Horror Movies I Wish I Could Watch Again for the First Time

Horror movies are a pretty recent love of mine. For years and years, I was scared of mostly everything, including scary movies, demons, large bodies of water, and the unknown to name a few. But one day, something switched inside of my brain. I began to see horror movies as a form of entertainment rather than introducing something new to be fearful of, and it was something I had power over—I could literally pause, fast forward, and pay or not pay to see said movie. What power! Because of (or despite) growing up in a religious household, I have a weird affinity for supernatural horror movies in particular. The Conjuring, Insidious, Saint Maud,  Midsommar,  Hereditary, etc. bring the battles that take place within the spiritual world into the physical world. For me, these movies are more believable (and scary) than other monster-forward horror movies. When I watch them, there is always a part of my brain shouting, “Hey, this could actually happen! You just don’t know for sure because the spirit realm is invisible and terrifying!” Yikes. Supernatural horror movies make me feel like there’s always something behind my shoulder and that something could just pop out from the screen and into my own existence. Like I said, a weird switch occurred a few years ago that gave horror movies the green light on my internal—and Letterboxd—watchlist, and I want to focus on the ones that stand out to me as scary movies I wish I could see again for the first time. There’s something in the way that those twist endings hit you the first time you put two and two together and realize whodunit, the moment of panic when the jump scares actually scare you the first go-around, and the extreme fear that feels an awful lot like excitement. Scary movies, to me, are so anxiety-inducing and terrifying that they tend to alleviate some of my own anxiety and remind me that what I am watching is probably the worst possible thing that could ever happen, and it’s not actually happening. There’s a weird sense of peace in that. However, horror movies that are based on true events… that’s a completely different ballgame.

And on that note, let’s talk about some of the horror movies I wish I could watch again for the first time.

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Talk to Me (2023)

If you know my name, you know that I love  Talk to Me. I loved watching it so much that I have been known to talk it up a little bit too highly to some of my friends (you know who you are). Their expectations were not met, whereas mine were surpassed. The last article I wrote for FilmAesthete was titled “Let Me Talk to You Into Seeing  Talk to Me,” and you can find the article here, where I take a deeper dive into the film and why it works. I will say that as first-time movie writers and directors, brothers Danny and Michael Phillipou tell a well-though-out storyline yet hold themselves back from divulging too much information, particularly the history behind the infamous embalmed hand that you see on most of the film posters. Said hand has the power to summon the dead when another person holds on and says, “Talk to me.” The person sitting opposite the hand can only hold on for 90 seconds. If someone holds on for longer than that amount of time, I will just say that scary things happen. I wanted to include this film first on my list because it is by far my favorite scary movie I have seen in a very long time. I never knew that I was into Australian horror, but I guess I’ll have to take a deeper dive.

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The Visit (2015)

This one was a doozy. The Visit is, at first, a nice little story about two kids visiting their grandparents (who lovingly go by Nana and Pop Pop). The grandchildren had gone their entire lives without meeting their grandparents due to their mother and her mom being estranged. As a result, Becca, the granddaughter, begins filming a documentary about her grandparents and her brother Tyler in an effort for family bonding. The story takes a few odd turns when the children find out that they are not allowed to leave their bedroom after 9:30 pm, and Nana and Pop Pop start exhibiting strange behavior themselves. Pop Pop attacks a neighbor, there are many eerie moments revolving around the kitchen, and there are even more eerie moments while playing a seemingly innocent game of hide-and-seek. Add all of these things together, and you’ve got yourself an unsettling film.

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Midsommar (2019)

 Midsommar has a few disturbing scenes in it that will make you wish you had hid your face in your sweatshirt. These moments happen pretty quickly, so you’ll never be prepared for when they come on the screen. Florence Pugh, Will Poulter, Jack Reynor, and Archie Madekwe are the frontrunners in this film. It’s a fantastic horror movie to start with if you are unsure about where you should start in the horror movie genre as a whole, because it’s visually incredibly bright, and the scary moments don’t seem as scary until you mull it over in your head after the fact. This also happened to be my first ever Florence Pugh movie, and look at me now—an absolute Florence Fan like the rest of America.  Midsommar is directed by the beloved Ari Aster who also did  Hereditary and Beau is Afraid. It combines essences of cults, grief, Florence Pugh’s acting, and ambiguous endings. Literally everything I want in a scary movie.

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It (2017)

Do you hate clowns but think kids are funny sometimes? Then I’ve got the perfect movie for you. It is one of my favorite Stephen King books and movies, and it spans over many years. One half of the book (and the entire first movie) takes place when they’re children, and the second half (and It: Chapter Two) is when they’re adults and come back to face Pennywise and all of his other personalities. The first movie is made up of the classic horror movie formula: fear doesn’t have as much power over you when you don’t give in to it or put belief into it. However, It manages to take a new spin on this often overused storytelling technique by the embodiment of fear itself (Pennywise, played by Bill Skarsgård) taking the shape of each child’s deepest fear. When you get to the second movie, names such as Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain, and James McAvoy all grace the screen with their presence. So, you’ve got a lot to enjoy with the first installment and a lot to look forward to in the second.

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Marrowbone (2017)

This one is less horror and more psychological thriller. However, because of the extremity of the thriller aspect, I’m going to include this on my list. My god, I don’t even know where to start with this one. If you want something that’s spooky, makes you anxious yet desperate to figure out what on earth is actually happening, and is filled with an incredible cast (Anya Taylor-Joy, Mia Goth, George McKay, etc.), you should watch Marrowbone. It starts with a family of orphans who hide the fact that their mother has died so they can stay together as a family. Allie (Taylor-Joy) befriends the siblings and Jack (McKay) does his best to take care of his family; however, a dark presence lurks in their home that none of them know how to get rid of. The twist at the end was something I never would have guessed, and it is the epitome of a movie I wish I could see again for the first time.

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Hereditary (2018)

Hereditary is possibly one of the most deeply unsettling films I have seen in a long time. Ari Aster manages to mix together supernatural elements, familial issues, and the often-overwhelming power of grief one can experience in life into one movie, and he does this all with a solid script. Together, these elements seamlessly create an incredibly layered and scary story. The movie opens with the mother, Annie (Collette), grieving the death of her mother, with whom she had a mixed relationship. Another death in the family occurs, and Annie is taught by a woman named Joan, one of her mother’s friends, how to conduct a séance in order for her to speak with the dead once more. Annie’s son (Alex Wolff) and her husband (Gabriel Byrne) join her, and as one could imagine, a crazy number of things unfold after and during this séance. Some demon possessions take place, numerous supernatural occurrences happen throughout, and there’s a demon king named Paimon sprinkled in there. Unbeknownst to her, the spirit realm has surrounded Annie’s family her whole life without really realizing it. This film really dives deep into the spiritual realm of horror as a genre, and supernatural horror is, in my opinion, the scariest subgenre of them all.

Reagan Fleming

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Originally published June 1st, 2024 on FilmAesthete.com.

Let Me Talk You Into Seeing Talk to Me

There are few movies in my life that cause my jaw to drop when they end, and the screen finally goes black. Talk to Me, an Australian A24 film, made it on that very short list.

Twins Danny and Michael Philippou’s directorial debut has a clear and seamless beginning, middle, and end. Every scene and character—even the animals—have purpose to drive the story along. Sometimes when I watch movies, I find myself secretly wondering how many minutes are left, I get confused about the plot line or timeline, or I feel like the screenwriter was a little too excited with the first half of the movie and then rushed through the last portion of the script. With Talk to Me, none of these possibilities were the case.

Talk to Me follows Mia (played by Sophie Wilde), the main protagonist, who is mourning the death of her mother on the anniversary of her passing. Her father (Marcus Johnson) tries to comfort and connect with her the best that he can. Still, Mia ignores him each time and instead spends time with her chosen family, consisting of her friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen), Jade’s mom Sue (Miranda Otto), and Jade’s brother Riley (Joe Bird). One night, Mia, Jade, and Riley all sneak out to go to a party where a mysterious game is being played, one that is being posted about all over social media. In said videos, the three can see kids their age with fully black eyes, contorting their bodies in inhuman ways and making weird noises, all while being strapped to a chair. At the party, they learn about the step-by-step process that must be followed in order for the participant to get to this point of no control—first, the participant holds a special statuesque hand with words scribbled all over it. The hand is rumored to be the embalmed hand of a Satanist or possibly a medium, but the actual origins are unknown. Second, another person lights a candle, and while the main participant grasps the hand, they follow the third step and say aloud, “Talk to me.” The very last step, and the most frightening is the fourth, when the participant says, “I let you in.” They must hold onto the hand for no more than 90 seconds, and the result is that they see and are inhabited by the spirit of a dead person. If they go past 90 seconds or forget to blow out the candle when the time is up… things can and will go awry. At first, this may seem like a game to the group of kids, but as time goes on, they discover just how unpredictable the spirit world can be.

One might wonder why anyone would willingly dabble with the spirit world in a game-like scenario, but apparently you don’t know until you try it or watch it firsthand. After her first time playing the game, Mia says to the group, euphoric, “It felt amazing. I could see and feel everything.” The feeling of being possessed seems akin to being under the influence of a mind-altering substance. Additionally, much like any online challenge nowadays, people take part to get the unusual event on film and post it on social media. The more views the video gets, the more people want to try it out for themselves to test the legitimacy of the game.

I am the type of movie-goer who loves endings that leave me with more questions about the film than I know what to do with; I prefer those over cut-and-dried endings. I ruminated on the rationale behind a few characters’ actions, the possible metaphors, and what exactly the ending meant to me as a viewer. Other than selfishly wishing that there were subtitles on the screen because I had a difficult time understanding the characters’ Australian accents at times, I would change nothing about this film. Unlike the participants in this disturbing game, I didn’t need a strap to tie me down into my seat at the movie theater—I was happily (yet horrifyingly) planted there, unmoving, from beginning to end. I can only wonder about and look forward to what other great works the Philippou brothers will have in store for us in the future.

Reagan Fleming

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Originally published July 31st, 2023 on FilmAesthete.com.

The Five A24 Films You Never Knew You Needed

5. For when you’re in the mood for something but just don’t know what: Good Time

At this point, everyone has heard of the Safdie Brothers’ film, “Uncut Gems,” with Adam Sandler, but have you heard of “Good Time”? Both with the signature vibrant, jewel-tone colors and anxiety-inducing moments of a Safdie film, “Good Time” tells the story of Connie (Robert Pattinson), who is a bank robber attempting to free his brother, Nick, from the hospital after getting in a fight while in prison. Nick is played by Benny Safdie, part one of two of the Safdie brother duo. Paired with the soundtrack composed by Oneohtrix Point Never–who also composed the soundtrack for “Uncut Gems” under his real name, Daniel Lopatin–this film is a high-intensity roller coaster offset by some heartfelt moments sprinkled in. 

Streaming availability: Netflix

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4. For when you’re in the mood for a documentary: AMY

Only 27 years old when she died, Amy Winehouse was an award-winning vocal powerhouse that brought songs like Valerie, Rehab, Back to Black, Love Is a Losing Game, and Tears Dry On Their Own to the world. Almost always in a beehive hairstyle, the young singer’s life is shown through personal interviews and home videos, which delve into what was going on behind the scenes… or, stage.

Streaming availability: Showtime  

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3. For when you’re in the mood for a horror flick… but you’re not quite ready for Hereditary: Slice

When you hear that “Slice” tells the story of unsolved pizza delivery boy murders and that the pizza parlor that they work at just so happens to be sitting atop the gateway to hell, you may not know where the story could possibly go… or how it even became a movie. But with the likes of Paul Scheer, Chris Parnell, Zazie Beetz, Hannibal Buress, and Joe Keery (AKA Steve Harrington from “Stranger Things”)gracing the screen, Slice mixes the genres of horror and comedy very well. With ghosts, murders, a werewolf, and a coven of witches, it sounds like you might need to sleep with the lights on, but I promise that it’s not on the same level of disturbing as the incredible “The Witch” directed by Robert Eggers. It has enough laughs and absurdity for the comedic elements to tie with its jump-scares.

Streaming availability: Showtime

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2. For when you want to feel young and free and inspired: 20th Century Women

In 1979 Santa Barbara, California, single mom Dorothea (Annette Bening) and her son, Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), rent out rooms in their house to their friends that slowly become like family. The next-door neighbor, Julie (Elle Fanning); the Fuschia-haired artist and one of the tenants of the home, Abbie (Greta Gerwig); and the handyman on the property, William (Billy Crudup), all play a role in Jamie’s upbringing. Growing pains, 70s music and fashion, first loves, broken homes, and chosen family all make up this timeless period film. 

Streaming availability: Netflix 

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1. For when you just want to watch an incredible movie: Waves

Imagine having Animal Collective, Tame Impala, and Frank Ocean playing after the other in the background at the exact right moments, impeccable use of color, and mind-blowing performances from Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Sterling K. Brown as a father-son duo. No need to imagine, because Brown and Harrison, along with Lucas Hedges and the up-and-coming Taylor Russel star in “Waves,” Trey Edward Shults’ best drama yet. Harrison’s character, Tyler, struggles to manage the responsibilities he has as a normal teen in addition to the pressure he feels from his family, his wrestling team, his girlfriend, and the upcoming possibilities of what his life will look like after high school, so he copes in the only way he knows how. However, he finds out quickly that his decisions affect not only him but those around him.

Streaming availability: Showtime

These are the (semi) hidden A24 gems that I swear by. But why take my word for it? Go ahead and watch them yourself.

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Originally published February 10th, 2021 on FilmAesthete.com.

Toronto

We drove through a blizzard,
all to see Mom's family. 
White dust floated around us,
hitting the windshield like tiny,
soft pellets, but became tightly packed
when they hit the ground, the tires
grasping to find any traction
at 40 mph on the freeway—
the nine hours crept to twelve,
and our van crept right along with them.
We stopped for coffee, like every
road trip, but Dad couldn't finish his,
claiming it was too bitter for some reason.

Snowmobiles waited for us at
Uncle Larry's, but I couldn't drive one
at twelve; the massive contraptions
required strength and weight, both things
I didn't have at the time. My sister drove
while I sat behind, both of us in
coats and gloves and balaclavas,
teasing the cold by only showing our eyes.
She drove while I tilted left and right and
left, depending on which way we veered.
I went right when she drove the opposite,
and I shot into the air, only for a second,
then a belly flop on the ice told me
that no number of coats could provide
enough padding. I don't know why I
don't remember the bruising. Later, 
I'd find it pained me to breathe, one of my ribs
jutting out, ever so slightly.

That night, Dad brought me to pick up Thai food,
and we waited in a booth under a fluorescent light. 
He asked my opinion about his complexion, 
and I agreed that the dull glow gave it a
yellowish tinge. My uncle said jaundiced skin
could be a symptom of something—
something to do with the liver, and it was
more than just the lights, even though I
wish it wasn't. Four months later and
my rib still juts out as evidence of that trip, 
and we found that the florescent lights
didn't lie that night. 

(Published in Oral Roberts University's literary journal: Promethia—2018-2019 edition)

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Reagan Fleming

The Red Couch

It's happening again.

I push my eyes open and force myself to sit up, although I do so a little too quickly. I sit up straighter for a moment and close my eyes, even though the room is completely dark anyway. I hear scraping against the wall of the hallway, which just so happens to be on the opposite side of my bedroom door. Two, maybe three men's voices are now audible, although I can't understand them with their medical jargon—they are emergency medical technicians, back again for the second time this month.

I open my eyes and gingerly swing my legs over the side of my bed. I propel myself into a standing position and walk over to the light switch next to my door—my now stinging eyes squint almost to a close in response to the sudden light. I reach into my drawer and pull out a pair of comfy jeans, then I open another drawer and grab a loose-fitting t-shirt. I think to myself, "My shoes are by the door. I'll get them after the EMT's leave." 

I wait, fully dressed, sitting on my bed. I know that my mom will come in at some point to alert me on what has happened. It's no use, because I already know.

He's on his way to the hospital again, that part I know; it could be because he stopped breathing, like last week. Or, it could be something totally different, I mean, I'm not a doctor. I don't know all the possible side effects of cancer. 

I hear a soft tap on my door, unlike the harsh scraping from a few minutes ago. Scraping, which I know from experience, is the sound of a stretcher carrying my father away to the emergency room.

The door opens without my giving the OK, and it's not my mom, but my neighbor. She looks surprised that the light is already on and I am already dressed. She informs me that my dad was having trouble breathing, so my mom went with the EMTs to take him to the emergency room to make sure everything was "all right." She asks if I want her to stay the night and sleep on the living room couch. That couch is red. Red and very comfortable, shaping to your body once you lie on it for an hour or two. Before my dad got sick, I would leave my bedroom door open at night. Four nights out of seven, I could hear him out there snoring on that couch, completely oblivious to what was playing on the TV screen at that point. He would later go back to their bedroom after waking up from a loud blast from the TV, signaling that it was time for a commercial break. But as I drifted off to sleep in my bed, hearing him snore just a few rooms away was when I felt to most safe. Although lately, he's been limited to one room in the house, a makeshift "hospital room away from the hospital." 

I don't know why I told my neighbor that she didn't have to stay—I'm 12 years old. I don't have a fear of the dark per se, but I sure as heck don't like it. As we all could have guessed, I couldn't go back to sleep after she left.

“Too late now,” I tell myself. Before my neighbor left, she told me that my mom would be back in a few hours to check in on me. A few hours could mean anything to an adult. Me? I think: two hours. That's a few. Just to be safe, I'll say that she'll be back in three. That's enough time to give her to sit with my dad in the cold and dingy and unnecessarily loud hospital waiting room. That's enough time to wait on the doctor, to have the doctor check him out, and then to come back with the right medicines to make him feel better. 

I have my pajamas on again, and I can't decide which movie to fall asleep to. I turn on the lamp by the couch, decide on my second movie option, and put it in the DVD player. The living room is well-lit. I am by myself. The red couch is comfy, like always.

A little less than three hours to go.

(Published in Oral Roberts University's literary journal: Promethia—2018-2019 edition)

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Reagan Fleming

January 3 - April 11

Those four months, we catered to an unwelcome visitor
who took up residence, disrupting our home and
Dad's immune system.
Hearty meals exchanged for juices that
shrunk him down to size, like a lanky teenage boy,
bones sharp and jutting underneath loose layers,
his mouth now mute and
eyes wide with a childlike wonder
The carrots corrected his sight—
the ideal 20/20— 
but they didn't recognize me.

Those twelve years before, we had
breakfast and Nickelodeon on Saturday mornings,
basketball drills in the driveway, and you'd
come home right at 6pm, face beaming
when you looked at Mom.
You and I would play I Spy games while
perched in the big maple tree out front,
hidden behind green leaves turning to match the bark.
I'd cheat and choose a car that already passed,
but you'd let it slide and still guess incorrectly.
Now I wish I could choose
the good over the bad memories.

(Published in Oral Roberts University's literary journal: Promethia—2018-2019 edition)

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Reagan Fleming

The Death of the Patriarch

Like his hand, I try my own at all caps,
Los Lonely Boys singing on repeat.
The letters come out sloppily,
but the tunes have grown on me.

Sugar-cinnamon toast and surface-level chats,
topics about work, my school,
the only small talk my
introverted-self didn't dread. 

Music rekindles, it sparks my memory,
those 10 years, seemingly forgotten. 
But which one's which?
Which ones am I imagining? 

(Published in Oral Roberts University's literary journal: Promethia—2017-2018 edition)

Reagan Fleming

No Longer a Piggyback Religion

When I was around 6 years old, I had a dream – I was flailing away in the ocean, and someone reached out and saved me. Somehow, at that young age, I knew that it was God speaking to me through that dream, so when I woke up, I immediately accepted Jesus as my Savior. That was the start of my walk with God.

As the years went by and my 12th birthday came and went, my life was good: my family and I went to church every Sunday, my dad was my basketball coach, my oldest sister attended a Christian university, my other older sister went to a Christian high school, and I was homeschooled, where my mom was my teacher. I even discovered one of my passions at a young age: writing. My life was perfectly fine, until my dad was diagnosed with cancer.

It seemed as though time had stopped – my family immediately started praying and were believing for a miraculous and complete healing. I, little 12-year-old Reagan, followed suit. I figured that since Jesus died on the cross to take away all of our sins, sicknesses, and diseases (the first Bible story I was every told), that God certainly wouldn’t let my dad die from cancer. Believing this, I carried on with my life, thinking: He’ll get better one of these days. He’s not going to need a walker to get from point A to point B forever. God will heal him, and everything will go back to normal. Except, it didn’t. My dad died 4 months after his diagnosis.

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I really struggled with my faith because of unanswered questions, like: “God, why did You let my dad die?” and “Where were You all this time?” There was a period of at least a year after my dad died, where I put God on the back burner. I was constantly thinking that if God was who He said He was – a healer and my protector – then why did everything happen the way that it did? And of all people, why did it have to be my dad? My dad was an amazing follower of Christ; he is someone that I really looked up to, not only because he was well over a foot taller than me, but because his love and trust in God never wavered, even when he was at his sickest.

Losing my dad was a wake-up call: I was forced to realize that I didn’t have a real relationship with God, I was just piggybacking on my parents’ religion. I finally decided for myself that I didn’t want to continue to live my life this way. I was extremely lucky that I had my friends and the rest of my family around me, but after my dad’s death, I was still left feeling hopeless, depressed, lonely, and extremely confused. I now know that I felt so lost because I didn’t have an actual relationship with God to begin with. I needed to find out who I was in Christ on my own; I couldn’t live vicariously through my parents’ relationships with God. 

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Dealing with my father’s death made me realize two very important things: 

1. God doesn’t give us things that we can’t handle. When it feels like we’re being stretched too thin, God will always always be there for us (1 Corinthians 10:13). It felt like God ditched me after my dad died, but I realize now that He was always there, I just chose to ignore Him (Psalm 139:7-8).

2. God knows everything. God knows the day we were born and the day we will die (Psalm 139:16). It took me a very long time to understand that he didn’t die because we didn’t pray hard enough or we didn’t do this or that – my dad died when he did, because that was when his life was supposed to end.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die…”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

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It sounds scary, but God has our entire future in His hands. After my whole world got flipped around, God was still calm, cool, and had everything under control. He didn’t forget about the Fleming clan one day and poof, my dad got sick. God allows certain things to happen in this world that sometimes make no sense. And even though this may sound like an over-used mantra, it’s still true: everything happens for a reason.

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Right after I became a Christian, I didn’t immediately jump into “missionary” mode, wanting to save everyone that I came in contact with, and I wasn’t “on fire for God.” For me, my relationship with God was and still is constantly evolving; it started when I was 6 when I made that conscious decision to follow Him, and ever since then – bumpy roads and all – He has been constantly guiding me and walking alongside me. Even during the period of time where I tried to completely shut Him out of my life, He never did the same to me.

"…neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:39

Day by day, God has been showing me who He is, and I’ve been opening up more of my heart to Him. If God had answered my questions regarding my father’s death right after I asked them, I probably would have gone right back to the life that I was living, content with an explanation. But that’s the thing: the life I was living was not the life that God had for me. He wanted me to give up that piggybacked religion that I had held onto for so long, and figure out who I actually am in Christ. 

I had to ask (and still ask) God to give me a hunger and thirst for His Word and His love. It’s okay for you to do the same! Just because you’ve been a Christian for X amount of years or days doesn’t mean that you need to be at a certain place in your walk with God. God doesn’t base His love on our love for Him. Thank God!

I am now able to see that God was capable of pulling me through it all, like He did in my dream. Except now, instead of Him just pulling me out of the water, He pulled me out of so much more.

(Originally published here on wearebeautiful.org on 8.9.16.)

Reagan Fleming

Waiting for Mr. Fleming

Over the years i learned
to swallow my pain.
Yet it always came
up, enveloped
in blame.
No one knew to react,
no one knew to care. 
i just wanted the one
no longer
there. 

It wasn't your choice, no one
could choose
this.
The time to die, although
i wish i had a say in it.
Memories keep fading, 
yet i'm still
here. 
Waiting, waiting
for your six-foot frame
to reappear.  

(Published in Oral Roberts University's literary journal: Promethia - 2015-2016 edition)

Reagan Fleming

Nashville Live Concert Comes to Tulsa

The cast from the ABC show, “Nashville” performed a live concert at downtown Tulsa’s Brady Theater this Thursday. The actors and singers sang beautifully-written original songs from the TV series, ranging from season one up until the current season. The lineup included: Clare Bowen who plays Scarlett O’Connor, Aubrey Peeples who plays Layla Grant, Jonathan Jackson who plays Avery Barkley, Chris Carmack who plays Will Lexington and Charles Esten who plays Deacon Claybourne. The singers sang several songs never performed live. In addition, some singers including Carmack, Bowen and Peeples sang original songs, giving the audience a refreshing change.

The Brady Theater has two seated areas for the show: a balcony seating area overlooking the stage and a ground floor. The venue captured the same ambiance as the Grand Ole Opry, allowing for a more intimate and relaxed concert.

The show opened with Carmack singing a much-loved Will Lexington song, “What If I Was Willing.” The other performers came out one by one and performed a single song as their characters on the show. They all portrayed their character’s stage presence perfectly, making it feel as if the audience was watching them on TV.

The highlight of the entire night was when Esten and Bowen came into the crowd. The entire room went ballistic. Esten was the crowd favorite, especially when performing with his on-screen niece, Bowen. Bowen twirled across the stage in her bare feet and Esten impersonated Elvis with a popped collar at one point. The audience could clearly tell Esten was having the time of his life on stage; he is a natural performer.

The cast also performed covers of songs such as “Love Rescue Me” by Bono and Bob Dylan and Prince’s “Purple Rain.” The crowd gave the “Purple Rain” cover the most applause and acclamation. The entire stage took a purple hue during the song and Esten claimed the crew only practiced it earlier in the day. The crowd stood up to sing along to the extremely moving performance.

Nashville Live was the perfect concert to attend to in order to unwind after studying for hours, in spite of the loud, overly-enthusiastic men and women who screamed, “We love you!” to the performers multiple times. Each singer gave a stellar performance with crystal-clear voices, sharp movements, and spot-on harmonies. Catch the season four finale of “Nashville” on ABC, Wednesday, May 4 at 9 p.m.

(Originally published 4.23.16 on The Oracle's website.)

Story and photo by Reagan Fleming

Reagan Fleming

‘Nashville’ comes to Tulsa

ABC’s “Nashville” live in concert is an opportunity to see the characters perform original tracks from the TV show. The concert will be held at the Brady Theater Thursday, April 21.

The “Nashville” TV series premiered in 2012 and is still airing. This drama deals with the uncertainty of the country music scene. Actors Connie Britton from “Friday Night Lights” and Hayden Panettiere from “Heroes” entertain viewers with both their acting and singing capabilities.

Performing Thursday are: Clare Bowen (plays the role of Scarlett), Chris Carmack (plays the role of Will), Charles Esten (plays the role of Deacon), and Aubrey Peeples (plays the role of Layla).

The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are priced $29.50 to $59.50 depending on seat locations.

(Originally published 4.20.16 on The Oracle's website.)

Reagan Fleming

Spring outreach, all-school party share Saturday

The missions department is holding the annual Spring Outreach event, and the Student Association is throwing its annual SA All-School Party on the same Saturday, April 9.

Spring Outreach will be hosted at the South Tulsa Community House, the Tulsa Dream Center and the Boys and Girls Club. Each location will be open to students from 9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m., and to the community from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

“The theme revolves around this challenge: ‘What Could Be’ in the next generation if we empowered the youth in the Tulsa community to fulfill their dreams,” said Jaci Pringle, the head outreach coordinator. “We want to challenge the youth and leaders in these communities to believe that they can follow their dreams, that they can see change.”

The outreach will consist of development work-shops, food, games, music and dance performances, in order to bring ORU students and the Tulsa community together.

The event has been held annually for the past 10 years, and Pringle and the missions team are happy to share the day with SA’s All-School Party just a few hours later.

“We love partnering with SA, and love their heart for wanting to serve the students,” said Pringle. “It’s an awesome event and we’re pumped for the All- School event this year.”

The party is Saturday, April 9 at 5 p.m. in the field behind Towers. The party will be equipped with food, for a picnic with a Partiestival feel.

Students can play bubble soccer, the men’s and women’s intramural champions will be crowned and the bands Space Pod for Two and Gibraltar will both perform live.

“The party is a revised spring picnic, transformed to be more open and get more people to attend,” said Tara Lau from the SA programs department. “Why not make it a big celebration and give the students another opportunity to hang out?”

Saga will be closed during the All-School Party, but students can exchange a Saga-swipe for a meal and a free T-Shirt.

“The All-School Party is a wonderful end-of-the-year celebration,” said Lau. “It’s gonna be a lot of fun hanging out with friends as kind of a last hurrah.”

(Originally published 4.8.16 on The Oracle's website.)

Reagan Fleming