Feb 6, 2020

American horror films often inject terror into ordinary suburbs and quiet forest cabins. Babak Anvari skipped that trope. Instead, he resurrected his childhood terrors from the Iran/Iraq War, when civilians were indiscriminately targeted by missiles, and added a sinister djinn to one family's nightmares. The result is a frightening and deeply authentic film. Also - what foreign horror role should be portrayed by Nic Cage?

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 3 (Marcus) / 4 (Melissa). Quality: 5/4+ Personal enjoyment: 5/5

Articles mentioned in this episode:

Throughline: Rules of Engagement

"Lessons from America’s First War with Iran," by Bruce Riedel for the Brookings Institute

"Iran and Iraq remember war that cost more than a million lives," by Ian Black in The Guardian

"The 'beauty' and the horror of the Iran-Iraq war," by Mike Gallagher for BBC News

"Terror in Tehran: Under the Shadow and the politics of horror," by Tom Seymour in The Guardian

"Sundance 2016: Babak Anvari talks 'Under The Shadow,'" by Tom Grater in Screen Daily