Panic!: I Saw the TV Glow

Jane Schoenbrun’s coming-of-age horror film I Saw the TV Glow (2024) follows Owen (Justice Smith), a withdrawn teenager who finds solace in the late-night supernatural television show The Pink Opaque, introduced to him by his rebellious classmate Maddy (Jack Haven). As their obsession with the series deepens, Owen begins to question the nature of his own reality, uncovering unsettling truths about himself and the world around him. When Maddy leaves town, Owen finds himself unable to follow, retreating further into his suburban isolation, where the flickering glow of television becomes both a refuge and a haunting reminder of the life he feels slipping away.

Blurring the boundaries between fiction and self-perception, the film reflects the anxieties of growing up in a world that enforces rigid definitions of gender norms. In doing so, it taps into the broader societal panic over transgender identity, capturing the fear of living in a world that demands conformity at the cost of one’s true self.

Musician Haley Dahl (Sloppy Jane) will join moderator Alice Fulmer (English, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of I Saw the TV Glow and her appearance in the film and soundtrack. A reception with light refreshments will follow in the Michael Douglas lobby.