#native horror

THE NATIVE AMERICAN HORROR STORY

EPISODE ONE (PT. 1) - CULTURE AS HORROR

I present the first half of the first episode of The Native American Horror Story, a series dedicated to analyzing and discussing Native American and First Nations influence in the horror genre.

I am watching Supernatural all the way through for the first time, in the year of the Old Gods, and the New, 2025.

Episode 2: W*nd*g*

(I am using the image from Jessica John's book, bc they are a Cree author who wrote about the subject of this episode and did a far better job with it than this episode did.)

So, I didn't hate this episode. I didn't really like it either. Knowing it was written and filmed in 2004/2005 and doesn't look like they credited or consulted any Native writers/folklorists/historians it isn't the worst peice of media about this "monster."

For one, it gets the general idea of how they come to be on this corporeal plane: someone who is starving eats human flesh and becomes one. It doesn't get across that at its essence it is literally a spirit of greed and consumption that looks for people who are weak of spirit: either bc of starvation or otherwise. This spirit of insatiable hunger influences those it can through their thoughts or dreams...slowly convincing them to consume human flesh. At a certain point, the person transforms and the spirit has taken over completely. Upon destroying the body, you release the spirit, which goes on to hunt again.

I am not necessarily someone who believes stories can only be told by certain groups of people, I do, however, believe some groups tell the story better. This episode could have used some Native American/First Nations consultants who could have better guided this episode, specifically Cree, Huron, Haudenosaunee, Blackfoot, and other nations who experienced harsh winters where this story is often heard.

Other than that, the episode is just ho-hum. Sam is bitter and angry. Dean is wry and sardonic. The expendable characters are just that: expendable.

This is possibly my second time watching this episode and I remembered NOTHING about it, and I expect I may forget it again.