The film takes inspiration from several iconic movies, especially classic black-and-white horror films. First and foremost, the surrealist, cubist, papery architecture is a nod to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Not only was this 1920 film the first entry in the German Expressionist movement — making room for F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu — but Dr. Caligari is considered the first great horror film ever.
Meanwhile, the evil circus vibe of Megan Thee Stallion’s short film is a direct reference to the 1962 movie Carnival of Souls. The film follows a woman who, after surviving a near-death experience, is drawn to a creepy pavilion that once housed a carnival. Paranormal chaos ensues.
Then, there are little horror movie Easter eggs for the real fans: Creepy masked people peering from the shadows that reminds you of the freaks from Infinity Pool, a miniscule window that puts you in the mind of Eraserhead, bone-cracking contortions that feel like they belong in an American Horror Story title sequence. (In fact, a lot of the comments from horror fans said Megan’s short film was a balm to soothe their disappointment with season 13 of Ryan Murphy’s show.)
These deep-cut horror movie references are unsurprising when you consider that Meg is a student of the genre. She previously talked about how much she loves The Evil Dead, in all of its iterations, and how affecting The Ring was for her — look closely and you might see Samara lurking in Megan’s video. Here’s hoping that we see Thee Stallion in front of or behind the camera for a feature horror film, soon!