Please forgive me
For the things I say and do
Please forgive me
For the pain I put you through
Please forgive me
For my selfish ways
Please forgive me
Tomorrow is another day
Please forgive me
For what I've said in the past
Please forgive me
I'm not sure how much longer I can last
Please forgive me
For what I say is the truth
Please forgive me
I've never stopped loving you
Bargin Books, Games, Music, Movies & More
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
What Do Horror Movie Fans Really Want?
A question that has plagued writers, directors, producers and even stars within the horror community for years: What do fans of the genre really want to see?
It is a rather broad question seeing as there are so many sub-genres within the horror genre itself. From campy movies, with red paint for blood, through to supernatural thrillers, that leaves you questioning the existence of the paranormal universe, to slashers, that create some of the most iconic horror movie villains of all time, to jaw-dropping, vomit-inducing, gut-wrenching torture films that leave audiences covering their eyes and screaming for their lives.
The hardest part with this topic is that horror movies fans, like all cinema goers, are unique in their tastes. Millions of people enjoyed the Paranormal Activity movies, where as I have to fake interest every time I write about it simply because I thought they were as boring as watching paint dry. I love the original Halloween movie from 1978, but quite a few of my friends prefer to watch the 2007 remake, citing that they were able to connect more with that version as opposed to the original.
So what do horror movie fans really want?
For the purpose of understanding this topic, I took to Twitter to ask my followers what they really like about horror movies. Director/Producer/Writer James Cullen Bressack (the man behind such movies as MY PURE JOY and more recently HATE CRIME) simply said a good story and compelling characters are what a movie needs in order to gain his complete attention.
James’ words were echoed by many of my followers with one even stating that he wanted to see, quote, “Fresh stories. Gore is wonderful but without a compelling storyline it’s just over the top for the sake of being shocking.”
I have to agree with their statements. When it comes to horror movies I prefer something that is a combination of blood, guts and gore and suspense. But if the movie doesn’t contain believability or believable characters, then I’m not interested in watching it. A balance between shocks and genuine scares is a fine line that is only cemented in a handful of films.
I’ve stated once before that realism is the key to creating genuine scares and a storyline that has audience truly disturbed. But realism is also needed when creating the characters. Superficial characters work well in campy horror movies, because audiences aren’t expecting something serious. They’re expecting over acting, terrible effects and cheesy one-liners.
So what do I really want in a horror movie?
Believable characters for starters. And by believable I mean intelligent, articulate, serious, and humorous. I’m basically after someone I can relate too. Characters that constantly curse and use foul language is not something I desire to see. If I want to witness that, I’ll jump on a nearby train. I’m looking for a serious, believable storyline that injects humor that can slip under the radar if need be. As I’ve stated previously, I’m a slashers girl, so give me a killer with a grudge who hides in the shadows until the opportune time. Does the killer need a back story and/or motive? No. Things are a lot scarier when you have no motive, no rhyme or reason for being stalked. Give me a movie with a chilling music score that ups the suspense used by great directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and John Carpenter. Give me blood, just not copious amounts to the point that it becomes gut-wrenching. And give me an acceptable body count. Don’t try to see how many people you can off in the space of ninety minutes. That’s overkill. I feel that a maximum body count without losing the plot, or the feel, of the film is between five and eight. The only person who should have more victims than that each film is Jason Voorhees because that’s what we’ve come to expect from him.
I’m sure there are many readers that will disagree with me on what I’ve just said, but that’s the beauty of the horror genre. Our tastes are all unique. But regardless if you’re a fan of campy horror like SLEEPAWAY CAMP or 2001 MANIACS, or prefer something more serious like WOLF CREEK or SESSION 9, one thing remains the same; without a good storyline to suck you in and characters that you can relate to, the movie is a bust.
Let me know what you think. What do you REALLY want in a horror movie?
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Sex In The Corner Pocket
A low buzzing caused Riley to stir.
She opened one eye slowly, her body twitching, tugging on the restraints that held her in place. Restraints?
Both eyes snapped open as Riley stared at her wrists. Sure enough there were leather cuffs attached to her wrists followed by a long chain. She glanced down at her feet and saw the same thing.
Feeling panicked she tried to sit up, her naked body writhing on felt. Felt? Riley glanced down. She was on top of the pool table in the basement. Her body was naked, tied spread-eagled to the pool table, the chain looping underneath, holding her securely. She tried to call for help, but realized her mouth was filled with a ball gag.
Riley’s eyes widened when the buzzing sound grew louder, her body thrashing about. It took a few seconds for her to realize it was coming from the vibrator buried deep inside her. Her muscles clenched, tightening around it, feeling the intense vibrations rip through her body.
As she groaned, verging on the edge of an orgasm, Riley turned her head towards the door. There he was leaning against the door frame, ankles crossed, arms folded across his chest. Her heart was beating frantically at the sight of his bare chest, a light smattering of hair running down his body towards his jeans. The bulge in his jeans suggested he had been watching her for a while.
Riley muffled a plea, begging him with her eyes to remove the large vibrator from her and replace it with his tumescent manhood.
A smile crossed his face as he held up a small, black, object. Riley’s eyes widened when she realized what it was. A remote control. He pressed a button and the plug in her rectum began to vibrate too causing her to arch her back high off the pool table and cry out as a powerful, thunderous orgasm shook her to her core.
He lowered the vibrations and approached her, discarding his jeans on the couch. He ran his fingers lightly over her sweaty body, feeling her shudder beneath his touch.
She was breathing hard, her breasts rising and falling rapidly, her blue eyes flickering open as she felt him tweak her nipples until the resembled hard peaks.
Leaning down, he took one into his mouth, letting his tongue run over it, flickering against the delicate bud, feeling it harden further. Her whole areola was engorged as he continued to tease the nipple with his tongue.
As he moved onto the other nipple his hand ran down the plain of her belly, feeling the smoothness of her skin. He removed the vibrator that was buried deep inside her and turned it off. He could feel her slickness on it and couldn’t resist inserting his fingers into her moist heat.
Riley groaned, tossing her head back, eyes closing as his fingers began working their way in and out of her body, curling upwards and rubbing against her G-spot. Every now and then he would remove them and rub her clitoris, causing small tremors to pass through her body.
He removed his mouth from her nipple causing a moan of displeasure from her. Riley watched as he moved between her legs, pulling her closer to the edge so he could trace his tongue over her quivering pussy, soaking up her juices that were sliding out of her and down her thighs onto the pool table below.
He took his time, feeling her grind her hips against his tongue as he probed inside her, flicking her clitoris, feeling her thighs shake as he explored her body.
He could tell she was getting close to another orgasm. Her hands had bawled into fists as she pulled on the restraints. Her toes curled, catching the end of the pool table and her breathing became far shallower then before.
Sucking her clitoris into his mouth he heard her gasp as her second orgasm for the day took control of her. Riley’s body began to twitch, her head shaking from side to side as she rode out the wave of pleasure.
Just as her body began to calm itself, he climbed atop her, pressing his impressive erection directly into her with one swift thrust. That was enough for Riley to endure her third orgasm for the afternoon.
Her pussy twitched, clenching at his throbbing appendage as he lay motionless inside her. As she relaxed he began moving, feeling the vibrations from the butt plug course through her.
The scent of sex was in the air as he ploughed into Riley, watching her blonde hair fall across her face, matted by her sweat. Her creamy white skin held a tinge of pink as she grew more excited.
Reaching up, he cupped her breasts with both hands, his hips bucking against her, grinding his cock deep inside her. She bucked against him as his fingers toyed with her nipples, cruelly tweaking them until they were as hard as diamonds.
Her muffled cries of pleasure flooded his ears. He kneaded her breasts, the palms of his hands rubbing over her fully erect nipples.
Releasing one breast, he reached down beside him, picking up the remote control. He pressed a button and the butt plug vibrator he had inserted in her while she was sleeping roared to life, sending off intense vibrations right through her back passage.
He could feel his cock responding to it. The feeling deep inside her was incredible to begin with, but adding the vibrator was just another level of pleasure.
Grabbing her hips with his hands, he began pounding into her, harder than before, feeling her meet his thrust for thrust.
He was close to coming. He could feel his cock throb painfully inside her. He pressed the button on the remote control, turning the vibrating butt plug up to its highest setting, catapulting Riley into another powerful orgasm that had her inner muscles tighten around his cock, milking him until he exploded deep inside her.
Sweat trickled down his nose as he lower the intensity of the butt plug. His breathing was rapid. He slid out of her, his coming mixing with her juices fell onto the felt top of the pool table. It would be a bitch to clean.
Riley grunted softly as she felt him slid the vibrator back into her soaking wet pussy. She happily clamped down on the invader, satisfied as it filled her.
Grabbing his jeans, he turned to leave the room. Just before he left, he turned to look back at her. Riley’s half open eyes stared back at him, pleading with him to untie her and let her go. Her soft, muffled moans and twitching body told him that she was exhausted.
Holding up the remote, hit turned the vibrator in her pussy on. Riley cried out, arching her back, trying to expel the teasing silicone cock. Watching her reaction caused him to smile. He walked out the door, pressing the remote until it was on the highest possible setting.
“Enjoy, love,” he called back to her, ascending the stairs. “I’ll be back for another game soon.”
She opened one eye slowly, her body twitching, tugging on the restraints that held her in place. Restraints?
Both eyes snapped open as Riley stared at her wrists. Sure enough there were leather cuffs attached to her wrists followed by a long chain. She glanced down at her feet and saw the same thing.
Feeling panicked she tried to sit up, her naked body writhing on felt. Felt? Riley glanced down. She was on top of the pool table in the basement. Her body was naked, tied spread-eagled to the pool table, the chain looping underneath, holding her securely. She tried to call for help, but realized her mouth was filled with a ball gag.
Riley’s eyes widened when the buzzing sound grew louder, her body thrashing about. It took a few seconds for her to realize it was coming from the vibrator buried deep inside her. Her muscles clenched, tightening around it, feeling the intense vibrations rip through her body.
As she groaned, verging on the edge of an orgasm, Riley turned her head towards the door. There he was leaning against the door frame, ankles crossed, arms folded across his chest. Her heart was beating frantically at the sight of his bare chest, a light smattering of hair running down his body towards his jeans. The bulge in his jeans suggested he had been watching her for a while.
Riley muffled a plea, begging him with her eyes to remove the large vibrator from her and replace it with his tumescent manhood.
A smile crossed his face as he held up a small, black, object. Riley’s eyes widened when she realized what it was. A remote control. He pressed a button and the plug in her rectum began to vibrate too causing her to arch her back high off the pool table and cry out as a powerful, thunderous orgasm shook her to her core.
He lowered the vibrations and approached her, discarding his jeans on the couch. He ran his fingers lightly over her sweaty body, feeling her shudder beneath his touch.
She was breathing hard, her breasts rising and falling rapidly, her blue eyes flickering open as she felt him tweak her nipples until the resembled hard peaks.
Leaning down, he took one into his mouth, letting his tongue run over it, flickering against the delicate bud, feeling it harden further. Her whole areola was engorged as he continued to tease the nipple with his tongue.
As he moved onto the other nipple his hand ran down the plain of her belly, feeling the smoothness of her skin. He removed the vibrator that was buried deep inside her and turned it off. He could feel her slickness on it and couldn’t resist inserting his fingers into her moist heat.
Riley groaned, tossing her head back, eyes closing as his fingers began working their way in and out of her body, curling upwards and rubbing against her G-spot. Every now and then he would remove them and rub her clitoris, causing small tremors to pass through her body.
He removed his mouth from her nipple causing a moan of displeasure from her. Riley watched as he moved between her legs, pulling her closer to the edge so he could trace his tongue over her quivering pussy, soaking up her juices that were sliding out of her and down her thighs onto the pool table below.
He took his time, feeling her grind her hips against his tongue as he probed inside her, flicking her clitoris, feeling her thighs shake as he explored her body.
He could tell she was getting close to another orgasm. Her hands had bawled into fists as she pulled on the restraints. Her toes curled, catching the end of the pool table and her breathing became far shallower then before.
Sucking her clitoris into his mouth he heard her gasp as her second orgasm for the day took control of her. Riley’s body began to twitch, her head shaking from side to side as she rode out the wave of pleasure.
Just as her body began to calm itself, he climbed atop her, pressing his impressive erection directly into her with one swift thrust. That was enough for Riley to endure her third orgasm for the afternoon.
Her pussy twitched, clenching at his throbbing appendage as he lay motionless inside her. As she relaxed he began moving, feeling the vibrations from the butt plug course through her.
The scent of sex was in the air as he ploughed into Riley, watching her blonde hair fall across her face, matted by her sweat. Her creamy white skin held a tinge of pink as she grew more excited.
Reaching up, he cupped her breasts with both hands, his hips bucking against her, grinding his cock deep inside her. She bucked against him as his fingers toyed with her nipples, cruelly tweaking them until they were as hard as diamonds.
Her muffled cries of pleasure flooded his ears. He kneaded her breasts, the palms of his hands rubbing over her fully erect nipples.
Releasing one breast, he reached down beside him, picking up the remote control. He pressed a button and the butt plug vibrator he had inserted in her while she was sleeping roared to life, sending off intense vibrations right through her back passage.
He could feel his cock responding to it. The feeling deep inside her was incredible to begin with, but adding the vibrator was just another level of pleasure.
Grabbing her hips with his hands, he began pounding into her, harder than before, feeling her meet his thrust for thrust.
He was close to coming. He could feel his cock throb painfully inside her. He pressed the button on the remote control, turning the vibrating butt plug up to its highest setting, catapulting Riley into another powerful orgasm that had her inner muscles tighten around his cock, milking him until he exploded deep inside her.
Sweat trickled down his nose as he lower the intensity of the butt plug. His breathing was rapid. He slid out of her, his coming mixing with her juices fell onto the felt top of the pool table. It would be a bitch to clean.
Riley grunted softly as she felt him slid the vibrator back into her soaking wet pussy. She happily clamped down on the invader, satisfied as it filled her.
Grabbing his jeans, he turned to leave the room. Just before he left, he turned to look back at her. Riley’s half open eyes stared back at him, pleading with him to untie her and let her go. Her soft, muffled moans and twitching body told him that she was exhausted.
Holding up the remote, hit turned the vibrator in her pussy on. Riley cried out, arching her back, trying to expel the teasing silicone cock. Watching her reaction caused him to smile. He walked out the door, pressing the remote until it was on the highest possible setting.
“Enjoy, love,” he called back to her, ascending the stairs. “I’ll be back for another game soon.”
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Review: The Killage
Archery, Skip-rope, Campfires, Murder, Orienteering... Whoa - Back up. Murder? Yes, that’s true. Murder is afoot in this comedy/horror right out of my own backyard. Rhiannon Irons, a.k.a Ahlephia, here with a new in-depth review of another Australian film. This time I tackle the horror/comedy styling of THE KILLAGE. WARNING: There may be spoilers.
It’s a well known fact that Australians
have a unique sense of humor. So what
happens when you take that humor, team it up with a group of relatively unknown
actors, set it at a campsite in Queensland and then have a psycho killer
running around? One of the funniest
comedy/slashers ever made.
The storyline is as follows: A group of eleven recruits, composed entirely of excruciating social stereotypes, embark on a weekend long retreat for work. This retreat is designed to see who is capable of being the next team leader. Everything goes relatively smoothly until the first campfire where a killer’s presence is made known with a simple note that reads “I’m going to kill each and every one of you (very creatively).” (Fun Fact: The camp used in the film is where I spent my year 12 camp back in 2003)
From that point on, all hell breaks loose as the recruits begin accusing each other of writing the sinister note. Most of them shrug it off as a poor attempt at a joke, not wanting to take it seriously, but when the bodies begin piling up, they soon realize that it’s anything but a joke.
The one thing I loved most about this film is how it took the stereotypes you see from other horror films (i.e.; the dumb jock, the bimbo girlfriend etc) and completely turned everything upside down. There are plenty of references to horror films of old, not necessarily by name, but by what is expected to happen next.
Before I go any further into the story (and the creative kills) let’s take a look at the characters.
There’s Warren (Dryden Bingham), the nerd, who has a fixation for his camera that is always around his neck. He seems to understand the situation better than anyone else and is always full of ideas…just not always good ones.
There’s Gus (Joe Bauer), the gui-tard, who is more preoccupied with his guitar and chasing Emily around then finding out who the killer is. He’s a little on the dopey side and doesn’t take anything too seriously.
There’s Lucy (Laura Jane Turner), the lesbian, who claims that she isn’t a lesbian. She’s best friends with Gus and Warren but she hides her affections for Warren (more about that later).
There’s Krystal (Meisha Lowe), the bimbo, who’s better known as Bam-Bam by her boyfriend Jock. Krystal is the quintessential dumb blonde who seems to care more about her boyfriend then he cares about her.
There’s Jock (Andrew O’Sullivan), the…erh….jock, who’s more interested in his biceps then what’s happening around him. I will give Jock some credit because he does come through, proving his usefulness later on in the film. Plus he walks around naked for most part of the movie.
There’s Andre (Cameron Sowden), the druggie, who spends the entire time insisting that he’s not a druggie. Gus repeatedly accuses him of it as both of them are carrying guitar cases. Andre insists that his isn’t to carry a bong but rather a violin.
There’s Madison (Johancee Theron), the Goth, whose addiction to reading Satan: The Unofficial Biography left me in stitches. Her obsession with all things gloomy and repressed really is the social stereotype that society projects.
There’s Hannah (Carmel Savage), the Yuppie bitch, and boy, what a bitch she is. She stares down her nose at everyone, especially Madison and Krystal, though she claims to be friends with Krystal. Needless to say, she’s one character that you really wouldn’t miss.
There’s Dickman (Daniel Johnston), the asshole, and let me tell you, he really lives up to his name. He’s the only character to don an American accent and is in a wheelchair. Despite his foul mouth and attitude, he provides a wicked sense of humor and is mostly responsible for the laughs this film gets.
There’s Dimitri (Jess Thomas-Hall), the fairy. This character is literally so gay he makes Jack from Will And Grace look straight. He has a slight obsession with Jock (when you watch it, you’ll see what I mean) and despite his meek nature; he really has a mean streak…and a powerful bitch slap.
There’s Emily (Rita Artmann), the hot and smart girl, which spends most of the film agreeing with Warren and trying to lose the highly obsessed Gus. Her brains are her strong point, but pay special attention to what she writes down on her notebook after they all arrive at camp. (Hint: It’s an important clue)
And last but not least, there’s Patrick (Mark Theodossiou), the dorky camp instructor, who’s all smiles until he reads out the note. Upon hearing a noise, he disappears into the woods to find out what it is….Hey, I didn’t say he was smart.
Joe Bauer wrote and directed this film with a budget of just $20,000. Most of the clothing seen in the film was the wardrobes of the actors themselves. The camp that is the main stage of the movie could only be hired for a limited amount of time and it rained nearly the entire time they were filming. Most of the film was shot in a space of just two weeks.
THE KILLAGE exploits every horror cliché in the book far better than any film I’ve seen before. It trumps SCARY MOVIE hands down, and considering what a small budget it had, this was an unbelievable achievement in filmmaking.
It was inventive, creative and above all, original which is something that seems to be lacking with modern horror movies.
Now, what kind of review would this be if I didn’t go into some of the more gory details? The deaths were creative and quoting the killer “Notice how I used every day items available so that nothing could be traced back to me.”
From extremely strong dental floss to a nail sticking out of the floor boards, to a high heeled shoe and a deck of cards, THE KILLAGE had something for everyone. Some of the deaths we didn’t see; only the aftermath, which was a shame because the head on a pike could have been a very interesting thing to film. Other deaths were over really quickly while others were painfully drawn out.
But I do want to pause for a moment to talk about one death. I won’t say who was killed as not to spoil anything for those wanting to watch it. I’ll just call them V…for victim. V is outside throwing up. One body has just been discovered and V’s reacting to that. After the vomiting stops, V looks up and sees another body. Startled, V looks up and there’s the killer looking back at them. The killer begins running towards them and V screams, taking off into the woods. As V is running, they constantly turn back to see if the killer is behind them and ends up running into a tree. Dazed and confused, V holds their head, pulling out their compass from orienteering earlier that day and try to pinpoint their location in the middle of the night. There’s a noise and V turns around. Suddenly their eyes are wide and V turns their back to the camera. A high heel shoe is sticking out of their head.
I must say, it was a pretty impressive death. What made it more real was having V run into a tree. How many times have I seen a Friday The 13th movie and wondered when someone, who was running through the woods constantly looking behind them, was going to hit a tree, or fall into a ditch. But it never seemed to happen.
Despite its good points, THE KILLAGE does have some downfalls too. The over the top acting from some of the characters for starters, although that seems to be deliberate, fitting in with their stereotype characters. While it tends to mock horror films and their clichés, at some points it tends to go overboard, bordering on tedious. Like when we see Gus in his room playing his guitar; a shadow walks past his door. He turns around, calls out “Hello?” before turning back. The shadow passes the door again. Gus turns back around, staring at the open doorway. This goes on for a minute. Every time he turns away from the door, the shadow passes by. By the end I was praying for something to kill him just to make it stop. Funny on paper, tedious on film.
Another thing that bothers me is the stupid one liners the victims say as they are dying. Terrible lines like “I fold” after having a throat slit by a deck of cards isn’t funny. It’s over the top and briefly draws me out of the story. Even Freddy Krueger’s one liners weren’t that bad and he was the king of them in the 80’s.
And last, but not least, the over kill of the killer was also bordering on terrible. Granted, most horror fans scream out “Hit them again” when we see the hero or heroine finally take control and fight back. But this was just insane. The survivors take to the killer with an axe. They chop the killer’s face in half, stating they were aiming for the neck and missed. Taking another swing at it, the axe lands in the killer’s mouth. If that wasn’t enough they dump the killer on the ground before driving over them repeatedly until we see nothing but legs and squished torso. But our survivors are still not done. The dump the remaining parts of the killer into the camp fire and watch as the fire engulfs them, spitting on the charcoaled remains. (Fun Fact: The red oozing out from under the car was actually a watermelon)
Of course, no film is perfect and taking into considering what Joe Bauer and his crew had to work with, the outcome is pretty outstanding.
Realism: 3/10
Entertainment: 10/10
Film Quality: 7/10
Storyline: 6/10
Overall Rating: 6.5/10
If you’re looking for something to pass the time, I highly recommend THE KILLAGE. It’s hilarious and horrifying, not to mention award winning. (Fun Fact: THE KILLAGE won Best in Festival at the Crystal Palace International Film Festival 2011 as well as Winner of the Spooky Movie trailer competition in Washington DC 2011)
Not the greatest horror film around, but mark my words, THE KILLAGE will become a cult classic. After all, here in Australia, we know what really scares you.
The storyline is as follows: A group of eleven recruits, composed entirely of excruciating social stereotypes, embark on a weekend long retreat for work. This retreat is designed to see who is capable of being the next team leader. Everything goes relatively smoothly until the first campfire where a killer’s presence is made known with a simple note that reads “I’m going to kill each and every one of you (very creatively).” (Fun Fact: The camp used in the film is where I spent my year 12 camp back in 2003)
From that point on, all hell breaks loose as the recruits begin accusing each other of writing the sinister note. Most of them shrug it off as a poor attempt at a joke, not wanting to take it seriously, but when the bodies begin piling up, they soon realize that it’s anything but a joke.
The one thing I loved most about this film is how it took the stereotypes you see from other horror films (i.e.; the dumb jock, the bimbo girlfriend etc) and completely turned everything upside down. There are plenty of references to horror films of old, not necessarily by name, but by what is expected to happen next.
Before I go any further into the story (and the creative kills) let’s take a look at the characters.
There’s Warren (Dryden Bingham), the nerd, who has a fixation for his camera that is always around his neck. He seems to understand the situation better than anyone else and is always full of ideas…just not always good ones.
There’s Gus (Joe Bauer), the gui-tard, who is more preoccupied with his guitar and chasing Emily around then finding out who the killer is. He’s a little on the dopey side and doesn’t take anything too seriously.
There’s Lucy (Laura Jane Turner), the lesbian, who claims that she isn’t a lesbian. She’s best friends with Gus and Warren but she hides her affections for Warren (more about that later).
There’s Krystal (Meisha Lowe), the bimbo, who’s better known as Bam-Bam by her boyfriend Jock. Krystal is the quintessential dumb blonde who seems to care more about her boyfriend then he cares about her.
There’s Jock (Andrew O’Sullivan), the…erh….jock, who’s more interested in his biceps then what’s happening around him. I will give Jock some credit because he does come through, proving his usefulness later on in the film. Plus he walks around naked for most part of the movie.
There’s Andre (Cameron Sowden), the druggie, who spends the entire time insisting that he’s not a druggie. Gus repeatedly accuses him of it as both of them are carrying guitar cases. Andre insists that his isn’t to carry a bong but rather a violin.
There’s Madison (Johancee Theron), the Goth, whose addiction to reading Satan: The Unofficial Biography left me in stitches. Her obsession with all things gloomy and repressed really is the social stereotype that society projects.
There’s Hannah (Carmel Savage), the Yuppie bitch, and boy, what a bitch she is. She stares down her nose at everyone, especially Madison and Krystal, though she claims to be friends with Krystal. Needless to say, she’s one character that you really wouldn’t miss.
There’s Dickman (Daniel Johnston), the asshole, and let me tell you, he really lives up to his name. He’s the only character to don an American accent and is in a wheelchair. Despite his foul mouth and attitude, he provides a wicked sense of humor and is mostly responsible for the laughs this film gets.
There’s Dimitri (Jess Thomas-Hall), the fairy. This character is literally so gay he makes Jack from Will And Grace look straight. He has a slight obsession with Jock (when you watch it, you’ll see what I mean) and despite his meek nature; he really has a mean streak…and a powerful bitch slap.
There’s Emily (Rita Artmann), the hot and smart girl, which spends most of the film agreeing with Warren and trying to lose the highly obsessed Gus. Her brains are her strong point, but pay special attention to what she writes down on her notebook after they all arrive at camp. (Hint: It’s an important clue)
And last but not least, there’s Patrick (Mark Theodossiou), the dorky camp instructor, who’s all smiles until he reads out the note. Upon hearing a noise, he disappears into the woods to find out what it is….Hey, I didn’t say he was smart.
Joe Bauer wrote and directed this film with a budget of just $20,000. Most of the clothing seen in the film was the wardrobes of the actors themselves. The camp that is the main stage of the movie could only be hired for a limited amount of time and it rained nearly the entire time they were filming. Most of the film was shot in a space of just two weeks.
THE KILLAGE exploits every horror cliché in the book far better than any film I’ve seen before. It trumps SCARY MOVIE hands down, and considering what a small budget it had, this was an unbelievable achievement in filmmaking.
It was inventive, creative and above all, original which is something that seems to be lacking with modern horror movies.
Now, what kind of review would this be if I didn’t go into some of the more gory details? The deaths were creative and quoting the killer “Notice how I used every day items available so that nothing could be traced back to me.”
From extremely strong dental floss to a nail sticking out of the floor boards, to a high heeled shoe and a deck of cards, THE KILLAGE had something for everyone. Some of the deaths we didn’t see; only the aftermath, which was a shame because the head on a pike could have been a very interesting thing to film. Other deaths were over really quickly while others were painfully drawn out.
But I do want to pause for a moment to talk about one death. I won’t say who was killed as not to spoil anything for those wanting to watch it. I’ll just call them V…for victim. V is outside throwing up. One body has just been discovered and V’s reacting to that. After the vomiting stops, V looks up and sees another body. Startled, V looks up and there’s the killer looking back at them. The killer begins running towards them and V screams, taking off into the woods. As V is running, they constantly turn back to see if the killer is behind them and ends up running into a tree. Dazed and confused, V holds their head, pulling out their compass from orienteering earlier that day and try to pinpoint their location in the middle of the night. There’s a noise and V turns around. Suddenly their eyes are wide and V turns their back to the camera. A high heel shoe is sticking out of their head.
I must say, it was a pretty impressive death. What made it more real was having V run into a tree. How many times have I seen a Friday The 13th movie and wondered when someone, who was running through the woods constantly looking behind them, was going to hit a tree, or fall into a ditch. But it never seemed to happen.
Despite its good points, THE KILLAGE does have some downfalls too. The over the top acting from some of the characters for starters, although that seems to be deliberate, fitting in with their stereotype characters. While it tends to mock horror films and their clichés, at some points it tends to go overboard, bordering on tedious. Like when we see Gus in his room playing his guitar; a shadow walks past his door. He turns around, calls out “Hello?” before turning back. The shadow passes the door again. Gus turns back around, staring at the open doorway. This goes on for a minute. Every time he turns away from the door, the shadow passes by. By the end I was praying for something to kill him just to make it stop. Funny on paper, tedious on film.
Another thing that bothers me is the stupid one liners the victims say as they are dying. Terrible lines like “I fold” after having a throat slit by a deck of cards isn’t funny. It’s over the top and briefly draws me out of the story. Even Freddy Krueger’s one liners weren’t that bad and he was the king of them in the 80’s.
And last, but not least, the over kill of the killer was also bordering on terrible. Granted, most horror fans scream out “Hit them again” when we see the hero or heroine finally take control and fight back. But this was just insane. The survivors take to the killer with an axe. They chop the killer’s face in half, stating they were aiming for the neck and missed. Taking another swing at it, the axe lands in the killer’s mouth. If that wasn’t enough they dump the killer on the ground before driving over them repeatedly until we see nothing but legs and squished torso. But our survivors are still not done. The dump the remaining parts of the killer into the camp fire and watch as the fire engulfs them, spitting on the charcoaled remains. (Fun Fact: The red oozing out from under the car was actually a watermelon)
Of course, no film is perfect and taking into considering what Joe Bauer and his crew had to work with, the outcome is pretty outstanding.
Realism: 3/10
Entertainment: 10/10
Film Quality: 7/10
Storyline: 6/10
Overall Rating: 6.5/10
If you’re looking for something to pass the time, I highly recommend THE KILLAGE. It’s hilarious and horrifying, not to mention award winning. (Fun Fact: THE KILLAGE won Best in Festival at the Crystal Palace International Film Festival 2011 as well as Winner of the Spooky Movie trailer competition in Washington DC 2011)
Not the greatest horror film around, but mark my words, THE KILLAGE will become a cult classic. After all, here in Australia, we know what really scares you.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
When A Stranger Calls
Amber Duran watched the expensive black BMW
pull out of the drive. She waved goodbye
to the doctor and his wife before entering the house and closing the door.
As she locked the door and set the alarm, a small hand tugged at her T-shirt. “Amber, we’re bored,” came a voice belonging to nine year old, Nathan Carpenter, one of the children she was babysitting that evening.
“So, what would you like to do?” she asked, punching in the remaining number on the security alarm before turning her attention to him and his sister, Hannah, who was only seven.
Nathan shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. You’re the babysitter. You’re supposed to entertain us,” he told her, shoving his hands in the pockets of his bathrobe.
It was only six o’clock but because Nathan and Hannah had been battling the flu for the past week they were already dressed for bed. Amber sighed. She hated babysitting. She hated it even more when the children were brats. Add on the fact that they were sick and this was Amber’s idea of Hell.
“Actually, Nathan, the job of a babysitter is to make sure you two are safe,” she told him, trying not to smile smugly at him. She pointed to the front door. “No one is getting in there, so technically, I’ve done my job.” With that, she turned on her heel and marched off towards the living room where her school bag was. She had a mountain of homework plus an assignment to finish off so the less time she spent entertaining the brats, the better it was going to be for her.
Nathan and Hannah followed meekly, shuffling their slippers on the wooden floor. “But, Amber, we’re bored!” he complained, whining loudly.
Sighing loudly, Amber felt her head begin to pound as a headache began to set in. “Fine, go and grab a board game and we’ll play a few rounds before you two head off to bed. If you’ve been sick then bed is the best place to be.”
Hannah grinned before running off to the study to find a game to play. Amber flopped onto the couch and chewed on her nail. Just how she wanted to spend her Friday night. Cooped up with a bunch of sick kids that in turn will probably make her sick too.
When Hannah returned she held up Candy Lane. Amber forced a smile to her face and fought the urge to roll her eyes. She hated Candy Lane.
Forty minutes later, Amber’s patience was running out. She had lost two quick games to Hannah and Nathan was slowly falling asleep, his body succumbing to the flu symptoms.
“I win again!” cried Hannah, bouncing up and down, her fists raised above her head. Amber rolled her eyes. “Okay kiddo, we’re done for the night,” she announced, getting to her feet. “Nathan, come on. It’s bed time.”
Hannah began to plead that they get to stay up a little later, but a coughing fit soon put an end to that. Begrudgingly, she and her brother made their way upstairs.
Sighing, Amber began packing up the game, her head on a tilt as she listened for the tell-tale signs that the kids weren’t climbing into their beds, but rather playing in their room. After a few minutes of not hearing a noise Amber walked up to their room, poking her head in to make sure they were in bed. Hannah had snuggled down with her teddy bear while Nathan was out to it, his mouth open as he snored softly.
Closing the door quietly, Amber smiled. She had the entire house to herself, providing that she didn’t make too much noise.
She made her way back downstairs and into the kitchen. The best part about babysitting was raiding the fridge.
As she stood there with the door open she heard a noise. Tilting her head to one side and listening intently, Amber wondered where the sound had come from.
Closing the fridge door, Amber listened, her heart racing. Something wasn’t right.
THUMP.
There it was again. Grabbing the largest kitchen knife she could find, Amber made her way into the hall, all senses on high alert.
Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, the phone rang.
Shrieking in surprise, Amber raced to answer it, hoping that the noise hadn’t woken the sleeping children. She tripped on the rug before reaching a hand up to the coffee table, fumbling for the handset.
“Hello? Carpenter residence,” she said, puffing heavily, rubbing her knee.
Silence greeted her.
“Hello?” She counted to three before hanging up. Clearly a crank call. Or possibly a wrong number.
She placed the phone back in the cradle and got to her feet. She lifted the leg of her jeans. Her knee was sore and she was almost certain it would bruise. She poked it and winced. Yes, it would most definitely bruise.
Hobbling towards the kitchen Amber hoped that the Carpenters had an ice pack. She pulled open the freezer when the phone rang again.
Sighing, Amber closed the freezer door and moved as quickly as she could back into the living room. Picking the phone up, Amber noted it was coming from an unknown number.
“Hello? Carpenter residence,” she answered, ignoring the throbbing that was happening in her knee.
Once again she was met with silence. Getting irritated Amber clucked her tongue. “Whoever this is, this isn’t funny,” she said. “It’s highly annoying. Call back again and I’ll rip your ball off and force you to eat them.” She slammed the phone back down and waited. If it was a prankster, they’ll call back. They always do.
Sure enough, the phone began to ring. Amber answered with an exasperated, “Hello?”
This time rather than silence, Amber could hear heavy breathing. “Hello?” she said again, her voice firm with an edge of irritation.
“Have you checked the children?” came a raspy male voice.
Amber felt the palms of her hands grow clammy as she tried to slow her pounding heart with deep, steady breaths. “Dr. Carpenter?” she asked. The man on the other end hung up.
Amber raced back into the kitchen, still clutching the phone and the knife. She checked the emergency numbers on the fridge. Dr. Carpenter had said they were going out to dinner before going to the ballet. His phone would be switched off at the ballet and promptly turned back on when it finished which would be about eleven o’clock.
Glancing at the wall clock, Amber swore under her breath. It was just 8:45 which meant the Carpenter’s would have finished dinner and would be on their way to the ballet.
She dialed the cell phone number anyway, hoping that he or his wife would pick up.
“Hello. You’ve reached Dr. Jason Carpenter. I am unavailable to take your call at the moment. If this is a medical emergency, beep me. Otherwise, leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”
“Hi, Dr. Carpenter. It’s Amber, the babysitter. I was just wondering if you called here a little while ago. I’m getting some strange phone calls and I wanted to be sure that it wasn’t from you. Please call me back.”
She hung up, feeling flustered, her heart still pounding away in her chest.
Glancing around the corner, Amber could see the stairs. Putting the knife down on the counter and shoving the phone into the back pocket of her jeans, Amber started towards the stairs, her hand gliding gently over the wooden railing.
She stood outside the children’s bedroom, her ear pressed against the door as she listened. She couldn’t hear anything except the sound of the sound machine the kids used in order to get to sleep. Quietly, Amber opened the door and popped her head into the room. Both Nathan and Hannah were sound asleep, both of them cuddling a teddy bear each.
“Sleep tight, kids,” Amber whispered, closing the door.
No sooner had she made it downstairs then the phone rang. Amber let out a sharp scream, fumbling for the phone, startled by the sudden noise.
“Hello?” she said breathlessly.
“How are the children?”
The phone fell from Amber’s hand, hitting the hardwood floors with a thud. Her heart was racing, in danger of leaping out of her chest like a cartoon character. She dived on the phone. “Who is this?!” she demanded, trying to steady her shaking voice.
There was nothing but silence on the other end. Then came the dial tone.
With tears in her eyes, Amber dialed 911, chewing nervously on her nail.
“I need the police!” she told the operator.
As she was being patched through, Amber rang around the lower level of the house, closing all the curtains, scanning the outside of the house to see if anyone was watching her.
“This is Officer Porter. How can I help you?”
“My name is Amber Duran. I’m babysitting Dr. Jason Carpenter’s children and I’m getting harassing phone calls from some man.”
“Are they obscene? What does he say?”
“No, they’re not obscene. Sometimes he just doesn’t say anything at all. He just keeps calling. Then he asked me if I had checked the children. Then he called back after I had and asked how they were. He’s watching me, I know it.”
“Ma’am, you’re going to have to calm down. Now there’s nothing I can really do, but I’ll put in a call to the telephone company and ask them to trace the number. Do you have the address of where the house?”
Amber flipped through some of the mail on the coffee table until she found an envelope. “Yes. It’s 1630 Revello Drive.”
“I know where that is,” Officer Porter said. “I’ll have a unit swing by, but it’ll probably take half an hour. If he calls back, you have to keep him on the line for a full minute. Then we’ll be able to trace his whereabouts. Will you be alright until then?”
Amber nodded meekly before replying softly with, “Yes.” She thanked Officer Porter and hung up.
Standing in the lounge, Amber wiped the tears away from her cheeks. “It’s probably just some loser from school,” she told herself in an attempt to calm her nerves.
The phone rang again. This time Amber looked at her watch as she answered.
“Hello?”
All she could hear was heavy breathing.
“I know you’re there,” she said, eyes still fixed on her watch. “I can hear you breathing. What is it that you want?”
The breathing continued.
“Are you calling for the Carpenters?” she asked, biting her lip, hoping he’d say something obscene so she could ring the police back.
He didn’t respond.
Fear was building within Amber and she swallowed hard to remove a lump that had formed in her throat.
“You obviously want something, otherwise you wouldn’t be calling me. So just tell me what you want.”
Her watch ticked over. She had done. He was on the phone for a full minute.
“To bathe in your blood,” came his raspy voice.
Disgusted, shocked and terrified, Amber hung up. Her eyes welled up again, tears sliding down her cheeks. Her whole body was shaking. She wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take.
The phone rang. In a fit of blind rage, Amber answered. “Listen asshole! You ring here again and I-“
“Amber, it’s Officer Porter. Amber? Listen to me. We traced the call. It’s coming from inside the house. Do you hear me? It’s coming from inside the house. I’ve got a car heading over there now. Get the kids and get out!”
Chills went up Amber’s spine as the phone dropped from her hand. The man who was stalking her was inside the Carpenter house.
Her eyes darted to the front door. She ran to it, punching in the security code before unlocking it, letting the breeze open it.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Amber raced into the children’s bedroom. She ripped the sheets off Hannah’s bed to find her lifeless body. Her eyes were open, her throat slit as blood poured down the side of her bed, pooling on the carpet.
Ripping the blanket off Nathan, Amber was horrified to see him dead as well.
Gagging, she backed out of the room and took off running down the stairs. Her eyes fixated on the front door as she bolted down the hall.
As she got closer to the wide open front door, she could taste freedom. Sirens blared in the distance. Just a few more steps and this nightmare would be over.
As she reached the front door, Amber stopped, breathing hard. She turned back and looked at the lounge, wondering what she was going to tell Dr. Carpenter and his wife.
She turned back, watching the trees outside sway. She took a step out the door. The sirens were getting louder. Amber sighed. It was over.
Just as she was feeling more relaxed, a hand landed on her shoulder. Thrashing about and screaming, Amber came face to face with the stranger who was calling her. The knife he held gleamed brightly under the pale moonlight.
With one swift movement he ran it across her throat. Amber felt the wound open, blood seeping down her neck and chest, covering her clothes. Her hand went up to cover the wound as she gagged, gasping for air.
The sparkle from her eyes faded as she collapsed on the front deck, blood pouring from her slit throat.
The last thing she saw was the stranger who called disappearing into the blackness of the night.
As she locked the door and set the alarm, a small hand tugged at her T-shirt. “Amber, we’re bored,” came a voice belonging to nine year old, Nathan Carpenter, one of the children she was babysitting that evening.
“So, what would you like to do?” she asked, punching in the remaining number on the security alarm before turning her attention to him and his sister, Hannah, who was only seven.
Nathan shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. You’re the babysitter. You’re supposed to entertain us,” he told her, shoving his hands in the pockets of his bathrobe.
It was only six o’clock but because Nathan and Hannah had been battling the flu for the past week they were already dressed for bed. Amber sighed. She hated babysitting. She hated it even more when the children were brats. Add on the fact that they were sick and this was Amber’s idea of Hell.
“Actually, Nathan, the job of a babysitter is to make sure you two are safe,” she told him, trying not to smile smugly at him. She pointed to the front door. “No one is getting in there, so technically, I’ve done my job.” With that, she turned on her heel and marched off towards the living room where her school bag was. She had a mountain of homework plus an assignment to finish off so the less time she spent entertaining the brats, the better it was going to be for her.
Nathan and Hannah followed meekly, shuffling their slippers on the wooden floor. “But, Amber, we’re bored!” he complained, whining loudly.
Sighing loudly, Amber felt her head begin to pound as a headache began to set in. “Fine, go and grab a board game and we’ll play a few rounds before you two head off to bed. If you’ve been sick then bed is the best place to be.”
Hannah grinned before running off to the study to find a game to play. Amber flopped onto the couch and chewed on her nail. Just how she wanted to spend her Friday night. Cooped up with a bunch of sick kids that in turn will probably make her sick too.
When Hannah returned she held up Candy Lane. Amber forced a smile to her face and fought the urge to roll her eyes. She hated Candy Lane.
Forty minutes later, Amber’s patience was running out. She had lost two quick games to Hannah and Nathan was slowly falling asleep, his body succumbing to the flu symptoms.
“I win again!” cried Hannah, bouncing up and down, her fists raised above her head. Amber rolled her eyes. “Okay kiddo, we’re done for the night,” she announced, getting to her feet. “Nathan, come on. It’s bed time.”
Hannah began to plead that they get to stay up a little later, but a coughing fit soon put an end to that. Begrudgingly, she and her brother made their way upstairs.
Sighing, Amber began packing up the game, her head on a tilt as she listened for the tell-tale signs that the kids weren’t climbing into their beds, but rather playing in their room. After a few minutes of not hearing a noise Amber walked up to their room, poking her head in to make sure they were in bed. Hannah had snuggled down with her teddy bear while Nathan was out to it, his mouth open as he snored softly.
Closing the door quietly, Amber smiled. She had the entire house to herself, providing that she didn’t make too much noise.
She made her way back downstairs and into the kitchen. The best part about babysitting was raiding the fridge.
As she stood there with the door open she heard a noise. Tilting her head to one side and listening intently, Amber wondered where the sound had come from.
Closing the fridge door, Amber listened, her heart racing. Something wasn’t right.
THUMP.
There it was again. Grabbing the largest kitchen knife she could find, Amber made her way into the hall, all senses on high alert.
Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, the phone rang.
Shrieking in surprise, Amber raced to answer it, hoping that the noise hadn’t woken the sleeping children. She tripped on the rug before reaching a hand up to the coffee table, fumbling for the handset.
“Hello? Carpenter residence,” she said, puffing heavily, rubbing her knee.
Silence greeted her.
“Hello?” She counted to three before hanging up. Clearly a crank call. Or possibly a wrong number.
She placed the phone back in the cradle and got to her feet. She lifted the leg of her jeans. Her knee was sore and she was almost certain it would bruise. She poked it and winced. Yes, it would most definitely bruise.
Hobbling towards the kitchen Amber hoped that the Carpenters had an ice pack. She pulled open the freezer when the phone rang again.
Sighing, Amber closed the freezer door and moved as quickly as she could back into the living room. Picking the phone up, Amber noted it was coming from an unknown number.
“Hello? Carpenter residence,” she answered, ignoring the throbbing that was happening in her knee.
Once again she was met with silence. Getting irritated Amber clucked her tongue. “Whoever this is, this isn’t funny,” she said. “It’s highly annoying. Call back again and I’ll rip your ball off and force you to eat them.” She slammed the phone back down and waited. If it was a prankster, they’ll call back. They always do.
Sure enough, the phone began to ring. Amber answered with an exasperated, “Hello?”
This time rather than silence, Amber could hear heavy breathing. “Hello?” she said again, her voice firm with an edge of irritation.
“Have you checked the children?” came a raspy male voice.
Amber felt the palms of her hands grow clammy as she tried to slow her pounding heart with deep, steady breaths. “Dr. Carpenter?” she asked. The man on the other end hung up.
Amber raced back into the kitchen, still clutching the phone and the knife. She checked the emergency numbers on the fridge. Dr. Carpenter had said they were going out to dinner before going to the ballet. His phone would be switched off at the ballet and promptly turned back on when it finished which would be about eleven o’clock.
Glancing at the wall clock, Amber swore under her breath. It was just 8:45 which meant the Carpenter’s would have finished dinner and would be on their way to the ballet.
She dialed the cell phone number anyway, hoping that he or his wife would pick up.
“Hello. You’ve reached Dr. Jason Carpenter. I am unavailable to take your call at the moment. If this is a medical emergency, beep me. Otherwise, leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”
“Hi, Dr. Carpenter. It’s Amber, the babysitter. I was just wondering if you called here a little while ago. I’m getting some strange phone calls and I wanted to be sure that it wasn’t from you. Please call me back.”
She hung up, feeling flustered, her heart still pounding away in her chest.
Glancing around the corner, Amber could see the stairs. Putting the knife down on the counter and shoving the phone into the back pocket of her jeans, Amber started towards the stairs, her hand gliding gently over the wooden railing.
She stood outside the children’s bedroom, her ear pressed against the door as she listened. She couldn’t hear anything except the sound of the sound machine the kids used in order to get to sleep. Quietly, Amber opened the door and popped her head into the room. Both Nathan and Hannah were sound asleep, both of them cuddling a teddy bear each.
“Sleep tight, kids,” Amber whispered, closing the door.
No sooner had she made it downstairs then the phone rang. Amber let out a sharp scream, fumbling for the phone, startled by the sudden noise.
“Hello?” she said breathlessly.
“How are the children?”
The phone fell from Amber’s hand, hitting the hardwood floors with a thud. Her heart was racing, in danger of leaping out of her chest like a cartoon character. She dived on the phone. “Who is this?!” she demanded, trying to steady her shaking voice.
There was nothing but silence on the other end. Then came the dial tone.
With tears in her eyes, Amber dialed 911, chewing nervously on her nail.
“I need the police!” she told the operator.
As she was being patched through, Amber rang around the lower level of the house, closing all the curtains, scanning the outside of the house to see if anyone was watching her.
“This is Officer Porter. How can I help you?”
“My name is Amber Duran. I’m babysitting Dr. Jason Carpenter’s children and I’m getting harassing phone calls from some man.”
“Are they obscene? What does he say?”
“No, they’re not obscene. Sometimes he just doesn’t say anything at all. He just keeps calling. Then he asked me if I had checked the children. Then he called back after I had and asked how they were. He’s watching me, I know it.”
“Ma’am, you’re going to have to calm down. Now there’s nothing I can really do, but I’ll put in a call to the telephone company and ask them to trace the number. Do you have the address of where the house?”
Amber flipped through some of the mail on the coffee table until she found an envelope. “Yes. It’s 1630 Revello Drive.”
“I know where that is,” Officer Porter said. “I’ll have a unit swing by, but it’ll probably take half an hour. If he calls back, you have to keep him on the line for a full minute. Then we’ll be able to trace his whereabouts. Will you be alright until then?”
Amber nodded meekly before replying softly with, “Yes.” She thanked Officer Porter and hung up.
Standing in the lounge, Amber wiped the tears away from her cheeks. “It’s probably just some loser from school,” she told herself in an attempt to calm her nerves.
The phone rang again. This time Amber looked at her watch as she answered.
“Hello?”
All she could hear was heavy breathing.
“I know you’re there,” she said, eyes still fixed on her watch. “I can hear you breathing. What is it that you want?”
The breathing continued.
“Are you calling for the Carpenters?” she asked, biting her lip, hoping he’d say something obscene so she could ring the police back.
He didn’t respond.
Fear was building within Amber and she swallowed hard to remove a lump that had formed in her throat.
“You obviously want something, otherwise you wouldn’t be calling me. So just tell me what you want.”
Her watch ticked over. She had done. He was on the phone for a full minute.
“To bathe in your blood,” came his raspy voice.
Disgusted, shocked and terrified, Amber hung up. Her eyes welled up again, tears sliding down her cheeks. Her whole body was shaking. She wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take.
The phone rang. In a fit of blind rage, Amber answered. “Listen asshole! You ring here again and I-“
“Amber, it’s Officer Porter. Amber? Listen to me. We traced the call. It’s coming from inside the house. Do you hear me? It’s coming from inside the house. I’ve got a car heading over there now. Get the kids and get out!”
Chills went up Amber’s spine as the phone dropped from her hand. The man who was stalking her was inside the Carpenter house.
Her eyes darted to the front door. She ran to it, punching in the security code before unlocking it, letting the breeze open it.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Amber raced into the children’s bedroom. She ripped the sheets off Hannah’s bed to find her lifeless body. Her eyes were open, her throat slit as blood poured down the side of her bed, pooling on the carpet.
Ripping the blanket off Nathan, Amber was horrified to see him dead as well.
Gagging, she backed out of the room and took off running down the stairs. Her eyes fixated on the front door as she bolted down the hall.
As she got closer to the wide open front door, she could taste freedom. Sirens blared in the distance. Just a few more steps and this nightmare would be over.
As she reached the front door, Amber stopped, breathing hard. She turned back and looked at the lounge, wondering what she was going to tell Dr. Carpenter and his wife.
She turned back, watching the trees outside sway. She took a step out the door. The sirens were getting louder. Amber sighed. It was over.
Just as she was feeling more relaxed, a hand landed on her shoulder. Thrashing about and screaming, Amber came face to face with the stranger who was calling her. The knife he held gleamed brightly under the pale moonlight.
With one swift movement he ran it across her throat. Amber felt the wound open, blood seeping down her neck and chest, covering her clothes. Her hand went up to cover the wound as she gagged, gasping for air.
The sparkle from her eyes faded as she collapsed on the front deck, blood pouring from her slit throat.
The last thing she saw was the stranger who called disappearing into the blackness of the night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)