What do Clue, Agatha Christie novels, and Saved by the Bell have in common? Well, first and foremost, they have some horrendous histories of casual and overt racism. (I will not be doing a full-dive into the social history of whodunit and murder mysteries in this article because it is a subject that belongs in a larger, individual essay. That said, Google has an abundance of information and sources if you want to learn more.) The three also have a thing for murder mysteries. In a quest to rewrite, and possibly ruin, some childhood memories, I am taking you back to 1991 and into the Saved by the Bell episode “Mystery Weekend.”
It’s Alright (Or is it?)
“Mystery Weekend” is a rendition of the whodunit subgenere, the episode including various comedic horror tropes I’ll discuss later on. However, I think it is safe to say Saved by the Bell is plenty horrific on its own. You have the sociopathic main character, Zack Morris, who has low-key Ted Bundy vibes and serial dates every girl in the school, only for those girls to never be seen again. (I’m not saying Zack Morris is a serial killer, but I’m also not not saying that.)
Then there’s Screech Powers, who, despite being a so-called genius, has no understanding of the word “no” and harasses Lisa Turtle like it’s his full time job. Mix that in with a hurricane of toxic masculinity, cultural insensitivity, overt racism/sexism/classism, teenage boys and grown men preying on teenage girls, nonsensical story continuity, laugh tracks and a million Fashion Don’ts, and you’ve got a 90’s classic.
Dinner is Served
What is a group of high schoolers called? A gaggle? A swarm? An ambush? I’ll just call them the gang, since that is how they often refer to themselves. “Mystery Weekend” takes place in a haunting, victorian styled mansion. It is home to the murder mystery game, a prize Lisa won in a phone contest.
Things start off with a bang when the piano player suddenly chokes and dies (but not before Kelly Kapowski and Screech give a casual public service announcement about the dangers of smoking). Of course Zack is excited to see a “dead” body. And, because he has that trademark privileged white boy confidence, immediately thinks he knows who the killer is. Of course he’s wrong, but his ego doesn’t falter.
Until several party goers die. Those deaths are “not part of the game.” In no time, the blonde perv becomes a suspect of murder, thus embarking the audience on an array of thievery and goofy plot twists.
Are we really all that surprised Zack is accused of murdering for money? Are we?
From the 1945 book-to-movie adaptation of And Then There Were None to the 1949 board game Cluedo and 2019 blockbuster Knives Out, these stories continue to sell out and entertain the masses. They keep audiences on the edge of their seats, constantly guessing for the outcome, only for the ending to unveil damning evidence the writer purposely kept secret. Once you finish, you have the insatiable need to consume more. To sum it up:
The Verdict
Saved by the Bell’s “Mystery Weekend” was one of my favorite episodes when I watched it as a young millennial. I liked seeing the characters in a new dark and creepy environment, and I adored creepy houses in fiction. It was a large serving of my cup of tea. However, seeing it again as a full fleshed adult has caused me to have some mixed feelings.
The episode toys with horror tropes: thunder claps each time a murder or lesser crime occurs, a spooky melody alludes an atmosphere of suspicion and terror. Laugh tracks and snarky comments, the latter usually aimed toward Screech, lighten the mood. Of course, you can’t have a Saved by the Bell episode without its standard dose of sexual harassment (this time including a grown-ass adult maid flirting with teenage boys) and Zack’s undeserving redemption arc.
“Mystery Weekend” is fun in the sense that it parodies the murder mystery and horror genres. It’s also exhaustive, as it is a problematic episode in an even more problematic show.
To Do’s:
Make sure to check out more from Dark Deviations here at Haunted MTL.
I want to acknowledge that it is June 19, also known as Juneteenth, one of the most crucial days in U.S. history. You can learn more about it here.
Make sure to check out the submissions page for donations to Black Lives Matter and the submissions page for donations to the Trevor Project.
If you live in the United States, it’s time to rock the vote for real. I shared this video before in conjunction with my identity-based costume work, and I feel it’s important to revisit now, with the election coming up in just a few days. Besides which, Jack Black and Tenacious D are brilliant and given the current political climate, who doesn’t want to do the time warp? But seriously, get out and rock the vote, your life kinda does depend on it (at least insomuch as being able to make for yourself the life that you want, without the government telling you how to do so – especially if you live on the fringes of socially acceptable awkwardness like me and so many of my friends).
Besides which, this video is so good, it’s worth sharing again anyway. And again, if for some reason the video doesn’t load, you can find it here.
Art Attack
And here are some artworks I made awhile back as political commentary. The photograph was shot of the scene exactly as found, of a sign above a parking lot in a quickly gentrifying neighborhood making sure all knew that any unauthorized vehicles were unwelcome, and hung right in front of a flag that was tattered and torn from being caught on the chain link fence driving the point home. The flags were meant to be interactive, with gallerygoers waving them while singing The Star Spangled Banner in its elitist entirety. The whole really spoke to me regarding some of the political climate at the time (this was right before Trump was elected President the first time). How much has changed since then? In some ways, a lot. In other ways, I guess we shall see.
So on my recent road trip to Miami AZ USA for my menstruation art installation, we decided to detour to Roswell NM en route home. To be honest, this was one of the best decisions of my life, up there with road trippin’ from Arizona to San Francisco along CA-Highway 1, and I will go into the details of why here soon.
Roswell NM USA has totally embraced its alien history of the UFO crash in the late 1940s and subsequent government cover up. The whole town is alien-happy with beautiful hand carved wood totems, murals and statues everywhere celebrating otherworldly denizens of all types, though predominantly the gray aliens of the crash (and their green counterparts). Even the city logo features a flying saucer as the center of the letter “R”. It really is kind of incredible.
One of the biggest draws is the International UFO Museum and Research Center, housed in the wonderful old theater building. This museum details the crash history as well as celebrating aliens in movies and media and examining newer alien sightings and abductions. It is very thorough and includes maquettes, statues, written accounts and an extensive research library, as well as an interesting art collection of various items.
And there are TONS of fun alien themed curiosity shops. I will give a shout out to the newer Invasion Station north on Main Street where there had once been an old car dealership. I love the quirky nature of this particular store as well as their strong desire to promote local artists. Most of their wares are hand-painted in NM and feature designs by prominent local artists including one of the lead muralists in town (I bought a magnet of his). They also feature really alternative kitsch like KISS and Ace Frehley alien bobbleheads, marijuana and anal references, and such. All in all, our own Haunted MTL’s kinda folks…
And the city is a huge tourist draw internationally, so you can meet some amazing and interesting folks from all walks of life who have caught the alien bug or at least want to check out all the hype. As a result of the tourism, the residents seem really laid back and accommodating (kind of like Hawaii but not quite as much) and there is a thriving art scene. And it’s totally my kind of art – weird and a little creepy. Anyway, I feel like I’ve finally found my peeps and am eager to return someday.
If you’re feeling a bit extraterrestrial, I invite you to also check out some of my alien-themed stories here on Haunted MTL: LTD UFOs among us; my Drive-By short story; and LTD Abducted.
Killer Queens, I wasn’t expecting to be back so soon with American Horror Story info. But yesterday we were blessed with a teaser for the intro of Season 12, which we believe will be titled Delicate.
We are looking at a Summer release for season twelve, but won’t know for sure until June, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Here’s what we know right now.
First, yes Kim Kardashian is starring alongside Emma Roberts in a role that was written specifically for her.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that AHS favorites will also be involved. According to IMBD, Charlie Carver, Rebecca Dayan, Cody Fern, Leslie Grossman, Billie Lourd, and Denis O’Hare will be included this season.
AHS Delicate is different from other seasons in many other ways. It’s the first season to ever be written by just one writer, Halley Feiffer. This isn’t a writer most of us as horror fans will be familiar with. She’s written episodes of shows like Kidding, SMILF, and American Crime Story. The last one can at least be seen as a sister show to AHS.
As far as I have found, Feiffer has never written horror content. She is now the sole writer for an entire season of the most popular horror show in America. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. It’s just not what I would have expected. Most AHS writers are staff writers, actors from the show, or at least people I’ve heard of. So as we don’t have any former work to look at, we can only wait to see how she does.
We also know what the source material is for this season. It’s a book called Delicate Condition, by Danielle Valentine. This book will be released in August of this year. Which also seemed strange to me. Normally a book would be, you know, published before it inspires additional work.
Even so, Delicate Condition seems like a fascinating story. According to Goodreads, it’s the story of a woman named Anna. Anna is trying to get pregnant but starts to believe that something dark is working against her. Her doctors don’t believe her. Her husband doesn’t believe her. Is she losing her mind?
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t deeply interested in this book. And I have to assume that Feiffer and Murphy already have hands on it, to jump to this sort of decision.
By the way, Valentine at least is not an untested writer. Her first novel, How To Survive Your Murder, also made it right on my TBR pile. With a rating of 3.7 out of 4 on Goodreads, I think we can assume Valentine knows what she’s doing with the written word.
This is all that we know about American Horror Story Delicate so far. What follows are my thoughts and opinions only.
My first thought is that this season is going to be dealing heavily with women’s reproductive rights. This is a topic a lot of us are concerned about right now, as it feels like every day women lose more and more rights to our bodies.
(By the way, if you want to help fight the good fight for body autonomy and get some spooky stories, we have an anthology for that. I have a story in it, as does the horrifyingly talented Jennifer Weigel. All proceeds go to support organizations that help women make their own health decisions.)
American Horror Story has handled important political issues before. Last season, AHS NYC discussed the AIDs epidemic that went largely ignored in the 80s and killed hundreds of young gay men. They did this in the best way possible, in what this critic believes to be the only way fiction should handle heavy topics. They rooted the issue in a good story. A story that was pure fiction, but also true.
However, this season has a lot of red flags. Never before have I seen the guest star be the main focus so early. Never have I seen any franchise bank so much faith in an all but untested writer, basing work on a book that isn’t even published. And frankly, I’ve never been much of a fan of Kim K, or anyone else who’s famous seemingly just for being famous.
I’m not rooting for this season to fail just because I don’t like the guest star. If Kardashian is good at this, I’ll be thrilled. I’ll be the first one singing her praises. But when everything we know so far is added up, I’m a lot more concerned about AHS Delicate than I am excited.
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