Take a seat for a chat about the short horror film “The Chair”—a masterful blend of psychological horror and profound thematic elements.
Show host Carolyn Smith-Hillmer takes a deep dive into The Chair—a chilling short film that garnered significant attention and acclaim on the festival circuit, underscoring its ability to resonate with audiences and critics and solidifying its status as a standout piece in contemporary horror cinema. – Stephanie (Editor-in-Chief)
SHOW NOTES FROM HOST CAROLYN SMITH-HILLMER:
Let’s explore the fragility of reality and perception with Curry Barker’s award-winning short film, The Chair (2023).
This episode contains spoilers, so if you haven’t seen this modern masterpiece, watch before listening unless you want to be spoiled.
Editor’s Notes:
Curry Barker’s 2023 short film, The Chair, masterfully intertwines psychological horror with profound themes, delivering a chilling narrative that lingers long after viewing.
The film follows Reese (Anthony Pavone), who brings home an antique chair found on the roadside. This seemingly innocuous act sets off a series of unsettling events, leading Reese to question whether the malevolence stems from the chair itself or from within his own psyche.
The film’s brilliance lies in its ability to transform an everyday object into a vessel of terror. By focusing on a common household item—a chair—the story taps into the unsettling notion that the familiar can become dangerously unfamiliar.
Critics and audiences alike have lauded The Chair for its intense atmosphere and thought-provoking content. The film’s exploration of aging and memory loss adds a profound layer to the horror.
Its ability to evoke fear through the familiar, coupled with its exploration of the human mind, makes it a chilling and thought-provoking experience worthy of its acclaim.
SOURCES/INFORMATION:
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17526714/
The Cut Article: https://www.thecut.com/article/review-the-substance-movie-gets-aging-wrong.html
IPSOS Article: https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/most-americans-experience-feeling-dissatisfied-with-body-looks-from-time-to-time
American Society of Plastic Surgeons: https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/briefing-papers/briefing-paper-cosmetic-surgery-tourism
BDD Foundation: https://bddfoundation.org/information/feelings-and-symptoms/
ABOUT THE SHOW:
The Final Girl on 6th Ave is a weekly show where host, Carolyn Smith-Hillmer, dissects an arthouse/elevated horror film. Each episode includes a detailed play-by-play of the film itself and a subsequent deep dive into the thematic elements and symbolism. Because elevated horror is sometimes viewed within the horror community as pretentious, Carolyn makes sure to use her down-to-earth tone and unique perspective to make these films less intimidating for the casual horror viewer and less ostentatious for the genre lover.
Listen to more episodes on the show’s website here.
The Final Girl on 6th Ave is a bi-weekly podcast where host Carolyn Smith-Hillmer reviews arthouse horror films in a non-pretentious way.
Lars von Tier and Horror
Lars von Trier has been called a visionary, a sadist, and a self‑mythologizing provocateur—sometimes all in the same breath. In this episode, we unpack how an anxious kid from Copenhagen became one of the most controversial figures in world cinema, and why his work looms so large over modern horror and “extreme” art‑film. Focusing on Antichrist, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac, and The House That Jack Built, we explore von Trier’s “Depression Trilogy,” his use of grief, sex, and violence, and the ongoing debates about misogyny, ethics, and audience complicity. Along the way, we bring in film scholarship, critical essays, and production histories to ask a simple but uncomfortable question: when von Trier pushes horror this far, is he revealing something profound about suffering—or just building a house out of pain?
SOURCES/INFORMATION
Biographical and career overviews
“Lars von Trier.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier – Simple English Wikipedia.” Simple Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier.” Encyclopaedia Britannica (biography, awards, filmography).britannica
“Lars von Trier filmography.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier – IMDb.” IMDb.imdb
“List of awards and nominations received by Lars von Trier.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
Context and Danish film culture
“Lars von Trier and Cultural Liberalism.” Danish Film Institute.dfi
Excerpt from Regional and Global Dimensions of Danish Film Culture and Film Policy (on Dogme 95 and Danish film branding).catalogimages.wiley
Critical profiles and interviews
“Lars von Trier: Behind the Curtain.” The New Yorker (profile on von Trier’s persona and controversies).mubi+1
“Lars von Trier: A Problematic Sort of Ladies’ Man?” NPR radio piece and transcript (Pat Dowell, with Caroline Bainbridge).npr+1
“The Many Faces of Lars von Trier.” BFI feature.bfi
“Lars von Trier: An Overview.” Film Festival Today (career overview).filmfestivaltoday
Horror‑specific and film‑specific sources
“The Immersive Examination of Depression and Grief in ‘Antichrist’ [Unveiling the Mind].” Bloody Disgusting.bloody-disgusting+1
“Antichrist (2009)” – film entry and production details. IMDb and Wikipedia.imdb+1
“The House That Jack Built (2018).” IMDb (plot, reception).imdb
“Manically Macabre: Lars von Trier as Horror Icon.” Horror Obsessive.horrorobsessive
“‘Terrifier 2’ and 9 Other Horror Movies Which Famously Made Audiences Sick.” Collider (section on Antichrist).collider
Scholarly / analytical work
“Lars von Trier – The ‘Sex’pression Ideology.” Academic essay (via Academia.edu PDF).academia
Caroline Bainbridge, The Cinema of Lars von Trier (discussed in NPR and academic contexts).npr+1
Career primers
“Notebook Primer: Lars von Trier.” MUBI Notebook.
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JeffC7 wrote: