‘I Saw The TV Glow’ Review (SXSW 2024)

Photo credit: Courtesy of A24

Written by: Gracie Lowes

A24 is back with a new film that will have you on the edge of your seat and leave you questioning everything you know about the world.

‘I Saw The TV Glow’ is an upcoming horror/ drama film that follows a young teen named Owen (Justice Smith) as he tries to find his place in the world and make it through life.

All that changes when his classmate (Brigette Lundy-Paine) introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show. Owen’s life and his perception of reality quickly begin to fall apart when the supernatural world within the pale glow of the television comes on in each weekly episode.

It’s hard to describe exactly what it was like to watch this film not only at its premiere but in general. A24 is known for their horror/ drama films and ‘I Saw The TV Glow’ definitely solidified the fact that they are

From start to finish this film and the stellar cast that includes names such as Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler, and Lindsey Jordan had me and others in the crowd on the edge of our seats, trying to anticipate the next plot twist or jump scare that was coming our way.

One thing that really drew me into this story was the direction and shots that director Jane Schoenbrun decided to take with this story.

The film plays on the theme of the human mind and our connections within the world, this can be a really deep and opinionated topic to follow. That being said, Schoenbrun did an amazing job in portraying and creating this world through the creative choices made such as camera shots, lighting during intense scenes vs lighting during dialog between characters, the list goes on but I don’t want to get into anything that could spoil the story.

Overall, I give ‘I Saw The TV Glow’ 3 ½ out of 5 stars.

This film had me hooked on the story the entire time and left me questioning both the ending and my overall perception of reality.

So If you’re looking for a mind-bending/ horror/ drama, and if you enjoyed movies like ‘Inception’ and ‘Arrival’ I definitely recommend ‘I Saw The TV Glow’ when it comes out in select theaters on May 3.