Tragedy Girls (2017) - Tyler MacIntyre

Grotesque, subversive, and wickedly fun, Tyler MacIntyre's Tragedy Girl's traverses the horror genre, playfully deconstructing a host of its tropes while it slyly provides a vicious commentary on what it deems is our impoverished culture where vanity is reinforced by the givings of the digital age.  Centered around Sadie and Mckayla, two teenage crime reporters who capture a serial killer and hold him hostage in an subversive attempt to raise their social media profile to stardom, Tragedy Girls' is a pointed, blunt take down of our vapid, celebrity obsessed culture, one where our strive for validation is paramount to the that of the empathy for others.  A horror comedy with bite, Tragedy Girls is far from subtle, wearing its social commentary with brass and playful nihilism, detailing characters who profit off the degradation and decimation of others.  One could certainly argue the films assertions can be shallow and far from nuanced or intellectually cutting in approach, yet the way Tragedy Girl's uses the character Lowell- the kidnapped serial killer-implies  at least one counterpoint that this says otherwise.  This characterization that embodies the traditional horror film killer - a blank slate psychopath, in in contrast to our two main leads.  In Tragedy Girls Lowell is a character which is effectively inept, he is an afterthought to the audience, forgotten for most of the story.  The space he occupies in the film itself is an assertion, and an effective one, as Tragedy Girls showcases how this type of evil pales in comparison to the narcissistic nature which our contemporary culture can project on impressionable minds.  With a playful tone, Tragedy Girls is an emphatic, somewhat shallow, slashing of contemporary culture; a worthy addition to the horror comedy which satifies in both macabre and comedic designs.