The ‘Karen’ meme set to become a horror movie

From phone screens to the big screen. Is there a more terrifying villain in modern times than Karen?

One of 2020’s real life boogeymen, ‘Karen’ has become a pseudonym for the privileged, pedantic (and often bob donning) busybody that preaches anti progressive views online and generally just litters comment sections with cringe inducing complaints.

When offline, the archetypal Karen can be found roaming restaurants and stores with a chip on her shoulder looking for any way to call on the authorities, often attacking people of colour without reason. The upcoming Karen themed horror movie is set to take these behaviours to a whole new level, rivalling the zombies and apparitions of genre classics.

While any promotional materials have yet to be released, TMZ is reporting that Orange is the New Black’s Taryn Manning is set to step into the bootcuts of the titular Karen, with Coke Daniels heading up the script writing and directing responsibilities.

2021: "Karen" movie comes out, starring Toni Colette
2022: "Simp" movie comes out, starring Mark Ruffalo and Ana de Armas
2023: the rapture begins and we all rise into heaven to meet the lord

— atrophy wife 🎀 (@zuza_real) August 24, 2020

Taryn’s character, Karen White (very imaginative), is an entitled white woman residing in America’s deep South who believes people should stick to their own kind – a common hallmark of the Karen. When an African American family who happen to be avid Black Lives Matter supporters cosy up next door, she unleashes an insidious agenda to oust them from the neighbourhood by any means necessary.

In its infancy, the film is already drawing comparisons to last month’s Shudder Original ‘Host’ for its reference to, and satirical take on current affairs. Taking place on a single Zoom call, Host follows six friends as they partake in a séance to pass the time during the Covid-19 lockdown. Without dropping any spoilers, they get more than they bargained for.

Currently boasting a flawless critic review score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has already become something of a cult classic for new wave horror, and similar success with Karen would really point to social commentary being a win for the genre going forward. When it comes to separating the wheat from the chaff, immersion will always a key factor, and what’s scarier than introducing real life stakes?

Judging by Daniels’ early comments, he seems staunch on really tapping into the social justice and race relations angle in a meaningful way, instead of merely piggybacking a global movement for maximum virality, and that bodes well for its chances of success once it rolls out.

Early impressions indicate that this is a something of a modest project likely to make its way straight onto subscription hubs, and not to fill multiplexes across the globe. IMDB has projected a release for 2021, by which point we hope there are a few less real-life counterparts knocking about.