A Little Horror To Brighten Up Your COVID-19 Crisis

Sophia Lillis stars in the Netflix series “I Am Not Okay with This.” Photo courtesy of Netflix
Let’s face it, this is a terrifying time: We are living in quarantine and trying to avoid infection from a potentially fatal disease.
Counter-intuitively, this might be the perfect time to check out two horror offerings from Netflix.
Some psychologists believe that watching horror can soothe viewers. There are many theories as to why, but one seems to be that watching terrifying events onscreen assures us that we’re not alone, and helps us to externalize our inner fears.
‘You’ brings horror and love
“You,” a series now being offered exclusively on Netflix is … well, it’s a romantic tale about a serial killer.
Actor Penn Badgley plays Joe Goldberg, who finds a new woman to obsess over each season and woe to anyone who gets in they way of his romantic pursuits. Think of it as “Dexter” meets “The Philadelphia Story.”
Joe is a New York bookstore owner who we come to sympathize with thanks to flashbacks to his childhood traumas and his own interior monologues. It also helps that his victims are pretty loathsome.
And, frankly, his unconditional commitment to the objects of his affection is endearing.
As you might expect, these are not traditional love stories — although critics of the show have said Joe is a traditionally manipulative narcissist and that the series is just a Bluebeard tale of cruelty and misogyny updated for the 21st century.
I think it’s better than that, with layers of complexity added in alongside references to film classics (notably “The Philadelphia Story” — a clip from the film is even added in to one episode in season two).
So where’s the horror? Well, try this. In season two, Joe is on the run from a revenge-seeking ex-girlfriend named Candace. He takes on a new identity that leads him to L.A., where he kidnaps a man named Will Bettelheim and assumes his identity. (Implausibly, Will is kept alive in a glass cage in a storage unit.)
Trouble is, the real Will owes some bad men a lot of money.Complications ensue. Joe does good things (such as defending his neighbor’s increasingly imperiled young sister). He falls in love with a chef/heiress named Love Quinn (played with star-making intensity by Victoria Pedretti from “The Haunting of Hill House”). There is a pinky-chopping Mafioso. The gore factor rises, with appendages being taken hostage and body parts being fed through a meat grinder.
Strong, grounded performances make season two’s increasingly outrageous plot twists credible.
‘I Am Not Okay with This’
Elsewhere on Netflix, 17-year-old Syd Novak is suffering from the usual adolescent woes: acne, unrequited love, crazy hormones.
One thing that sets her apart from her high school peers: She is learning to destroy and kill with her mind.
“I Am Not Okay with This” is a “Carrie”-like drama released in late February on Netflix. It is based on a 2018 graphic novel by Charles Forsman (who was the creator of “The End of the F***ing World,” which was also made into a television series).
Syd (played by Sophia Lillis) is a self-described “boring, 17-year-old white girl” who is in love with her best friend, Dina (Sofia Bryant). Unfortunately, Dina is dating golden boy Bradley Lewis (Richard Ellis). Eccentric neighbor Stanley Barber (Wyatt Oleff) is enlisted both as a heterosexual foil to match Dina’s dating and later as a hapless but charming mentor to Syd and the budding superpowers she has to learn to control.
Syd’s telekinesis is connected with rage and desire. There is also a mysterious presence that follows Syd, and that fades into black mist when anyone tries to look at it.
The producers of the Netflix hit “Stranger Things” were on board in the creation of this series, which will interest comic book fans with its superhero origin story; and which will appeal to film fans through rich cinematic moments that borrow from teen classics such as “Pretty in Pink,” “Heathers,” “The Breakfast Club” and, of course, “Carrie.”
The narrative is compelling; the characters are well-developed and are played with strength, energy and commitment by the show’s young actors. The series also serves as a mini-reunion between Lillis and Oleff, who appeared in the horror films “It” and “It Chapter Two.”
Mind-bending scenes aside, the show is also about friendship and surviving bad times. In seven episodes that approach a half-hour each, one can easily watch the “I Am Not Okay with This” in one sitting. It offers a brief but fruitful escape from the horrors of our outside world.
NF Ambery is an award-winning newspaper and magazine reporter published in Genre, The New London Day, The Register Citizen, The Hartford Courant and New York Family (where he was an editor).
While playing outside in the early post-pandemic days, Berkshire Busk! founder Eugene Carr had an epiphany: why not expand the idea of performing on the street (aka busking)into a full-fledged festival in Great Barrington?
As an entrepreneur and cellist, Carr envisioned a well-organized jamboree featuring regional talent, including musicians, acrobats, storytellers, fire-eaters, and more. He formed a team, connected with local businesses and the town of Great Barrington, and launched Berkshire Busk! in 2021. Since then, Berkshire Busk! has grown into a summer staple for Great Barrington.
In the summer of 2024, over 25,000 people experienced Berkshire Busk!. The festival is free to the public, provides a big boost to local businesses, and spectators can tip performers.
Busking takes place all over the world, either organized by individual performers or via busking festivals. Artists like The Roots, Tracy Chapman, Phoebe Bridgers, and Old Crow Medicine Show have all cut their teeth performing on the street.
General Manager Carli Scolforo is a Berkshire native with a love of music and writing. She can often be seen roaming the streets of Great Barrington, making sure everything’s in order, and serves as the festival’s face on social media.
“This year is the fifth anniversary of Berkshire Busk!, and it’s been an amazing summer,” said Scolforo. “We were able to welcome back a lot of our favorite performers, and bring in some new experiences as well. After getting rained out last year, we were able to host our first outdoor movie night in partnership with The Triplex Cinema and the Boondocks Film Society.”
Scolforo added, “This summer, we also introduced our first Open Mic Night, hosted by local recording artist and music producer Jackson Whalan. We were really pleased with the turnout of talent. The sheer amount of talent that’s hidden within an hour or so drive of Great Barrington always astounds us.”
Local businesses sponsor various busking spots, like the Berkshire Money Management Stage in the parking lot between the Triplex Cinema and Mama Lo’s BBQ. Typically, buskers bring their own amplification, while there are few spots — such as Berkshire Mountain Distillery in Sheffield — provide power.
Berkshire Busk! will end its season with a fireworks display on its last night on Saturday, Aug. 30.
Berkshire Busk! is endorsed by the Select Board of the Town of Great Barrington and is entirely supported by sponsorship fees from companies and organizations, as well as philanthropic donations from granting organizations, individuals and the Town of Great Barrington.
It operates under a fiscal sponsorship agreement with the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires and participates in Mass Cultural Council’s Card to Culture program — in collaboration with the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Public Health’s WIC Nutrition Program, the Massachusetts Health Connector, and hundreds of organizations — by making cultural programming accessible to those for whom cost is a participation barrier.
For more information, visit: berkshirebusk.com
What if the dog onstage was played by a person? That’s the delightful twist in A.R. Gurney’s “Sylvia,” opening at the Sharon Playhouse on Aug. 29. In this clever and heartfelt comedy, the title character — a stray pup who disrupts the lives of a married couple — is portrayed not in costume but by an actor who brings insight, charm, and chaos to the role.
Stepping into Sylvia’s paws is Jen Cody, who is returning to the Sharon Playhouse in a starring role for her third year in a row, ready to bring this spirited dog to life. She’s joined by Jonathan Walker as Greg, the middle-aged man smitten with his new four-legged friend, and Jennifer Van Dyck as Kate, his wife, whose patience and identity are tested by Sylvia’s sudden presence in their home.
Directed by Colin Hanlon, this production balances elements of comedy and emotional depth. Gurney’s script may be filled with laughs but at its core, “Sylvia” explores loyalty, companionship, and how love sometimes arrives in unexpected forms. The play premiered Off-Broadway in 1995 and has since become an audience favorite for its wit, warmth, and originality.
Rounding out the cast is Sienna Brann, taking on a trio of roles that highlight the play’s comic versatility. The design team includes Christopher and Justin Swader (scenic), Kathleen DeAngelis (costumes), Bobbie Zlotnik (wigs), Wheeler Moon (lighting), and Graham Stone (sound), ensuring the story is grounded in a fully realized world, albeit one occasionally seen from a dog’s point of view.
Performances run through Sept. 7 at the Sharon Playhouse. For tickets and more information, visit sharonplayhouse.org.
Paul Chaleff’s exhibit at Mad Rose Gallery in Millerton.
The unofficial end of summer is here, and while some of us may mourn the shortening days and cooler nights, the culturally-inclined denizens of the Litchfield Hills, Berkshires and Taconics have plenty to look forward to.
During Labor Day weekend, visit one of the offerings below, and maybe even take home a watercolor, rug, or locally-crafted wooden bowl to ready your home for the indoor season ahead.
Kick off the weekend with libations and bites from legendary New York City importer Rosenthal Wine Merchant at Mad Rose Gallery (5916 North Elm Ave., Millerton). The evening will mark the end of Paul Chaleff’s ceramics exhibition, which closes at the end of the weekend. Ashley Gilbertson and Franco Pagetti’s photography exhibition “Fragments in Time,” which has been extended through Sept. 21, will also be on display.RSVP by emailing info@madrosegallery.com.
Head to the Cornwall Library (30 Pine St., Cornwall) for its seventh annual weekend-long Art Sale, and peruse an endless supply of prints, posters, watercolors, photos, paintings and more, with price tags ranging from a very reasonable $20 to much greater sums.
The Library has announced that this year’s selection will “run the gamut from the antique to the contemporary, from the jazzy and colorful to the classic black and white, from realistic to abstract.” Thanks to generous donors, the sale will feature works from notable artists such as Amedeo Modigliani, Enrique Chagoya, Marc Simont, Leonard Baskin, Ruth Gannett, Robert Andrew Parker, Nicole Eisenman, R. H. Quaytman, and others, as well as a special exhibition of vintage photos, paintings and posters from late artist Duncan Hannah.
For more information and hours, visit cornwalllibrary.org/labor-day-art-sale/.
Visit the Barn at the Pine Plains location of beloved antiques and décor purveyor Hammertown (3201 NY-199, Pine Plains) and find the coffee table of your vintage dreams this weekend. Up to 75% off home goods and furniture of all kinds will be available.
This year’s iteration of the biannual tent sale features a “Makers Market” with local artisans, craftspeople and food vendors.
Visit https://shop.hammertown.com/blogs/journal/hammertown-labor-day-tent-sale for additional details and hours.
The Berkshire Woodworkers Guild, a coalition of local woodworkers that supports the local industry and its craftspeople, is hosting its 25th Fine Woodwork Show at the Berkshire Botanical Garden (5 West Stockbridge Rd., Stockbridge) this weekend. Attendees will have the chance to watch 32 masters from around the Tri-Corner region demonstrate their trades, from woodturning and Chinese joinery to boat building and French polishing.
The event will also announce the allocation of $32,000 from its scholarship fund to support 9 aspiring woodworkers, and host a silent auction of guild member-crafted pieces to support next year’s fund. Works from the artisans will also be available for viewing and sale.
Pittsfield, Massachusetts’ Hot Plate Brewing will provide frothy, local ales for swilling, while SoCo Creamery of Great Barrington will be pedaling its handcrafted ice cream for sweeter options for the whole family. Great Cape Baking Co., from Dover Plains will offer a full breakfast and lunch menu, including donuts, while Pleasant & Main from Housatonic will be providing the caffeine and crepes.Further details can be found at berkshirewoodworkers.org.
Artists across Cornwall will fling open their studio and gallery doors to welcome Labor Day culture ramblers on Saturday afternoon. An eclectic lineup of ten participating artists will show their work, ranging from pottery to sculpture paths, allowing participants a chance to enjoy the fresh late-summer weather as they meander through Cornwall’s green valleys from studio to studio.For a list of the artists, a map, and directions to each studio, visit ornwallct.org/event/cornwall-open-studio-2025/.