Comfort Sequels the Psychology of Movie Sequels from the ’80s and ’90s

In the late eighties and early nineties, while other kids were playing softball, Emily was sporting a Pink Ladies jacket, perfecting Michelle Pfeiffer’s ＂ Cool Rider＂ choreography from Grease 2, and wearing out the VHS player. Comfort Sequels is a sneaky memoir, celebrating the campiness and nostalgia that these films evoke. Every chapter is a love letter to a specific movie sequel. As a licensed psychotherapist and psychology professor, Emily interprets characters, story arcs, and major themes in a unique voice from a unique perspective while sharing fun and random behind-the-scenes facts about each film. Comfort Sequels covers the following twelve comfort sequels; Grease 2, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, My Girl 2, Karate Kid: Part II, The Great Muppet Caper, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze, Ghostbusters II, Batman Returns, Dream a Little Dream 2, Mannequin 2: On the Move, The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter, and The Evening Star.

Emily Marinelli (they/them) is a genderqueer- and queer femme-identified Virgo writer and artist. Originally from Oklahoma, they now split time between California and Vermont. They are a psychotherapist and graduate professor in counseling psychology. They are a writer on the 25YL, Film Obsessive, and TV Obsessive websites, and The Blue Rose Magazine. Em was selected to participate in the 2023 Yale Writers’ Workshop to work on Comfort Sequels. Follow them online at @emsmarinelli.