Emily Marinelli is the author of the new book Comfort Sequels: The Psychology of Movie Sequels from the 80s and 90s. Also a psychotherapist, they live in California and Vermont.
Q: What inspired you to write Comfort Sequels?
A: For years I knew I wanted to write about my favorite movie sequels from my childhood. It was hard to be a queer fabulous kid growing up working class in Oklahoma, raised by a single mom, and with trauma and chaos all around my life. Movie sequels saved me from this world.
I couldn’t be the only kid who pressed rewind on the VCR to watch my favorite movies over and over again. I couldn’t be the only kid who dressed up my Barbies and reenacted a musical number from Grease 2. I couldn’t be the only kid who got into a Walmart Catwoman costume and executed a trampoline routine in honor of Michelle Pfeiffer from Batman Returns (ok, maybe that was just me).
Surely there were others like me who loved to watch the same things on repeat. As a psychotherapist and pop culture nerd, I wanted to explore what makes us want to experience the same things over and over. Why we want MORE of what makes us feel good.
Comfort Sequels explores the psychology of comfort, like the comfort these movie sequels provided me when I was younger, and still do today.
Comfort Sequels: The Psychology of Movie Sequels from the 80s and 90s tell stories about my life through the movie sequels of my childhood. It celebrates the ludicrous campiness of these films and the nostalgia that they conjure. Every chapter is a love letter to a specific movie sequel.
The book covers the following 11 comfort sequels; The Great Muppet Caper, My Girl 2, Batman Returns, Mannequin Two: On the Move, Grease 2, Dream a Little Dream 2, Ghostbusters II, Karate Kid Part II, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, and The Evening Star.
Q: Of the various films you write about, which are your top three favorites?
A: Great question. And SO hard to pick because they are all so amazing. But here are some of my top loves:
3. Mannequin Two: On the Move. I watched it in the movie theater when it came out. I was 10 and with my cousins and my mom and aunt. I thought the adults would fall asleep but they ended up laughing their asses off right along with us. What are the chances that a mannequin could come to life TWICE in one lifetime? This movie sequel answers that very question.
I was able to interview the amazing Stu Pankin (Mr. James, department store manager) who told stories of filming and how the actors had the flexibility to improvise on this film. You might know him as the voice of the dad in the TV show Dinosaurs from the ‘90s. Meshach Taylor returns as Hollywood Montrose, a queer icon who is the true unsung hero of the film. As a young queer kid watching, seeing his representation really mattered to me.
2. My Girl 2. Nothing like this coming of age story of Vada’s romance post the death of her best friend Thomas J from the first film. What will her life be like after losing him? My Girl 2 shows us a fierce, determined burgeoning feminist Vada, who seeks to learn about her mother who died during childbirth. Vada goes to LA and on a journey of putting puzzle pieces together of her mom’s life and also her own.
In the book I write about my own close relationship with my mom, my love of mood rings like Vada, and my first real kiss, like the one Vada gets in this film! I won’t spoil it but it’s super cute.
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1. My number one fav sequel has been and will always be Grease 2. I watched it literally every day. I listened to the soundtrack on my Walkman at school. I even recorded the movie audio on a cassette tape so I could listen to the movie on road trips and while other kids were playing in the neighborhood.
I mean, it’s Michelle Pfeiffer (Stephanie) reclaiming her agency as an independent woman. It’s HER song “Cool Rider” telling viewers what SHE wants in a guy. Unlike Sandy from Grease, Stephanie isn’t changing for anyone--she kisses who she wants, when she wants and it better be a Cool Rider, damn it.
The script is wonderfully cheesy, the whole thing is over the top with songs like “Reproduction” and “Score Tonight” and I can recite every word.
I was lucky enough to interview three T-Birds from the film (Leif Green, Chris McDonald, and Maxwell Caulfield aka the Cool Rider himself) for my book. To find out what Maxwell Caulfield thinks about the tattoo portrait I have of him on my calf, you have to read that chapter! Also if you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for!? ADD TO CART!
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what is comforting about a sequel?
A: I first wanted to title the book Best/Worst Sequels. I mean, they are certainly the best movies to ME having watched them on repeat in my childhood. But so many of them are actually kinda terrible, thus Best/Worst seemed fitting.
For example, Dream A Little Dream 2 went straight to HBO for a reason, it’s overly plot complicated and super strange. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, literally has no “secret” as purported in the subtitle, but they kept the name anyway. Bold choice.
After working with my amazing publisher and editor (shout out to David and Scott) at Fayetteville Mafia Press, they suggested I call the book Comfort Sequels, which more accurately gets at what I’m going for: comfort.
For me, sequels are just more of a good thing. More comfort. More security. More safety. More family. More home. More ridiculousness. More laughter. More predictability. More of the universe we love—exploring something new while maintaining the familiar.
When a film touches me, makes me deep belly laugh, and has that feel-good spirit, I want more of it. I want the continuing story. I want the same story, even, just recycled and offered in a slightly new way. What felt so good about the original could come back twofold— the same, but also different.
What are your favorite movie sequels? What films or TV shows bring you comfort and that you love watching over and over again? This book encourages readers to think about what was and is comforting to them.
Q: Would you describe this book as a memoir?
A: I didn’t know it was a memoir at first. I pitched it to my publisher as a pop culture nonfiction book, analyzing films using a psychological framework.
When I started attending an Advanced Creative Nonfiction Workshop in San Francisco with the spectacular Kerry Muir, she and a wonderful group of writers encouraged me to explore the memoir aspect that was peeking through my writing.
Thankfully I listened and leaned completely into storytelling this way. It made what was once a commentary on pop culture into a meaningful and rich exploration of how these sequels impacted and informed my childhood.
They provided comfort and safety and helped me survive trauma. They were and are so healing. The book morphed into the memoir it needed to be to tell the stories it needed to tell.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m working on a follow up book to Comfort Sequels called Comfort Musicals, which takes on my favorite musicals chapter by chapter in a similar format.
I’m also co-authoring a book on trauma and the cult classic TV show Twin Peaks called Fix Your Hearts: Transforming Trauma in Twin Peaks (to be released in 2026). On the topic of Twin Peaks, I host the Twin Peaks Tattoo Podcast where I interview fans about their Twin Peaks tattoos and what their ink means to them. You can listen on iTunes and Soundcloud.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Well, everyone should know that Grease 2 is better than Grease. Yep, I said it. If you think differently about this, Comfort Sequels will change your mind and your life. You’re welcome.
Pick up a copy of Comfort Sequels at tuckerdspress.com or Amazon or wherever you buy books. Follow me online at @emsmarinelli. Thanks so much for the opportunity to share!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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