PopHorror Let's Get Scared
In Swarm writer/producer Janine Nabers (Watchmen (2019) and actor-musician Donald Glover (Atlanta (2022), explore toxic fandom with some gore, cringe, and dark humor.
Bring on the Gore and Cringe!
If you’ve watched Atlanta, you’d know their creative team brings cringe and has put a unique spin on horror and surrealism. ‘Teddy Perkins’ S2 E6, is ranked as the most disturbing episode among Atlanta fans. If you have a Hulu or FX subscription and just want to dip a toe in, there’s your start. But I highly recommend watching the whole series because it’s just a great vibe altogether. However, Swarm is a departure from that diving into toxic fandom and going full-blown psychological horror.
Swarm Sypnosis
Dre (Dominique Fishback, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) is majorly obsessed with ultrapop star Ni’jah, and throughout the course of the series, slips deeper, and darker into unknown territory as she’ll stop at nothing to connect with her idol.
While this is a huge draw to the series, it’s definitely not the core of it. In an interview with IndieWire, Nabors says, “Every episode deals with real news stories, real events, or internet rumors that have happened, and we have put our wonderful women in the center of those stories.”
Toxic Fandom is Horroriffic
The series will also star Chloe Bailey (Jane 2022) as Dre’s best friend Marissa, who seemingly distances herself as Dre loses control. It’s been mentioned that Swarm closely models itself after the BeyHive (Beyoncé’s fandom). But honestly, look at any fan community via the socials, and you’ll find fans who constantly cross lines. Doing what they believe is “protecting” the honor of their idols. Special interests are one thing, but stans take to the profiles and pages of people who speak against celebs in order to troll and harass them. In some cases, even go so far as to doxx them. That’s a real-life danger because someone didn’t like a movie or outfit. And the series looks to be taking several steps beyond that.
Swarm just screened at SXSW and will premiere on Amazon Prime, on March 17th. Be sure to check back here for more, because you know we’ll be all over it!
