Month 7 of Auteur Almanac: A Curation of Atmospheric, Alluring Assemblage Art
Welcome to Auteur Almanac, a new monthly series in which I will explore a unique dark theme curated through a gothic lens. Each installment will serve as a guide to the season, featuring these four categories:
- Visual Vault: A Moodboard
- The Midnight Marquee: A Movie Watchlist
- Ambient Accords: Fragrance Notes
- The Grim Advent: Curated Dates
Since it is still technically Summerween, I wanted to focus on another one of my favorite subgenres to dive into. I absolutely love maritime nightmares so naturally, I wanted my mid-summer curation to reflect that. This month, we are leaving the typical beach days behind and I am dedicating this issue entirely to eerie, foggy coastal horror.
Visual Vault
The Midnight Marquee
Jaws (1975) - dir. Steven Spielberg
Synopsis: When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to kill the beast before it strikes again.
Thoughts: What a masterclass in suspense. The iconic and innovative score, the fear-inducing cinematography, and the terrifyingly plausible man vs. nature plot is everything that instilled a deep fright in me of the deep ocean. Of course it had to be the first on this month’s list with the realism and atmosphere, it was shot on location in the Atlantic Ocean and since I grew up on the east coast, it just feels very close to home for me. Jaws is not only grounded, gritty, and authentic, but it made horror so personal that it remains effective five decades after its release. I also did get a chance to see the Jaws exhibit pieces at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in LA back in 2024 and it was unreal for me. It still did not take away from the horror that I witnessed when I first saw the film.
Piranha (1978) - dir. Joe Dante
Synopsis: When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort’s rivers, the guests become their next meal.
Thoughts: I know people consider this a “rip-off” of Jaws but I kind of love how inspired it is. It was absolutely produced to capitalize on the success of it, and I even found out that Universal Studios originally intended to sue to stop Piranha from being released but Spielberg loved the film and famously called it “the best of the Jaws rip-offs” so he convinced them not to. Although, it till has the slow-burn discovery of the threat, a reckless town official ignoring warnings, and tense aquatic attacks, I can appreciate how the swarm kills are pretty gory and brutal. I first watched this at the start of summer last year and it was a perfect atmospheric watch. If you have seen Jaws but have missed this one, I think now in July is the best time to do so.
The Bay (2012) - dir. Barry Levinson
Synopsis: Two million fish washed ashore. One thousand blackbirds dropped from the sky. On July 4, 2009 a deadly menace swept through the quaint seaside town of Claridge, Maryland, but the harrowing story of what happened that Independence Day has never been told—until now. The authorities believed they had buried the truth about the tragedy that claimed over 700 human lives. Now, three years later, a reporter has emerged with footage revealing the cover-up and an unimaginable killer: a mysterious parasitic outbreak. Told from the perspective of those who were there and saw what happened, The Bay unfolds over 24 hours through people’s iPhones, Androids, 911 calls, webcams, and whatever else could be used to document the nightmare in Claridge. What follows is a nerve-shredding tale of a small town plunged into absolute terror.
Thoughts: With mockumentary horror becoming more popular, this is a wildly underrated one. It builds dread through a slow-burn, realistic scenario rather than jump scares. It chronicles the slow breakdown of a town during a Fourth of July weekend which fits perfectly for this list. I feel like there are pretty few and far between differences between all found footage movies but this one really gives something new.
Dangerous Animals (2025) - dir. Sean Byrne
Synopsis: A savvy and free-spirited surfer is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer. Held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below.
Thoughts: This just came out last year but of course I had to add another shark movie. Since Jaws is already on here and is the OG, I thought I’d include one where the sharks are included but aren’t the main character. You get a plot line with a tense serial killer along with shark sequences. It makes for a high-stakes, thrilling survival film that serves as a pretty decent entry in modern, fast-paced horror.
The Fog (1980) - dir. John Carpenter
Synopsis: Strange things begin to occur as a tiny California coastal town prepares to commemorate its centenary. Inanimate objects spring eerily to life; Rev. Malone stumbles upon a dark secret about the town’s founding; radio announcer Stevie witnesses a mystical fire; and hitchhiker Elizabeth discovers the mutilated corpse of a fisherman. Then a mysterious iridescent fog descends upon the village, and more people start to die.
Thoughts: The atmosphere, the moody suspense, and the classic campfire-style storytelling makes this a criminally underrated gothic ghost story. I love the chilling synth score and the memorable aesthetic, the glowing fog, the lighthouse radio station and the menacing, hook-wielding ghost sailors just pair well with any of the other movies on this list.
The Lighthouse (2019) - dir. Robert Eggers
Synopsis: Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.
Thoughts: Egger’s sophomore feature is masterfully crafted like his other films. It has incredible performances by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson and has a unique, claustrophobic black-and-white cinematography that dives into the madness and isolation of maritime mythology. It’s gritty, gnarly, and multi-layered but so very worth the watch.
Ambient Accords
The Grim Advent
I pulled together a few dates for July that feel right for the season or simply just stand out to me. Feel free to use any of them to plan a movie night if they resonate with you for a little summer horror celebration (and possibly a chance to explore some nautical dread).
Monthly Celebrations
National Anti-Boredom MonthNational Ice Cream MonthNational Picnic MonthNational Grilling MonthDaily Celebrations
1: Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day1: International Joke Day1: International Chicken Wing Day2: I Forgot Day2: World UFO Day3: Disobedience Day3: Stay Out Of The Sun Day4: United States Independence Day5: International Bikini Day6: International Kissing Day6: National Fried Chicken Day7: Chocolate Day8: Video Games Day9: Fashion Day10: National Motorcycle Day11: Cheer Up The Lonely Day14: Shark Awareness Day16: National Cherry Day18: National Tropical Fruit Day19: National Ice Cream Day20: Moon Day21: National Junk Food Day23: Vanilla Ice Cream Day24: Cousins Day24: National Drive-Thru Day24: National Tequila Day25: National Carousel Day27: National Love is Kind Day28: National Waterpark Day30: International Day Of Friendship30: Paperback Book Day31: International Lifeguard Appreciation Day
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