Rent We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021)

We're All Going to the World's Fair review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Those who are adept at YouTube and adore horror are most likely aware of augmented reality narratives. It’s a brand of horror that taps into the alluring nature of urban legends and tests how much we want to believe in them online. You may have come across one or two videos that come branded with cryptic messages and surreal, often nightmarish, imagery to craft the narrative that something spooky is happening online. Finally, there’s a horror film that perfectly taps into this tempting of narratives with We’re All Going To The World’s Fair.

The film’s central character is Casey (Anna Cobb), a teenager with a depressing life. Living mostly in solitude with her single father, she spends her evening with the lights off and YouTube on her laptop. Seeking something more out of life, she decides to take part in the World’s Fair challenge. The challenge is simple. All you need to do is say the phrase “I’m going to the world’s fair” three times, smear some blood on your laptop, and then watch a video of strobing lights. You then document what happens to you after the ritual. What’s fascinating is that we start with Casey performing the ritual and then experience her aftermath. We see her sleepwalk and wake up with a maniacal smile in the darkness. Has the curse affected her or is this just her playing a role to keep the ritual alive?

The ritual itself is made all the more real by the compounding videos on the topic that dip in and out of the picture. We see other people post-ritual who find themselves losing their minds by screaming into the camera mid-sentence or pulling stuff out of their skin. We witness copypasta-style creepy videos on the topic, ranging from ASMR videos to retro video games carrying messages of the curse. It’s all the familiar trappings of any online curse that we want to believe in, saturating ourselves with as much creepiness as possible to let the sensation course through our bodies.

The limits of the World’s Fair story are put to the test when Casey is contacted by JLB (Michael J. Rogers), a middle-aged man fascinated by the World’s Fair himself. The two connect over a Skype call in which JLB shows concern but also talks about philosophies of reality and perceptions. It seems like there’s something more going on here and there’s a questioning of just how far one can go with this online trend. There’s a clashing of realities where the game mutates and confuses those who play, where those not in on the creepypasta stagings may mistake playful horror for genuine terror.

Those hoping for a horror film that turns ARG tales real may be disheartened to learn that this low-budget film never goes for that cheap thrill. There’s no monster that comes out of the computer nor is there some spooky World’s Fair relic that holds the dark secrets to this curse. It is a surprisingly high-concept psychological horror that perfectly portrays the mindset of those who dabble and delight in online paranoia. It also tests how much we’re willing to believe in what we are told. Even by the finale of the film, there’s an ambiguity to a statement by JLB where it’s up to the audience to decide whether or not the film ended the way he describes it.

We’re All Going To The World’s Fair is not going to be everyone’s type of horror film. If you’re hoping for frights and gore, look elsewhere. If you’re in the mood for more of a modern-day Blair Witch instead of the commercial horror that Blair Witch has transformed into, this is definitely an intriguing film worth checking out if you’re already engrained in the ARG mindset or want to learn how this madness appears in film form.