Written and Directed by Alexandra Serio
Starring Alexandra Serio and Kareem Rahma
Running time 11 minutes

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport

When I started my podcast Cinematic Crypt last year, my goal was to share my love of films often forgotten or are left uncovered. In listening to my first episode, my partner in crime (MJ’s Best Boy, Ben Leonard) remarked, “you’re going to have a lot of ASMR fans.”I had no idea what he was talking about. Was this a good thing? A bad thing? A kinky thing? I cautiously turned to the google and found Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) to be defined as, “A tingling sensation that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine.” This feeling can cause the listener to have a sense of “low-grade euphoria”. There have been discussions on whether there is a connection with sexual arousal amongst seekers of ASMR – however many studies have found there is no evidence or connection of this. ASMR has been shown to help those with anxiety and depression, as it causes the listener to focus on noises and in turn close out the world around them, giving a sense of relaxation.

In Alexandra Serio’s sophomore short flick Tingle Monsters, she plays the starring role Dee – a twenty-something vlogger that hosts a live program aimed at fellow ASMR enthusiasts. While recording the show it is realized that she may not be alone. This short ends at just the right time and I say this with the utmost compliment. With minimal resources, the filmmaker produced a creative and quality flick that is spooky and will be sure to get people talking. It manages to make wonderful use of tension and suspense to convey the horrors of the world wide web, particularly aimed at females and that aggression towards women often does not start with a physical act, it begins with words. The film sheds light on a community that many may not be aware of and inevitably makes a great setting for a horror. With just an eleven-minute run time, I can tell Alexandra not only has a unique voice, but a promising film career and I look forward to seeing what she cooks up next.

If a flick like Tingle Monsters is of interest, I recommend seeking out the 2018 internet horror film, Cam – a swift thriller about a camgirl that finds herself in a peculiar situation after she awakes to find that an exact replica of herself has taken over her program. This would make for a great follow up to Alexandra’s movie.

Watch Tingle Monsters starting May 20 on demand for free here.