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Tyler Dean

@tmdean.bsky.social

117 followers 88 following 119 posts

Literature professor and writer with a penchant for the Gothic, vampiric, and decadent. Guillermo del Toro but sadder and hornier. Check out my pop culture articles on reactormag.com/author/tyler-dean/

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Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 26m

We begin our fantasy-horror crossover series with weekly entries for the 80s Fantasy Film Club in the month of October! First up is the dreamy, iconic, extremely homoerotic vampire film, The Lost Boys! Like and share and comment over at @reactorsff.bsky.social reactormag.com/the-lost-boy...

The Lost Boys: Punk Vampires, Aging Hippies, and a Killer Soundtrack - Reactor

This movie left an indelible imprint on the vampire genre (and also on fans of sexy saxophone solos).

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

We finish up Sword & Sorcery September (and grant it a one day reprieve) over at @reactorsff.bsky.social to finish out the De Laurentiis Conan trilogy and give #RedSonja the drubbing it deserves. Read, share, like and comment on this abysmal follow up to two of cinema’s great B movies.

Red Sonja: Swords, Sorcery, and Sexism - Reactor

Even a legendary female warrior can't escape a script filled with misogyny, homophobia, and terrible clichés

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Emily Axford having owned a sock monkey named “Mansocks” is bowling me all the way over.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

#ConantheDestroyer might just be the best sequel that does a complete 180 on the tone of the original. Read my loving paean to a big, dumb, goofy mess of a movie.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Thanks so much! It means a lot to me

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Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Hot twink summer!

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I had three articles published this week. The vicissitudes of publishing meant they flipped from peans to the late #TimCurry to my rip-roaring defense of Conan the Barbarian. Read my hear-me-out on why it’s a feminist(?) masterpiece(?) in need of reexamination. Comment on the site, like, and share!

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

So I actually was lucky enough to write two pieces on Tim Curry’s legacy. You can read my elegy on what he did for me and for a whole legion of queer kids at @artforum.com Like and share &c &c #timcurry

Tim Curry's performances and film and TV were gifts to generations of queer children

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Was mostly just excited to see it do well enough to be a fuck you to Zaslav. Was not expecting it to be a legitimately fantastic comedy. Up there with Who Framed Roger Rabbit (seriously).

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Reactor was kind enough to publish a (far from capacious) deep dive into the late great Tim Curry’s filmography. Read it and comment and share as you see fit. RIP Tim.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

He epitomized a subversive playfulness that undermined fragile machismo but never lacked an edge. There was no man I more wanted to be. I hope he rests well and had any inkling of the difference his mere existence made for so many.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Before I understood my own queerness and my own gender fluidity, #TimCurry was my earliest model for a masculinity that didn’t terrify and disgust me.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

My article on The Sword and the Sorcerer (a film that is deeply uninvested in both) is up at @reactorsff.bsky.social Go comment and share as you see fit! reactormag.com/the-sword-an...

The Sword and the Sorcerer: A Stabby, Silly, Not Very Sexy Adventure - Reactor

So much lore, and none of it matters... but at least the sword is cool.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

End of Oak Street feels like the very best of dumbass Shyamalan glory. Insane dialog. Inscrutable family dynamics. Still pretty fun. Big Trap energy

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Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Autoplaying “Married At First Sight” after “Obsession” was a fucking CHOICE, Peacock.

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Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

It’s been another excellent season and I’m going to miss writing these for the next two years. Go read my explainer for @reactorsff.bsky.social on the finale of #HotD S3. Comment, share, all the things! reactormag.com/tv-review-ho...

Betrayals and Atrocities Bring a Near Perfect Season to a Close: House of the Dragon, Season 3 Episode 8 - Reactor

Let's unpack the expected and unexpected treasons and tragedies, and a few other major surprises...

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Eyyyyyyy Topps, whattaya think you’re doinggggggg?The 80s Fantasy Film Club is highlighting the greatest Sci-Fi Disco Biblical Allegory Musical every made! Read my encomium for The Apple over at @reactorsff.bsky.social! Like it, share it, comment on the site!

The Apple: Sex, Drugs, Disco, and Biblical Allegories - Reactor

A bizarre rock musical in which nothing is subtle, and everything is covered in glitter

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Reposted by Tyler Dean

Reactor Magazine @reactorsff.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

An image that reads "Gender is a Spectrum" with pictures of Geralt of Rivia, Sephiroth, Griffith, and Elric of Melnibone at different axes

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

A relatively deathless penultimate episode of a GoT show but still filled with visceral, dragon-y goodness! Read my latest HotD article @reactorsff.bsky.social Comment and share! Stay tuned for the finale! reactormag.com/tv-review-ho...

Pale Horses, Prophetic Dreams, and Bad Omens: House of the Dragon, Season 3 Episode 7 - Reactor

A betrayal is revealed, a future is glimpsed, and a character we thought dead returns... also: DRAGONFIGHT!

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Season Three is winding down (or perhaps racing to an inevitable conflagration). Read my latest explainer/review for House of the Dragon season 3! Comment on the article itself over at @reactorsff.bsky.social, share it, give it a like! reactormag.com/tv-review-ho...

No Glory, No Songs, Only Butchery: House of the Dragon, Season 3 Episode 6 - Reactor

Well... that ended badly. But on the bright side: mystery eggs!

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

It’s definitely another Corman film!

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

A real nadir for the patriarchy’s aesthetic output! Read my article at @reactorsff.bsky.social on the Corman-produced Sorceress and maybe take some tiny comfort in the fact that, if nothing else, the male gaze in films has gotten somewhat better? Comment and share!

Sorceress: A Low Point in Sleaze-and-Sorcery Sexploitation - Reactor

Roger Corman presents the male gaze at its most jaundiced and bloodshot.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Supergirl was fine? Milly Alcock great. Questionable final act. Lots of tonal inconsistency. But like, didn’t deserve the hate (including the hate that didn’t come from a deeply misogynistic place). But like fine! Also Bradley Cooper and David Krumholz should always play brothers.

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Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Wanna read about Naathi butterflies, a quasi-encomium for Criston Cole, and a thorough accounting of all the minute differences between book and show at this point? You are in absolute luck! Share it, comment on the article itself, and follow along for more HotD goodness at @reactorsff.bsky.social

Rushing Headlong Toward a Terrible Fate: House of the Dragon, Season 3 Episode 5 - Reactor

White Worms, deadly butterflies, and some significant departures from the source material...

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

An enthno-nationalist autocratic religious zealot subverting recognized succession laws to seize power? Sounds a little far fetched for the usually grounded and gritty fantasies of Westeros. Read my new article up at @reactorsff.bsky.social ! #hotd #ormund reactormag.com/tv-review-ho...

A New Villain Shimmies Into the Dance: House of the Dragon, Season 3 Episode 4 - Reactor

Notes on Hightower ethno-supremacy, surprise pregnancies, and a focus on the smallfolk in Tumbleton...

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Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

RIP Bonnie Tyler, you sang the very best version of the very best pop song about vampires ever written and for that I am eternally grateful.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

My article on John Boorman’s maximalist fantasia, Excalibur, is up at @reactorsff.bsky.social ! Come for the blowtorch staff; stay for the sex in full plate mail! reactormag.com/excalibur-an...

Excalibur: An Epic Tale of Swords, Sorcery, and Baffling Tonal Shifts - Reactor

A deeply flawed, fascinating, and visually stunning film from director John Boorman.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Oh sure! But mostly just because it is so focused on a close third person narrative for a single character

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Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Folks have been pointing out it’s the closest that any episode of any GoT series has gotten to replicating the scope and feel of an actual chapter from the books

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

A fantastic bottle episode ratchets up the tension on the most recent episode of #HotD. Read my article on @reactorsff.bsky.social, leave a comment, share it with friends! reactormag.com/tv-review-ho...

Suspicious Minds, Rats, and Imposters: House of the Dragon, Season 3 Episode 3 - Reactor

Rhaenyra sees enemies and traitors everywhere, and questions of legitimacy weaken a key alliance.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Read my explainer/review for the latest episode of HotD! Comment, share, all the normal things! reactormag.com/tv-review-ho...

Fishfeed, Severed Heads, and Political Theater: House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 2 - Reactor

The cooler heads of an older generation meet violent ends, and Rhaenyra puts on a brave face...

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

It’s a double whammy this week for @reactorsff.bsky.social articles authored by yours truly. The next entry in #80sFantasyFilmClub column is on #TheBlackCauldron: Disney’s disastrous take on The Chronicles of Prydain. Comment and share; help us remember this thing perhaps better left forgotten!

The Black Cauldron: The Dark Fantasy Disney Tried to Bury - Reactor

Intrepid young adventurers, a bard, some witches, and a bit of necromancy — how did this adaptation go so wrong?

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

And now my watch begins! My explainer for the season premiere of House of the Dragon is up at @reactorsff.bsky.social ! Go and read it. Comment on the site! Share it with friends! Mostly enjoy #HotD season 3–it’s Game of Thrones at its absolute best! reactormag.com/tv-review-ho...

House of the Dragon Roars Back to Life in Its Season 3 Premiere - Reactor

A spectacular sea battle and a major character death set the stage for all-out war.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

It’s #hotd season! Follow me for weekly, Monday explainers and coverage as we go, episode by episode at Reactor Magazine! #houseofthedragon #teamgreen #teamblack #emmadarcystanaccount

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Definitely! I feel like She-Ra always had slightly more intrinsic potential to be taken seriously

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Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

It’s very dumb fun—which like, what more does one want from that property?

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Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

I regret to inform you that I enjoyed Jared Leto in the new Masters of the Universe movie.

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Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

My article on Terry Gilliam and John Neville’s The Adventures of #BaronMunchausen is up at @reactorsff.bsky.social It’s a wild and mostly not too racist ride. Share this article, comment on it over at Reactor itself or interact in whatever way you see fit. reactormag.com/the-adventur...

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen: The Life and Times of a Master Storyteller - Reactor

Revisiting Terry Gilliam's wildly ambitious, extravagant celebration of the power of imagination.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I recently lost my partner in lengual masochism (to bullshit and betrayal not to death). Who wants to join me in unnecessary sacrifice?

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

That fragment of The Lovely Bones book club on today’s Widow’s Bay is one of my favorite niche jokes in all of TV

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Alright Folks! My article on the 1988 Masters of the Universe film is up at @reactorsff.bsky.social for your reading pleasure, just in time to see Jared Leto. That’s two for two on problematic cinematic Skeletors. reactormag.com/masters-of-t...

Masters of the Universe (1987): Epic Villains, Huge Swords, and Cynical Cash Grabs - Reactor

He-Man and his weird friends are here to sell toys and save the universe...

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Get ready for a wild read as my 80s Fantasy Film Club column over at @reactorsff.bsky.social takes on the Cannon Film “classic” Hercules featuring some of the wildest interpretations of Greek Mythology this side of Jean Cocteau’s Orpheus (albeit much much worse). reactormag.com/hercules-a-c...

Hercules: A Confusing Shlockfest of Heroic Proportions - Reactor

In which Hercules battles the robo-centaurs, and punches a bear into space.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Amazon airing an ad for the US Marines during The Boys really feels like confirmation of the death of satire.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Oh no! I deeply identify with Cailee Spaeny’s character. RSD Representation FTW? #beefseason2

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Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

My article on Henson and Froud’s #TheDarkCrystal. One of the films that I have VERY specific memories of being too young for and scared out of my mind. Is it art? Is it a failure? I explore all those options in my piece below! reactormag.com/the-dark-cry...

The Dark Crystal: Misunderstood Masterpiece or Traumatic Nightmare Fuel? - Reactor

Too frightening for small children, but maybe a bit too boring for everyone else?

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

My article on everyone’s favorite David Bowie’s junk vehicle, #Labyrinth, is up at @reactorsff.bsky.social for my 80’s Fantasy Film column! Share it and comment and go bask in those unevenly dilated pupils! reactormag.com/labyrinth-mu...

Labyrinth: Muppets, Bowie, and the Pain of Impending Adulthood - Reactor

Name a better musical fantasy movie about our fear of growing up.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Molly Grue is perfect

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Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

This is not an April Fool’s prank! My article on The Last Unicorn is up at Reactor! Go share it and comment on it and make it impossible for literary agents to ignore it! reactormag.com/the-last-uni...

The Last Unicorn: A Fantasy Classic Whose Beauty Never Fades - Reactor

Beyond simple nostalgia, this movie was a foundational part of so many childhoods...

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Michael B Jordan winning for Sinners has given me just enough joy to probably watch the Oscars again next year.

Tyler Dean @tmdean.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

The Bride had so much to say. And it’s a surreal riotous romp. It’s a shame it had no way of marrying those two impulses. Frustratingly close to being sublime.

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