That idea drives the film’s repeated line — “If it gets too real, you can always turn it off” — which Schoenbrun said links horror’s controlled danger to confronting frightening desire.
The meta slasher follows queer filmmaker Kris, played by Hannah Einbinder, as she reboots a cult horror franchise and works through fear and fantasy with its reclusive original star, played by Gillian Anderson.
Schoenbrun said the movie’s structure mirrors that process of sexual comfort and release, framing fantasy as consensual play rather than violence. The film is now playing in select theaters.