Jane Schoenbrun’s latest film is a weird one. Honestly, that’s an understatement. When people talk about I Saw the TV Glow, they aren't just talking about a movie; they’re talking about a physical reaction, a memory of a basement, or a feeling of being trapped in the wrong skin. It’s rare for a contemporary horror film to ditch jump scares in favor of a slow-creeping, neon-soaked existential dread, but here we are.
The movie follows Owen, played with a hauntingly quiet intensity by Justice Smith, and Maddy, portrayed by Brigette Lundy-Paine. They’re two suburban kids bonded by a shared obsession with a 90s supernatural TV show called The Pink Opaque. It’s basically a stand-in for Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Are You Afraid of the Dark?, but it carries a weight that those shows never quite had for the casual viewer. For Owen and Maddy, the show isn't entertainment. It’s reality.
What is I Saw the TV Glow actually about?
Most people go into this expecting a traditional monster movie. They see A24 on the poster and assume there will be a clear villain or a ghost in the machine. But I Saw the TV Glow is much more interested in the horror of not living your life. It’s a trans allegory, plain and simple, though Schoenbrun has noted in various interviews—including a heavy-hitting profile in The New York Times—that it’s specifically about the "egg" stage of transition. That’s the period before someone realizes they are trans, characterized by a vague, suffocating sense that something is fundamentally wrong with the world.
The film uses the aesthetic of the 1990s—the CRT televisions, the static, the glow of a screen in a dark room—to illustrate how we use media to cope with identities we aren't ready to face. Owen’s life is drab. It’s gray. It’s silent. But the world of The Pink Opaque is vibrant, purple, and terrifying. It’s a choice between a safe, miserable lie and a dangerous, beautiful truth.
The Pink Opaque as a gateway
The fictional show within the movie is a masterpiece of production design. It looks exactly like something you’d find on Nickelodeon at 8:00 PM in 1996, complete with low-budget creature effects and overly dramatic dialogue. This isn't just nostalgia bait. It’s a clever narrative device. By making the audience feel nostalgic for a show that never existed, Schoenbrun forces us into the same headspace as Owen. We start to crave the glow.
Maddy is the one who pushes Owen to see the truth. She disappears, then returns years later with a story that sounds like a psychotic break but feels like a gospel. She claims they aren't in the "real world" at all. She believes they are actually the characters from the TV show, buried alive by the villain Mr. Melancholy, and that this mundane suburban life is just a dying dream. It's heavy stuff. It's meant to be.
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Why the ending is breaking people’s hearts
If you've seen it, you know. The ending of I Saw the TV Glow is polarizing, frustrating, and deeply intentional. Usually, a movie like this ends with a heroic realization or a tragic death. Instead, Schoenbrun gives us a "non-ending" that is arguably more terrifying than any slasher flick. We see Owen as an older man, still working at a family fun center, still apologizing for his own existence.
He screams. He literally screams for help in the middle of a brightly lit arcade, and then... he goes back to work. He mumbles an "I'm sorry" to the people around him. It is a depiction of the "slow death" of the closet. The tragedy isn't that Owen dies; it’s that he keeps living a life that isn't his.
"There is still time."
That's the message scrawled in chalk on the pavement toward the end of the film. It's a lifeline thrown to the audience. Even as Owen fails to take it, the movie pleads with the viewer to not make the same mistake. It's a call to action disguised as a neon nightmare.
The soundtrack and the vibe shift
You can't talk about this film without mentioning the music. The soundtrack features artists like Caroline Polachek, Sloppy Jane (featuring Phoebe Bridgers), and King Woman. The music doesn't just sit in the background; it acts as the emotional heartbeat of the film. Specifically, the scene at the bar where Yeule performs is a turning point. The atmosphere is thick. You can almost smell the stale beer and the ozone from the amplifiers.
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This "vibe" is what has made the film go viral on platforms like TikTok and Letterboxd. It captures a specific brand of "liminal space" horror—the feeling of being in a school hallway at night or a deserted mall. It’s lonely. It’s haunting.
Common misconceptions about the plot
A lot of viewers get hung up on the "logic" of the supernatural elements. Is The Pink Opaque actually real? Did Maddy really travel to another dimension?
- Literal interpretation: Some fans believe the movie is a literal sci-fi story about a malevolent entity trapping souls in a fake suburbs.
- Metaphorical interpretation: Others argue the TV show is purely a metaphor for the stories we tell ourselves to survive trauma.
- The Director's view: Jane Schoenbrun has been vocal about the film being a "dysphoria horror." In this light, the question of whether the show is "real" matters less than the fact that Owen's reality is fake.
Why it matters in 2026
As we look back at the cinema of the mid-2020s, I Saw the TV Glow stands out because it refuses to be "content." It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s neon-drenched. In a landscape often dominated by predictable sequels, this movie feels like a transmission from another planet. It taps into a growing cultural fascination with "lost media" and the eerie feeling that our childhoods weren't quite as wholesome as we remember.
The film also challenges how we view the 90s. It’s not just about pogs and flannel shirts; it’s about the isolation of a pre-internet world where if you didn't fit in, you were truly alone. Owen and Maddy’s only connection is a VHS tape passed back and forth. That fragility is something younger generations find fascinating and older generations find painfully relatable.
Actionable insights for the viewer
If you’re planning on watching (or re-watching) this movie, there are a few ways to get the most out of the experience without getting lost in the static.
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Don't look for a "win."
Traditional cinema teaches us to look for the hero’s journey. Owen is not a traditional hero. He is a cautionary tale. If you wait for him to "level up" or defeat the boss, you’ll be disappointed. Watch it as a character study of repression instead.
Pay attention to the color theory.
The use of pink and blue isn't accidental. The shifts from the muddy browns of Owen's house to the electric purples of the TV show signal his internal state. When the colors start to bleed into his "real" life, pay attention to what he’s doing. It’s usually when he’s closest to his true self.
Research the "The Pink Opaque" influences.
To really get the "feel" of the movie, look up 90s shows like The Adventures of Pete & Pete (which featured some surprisingly dark themes) or the "Hush" episode of Buffy. Understanding the DNA of these shows makes the parody in the film much more effective.
Listen to the lyrics.
The songs in the film were written specifically for the narrative. The lyrics often explain the internal monologues that Owen is too afraid to say out loud.
Ultimately, I Saw the TV Glow is a mirror. It asks you what you're hiding from and what "show" you're watching to keep from looking at your own life. It's uncomfortable, it's weird, and it's absolutely essential viewing for anyone who has ever felt like they were watching their own life through a screen. There is still time, but as Owen shows us, that time isn't infinite.