#the second horror movie ever made was a remake of the first horror movie ever made and that set the stage for the rest of the genre

[marklikely]

its really nice being a horror fan tbh if only because most of the complaints i see online about Movies These Days just don't really apply to the movies i watch at all

[smileysuh]

dumb frat boy

🌙 starring. Lee Donghyuck x afab!Reader

🔮 preview. “I’d ask what you want me to do to you, but I did some research last night, watched some of that Hentaid shit you were talking about. It’s a lot of bondage, isn’t it, Angel? A lot of… creampies. You’ve got a thing for being held down and filled, huh? I guess…” he lets out a small laugh, “I guess I’m a little shocked, seeing as you’re so sassy with me. Guess you just want someone to put you in your place. What is it you called Johnny? A good daddy dom? I might not always be a dom, but for you, I can make it work.” 

tw/cw. yandere/stalker sub themes, ‘unknown’ caller, he’s horny, mentions of porn/masturbation, weed/alcohol use, unprotected sex, oral (m/f receiving), deep throating, face fucking, nipple pinching/nipple worship, fingering, dirty talk, praise, hyuck has a thick cock, cum/fullness kink, creampie, etc… I pet names: (hers) Angel (his) baby.

👹 rating. 18+ explicit I wc. 9.1k

🍭 aus. uni/frat au, yandere subthemes, Halloween, etc…

☀️ mlist + an.  We're back in the Ghostie au! I'm so happy to be able to put out a fic for Hyuck a year after the original story captivated so many of us <3

Prologue

“I’ve got the best idea ever,” Hyuck says the moment after he’s released his first breath from the bong.

Johnny lets out a sigh, leaning back in his recliner. “This better not be another themed wet tittie car wash fundraiser.”

“Excuse me, that idea was brilliant- pairing up with our sister sorority and being horny on cars while in costumes that somewhat resembled cars from the Disney movie Cars made us more cash for the Humane Society than we’ve ever raised, so dial it down on your tone there, Ghostie.” 

The elder frat boy rolls his eyes at the nickname. When word got out about how he wooed his girlfriend last Halloween, the term ‘Ghostie’ ended up sticking, and Johnny’s never been able to let down the sexy stalker angle, even this year's pledges know about it.

“As I was saying,” Hyuck continues, “I figure I’ll take a page out of your book, and do some weird phone call thing to woo my Angel.”

“Oh, so you’re finally gonna admit your feelings to your best friend?” Johnny asks in shock, sitting up to take a better look at the younger frat boy.

“Yes, but after a week of toying with her,” Hyuck announces. “It will be fun. We all know she got her nickname Angel because she’s really more of a demon, she’s going to love this shit.”

“Well, I guess you know her better than I do,” Johnny muses. “So what’s the plan?”

“Basically, you took the best phone call stalker with Ghost Face, but I figure there are other options out there. Have you ever seen Black Christmas?” 

“Like… the one from the seventies?” Johnny’s apprehension is clear in his features, and he reaches for the bong to take another hit.

“Yeah, the one where the dude calls the sorority and is a horny fuck on the phone.”

“Isn’t there some weird incest plot and jaundice thing in the second movie though?”

“No one watches the second movie! We don’t claim the way they butchered the story with that!” Hyuck exclaims, feeling agitated already. 

“I feel like, if you called her, and did the whole Black Christmas thing, she wouldn’t know what the fuck movie you’re referencing.” 

“They did a remake in 2019,” Hyuck insists.

“Did anyone actually watch it though?” Johnny’s an avid horror film lover, and if he hasn’t seen the remakes, it’s not looking good for you to be able to pick up the references, a thought that throws Hyuck off.

However, even though he’s been swayed, Hyuck won’t give up on this idea. “Look, think of it as a Love is Blind sort of thing- I can make her fall in love with me over the phone, and then when I reveal myself as her best friend, she’ll be all ‘woah, we’re soulmates!’”

Johnny looks as skeptical as ever. “Are you sure that’s the way this is going to go?”

Hyuck scrunches his nose up in distaste at the lack of support. “Yes.” 

The elder frat boy takes in a deep breath, shaking his head. “If this is what you want to do, I won’t stop you. I just… I think your Angel would react better if you were just straight up with her. Maybe there’s a reason the two of you have never gone past the friend stage. I think the good thing about me doing this last year, was I was just acquaintances with Tiny, I made it clear off the bat that I just wanted to know her better. If she didn’t want me, then that would be fine. If you do this with Angel, and she finds out it’s you and doesn’t return your feelings, you’re going to ruin a friendship.”

Hyuck thinks about what Johnny’s just said as he watches the tall resident Ghostie take another bong hit. It’s true- In Hyuck’s heart of hearts, he knows that… there must be a reason the two of you have never hooked up, but it’s a reason he’s never been able to identify.

The cocky side of him refuses to believe it’s because you’re not attracted to him- there’s definitely sexual tension between the two of you, so it must be something else. 

He’s so tired of toeing the line, especially since you’ve always been kindred, mischievous, horny little souls.

You were with Hyuck when he pranked Sigma Veta Tau last Christmas and put glitter on their ceiling fans. You were with Hyuck when he put a rotisserie chicken in Alpha Tappa Zeta’s air vents. In fact, you’ve been present at almost all of Hyuck’s master plan shenanigans. 

There’s something going on between the two of you and he knows it. 

Last year, when Johnny had pulled his little semi-stalker Ghostie stunt, Hyuck had noted that whoever was behind the anonymous calls had some balls to hit on a girl that way, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t live up to that.

“Listen,” Hyuck sighs. “This is between us. Angel is going to try to figure out who’s calling her, and I need you to keep your mouth shut, okay?”

“Fine,” Johnny agrees, shaking his head. “Hyuck, I love you, but sometimes I forget how much of a dumb frat boy you are.” 

“You know what?” Hyuck grabs at the bong. “I’ll take that as a fucking compliment.” 

Sunday

You’re in the middle of a much-needed nap. Curled up on your fuzzy blankets, your textbook long since discarded while your mood lighting twinkles through the space, it’s the most comfortable you’ve been all term. It’s late October, the nights come early, and you’re starting to not mind the cool air that seeps through the crack in your window.

It’s because you’re dead asleep, that when your phone rings, you don’t even check who’s calling. You simply bolt up, dazed and confused, reaching to pull your cell to your ear. 

“Hello?”

At first, all you hear is breathing on the other end of the line, and you roll your eyes. You’re no stranger to dumb calls, spam calls, and the like- but then, “Angel?”

Well, this is definitely not a spam caller, they wouldn’t know your nickname if it was.

“Who’s this?” you ask, pulling your phone away from your ear to look down at your screen. It’s a ‘No Caller ID,’ and you let out another exasperated sound.  

“A friend,” the person on the other end of the line tells you. 

“A friend I don’t have in my contacts?” you scoff.

“Burner phone, baby.”

“And what would be the point of getting a burner phone just to call little ol’ me?” you sigh, relaxing against your pillows and pinching the bridge of your nose in annoyance. 

“Why so serious, Angel?”

“Jeeze, dude, if you’re going to do the whole creepy caller before Halloween cliche, at least stick to your character.” You can’t believe he’s quoting Health Ledger’s Joker at you now. “Who are you even trying to be? Ghost Face is so last Halloween, we all know Johnny knocked that shit out of the park. A copycat sequel is just… early 2000’s.”

“Okay, let me drop character for just a second,” the man on the other end of the line sighs, and you giggle at how his voice modulator emphasizes his own exasperation. “Think, horny telephone guy.”

“I wouldn’t call Ghost Face particularly horny, he was just a nerd.”

“I’m not Ghost Face!” he insists. “Scream came out in the mid-nineties, think earlier than that.” 

“What, am I supposed to be some kind of horror movie expert?” you scoff. 

“Fine, I’ll just tell you,” the guy sighs. “Have you seen Black Christmas?”

“Never even heard of it.”

“Fuck,” he curses. “Well, don’t go watch it, it has some cult following but it’s not even one of my favourites- the reason I chose the dude from that movie is because he’s a horny little fuck and calls a sorority house and some shit- and also, don’t look up the second movie, I don’t claim the sequel.” 

“Wow, I love that you chose a character based purely on horniness and not if the movie is even good,” you giggle.

“Well, Johnny took the best slasher caller! What was I supposed to do? Go all ghost child from The Black Phone movie?”

“What’s The Black Phone movie?”

“Ethan Hawke? Horror veteran, who plays the hero author in Sinister, turned bad guy in the 2021 film by the same director?” 

You let out a whistle. “TBH, dude, it sucks Johnny got to Ghostie first last year, because I’d bet money you know more about horror movies than he does.”

“I one hundred percent do!” 

“Okay, so back to the point,” you laugh. “You’re calling me as this horny dude from some Halloween Christmas movie- for what?”

“To talk to you?” he suggests. “To uh… be horny… at you?” 

“And what does this accomplish? I mean- we all know Johnny’s Ghostie story from last year, he called a girl every day, told her to come to his frat party, and revealed himself there. Is that your game plan?”

“I was thinking about it, but it sounds kind of lackluster now.”

“That’s because it’s not an original idea at all,” you point out.

“Sequels aren’t always original,” the man counters. “Lots of movies have the same plot just different characters, some recurring- look, it doesn’t have to be original. The original angle to this Halloween movie is that I’m going to be way more horny than Johnny probably ever was last year.” 

“And I’m just going to allow that?” you grin. 

“Yeah, because we both know why you have your nickname, don’t we, Angel? You’re a dirty little minx, and you’re going to love this.”

“Except, what if, Halloween comes, and you’re a frat guy that I think is ugly?” you ask. “If you know me, you know I have very specific tastes. There’s only a handful of guys I’d actually be interested in, what makes you think you’re one of them?”

The line is dead for a few stagnant seconds, then, “I just am, okay?”

“Cocky little fucker,” you giggle.

“Don’t be rude.” 

At this point, you’re pretty sure you know who’s on the other end of the line. 

There’s been a few tells from your best friend, Donghyuck. For example, he’s the biggest actual horror buff in the NCT frat. He idolizes Johnny, and was always salty that Mark got the Chicago man as a Big and not himself, so he had a close eye on the events that took place last year in NCT’s ‘Ghostie’ Saga. On top of all of this, there’s an extreme familiarity in the way he’s talking to you, a preexisting natural tint to his diction. Lastly, Hyuck’s the cockiest little dumb frat boy of them all, and it’s one of the reasons you’ve always loved him… one of the reasons you’ve also always kept a bit of distance from your best friend whenever situations have had the option of turning romantic.

Well, if this is how he wants to make his move at you, so be it.

Maybe he’ll convince you that he can be more than a good fuck- you’d never risk your friendship for a one-night stand, no, he’ll have to prove that he could go all in, that he deserves you.

And if all else is just extra, you can at least have some fun toying with Hyuck while he thinks he’s the one toying with you. 

“Okay,” you sigh, stretching. “Let's do this, but we can start tomorrow, you woke me up from a nap, and I’d very much like to get back to it.” 

Monday

“I’m not waking you up from a nap, am I, Angel?” 

“Nope,” you grin, mischief working its way through your mind as you think of the best way to throw Hyuck off. “I was just watching some porn, flicking the bean, you know, that sort of thing.”

You hear him choke. “F… Flicking the bean?”

“Come on, you have to have heard of flicking the bean!” you insist. “Buddy, you’re the one who’s supposed to be calling me to be horny, this is your perfect opportunity!”

“Right, I uh…” he coughs. “How’s… how’s the bean flicking going?”

“Dude, do you know anything about seduction?” you scoff. “‘How’s the bean flicking going,’” you imitate. “Lame!”

“Rude!” he counters.

God, he’s so obviously Hyuck and you bet he doesn’t even realize it. 

“You know what, if you must ask, the bean flicking is going really well.”

“What kind of porn do you watch?” he questions next. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” you tease.

“Tell me,” Hyuck insists. 

“Might have to get you to beg if you want to hear those kinds of details.”

“I’m the creepy phone stalker, I call the shots.”

You roll your eyes. “Sure you do, buddy.” 

“Stop calling me buddy.”

“Okay, dude.”

“Don’t call me dude either!”

“Then what am I supposed to call you? It’s not like anyone knows the name of the slasher from Halloween Christmas, or whatever. You’re no Ghost Face, friend.”

“It’s Black Christmas,” he corrects you. “And I’m pretty sure his name is Billy.”

“Wow, how sexy, Billy,” you scoff. “You really didn’t think this one through that well, did you, buddy?”

“Original Ghost Face is who? Stu Matcher and Billy fucking Loomis,” Hyuck points out. “It’s not the worst name in the world.”

“Tell me one person who refers to Ghost Face as Billy Loomis though, one person, and I’ll tell you what porn I watch.”

“The… screenwriter?”

“Jesus Christ, dude. That’s such low-hanging fruit.”

“Now tell me what porn you watch.” 

You let out a deep sigh. “All this bickering has me not in the mood anymore.”

“Weird, I’m extra in the mood now.”

“Cuz you’re a weirdo who gets off on play fighting, I bet.” 

His voice takes on a whiney pitch when he says, “Tell me what porn you watch!” 

“Honestly?” You’re tired of this conversation, but you see one last opportunity to toy with Hyuck before you hang up. “Hentaid on Porn Hub, I’m all about that alien, tentacle shit,” your voice takes on the air of a damsel in distress when you muse, “No mortal man can ever satiate me, I’m afraid.”

“Holy shit,” Hyuck whispers. “Are you for real? Tentacle porn?”

“Uh huh, now, goodnight, buddy.” You hang up on Hyuck with a shit-eating grin on your face, knowing you’ve left him something to think about. 

Tuesday

“Hey,” you say, sitting down next to your best friend in the on-campus burger joint where you spend your Tuesday two-hour period between classes. “I’ve got something to talk to you about.”

Hyuck is mid-bite of a burger, and he holds up a hand, covering his obnoxious eating style. “Just a sec,” he mumbles. 

You wait patiently, staring at your friend while he finishes up. He’s in a black hoodie, and black t-shirt, and his laptop is open next to where he’s eating his combo meal. He’s usually here before you are, scoping out a booth and food so you two can chill in peace before your shared history course. 

History isn’t your major per se, it’s more of a special interest, and the same goes for Hyuck. He’s a film major- another obvious dent in his plan to fly under the radar as your phone stalker who just happens to know everything about horror movies. 

“Okay,” Hyuck says, swallowing the last of his large bite of food. “What’s up?”

“So on Sunday, I got a phone call from some dude with a burner phone,” you explain, watching closely as Hyuck’s brows raise just a moment too late to be legitimate surprise.

“Yeah? What did he say?”

“He’s trying to recreate Johnny’s whole Ghostie thing from last year, but as is the case with most sequels in the horror genre, he’s kind of missing the mark.”

Hyuck chokes a little on his food, and he reaches for his Coke to wash it down. “What’s he doing wrong?”

“What an odd question, Hyuck,” you say, narrowing your eyes at him. “But, to answer it, he’s just… not loose enough. He feels too rigid. I gave him an in last night, if you know what I mean, and he just, fumbled it.”

“An in?” Hyuck cocks his head to the side, “what do you mean?”

“You know, an opportunity to be horny with me.”

“And you want him to be horny with you?”

“I mean, that’s the whole point isn’t it? He promised me he’d be more horny than Johnny was last year, but I feel like Johnny probably had this whole daddy dom thing down- I don’t know what this new guy is trying to give, but he’s not giving, you feel me?”

“Huh, that’s weird,” Hyuck shrugs, picking up his burger again. “Do you have any guesses who it might be?”

You shrug. “He told me it was someone I think is hot. So that means it could be Jaehyun- God, you know how sexy I think Jaehyun is,” - you’re relishing in the way you get to tease Hyuck like this - “it could be Jeno, or Jaemin- I don’t think I’d even mind if both of them came up to me on Halloween, full original Scream style- Jaemin is definitely the Stu Matcher character, though.” 

“Jeeze, Angel,” Hyuck grimaces, putting his burger down and leaning back in the booth. “Do you have to talk about two of my best friends tag teaming you while I’m eating?”

“Sorry, babes,” you snicker. “I just think this week is going to be fun, and I can’t wait for my Billy Halloween Christmas stalker to find his A-game.”

You half expect Hyuck to correct you on the movie title, and you see him bite his tongue, fighting the urge to throw his own cover under the bus in a bid to protect the sanctity of cult films. But alas, Hyuck shuts himself up with another bite of his burger, and with one last look at your friend, you pull out your laptop to actually get some work done.

Wednesday

“Hey, bud,” you answer your call with a grin, twirling your hair around your finger while your eyes skim your textbook. “What happened yesterday? You never called.”

“You looked busy,” comes a curt retort.

“Oh… did you see me with Hyuck?” you stifle a laugh, of course he’s going to play this jealousy angle, when in reality, he was probably just butthurt about you toying with him. 

“It was hard not to notice you with him,” he responds. 

“Someone sounds jealous.”

“What’s your relationship with him?”

God, Hyuck must be very desperate to be trying to get details out of you about how you feel about him, through his alter ego.

You take a deep breath, closing your book and leaning back in your chair. “We’re close,” you start.

“But just friends.” 

“Just friends,” you confirm. “I guess, I mean, obviously he’s cute. There’s no argument about Hyuck being cute. And he’s fun, he’s cocky, he’s mischievous- I guess my one concern with him is if he could do something long term. I may come off as a dirty little demon child, but in reality- I don’t want to put all my eggs in one guys basket if he’s busy collecting eggs, if that makes any sense.”

“You want a guy who just wants you, who puts in the effort.”

“Exactly.” 

“I’m putting in effort,” your ‘mystery man’ points out.

“I suppose this could be considered effort.” 

“I spent twenty five bucks on this burner phone.”

“Wow, buddy, that must have broke the bank.” 

“I have money!” he insists.

Hyuck definitely has money, it’s one of the reasons he’s probably so cocky. He comes from a large line of Lee’s, a family group that owns development all around the country. You’ve tried not to let any gold digging inklings stain your perception of the frat boy though, that wouldn’t be fair to him.

“Hey, friend?” you ask, choosing a base level nickname for this man who is clearly Hyuck.

“Yes, Angel?”

“Were you thinking about it yesterday?”

“Thinking about what?”

“Me, you know… watching alien tentacle porn and flicking my bean.” You try to make your voice sound innocent, but you can’t help the mischievous grin that works it’s way onto your face. 

You can hear him swallow thickly. “Hold that thought, I’m going to call you back.” 

“Wait-” before you can get an explanation, the line goes dead, and you release an annoyed huff, crossing your arms over your chest.

He’s such a little shit, leaving you hanging like this-

Two minutes go by, then five- and just as you’re starting to be really annoyed, Hyuck calls you back.

“Took you long enough,” you snap.

“Listen, Angel, I needed to get in the mood. I’m too rigid talking to a pretty girl like you, had to take some of the load off.” You can tell, even under his modulated voice, that Hyuck has most definitely just gotten into some weed.

This is so classic him- and to be completely fair, you’ve witnessed the effects of Mary-Jane on one mister Lee Donghyuck. He’s much more suave while green, less anxious, more willing to take risks.

“So, to answer your question,” Hyuck continues, letting out a breath. “I have been thinking about you. Been thinking about your cute voice, how it would sound begging, whining, whimpering- what little noises you’d make choking on cock, or tentacle-” Hyuck laughs. “I’ll be honest, I don’t have an octopus dick or anything. If you let me, you’ll have to be okay with a human style back breaking.” 

You’re shocked.

Had he really just said all of this to you?

Was weed all it took for him to pull up his big boy panties and lay some actual sin onto you?

You can’t ignore the way your pussy flutters with interest at his words, and you shift uncomfortably in your chair. “I’m sure we can make it work… what kind of tool are you packing, buddy?” 

Hyuck chuckles. “It’s thick, I think it will do the job.”

Hyuck isn’t the tallest frat boy, but in no way is he the smallest either. He’s average, and to think that he has an above average girthy dick- well, you can’t help lick your lips in interest. 

“Stalker got your tongue, Angel?” Hyuck asks. “You’ve just gone awfully quiet.”

“I’m just…” you swallow thickly. “Just thinking.”

“About my thick cock splitting you open?” 

God, your pussy is throbbing now- “How… our first few calls were so awkward-”

“I promised you dirty, didn’t I? Needed some courage first, but… I can tell you’re not mad about it.” 

You’re definitely not mad about it.

You think maybe part of you would be upset if you didn’t know your ‘mystery caller’s’ identity- but the safety of knowing, in your heart of hearts, that this is Hyuck- it changes everything, and you can allow yourself to feel the pleasure already beating through you.

“I’d ask what you want me to do to you, but I did some research last night, watched some of that Hentaid shit you were talking about. It’s a lot of bondage, isn’t it, Angel? A lot of… creampies. You’ve got a thing for being held down and filled, huh? I guess…” he lets out a small laugh, “I guess I’m a little shocked, seeing as you’re so sassy with me. Guess you just want someone to put you in your place. What is it you called Johnny? A good daddy dom? I might not always be a dom, but for you, I can make it work.” 

“So…” you find it hard to even speak because he’s so right about his assessment that it hurts. “So… you’re more of a switch?”

“I can be. Generally, I’m not about strict roles in the bedroom, but if you’re into that sort of thing, I can see what it’s about.” 

“Tell me more about being a switch?”

“Don’t want to give you too many details about myself, these calls are about you, Angel.” 

You let out a groan.

“Be patient,” he reminds you. “And tell me, are you as wet right now as I am hard?”

This time, the sound you release is really more of a moan, and it makes Hyuck chuckle darkly.

“I’ll take that as a yes… are you gonna touch yourself after this? Gonna do all the work I can’t do, not yet, anyway.” 

“Maybe…”

“I like the thought of that, two horny people, whacking off together after a phone call, different rooms, but we’ll be on each other’s minds.” 

You get the suspicion that Hyuck is going to be on your mind for a whole lot longer than simply your upcoming bean-flicking session. 

Thursday

“I’m here, I’m here! What’s the emergency!” Mark asks, out of breath, his cheeks flushed from the cold outside and having just run across campus.

“It’s not an emergency, don’t worry, just sit!” you tell him, pushing out a chair.

“Angel, you texted me, and I quote,” he pulls out his phone, “911, meet me at our spot in the library asap.”

“Well, I wanted you to come,” you shrug.

“God, you’re as much of a drama queen as Hyuck is,” Mark sighs, taking his seat across from you. 

“Speaking of Hyuck…” you grin, leaning forward and clasping your hands together, “your roommate decided to go full Ghostie this year.”

“Wait, he’s not doing Ghost Face for Halloween-”

“No, I mean, like, stalker phone call Johnny Ghostie,” you clarify. 

“What?” Mark’s expression is blank, and he looks completely unimpressed.

“Basically, he called me on Sunday, did this whole thing about doing a Black Christmas character or some shit- he’s been calling me from a burner phone with a voice modulator-”

“Jesus Christ,” Mark sighs, covering his eyes with his hand. 

“The moral of the story is, Halloween night, I’m calling dibs on your room.”

“My room?” Mark peaks out at you through his fingers.

“Your roommate has to get laid. Actually, scratch that, I have to get laid… with your roommate.” 

“This is so-” Mark groans. “I thought we were over this stalker Halloween thing to get girls. Don’t any of us have respect or standards anymore?”

“You’re frat boys, Mark, so the answer on that one is going to be a no from me.”

“Why are you even into this?” Mark questions further. “Like- what’s so sexy about any of this?”

“I mean… it shows Hyuck cares?”

“He cares enough to get a burner phone and a voice modulator and call you and be creepy and horny? Wow, what a huge chivalrous act of love.” 

You narrow your eyes at Mark Lee. “I’m not enjoying your sarcasm, mister.”

“And I’m not enjoying this,” Mark retorts, pointing between the two of you. “Fuck, fine, have my room on Halloween.”

“Last thing though, Hyuck can’t know that I know that he’s the one calling me.” 

“Wait, so this isn’t a bit? He’s committed to trying to trick you?” Mark leans back in his chair, his expression getting even more bleak. “The two of you are crazier than I thought.” 

As you open your mouth to respond, your phone rings, and you look down to see Hyuck’s burner ‘No Caller ID.’

“Heya, buddy,” you answer, bringing your finger to your lips to shush Mark.

“Watcha up to?”

“Just in the library with a friend.”

Hyuck’s tone shifts. “Which friend?”

“Mark, you probably know him.”

“Of course I know fucking Mark. Why’s he with you?” 

“Just chatting… why? You jealous?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No!”

“Yes!” You let out a laugh. “Buddy, settle down, we both know I’m not into Mark Lee, we’ve talked about this before.”

“We’ve never talked about Mark,” Hyuck responds, and you realize, you may have just betrayed that you know who he is-

“I mean, he wasn’t on my list with Jaehyun, or Jeno, or Jaemin-” you quickly cover your blunder, and Hyuck releases an annoyed sound.

“I get it, I get it,” he groans. “Fine, finish up your time with fucking Mark, then.” 

“Don’t be salty about this,” you warn.

“Yeah, whatever.” 

Friday

It’s the final day before Halloween, and if there’s one thing you know for sure, it’s that Hyuck is working. The SVT and NCT frats are the primary workers at the on-campus bar, Skeets, so they have a deal that NCT works the Friday before Halloween, and SVT works the Saturday. 

Knowing these details, you’re also aware that it’s possible Hyuck won’t be home till three am, so you’re a little shocked when you get a call at one.

“Hi, Angel.”

“If it isn’t my favorite stalker,” you grin, pausing your horror film- in all truth, you’d decided to watch Black Christmas, and now you can see why Hyuck told you not to bother, he hasn’t nailed the deranged attitude of the main villain at all. 

“Watcha doin?”

“Not much, you?”

“Not much,” he responds.

“Are you sure?” you counter. “Cuz something tells me maybe you’re working right now… did you get a break, buddy?”

“I’m not working,” he insists. 

“Sure you’re not,” you laugh, dropping the line of questioning. “Hey, tell me again why you chose Billy from Black Christmas?” 

“Seriously?” Hyuck lets out a sigh. “I guess I just wanted… an excuse to be horny on the phone for you, even if it’s just for a week.”

He sounds defeated, and you’re not shocked. Halloween is the busiest night of the year at the bar Hyuck works at, if anything, you’re surprised he even had a moment to dip outside and call you.

“You’re cute,” you muse. “You sound tired, so I’ll let you go, but uh… I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“You will.”

“And how will I know it’s you?” 

“You just will, goodnight, Angel.” 

Saturday 

You’ve just arrived at the frat party, and already, you’re on the hunt for Hyuck.

At this point, you’re tired of the games. You feel closer to Hyuck, in some odd, sinister sort of way- closer than you ever have before. And you’re tired of hiding it, tired of this weird cat and mouse- you just want to have a conversation with him, to get everything out into the open so you can truly discuss your feelings.

You find him by the beer pong table. He’s in a full denim fit, and you can’t put your finger on who he is as you approach.

“Hey, Hyuck,” you greet, tucking into his side so he can hear you over the music. “Nice Canadian Tuxedo.”

“Do you know who I am?” he asks.

“Uh…” You look at him blankly. “Are you talking about your denim costume? Or the way you’ve been calling me all week?”

Hyuck stares at you in shock. “Uh…” he clears his throat. “I’m Ken… you know, from the Barbie movie.” 

“Right…” you trail off, wondering if he’s going to touch on the Black Christmas side of things.

“Also… what do you mean? About me calling you all week?”

“Hyuck,” you sigh. “Please don’t try to avoid this. Just be honest. It’s you. I know it’s you.” 

He looks at you, and you can see the cogs turning in his mind.

“You told me you’d reveal yourself tonight,” you continue. “I know I kind of just threw you under the bus, maybe I ruined your master plan or something, but I’m tired of pretending I don’t know it’s one of my best friends who’s been calling me all week being horny.”

“Are you mad at me?” he asks, voice lowering. His eyes search yours, as if he’s trying to get a read on you.

“Hyuck,” you let out a laugh, “I’m not mad at all, but I think we should go to your room and talk this out a little, don’t you?”

“I guess that’s a good idea,” he acquiesces. 

“Then let’s go.” You grab his hand, lacing your fingers so you can drag him to the stairs that lead to the second floor. You don’t say anything as you move, you’re on a mission, and what you need to discuss with him is better said alone than in a crowd of horny Halloween partygoers.

You make it to the privacy of his room, and you shut the door behind you. “So?”

“So?” Hyuck moves through the space, and you notice him heading for his bong.

“Hey, don’t do that,” you sigh.

“Don’t do what?” he asks.

“You don’t need to get high to have this conversation.”

“I don’t?”

“No.” You shake your head. “I don’t want you to be high when we do this.” 

Hyuck lets out another deep breath. “This isn’t how I planned things.”

“Yeah, I guess not,” you admit, watching him take a seat on his bed. “How did you see tonight panning out?” 

“I suppose I figured I could get some drinks in, liquid courage, that sort of thing. And then, maybe I’d reveal myself at the end of the night or something.”

“Are you really so scared of me that you need to be drinking to confess how you feel?” you ask, melting a little. You approach Hyuck, sitting carefully on the bed next to him while he faces clear inner turmoil.

“I’m not afraid,” he states, but you can tell from the tone of his voice that there’s something else going on. “I just… You told me you only want a man who can commit, a guy who only has eyes for you- and, I do, but… we both know my playboy track record, and I guess… I just worry about hurting you.”

“Do you want to hurt me?” you question, tilting your head as you try to understand him.

“No, never.”

“Do you think you’re at the point where you could settle down a little? I’m not trying to get you to stop partying, I just mean… committing to one girl, is that something you think you’re capable of?”

“If it’s you, then yeah… I think so,” he nods, finally meeting your eyes.

He looks so vulnerable, and it’s very different from how you usually view your mischievous friend.

“Hyuck,” you whisper, unable to help the way your hand raises to cup his cheek. “I’m willing to give this a shot if you are. If there’s something real here, and it’s not just you being a horny, dumb frat boy.”

“Okay, rude,” Hyuck laughs, showing you a glimmer of the him that you know and love, “It’s more than being horny… but… in all honesty, seeing you in this fucking faerie costume has me all hot and bothered.”

“Yeah?” You lean closer, grinning. Your lips ghost over his when you say your next words, “So what are you gonna do about it?”

Hyuck sucks in a sharp breath, his pupils dilating- you’re so close to him, and you can make out all the pretty shades of brown in his irises. Gosh, he really is a pretty frat boy. 

His hands find your hips, and he tugs your body closer. You can feel him breathing, his gaze darting between your own and your mouth. You watch his tongue dip out to wet his lips, and he swallows thickly.

“Fuck it,” he mutters, finally smashing his lips to your own. 

It’s not gentle by any means, but it’s not necessarily aggressive either- one word to describe this kiss, is: desperate. He’s so eager, and you kind of love it, love the way he tugs you flush to his own body, one hand moving to cup your cheek- his tongue glides against your own and you stifle a moan, shifting in his embrace so you can wrap your arms around his neck.

It feels so good to be pressed against him like this- you’re actually kind of shocked at how good it feels. And his hands, exploring your body, keeping you close, fingers digging into your hips-

Hyuck is everywhere, devouring you like you’re his last meal.

“Oh,” you whisper, when Hyuck’s mouth moves to your neck. “By the way, I called dibs on your room with Mark, he won’t be bothering us.”

Your dumb frat boy pulls away from your throat, a grin on his face. “You really knew it was me all along, huh?”

“You’re not exactly subtle, buddy,” you laugh.

Hyuck shakes his head, reaching to lock the door before his hands ensnare you again. He pushes his body against yours, urging you to move backward until your calves hit the bed. Before pushing you down, he removes your faerie costume wings, and only once the more delicate part of your costume is discarded, does he shove you onto his mattress.

“Hyuck,” you giggle, looking up at him with starry eyes.

“You look so good like this,” Hyuck muses, tugging his denim ‘Ken’ style vest off to reveal a body hardened from Frat mandated work out brother time. He’s not too big, not too built- Hyuck still has some pudge on him, but you kind of love it. You love that it’s not a full six pack and bulging biceps- you can imagine that when this is all done, he’ll be lovely to cuddle with.

In fact, you’re not sure it would matter how muscled Hyuck is. Sure, it helps that he’s physically fit and hot, but- at this point in your friendship, you’re attracted to him for so much more than his body.

No man makes you laugh like him. No man has spent the time that he has to understand you and make you feel comfortable with him knowing you, the true you, the you that you don’t get to show many others.

Hyuck is just… he’s good for you, and he always has been. That goodness has so far been a friend capacity sort of thing, but you’re excited about the new development in your relationship. You think there’s true potential with him, and it makes you dizzy as you stare up at one of your best friends.

“I kind of want to eat you out, Angel,” Hyuck admits, one hand finding your thigh and pushing your short dress even higher up  your leg.

“Funny, I kind of want to suck you off,” you grin, lifting one foot out of your shoe to tease your toes across the front of his jeans.

“So… sixty-nine?” Hyuck asks, gently tracing his fingers across your exposed skin, setting tingles of pleasure off to erupt and skitter through your form.

“That would work, but… I guess… I kind of want to lay with my head lolled off the side of the bed, your cock in my mouth, and your fingers pinching at my nipples while I work my own clit at the same time.”

“Jesus,” Hyuck breathes, swallowing thickly as he looks up at you. “How could I say no to that?” 

“Then, when I’m close to cumming, you can eat me out, get me there, then fuck me stupid for your own release.”

“It’s funny,” Hyuck chuckles, “Here I thought I was the horny one calling you and trying to be a creep, but you’re the one with the dirty mouth and the great ideas.”

“Yeah, your whole Black Christmas thing really wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever heard,” you tease.

“How many times do I have to admit it was a shitty plan but I just wanted to get close to you?”

“At least once more.”

“Fine. Now flip around, loll your head off my bed, let me put my cock down your throat and pinch your nipples while you toy with your cute pussy.”

“How do you know my pussy is cute?” you ask. “You haven't even seen it yet.”

“I’ve been imagining, baby, and as a film major, my imagination is pretty fucking good.”

You giggle, getting into position for Hyuck. He stands near your head as you loll it off the side of the bed, and you get a good view of his bulge straining in his jeans.

“You’re excited,” you muse, cupping him through the denim.

“Who wouldn’t be?” he laughs, undoing his button, then the zipper. “Fuck, you look so good laid out like this.”

“Yeah?” You pull the top of your dress down, releasing your boobs.

“Fuuuuuck,” Hyuck groans, pausing his motions on his jeans to reach down and massage your newly exposed breast. “I knew your tits would be perfect.”

You moan at the feeling of his warm hands. His fingers pinch at your nipple and your moan turns into a whine. “Feels good.”

“You feel good,” he counters.

“Get your cock out,” you instruct, feeling impatient.

“Start rubbing your pussy,” Hyuck retorts with a laugh.

“Yes, sir,” you respond teasingly, reaching one of your hands down to your thighs. You slip it under your dress, deciding on taking your panties off alltogether. 

Hyuck continues to massage you as you pull off your thong. 

You can’t help yourself, you toss it at him, and Hyuck lets go of your breast in favour of catching it. “Fuck, these are cute,” he says, admiring your panties.

“I knew I’d be getting laid.”

His tone shifts to the darker, more annoyed side of things. “Yeah?”

“And don’t get all angsty, I knew I’d be fucking you tonight.” 

“That’s what I like to hear,” Hyuck grins, putting your panties in his pocket before he undoes his jeans, shifting them down his thighs.

The fucker isn’t wearing underwear, and you get a good view of his cock for the first time.

“Fuck, dude, you weren’t lying when you said you were thick,” you muse, licking your lips.

“I’d never lie to you about my cock,” he laughs.

You slip one hand between your thighs, stroking your wet core- it’s crazy how turned on you are from this, but part of you thinks this has been building for a while- for a week, actually.

Hyuck strokes his cock, looking down at you. “Ready for this?” he asks.

“Put it in my mouth,” you command, opening wide for him.

“If I’m going to deep, push my thigh,” he tells you as he slips his cock past your lips.

You moan a sound of affirmation around him, immediately beginning to suck on his tip, getting used to his size before you take more.

Hyuck is surprisingly gentle with how much he’s allowing you to take. If you hadn’t been pacing yourself, you’re sure he’d be pacing you of his own accord. 

One of his hands finds your breast again, pinching the nipple and sending jitters of pleasure down to your throbbing core.

You groan louder around him, sucking more into your mouth as you increase the pressure on your clit.

“This is so fucking hot,” Hyuck moans, thrusting gently into your mouth so you can lay flat and still, allowing him to do most of the work while you rub your pussy deliciously.

You can only let out a sound of affirmation as he uses your mouth.

With your eyes closed, you can focus fully on the feeling of pleasure that’s building inside of you. 

When you’d imagined fucking Hyuck for the first time, this hadn’t necessarily been a position at the forefront of your thoughts- but when he’d suggested eating you out, you’d realized this is exactly what you’d wanted. 

You want to give back to him, want to show him how much you’ve appreciated him taking the leap and telling you how he feels- even if it was in some weird, dumb frat boy, phone call kind of way. 

The way he’s pinching your thighs is actually delicious- and then, you hear him spit, and you feel the cool liquid hit your chest. This time, when he rubs his thumb over your nipple, he spreads his spit across your skin, making it even more intense.

“Part of me just wants to cum on these perfect tits,” he admits.

You make a very clear sound of disagreement, and Hyuck pulls his cock out of your mouth. You’d been salivating so much that as he moves away, your own saliva drips back down onto your face from his length. You swallow thickly, finding your voice. “Need you to cum inside of me.”

“Fuuuuck,” Hyuck groans, pinching your nipple even harder. “You and your creampie kink.”

He slips his cock back into your mouth, and you greedily eat him up.

Then he leans further over your body, his fingers joining yours on your core. “You’re so fucking wet,” he muses, pushing your hand out of your way so he can rub your clit, gently fucking your face as he does so.

It’s a shallow face fucking, as he’s bent over your laid down body to access your core, but you don’t mind.

Your eyes are still closed, and you’re enjoying every sensation, bringing your free hands up to your breasts to massage them and pinch your own nipples.

“You look so sexy, want you to cum so bad so I can fuck you stupid,” he tells you, rubbing your clit even harder.

You rut your hips up toward his hand, a non verbal motion that tells him you’re close.

God, it’s like he’s been in your pants before- he knows exactly how to stroke and massage your clit-

“And you’re still sucking me off so good-” he continues. “And grabbing at your tits too, you’re my insatiable little Angel, aren’t you?”

You moan deeply around his cock, and Hyuck fucks you a little harder, the tip of his cock hitting the back of your throat. You gag around him, feeling tears in your eyes.

“Shit, sorry, Angel, fuck, that just felt so good- can I do it again? Can I fuck your throat again?”

You make a sound of affirmation, shocked at how your body had reacted to his cock being fully inside of your mouth. A tingle of excitement had run through you, your nipples getting intensely sensitive, your core throbbing-

Hyuck does it again, hitting the back of your throat, and the same sensation happens. You can feel yourself getting desperately close to the edge, and you hardly have to do anything. Other than pinching your own nipples, Hyuck is the one taking care of you, and you kind of love it.

“I can tell you’re close, Angel,” Hyuck chuckles. “Fuck, gonna cum from me fucking your face and rubbing your clit, right?”

You moan desperately, wiggling your hips. Hyuck reads your cue, rubbing your clit even harder.

Now, you can’t help but pull off his cock, pushing his thigh to give you a bit of space.

“You good?” he asks, motions pausing.

“Yeah,” you tell him, swallowing thickly as you grab his cock to stroke him off. “Just keep- fuck, keep rubbing me like that, I’m so close-”

“Fuck this,” Hyuck mutters, and all of the sudden, he’s pulling away.

You let out a whine- only for him to spin you on his bed. He sinks to his knees, drawing your core to the edge where your head had just been, then he dives in, his lips immediately suctioning around your clit.

Two fingers push into your aching core and you whimper desperately, grabbing at his hair to keep him on your pussy as he works you closer and closer-

“Hyuck-” you cry out, muscles clenching-

One more slurp on your clit has you topping over the edge, entire body electrified by the orgasm surging through you.

You slap a hand over your mouth, trying to muffle your sounds as he works you through your high. He doesn’t quit, doesn’t pull away- he sucks your clit through your entire high, until your thighs are shaking on his shoulders and you’re on the verge of tears.

“Okay-” you whimper, pushing at his head. “Sensitive-”

Hyuck finally lets up. You open your eyes to watch him stand, pulling his fingers from your core and sliding them into his own mouth.

“You taste just like Halloween candy, baby,” he muses, eyes clouded with lust.

“I wanna taste,” you whisper.

Hyuck pushes his jeans completely off, and then he gets on top of you, smashing his lips to your own. The flavour of your pussy is hot on his tongue, and it invades your senses, driving you wild as you kiss him deeper, threading your fingers through his hair.

His cock nudges between your pussy lips as he grinds down against you, rocking his hips.

“Fuck me,” you tell him, moving your mouth to suck on his ear lobe.

“Shit,” Hyuck groans, shivering from the sensation of your tongue on his ear. “Want you naked first.”

He pulls away just long enough to tug your dress up and over your head, then he returns to his spot, his cock rutting against your core once more.

The two of you have been friends forever. Hyuck knows you have an IUD, he’d been there for you when you’d gotten it last year, when you’d just wanted to stay in bed and rot for a few days. There’s no need to discuss birth control or safety- all there’s left to do, is have his thick cock fill you in ways you’ve been wanting all week.

Hyuck adjusts, grabbing his base so he can push his tip into your throbbing hole.

“Fuck,” you whimper in his ear, clutching his shoulders as he pushes an inch into you.

“You good?” he asks, breath hot on your throat.

“So good,” you respond, locking your legs around his hips.

He pushes deeper into your pussy, and your core welcomes him in, walls stretching to accommodate his thick cock. 

Hyuck bottoms out, and you both groan deeply. He forces his lips onto your own again, and it’s a clash of teeth and tongues.

It’s animalistic in the best sort of way- like you’ve both been caged up for as long as you’ve known each other, and you’re finally letting your beasts out to do the most primal thing imaginable.

There are no thoughts in your mind as Hyuck begins to fuck you, there’s only you, him, and this intense feeling of pleasure.

You feel so connected to him- missionary isn’t always the most fun position, but with Hyuck, it feels right. It feels like this was meant to be your first time together, face to face, lip locked, breathing each other in, moaning desperately as he takes you as his own.

“Fuck,” Hyuck groans, gently biting on your lip. “Your pussy is taking me so fucking well- first your mouth, now this- how do you expect me to last long?”

“I don’t,” you giggle. “You made me cum so hard on your tongue, I’m about ready to be filled with your cum and then lay here.”

“I’m gonna cuddle the shit out of you after this.”

“You better,” you grin.

Hyuck smiles against your lips, kissing you again as he fucks you even harder.

The stretch of his girthy cock is unlike anything else- and it feels like heaven as he pounds you into his mattress.

“Rub your clit?” he suggests.

“I can’t- I can’t cum again,” you whimper, still sensitive from your first orgasm.

“I’ll have to train you to cum more after this,” he promises.

You can only grin, drawing his lips to your own again as he uses you to find the ends of his own pleasure.

His whimpering sounds are like music to your ears- fuck, Hyuck is too hot to even imagine. Had this guy really been one of your best friends for this long without you ever exploiting this?

You’re so fucking happy he’d called you and been weird all week- it was the perfect foreplay, and now, you’re completely enraptured by him.

“Shit,” Hyuck groans. 

“You close, baby?” you ask.

“Fuck, call me baby again.”

“Baby,” you whimper, “your cock feels so good in my tight pussy.”

Hyuck moans even louder. 

“Just like that,” you encourage him, tightening your legs on his hips. “Keep doing that- right there-” The tip of his cock is hitting the perfect spots inside of you, and you’re gasping from the feeling, burrowing your face in his throat and panting against his skin.

“Shit, Angel-”

“Cum for me, baby, cum in my pussy,” you urge him.

That’s all it takes for him to explode, letting out a deep groan as he releases deep inside your core, coating your walls with him.

His thrusts falter, his breathing laboured, entire body shivering-

You stroke the back of his head, cooing in his ear, helping him through it until he’s finished, coming to a stop ontop of you and breathing heavily.

“Good boy,” you tease.

Hyuck lets out a deep chuckle, and it turns into a sigh. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

“And you’d love that.”

“I would,” he admits. “Okay, fuck, I’m gonna pull out, gonna grab some tissues and sweat pants- we can head to the bathroom down the hall and hopefully clean up a little, then we’re gonna cuddle.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” you grin, laying there as he groans and gets off of you, following through with his intentions.

Soon, cum is being wiped from your pussy and you’re being helped into sweatpants.

The two of you exit his room, and you’re very pleased to see that most of the party is downstairs, leaving his floor pretty vacant. 

You make your way to the bathroom with him, clutching his hand.

Once there, you both clean up, and you listen to Hyuck splash water on his face while you pee, making sure all his cum is out of you.

The two of you make it back to his room, collapsing into bed. He pulls you to his chest, cuddling you close.

“Before I pass out… how did you know it was me on the phone?” he asks.

“Out of everyone in the frat, you idolize Johnny the most. It wasn’t a reach that you’d recreate his Ghostie thing last year. On top of that, you’re a film major, you know horror movies better than anyone else. And, you’re a horny fucker, which is something I’ve always loved about you- I just… I needed you to make a move, which you never really did, until now. It just… made sense that it was you. The way we talk to each other, I could tell it was you from the very first call.”

“Here I was, thinking I was all suave and shit.”

“You were very suave, baby,” you grin, pressing a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

“Happy Halloween, Angel.”

You giggle. “Happy Halloween.” 

☀️ mlist + an. thank you for reading! find my other nct frat fics (including Ghostie) HERE. I made this meme for this fic because it's so them.

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🔮 preview. “So, I’m gonna finger fuck you stupid,” he explains, pushing his digits back into you. “And then, I’m going to apply pressure, right here-” Hyuck’s hand smooths across your abdomen, even the slightest push makes you feel his fingers deep in your core, and you release a whine of pleasure. “Yeah, you’re going to love this,” he confirms with a grin. 

cw/ tw. Unprotected sex, oral ( f receiving), pussy worship, fingering, multiple reader orgasms, overstim, squirting, dirty talk, praise, Hyuck holds the reader down by her abdomen, etc… I petnames: (y/n’s) Angel. (his) Baby. 

👹 rating. 18+ explicit I wc. 2.4k I teaser wc. 220

🌙 staring. Haechan x afab!reader

bonus

You love Hyuck, you do- but sometimes (especially when watching movies) he has this tendency to… well, never shut up.

“Okay so, coming up, when the alien pops out of his body, the director didn’t tell anyone this was going to happen, so when Sigourney Weaver and the others react, it’s genuine shock and surprise-”

You love his facts too, you do… but… sometimes, they get a bit much.

“Baby,” you coo, cuddling closer to your boyfriend, “Can we just… watch the movie?”

“We are watching the movie.”

“I mean… God, I’m going to sound like a bitch, but can we get through like… ten minutes without a fun fact?”

“But… my fun facts are fun.”

“They are, baby, they are,” you assure him, patting his chest, “I just…” you sigh, “ten minutes?”

“I can think of a distraction for my mouth,” Hyuck grins.

Your pussy immediately flutters, picking up on what he’s saying. “Yeah? Don’t you want to watch the movie?”

“I’ve seen it a billion times.” His hand rubs your shoulder and he nuzzles against your cheek, breath hot on your skin. “Come on, let me eat out your pretty pussy. I’ve been wanting to overstim you for a hot minute- I think I could get three or four out of you while you’re watching.”

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[hhmnya]

7:13PMㅤ✶ㅤ lee heeseung x femreader

you hate scary movies, loathe them even. hyeju, on the other hand, was obssessed them. so obsessed that she practically dragged you out of the comfort of your shared apartment to the movie theatre because they were going to be having a 'horror movie night'.

why she was so obsessed and why anyone would willingly go to an event like that? you have zero clue.

you couldn't see at all what made horror movies so great that they’re the only genre currently being massed produced within the entertainment realm. surely it wasn’t because the gross amount of gore, the heartstopping jumpscares, or insane— unrealistic storylines.

maybe they just found the actors attractive.

that’s what you chose to focus on, at least. the protaganist is a fairly decent looking guy, almost enough to distract you from the creepy ambience that was making you feel like you were about to throw up from anxiety.

keyword: almost, because as soon as the music spikes and something pops up on screen— you don’t look long enough to see, your eyes immediately squeezing shut— your hand shoots out to grab onto something.

you inhale deeply, trying to steady your breath, hand gripping onto hyeju's. as your heart rate returns to it's normal rate, you loosen your hold on . . . hyeju’s hand?

um . . . no.

what you’re holding does not feel hyeju’s hand whatsoever. hers is much smaller and definitely not as rough as whoever's hand that you’re currently holding is.

you open your eyes and glance to your right, where hyeju is definitely not sitting. instead a guy is there— a very attractive guy, at that— looking down at your hand in his.

eyes widening, you quickly pull away and let out a mumbled apology.

you can't help but internally groan and sink down in your seat, imagining yourself falling into a hole six feet deep. you can’t believe you just embarrassed yourself in front of someone who looked like they could be an idol. first you’re forced to watch an awful movie and now this?

you are not having a good day and you swear it’s going to get worse when you hear him let out a quiet laugh.

he’s for sure laughing at you and he’s going to make fun of you with his friends after the movie is over and you are never ever going to be able to step outside again. at least some good will come out of this— hyeju will never be able to force you out to another event like this one.

except it doesn’t get worse.

instead, he leans closer, his lips brushing against your ear as he whispers, “if you want you can hold my hand again whenever you get scared. i don’t mind,”

you blink, opening and closing your mouth as you try to think of a reply. however, before you can think of something that’s not along the lines of ‘let’s get married’ (you're a weak woman, what can you say?), something else jumps out onto the screen, surprising you for the second time.

unconsciously, you take him up on his offer, your hand finding his once more. to which he responds by lacing your fingers together, giving your hand a gentle squeeze.

"my name's heeseung, by the way," you can feel his smile as he whispers, "figured you should know my name if you wanna keep holding hands,"

sinking down even further into your seat, you feel your face heating up to a degree that could probably rival the sun's.

note. hi i found this in my drafts and since i have rlly bad writers block here u go!!!! srry for the lazy layout LOL im planning on remaking my current one but i cant be bothered to rn oops

[skipppppy]

CARMEN SANDIEGO CHARACTERS + MOVIES

Boo I felt like making headcanons again bc I spend more time wondering what these assholes do in their free time than I do on my job

CARMEN

Didn’t have access to movies growing up so Player, Zack, and Ivy have been catching her up on the most popular ones

HORRIBLE to watch with. Doesn’t really understand “suspension of disbelief” as a concept and will ask stupid questions the whole time. Player almost ended their friendship because she nitpicked Lord of the Rings for being “unrealistic”

Enjoys low stakes 2000s girl chick flicks like mean girls and legally blonde. She has enough stress in her life man she just wants to relax

HATES heist movies because of how innacurate they are. Team Red has taken to watching them JUST to hear her pick them apart

PLAYER

Sci-fi/fantasy junkie. Anything and everything that has aliens/magic and shitty practical effects from the 80’s/90’s he is all over

Has never said a single kind thing about the Star Wars franchise in his life. They are his favourite movies of all time

ADORES Edgar Wright and has slowly been converting Team Red to his movies. Zack loved Baby Driver. Ivy loved Shaun of the Dead. Shadowsan loved Hot Fuzz. He considers Scott Pilgrim the pinnacle of Canadian cinema

Cannot STAND the amount of remakes happening in Hollywood recently

ZACK

Canon enjoyer of blockbuster action movies. Everyone dreads the nights when he gets to choose a film bc his taste is so generic

Does not know what the Snyder cut is. Thank god

His only redeeming quality is a love of early dreamworks. Will not stop quoting Madnagascar

Has seen every Marvel movie and thinks all of them are good. Player has BEGGED him to watch better movies but he won’t. He’s the type to rag on Scorsese for being “boring”

Has seen Kevin Feige’s extended filmography. Does not know who that man is

IVY

Horror fanatic

Banned from choosing movies for film night after convincing them to watch her “favourite lesbian romcom” with her. That lesbian romcom was Saw

Ellen Ripley was not only her personal hero but also her gay awakening. The Xenomorph queen was her second gay awakening

Also loves period dramas. Enjoys the tiddies and knows she would look SO good in those fancy waistcoats the men wear

Watches old slashers with Carmen and laugh whenever someone dies in a stupid way

SHADOWSAN

Faculty considered movies “low brow” entertainment so he hasn’t seen a movie made before the year 2000

Loves a good mob flick. Got into Scorsese specifically because Zack hated him. Goodfellas is his favourite

Everyone assumes he enjoys samurai movies but he actually HATES them. Hideo would ramble about historical inaccuracies the whole way through and he’s still bored just thinking about it

Used to love Yakuza films back in the day but they were soured for him after actually living as one

Loved Knives Out, found Daniel Craig VERY attractive, and has since fallen down the James Bond rabbit hole

CHASE

The most pretentious film hack you’ve ever met in your life. He is taking you to a back alley screening of some arthouse eastern european gay porn on a first date and it will be the most profound thing you’ve ever seen in your life

Detective noir movies and cheesy black and white romances are his favourites. He likes falling asleep to them

He and Player both appreciate animation as a form of cinema, but while Player is referring to like. the Mario movie, Chase is talking about some 3 minute Russian stopmotion surrealist piece from 1951. He attends Annecy every year and has been banned from the Oscars due to threats of violence

He likes Poirot tho. Transmasc king

JULIA

If she has a few hours to herself she’d rather watch a documentary than go to a movie theatre, but she loves historical dramas

Enjoys biopics but thinks it’s stupid to make them for people who are alive

Likes watching movies for the sake of trash talking them, so she is the only person who can tolerate sitting through one with Carmen

LOVES Wes Anderson though. Chase got her into his stuff and the symmetry scratches an itch in her brain. But don’t tell him that

Also enjoys period dramas for the tiddies

CHIEF

Shitty cop movie enjoyer. The kind of person who insists that Die Hard is her favourite christmas movie

LOVES heist movies because of how inaccurate they are. Will mentally nitpick whatever secret service is going after them and be like “ACME wouldn’t do that lol”

She’s semi aware that she’s the antoagonist in Carmen’s own heist narrative so she’s started having fun with it

Closet lover of b-tier comedy movies. Like the ones with Adam Sandler and Kevin Hart on the cover

Does not enjoy watching movies socially. That is quality time for her and her cat. She does not have to shush Commander

[screamscenepodcast]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2023: THE TOP TEN

Hey there, Creatures of the Night! Once again it is that time of year where we recap what films have made the cut of Scream Scene's top ten best horror movies of all time! (all time defined as 1895-1960) If you’re looking for some genuine classics to check out this year, we’ve got you covered, with running times and where to find them!

#10. I Walked With a Zombie (1943)

The second Val Lewton produced film on the list, I Walked With a Zombie is perhaps best described as Jane Eyre in the Caribbean, but what is surprising is that the film is also a well researched depiction of Voodoo practices for 1943. The haunting imagery, sparse sound design, and dreamlike poeticism of this film might make it among the most unique zombie movies you’ve ever seen, made in a time with zombies were supernatural undead slaves, instead of reanimated undead cannibals. Do yourself a favour and check it out - it’s available to buy online in SD for $9.99 from Apple TV, and $14.99 on Amazon Video, Google Play Movies and YouTube. 1h 8m.

#9. The Old Dark House (1932)

James Whale’s definitive take on this traditional mystery thriller formula is a movie that will have you laughing right until the moment it has you screaming. In some ways, it’s a movie of clichés, with the protagonists seeking shelter in an old mansion during a rainstorm in the night and having to deal with the reclusive family they find within. But the dark, brooding cinematography, and truly shocking twists that rivet up the intensity over the running time, all contribute to make this a harrowing watch. It’s one part Rocky Horror Picture Show, one part The Addams Family, and one part The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. I’m not kidding. The Old Dark House is currently streaming on AMC+, Criterion Channel, Flix Fling, and Tubi. 1h 10m.

#8. Horror of Dracula (1958)

Hammer Films had been producing X-rated horror and sci-fi content for a while by the time they got around to producing an adaptation of Dracula, but everything they learned from the success of The Curse of Frankenstein they applied tenfold to Dracula. From the subversive opening act to the shockingly graphic (for the time) finale, this film is full of action and excitement, as well as a sexually feral Count played by Christopher Lee for the first time. A Halloween crowd pleaser! Horror of Dracula is available to rent for $4.99 on Amazon Video, Apple TV, Cineplex, Google Play Movies, Microsoft Store, and YouTube. 1h 22m.

#7. The Spiral Staircase (1946)

This RKO classic is another great take on the old dark house subgenre, from noir director Robert Siodmak. A masterpiece of suspense, featuring wonderful production design and dynamite performances from its cast, this movie will draw you in to the world of a mute servant named Helen trapped in a dark manor on a stormy night with a whole cast of lunatics! A forerunner of giallo (no, really!), this classic and classy thriller is not to be missed! The Spiral Staircase is currently streaming on Classix, Flix Fling, and Plex. 1h 23m.

#6. The Fly (1958)

While the 1986 remake may be more well known today, the original rendition of this body horror classic still retains a punch with its central mystery, compelling drama, and traumatic ending. Excellent creature effects and memorable moments like a woman screaming seen through compound eyes cement this as one of the great sci-fi/horror films of its time! The Fly is currently available to rent for $4.99 on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Microsoft Store, and YouTube. 1h 34m.

#5. Peeping Tom (1960)

While it may come across as fairly tame by today's standards, in 1960 the seminal British horror film Peeping Tom was considered so offensive it single-handedly ended the career of its director, former national treasure Michael Powell. Today, the film still has the power to disturb through its exploration of the relationship between victims, voyeurs, and viewers. Peeping Tom is currently available to stream on Tubi and to rent for $4.99 on Apple TV, Amazon Video, and Microsoft Store. 1h 41m.

#4. Gojira (1954)

Ishiro Honda’s classic giant monster movie, the progenitor of all kaiju and tokusatsu movies to come, is a masterpiece of ingenuity and imagination. But more than that, it’s a powerful statement about the horrors of nuclear war, an angry and relentless funeral dirge mourning for the Japanese lives lost and raging against the American foreign policy that continued to poison Japan with radiation even after the war. Godzilla is an apocalypse personified, the great revenge of the natural world against the hubris of man that has harmed it. But Gojira is also a film about the immense weight of personal and scientific responsibility weighed against the greater good, and its position on the use of weapons of mass destruction is perhaps more nuanced than you’d expect. Don’t let the campy reputation of Godzilla in the West fool you. Clear your mind of that and sit down to watch this powerful black & white epic. Gojira is streaming on Cineverse, Criterion Channel, Midnight Pulp, Plex, and Tubi, and can be rented for $4.99 on Apple TV. 1h 38m.

The American adaptation Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) is also worth a watch, and is available on The Criterion Channel, Plex, Tubi, and to rent on iTunes. 1h 20m.

#3. Cat People (1942)

Cat People is brilliant. The first of Val Lewton’s horror movies for RKO, it best exemplifies his shadow drenched, suggestive, adult, contemporary, and ambiguous brand of horror. Irena is convinced that if she experiences sexual excitement, she will turn into a black panther and kill the man she loves. Her husband is convinced it’s all in her head. What is the truth? Cat People gives the viewer plenty to chew on while being the first horror movie to understand that less is more, that the monster is scarier if you can’t see it, and also how to pull off a jump scare.You can find this absolute classic to stream on Amazon Prime, and to purchase for $9.99 on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Microsoft and YouTube. 1h 10m.

#2. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

Finally dethroned from the number 1 spot after 265 episodes! Early on in the first Hollywood horror craze, Paramount Pictures managed to outdo their main competitor Universal with this masterpiece from director Rouben Mamoulian. With a use of sound, visuals, effects, script, and performance far beyond what most films were doing at the time, this adaptation reigns supreme among other versions of the same story. Fredric March utterly inhabits the dual title role, but it’s Miriam Hopkins’ performance that will stick with you in this superb examination of domestic abuse, alcoholism, and the beast that dwells within us. Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel, and available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and YouTube for $4.99. 1h 38m.

#1. Psycho (1960)

It's our new number one! Not a big surprise, as Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho changed the horror genre for decades to come. A low budget thriller based around its two big twists, the film's power is a little muted now that those twists have been thoroughly disseminated through pop culture osmosis, Psycho is still a master class in pacing and tension through its first half, and contains an incredible performance from actor Anthony Perkins. You can rent Psycho on Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Microsoft Store, and YouTube for $4.99. 1h 49m.

A new top ten with a new number one! Will Psycho keep its throne as long as Jekyll and Hyde did? Keep listening to Scream Scene to find out!

[lazy-dog24601]

It doesn't fucking work, the VN plug-in for Homestuck^2: Beyond Canon doesn't work at all. All the little icons are still greyed out despite them being things that have been released. For the record. This is on chrome. The date is 9/15/2024. I've done what it's said at the bottom and it still doesn't work.

Here's hoping page 667 is a wet t-shirt contest. If this "Beyond Canon" team really is the shaft and sack they describe themselves to be then they'll start adding a bunch of on-screen graphic sexual content. It's literally the only way they could make up for this VN blunder.

Look, we're all adults here. This ain't a story about teenagers anymore, these are grown-ass adults that fuck, piss on each other, hold wet t-shirt contests, and get divorced.

Forget about Davekat or Teriska or June Egbert- where the FUCK is the Jade Harley golden shower? Freaking cowards. THIS is what it means to exist for the sake of existing. The horror of being a sequel? Of begin in a story that doesn't need to exist? Of being the sad continuation of a happily ever after? Of being non-canon? Of being a story that exists because your fans kept bugging you to write more of the story you ended?

It's all piss, baby. Calliope, the ugly green flesh skeleton lesboy, said that. Yeah, they call people baby. They know what the fuck is up. They've given Roxy a golden shower. You wanna know why? Well, first off, it's because they're two consenting legal adults. But the second and more important answer is that. Because that's how reality works, bitch. Yeah, I just called you a bitch. The person reading this.

That's what this all is. Homestuck 2. Beyond Canon. The Epilogues. This is the heavy shit of reality breaking through the constipated asshole that is Homestuck, the first. Hussie was one-upping God itself by taking the laxatives know as truth and shitting out the reality bomb known as "everything after homestuck." It was so fucking real and truthful that Hussie completely abandoned Homestuck^2, along with the first team of writers and artists and script writers and story boarders and producers and story consultants and assistant writers. What a bunch of pogchamps, my next shit is dedicated to you legends for creating such a massive piece of shit.

But, you might be wondering, what about Hussie's clown VN- Psycholonials? That came after Homestuck. And my answer is. I don't know, bitch. Oh yeah, that's still a thing. You being a bitch. It wasn't a thing that stopped being a thing. You're still a bitch.

Psycholonials is something I haven't read. And will probably never read. Because clowns are lame. Clowns are for people too scared and too horny to use blackface, although everyone knows Hussie doesn't have a sexual bone in her body, because why else did Hussie not draw John Egbert's soaking wet vagina during any point of her active involvement in the Homestuck franchise.

Hussie saw Joker, that conservative movie that made fun of disabled people, the one that was made by a billion-dollar company, and was like, oh shit I wanna do that. I don't even care if that doesn't line up properly on the timeline. Clowns are lame and I refuse to read her VN. It's not about truth or reality or piss, I just don't want to read Hussie's clown VN because I genuinely never want to give them the light of day. They've had their dream- I'll let them wake up and enjoy what they have left.

I don't care for Hussie. If that comes off as disrespectful, or immoral, or something along the lines of "that's not how you treat people, that's not how you treat people that write stories you don't like, you're being really mean" then fuck you I don't like Andrew Hussie. I also don't like Kinoko Nasu, so keep that in mind. I refuse to read F/GO or the Tsukihime remake because the art is really fucking bad in both and I hate the whole "secret organization" crap that's in F/GO that leaks in Tsukihime remake.

I hate secret government organizations. Stupid fucking blood libel anti-semitic New World Order Illuminati bullshit, the entire concept. Like, fuck you Kinoko Nasu for writing a story about a giant underground organization that fights aliens and magic monsters and keeps it hidden from the rest of the world, you're literally writing nazi fanfic. Fuck you Nasu, you anti-semitic piece of shit.

I also don't like that fucker who made the Nier games. Yoko Taro. I hate all the Nier games. I refuse to play his shitty, "insightful" and "deconstructive" games. They're all edgy garbage. Not my flavor at all.

I'm also not a big fan of that Uro-butcher guy. Gen Urobuchi. Fate/zero is alright but Madoka Magica is pure fucking garbage, based solely on what all the Madoka Magica fans say about the show. The only reason I don't despise him like the rest is that he worked on Thunderbolt Fantasy, which is peak from what I've heard. Genuine peak, unlike Madoka Magica or Nier.

TL:DR- Homestuck^2: Beyond Canon Vriska VN isn't working.

[denimbex1986]

'July 2023's box office was filled with major blockbusters and the highly-anticipated Barbie vs. Oppenheimer showdown, and here are the biggest stats, records, failures, and more from the past month. The 2023 July movie lineup made it one of the most anticipated times of the year for movie fans. New movies from directors like Christopher Nolan and Greta Gerwig arrived, as did the latest installments from the Mission: Impossible and Insidious franchises. It understandably made for an exciting time to go to theaters and check out new horror movies, comedies, action adventures, and much more.

While several movies from the June 2023 box office still made an impact a month later, the majority of July's box office was dominated by a handful of movies. The success of Barbie and Oppenheimer was expected in many ways, but surprises still came with Sound of Freedom's overperformance. Meanwhile, the trend of sequels largely stumbling financially continued with some of the biggest stars and pieces of IP in the world. The result was the July 2023 box office breaking records across the board to deliver huge hits and some massive flops.

13. Barbie's Opening Weekend Broke Multiple Records

The biggest box office story from July 2023 is the runaway success of Barbie's record-breaking performance. It all began with a historic opening weekend which saw Margot Robbie's movie make $162 million domestically and $356 million worldwide. This meant Barbie's opening weekend box office was the biggest ever for a movie that was not a sequel, remake, or superhero property. It also became Warner Bros.' biggest opening weekend since 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Adding to Barbie's records, it became 2023's biggest opening weekend and the biggest opening of all-time for a movie directed by a woman, giving Greta Gerwig a major achievement.

12. Oppenheimer Had Christopher Nolan's Third-Biggest Opening Weekend

More box office records were also broken by Oppenheimer, as it became the biggest R-rated movie in four years. However, the bigger accomplishment is that Oppenheimer's opening weekend is the third-highest at the box office for any Christopher Nolan movie. The only two movies that are ahead of it are The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. This means that Oppenheimer had Nolan's biggest opening weekend for a non-DC movie, topping Inception and his other original works. The success comes despite the movie's 3-hour runtime as audiences are flocking to 70mm IMAX screenings to see the widely-praised biopic.

11. Barbenheimer Hype Delivered The 4th Biggest Box Office Weekend Ever

The individual success of Barbie and Oppenheimer at the box office was impressive, but the two movies releasing in the same weekend also allowed records to break overall. The Barbenheimer phenomenon that drove over 200,000 people to watch the movies back-to-back in theaters generated massive hype. The end result was Barbie and Oppenheimer leading the way for the fourth-biggest box office weekend in history. Their total opening of $244M led the way for a $307M weekend domestically, which only fell behind the weekends where Avengers: Infinity War ($312), Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($314M), and Avengers: Endgame ($401M) opened.

10. Barbie Had Record-Low Second Weekend Hold On Way To $775M Worldwide

The record-breaking success of Barbie continued through its first full week of release and the end of its second weekend. The movie had a record-low second-weekend drop of only 42% as it made an estimated $93 million. The incredible demand to see Barbie means the movie ends the July 2023 box office as the biggest hit. It has made over $350M domestically already and flew past the $775M mark globally. This performance has guaranteed that Barbie will make $1 billion at the box office. Now, the question becomes whether it will be only the seventh movie to crack $2 billion.

9. Oppenheimer Had Record-Low Second Weekend Hold To Pass $400M Worldwide

Christopher Nolan's 3-hour R-rated movie about atomic bombs has cemented itself as another huge box office hit after its second weekend too. Oppenheimer made another $46M domestically in its second weekend according to estimates, and that is good for a mere 44% drop from the first weekend. The movie has already nearly doubled its budget domestically alone, but the performance has also been strong enough to see Oppenheimer exceed $400M worldwide. With no immediate signs of slowing down, how many other Christopher Nolan movies it beat at the box office remains to be seen.

8. Sound of Freedom Became The Biggest Box Office Surprise Of The Year

While the success of Barbie and Oppenheimer was expected, the way that Sound of Freedom's box office has continued to perform has been a massive surprise. The movie about child trafficking employed a Pay-It-Forward campaign to hand out free tickets to any interested party and has remained a hotly debated movie weeks later. It has made nearly $150 million domestically thanks to the word of mouth that comes with a 100% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and Sound of Freedom's free tickets. With Angel Studios securing international releases now too, Sound of Freedom's box office will expand to new audiences.

7. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Massively Underperformed At The Box Office

Although Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny technically opened in June 2023, only its first day of release counts toward that month. The rest of its run has occurred during the July 2023 box office, and Harrison Ford's final entry in the franchise has not gone as anticipated. It opened below Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and has only managed to make $355M worldwide so far. That might sound okay for most movies, but Indiana Jones 5's budget ballooned to $295 million during production reportedly. This means the movie will not even come close to breaking even, making it a huge flop for Disney.

6. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning's Box Office Was Crushed By Barbenheimer

Another surprising box office disappointment has seemingly come with Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. The Tom Cruise-led sequel was expected to be one of the biggest movies of the year after the prior installment's success and Top Gun: Maverick's box office records. Despite Mission: Impossible 7 earning rave reviews, it has made less than $150M domestically and has become lost in the Barbie and Oppenheimer domination. The silver lining for Mission: Impossible 7's box office is that it has made nearly $450M worldwide so far, meaning there is still a chance it breaks even for Paramount despite its $291M budget.

5. Insidious: The Red Door Breaks Two Major Franchise Records

The 2023 box office has been strong for horror movies, and Insidious: The Red Door continued that trend with its release in July. The movie set a new franchise record for the best opening weekend for an Insidious movie after making $33M. The success did not stop there, as the horror movie finished July with a global total of $174M. That is enough to make Insidious: The Red Door the highest-grossing movie in the entire Insidious franchise worldwide. The success comes as plans have already been announced for the universe to expand.

4. Elemental Breaks Even After Hitting $400M Worldwide

Pixar's Elemental was one of the apparent box office failures from June, but the July 2023 box office breakdown reveals how great the animated movie has continued to perform. It made almost $70 million domestically during the month, bringing its total domestic haul to nearly $150M. The great legs have helped Elemental's box office hit the $400 million milestone worldwide. This appeared unfathomable upon its near-record low opening weekend for a Pixar movie. However, audiences have continued to check out the family-friendly adventure to the point where it now breaks even for the studio.

3. Haunted Mansion Has Record-Low Opening For Disney Ride Movies

Disney's Haunted Mansion reboot was the last major release of the July 2023 box office, but it did not land as the studio hoped. After poor reviews and with all eyes still on Barbie and Oppenheimer, Haunted Mansion opened to a mere $24 million domestically. That is officially the worst opening weekend for a Disney movie based on a ride since the previous Haunted Mansion movie starring Eddie Murphy nearly two decades ago. The updated version carries a $150M budget. Disney did not wait until October to release the family-friendly horror movie around Halloween, something they likely regret now.

2. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Becomes A Major Box Office Bomb For DreamWorks

Another box office failure in July came with DreamWorks releasing Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. The animated movie received positive reviews but never caught the attention of audiences after its release on the last day of June. It had a horrible $5 million opening weekend and will not make more than $50M worldwide at the box office. The disastrous performance for the original animated movie comes after the studio had back-to-back hits with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Bad Guys last year.

1. July's 2023 Box Office Was The Highest Since 2016

One final July 2023 box office stat really shows the full effects of the month. The 83 movies that played in theaters this month domestically collectively made over $1.3 billion. That means that the July 2023 box office was the highest for the month since 2016. It is the fourth-biggest July box office total in history, falling behind 2013, 2016, and 2011. This is a great sign for the overall strength of theaters considering those three prior years each had at least 178 movies in theaters, more than double the amount that has been available post-pandemic.'

[phoenixwatchesmovies]

What I'm Watching 2023: February

And here we go... I hit the image limit this month! 😅

The Neverending Story

This movie traumatized me back when Disney Channel would play it every other weekend, and it continues to do so. It was good to come back to it after too many years.

Vertical Limit

I'm actually surprised I could find gifs for this, tbh, as I didn't think anyone remembered this movie. I liveblogged this one, with some commentary and observations. It was fun.

The Mountain Between Us

Different enough from the book to keep it feeling fresh, though it felt like something was missing. Don't get me wrong, it's good, it's just that so much of the book was internal, and that doesn't translate well to screen.

Along Came Polly

Another rewatch. Nice to know this one still makes me laugh.

Wolf Creek

Hoo boy, this was something else. It owes a lot to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and it was most certainly made in the mid 2000's, right at the start of the torture porn era of horror. Not to say it's terribly gory, just that it's graphic and very, VERY mean-spirited. A tough watch, but I'd watch it again before, say, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Scream 2

A near perfect sequel, if you ask me. I'm planning on ranting about the franchise in general once I'm finished with it, so that's all I'm saying for now.

The Lost Boys

Yep, rewatch. At this point, it doesn't take much before I'm waxing poetic about allegories and how this is a tragedy in disguise as a coming of age story, and I'm probably going to have a look at the sequels, so expect more about this later.

Evil Dead (2013)

HOLY FORKING SHIRT BALLS, THIS IS AWESOME. At first, I wasn't too sure I wanted to give this a shot, since remakes generally suck and I wasn't too keen on the level of gore I'd heard about. Thank the Dead Meat channel on YouTube for finally talking me into this, because this was one of the most fun viewing experiences I've had in a hot minute. Again, expect a franchise rant!

Scream 3

Can't poor Sidney catch a break?

The Princess Bride

Everybody knows this movie, and if they don't, they should. This is the greatest movie ever made, and I will hear no arguments to the contrary.

It (2017)

HELL FUCKIN YEAH, I ACTUALLY WATCHED IT, AND I'M STILL MAD ABOUT HOW MUCH I LIKED IT! AND I'M PROBABLY GOING TO WATCH IT AGAIN SOMETIME!

Scream 4

What am I going to do with myself when I'm caught up with this franchise?

The Black Phone

Second time around, and I made Sis watch with me. (This would actually make a really good double feature with It Chapter One, tbh...) Solid all around, and I've enjoyed Scott Derrickson's work before, but Finney and Gwen are easily the strongest elements of the movie. I'd take bullets for these kids.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

By happy accident, I finally stumbled across the extended version! Which means I got a whole extra hour to cry about everything!

The Evil Dead

I'll save most of my thoughts for a franchise rant, but I'm fairly certain this one is somewhere on my top ten horror list.

And because I can't help myself, our rewatch rewatches this month are:

Labyrinth

The Shining

A Nightmare On Elm Street

###

Now, maybe I'll get around to The Last Of Us sometime in March...

[kevinsreviewcatalogue]

Review: Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, and some language

Score: 4 out of 5

The Evil Dead series has what may be the single best track record for quality out of any Hollywood horror franchise. With the big slasher franchises of the ‘80s, Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street, I can name at least three movies from each series that are downright wretched. The Universal monsters fell off in quality during World War II and only came back when they let Abbott and Costello do an officially sanctioned parody of them. Saw fell off starting with the fourth movie and never fully recovered, even if it still had some decent movies afterwards. Even Scream and Final Destination each have one bad or otherwise forgettable movie marring their otherwise perfect records. Evil Dead, though? The original trilogy is golden and has something to offer for everyone, whether you prefer the first movie’s campy but effective low-budget grit, the second movie’s slapstick horror-comedy approach, or Army of Darkness’ wisecracking medieval fantasy action. The spinoff TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead was three seasons’ worth of horror-comedy goodness that fleshed out the franchise’s lore. Even the remake was awesome, a gritty, ultraviolent bloodbath that took the first film’s more serious tone and put an actual budget and production values behind it, making for one of the most graphic horror movies to ever get a wide release in American theaters. This latest film delivers on the same, with a tone and levels of violence akin to the remake and most of its strengths as a pure, straightforward, whoop-your-ass horror movie with lots of muscle and little fat once it gets going. It may not be revolutionary, but Evil Dead Rise is still as good as it gets, and exactly what I hoped for given this series’ high bar.

Like its predecessors barring Army of Darkness, this is a self-contained story set within an isolated, closed-off location, in this case the top floor of a Los Angeles apartment complex instead of a cabin in the woods. Our protagonists this time are a family, led by the single mother and tattoo artist Ellie with three kids, the teenage DJ son Dan, the teenage activist daughter Bridget, and the adolescent daughter Kassie, as well as Ellie’s sister Beth. After an earthquake reveals an old vault beneath the apartment complex (which used to be a bank), Dan explores it and discovers the Naturom Demonto, an evil-looking book bound in human flesh, along with three records recorded by the renegade priest who had last had that book a hundred years ago. Dan takes the book and the records back home, plays the latter on his turntable, and turns this into a proper Evil Dead movie, with Ellie winding up the first one possessed by the demon it unleashes.

Much like how the remake built its human drama around Mia’s friends staging an intervention for her, so too does this film root its central dynamic in the relationships between its human characters, in this case crafting a dysfunctional yet believable family. Lily Sullivan as Beth and Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie are the film’s MVPs, making their characters flawed yet sympathetic figures whose perspectives are understandable but who both clearly made mistakes in managing their relationship. Beth, an audio technician for a rock band, is visiting Ellie because she just found out she’s pregnant, but is naturally hesitant to tell her sister, given that Ellie sees Beth as a glorified groupie and still harbors some resentment for the fact that Beth wasn’t there for Ellie when her husband left her. News of a pregnancy would do little more than confirm Ellie’s suspicions of Beth and her lifestyle. After all, Beth abandoned Ellie and failed to return her calls, and Ellie readily sees that Beth’s motive for visiting is self-serving even without Beth telling her exactly why she’s there. Ellie herself isn’t blameless in the breakdown of their relationship, though. She clearly has a chip on her shoulder, somebody who sees herself as the more responsible sibling even though Beth is the one with a successful career while she’s living in a run-down apartment struggling to raise three kids after her husband walked out on her.

All of that is heightened when Ellie gets possessed, as the demon, inheriting all of Ellie’s memories, uses them to taunt Beth and go completely mask-off on all the things that she wouldn’t directly say in life, calling Beth a whore and her own children leeches. Not only do we get the metaphor of a family tearing itself apart made literal, it’s here where Sutherland truly shines as not just a working-class single mother but also as the terrifying demonic parody thereof that she turns into, demonstrating what separates the Evil Dead series’ “Deadites” from many other zombies: their sense of personality. The series takes George A. Romero’s already scary idea, that of a ravenous monster that looks human, used to be human, and is able to turn others into similar monsters with just a bite or a scratch, and adds the twist of a demonic component that gives the monster that person’s intelligence and memories as well, which it then uses to torment the people who knew them in life before it devours their souls. While the more comedic direction that the “main” series films and the TV series went in is more iconic, the remake showed that there’s just as much room for a straightforward horror take on the idea of combining a zombie film with a demonic possession film, and this movie takes that idea and runs with it even if it still retains a measure of camp in some of the one-liners and gore gags.

Dan and Bridget’s relationship, too, takes center stage in the second act as they have two very different reactions to the evil book that Dan brought back to their apartment, with Morgan Davies as Dan and Gabrielle Echols as Bridget giving their characters plenty of life and personality. Bridget is suspicious from the word “go”, and when Ellie gets possessed, she blames Dan for unleashing a dark, evil force in their lives, with implications that they had a fraught relationship even before this. Even Kassie, the youngest among them, was good, with Nell Fisher taking a role that could’ve easily turned annoying and making her character feel believably scared without being completely helpless or whiny, getting in one of my favorite lines when, after Beth tries to calm her down and tell her that they’ll be okay, she responds by telling Beth that she’ll be a great mother because she knows how to lie to kids. The only weak link in the cast was the family’s neighbors, who show up briefly early on but all of whom clearly existed as cannon fodder for Ellie to slaughter in a single sequence in the second act, even though some of them felt like they’d wind up more important or at least get more scenes to shine before they were killed. With how little they’re in the film, you could almost feel the pandemic filming conditions, getting the sense that some of them (particularly Gabe and the shotgun-wielding Mr. Fonda) were originally written to have larger roles but they couldn’t find a way to have that many actors on set at once.

Another thing I felt that made up for it, though, was this film’s unflinching brutality. One of the other things that even the more lighthearted entries in this series are known for is their absolute geysers of blood and gore, the fact that most of the carnage is inflicted on zombies seemingly giving it a pass in the eyes of an MPAA that normally slaps this kind of shit with an NC-17 when it’s done to living humans. And here, we get it all. Stabbings, a cheese grater to the leg, somebody getting scalped, an eye bitten out, multiple decapitations, a wooden spear through the mouth, Deadites puking up everything from vomit to blood to bugs, the good old shotgun and chainsaw (this series’ old favorites) taking off limbs, a woodchipper, and some gnarly Deadite makeup, most notably the freakish, multi-limbed monster at the very end. This movie does not play around, and it is not for the squeamish. The only gore scene that didn’t really work for me was one Deadite transformation that was let down by some dodgy effects shots of fake-looking black blood coming out of somebody’s face; the rest, however, was some seriously nasty-looking, mostly practical stuff. That’s not to say it’s just a parade of violence with no tension, though. Director Lee Cronin employs all the classic Sam Raimi tricks that have become staples of this series as much as Raimi’s career in general, knowing when to keep the monsters in the shadows, lurking ominously behind our characters, or coldly mocking them. Ellie especially is a key source of the film’s less bloody but no less effective scares, especially with how she tries to manipulate Kassie into letting her back into their apartment, as are the scenes of characters succumbing to possession and hearing voices in their head taunting them. Once the film gets going – and you will know when it gets going – it never once lets up or gives you much room to breathe, instead maintaining a heightened level of terror and suspense throughout.

The Bottom Line

This was a welcome return to the big screen for a classic horror franchise, especially with how certain plot threads at the beginning and end leave the door open for a sequel that, going by the box office returns this past weekend, is likely inevitable at this point. Right now, the Evil Dead series is five-for-five in my book.

[amplesalty]

Christmas 2024 - Day 1 - Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (1991)

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

...a killer centipede!

Sing your heart out with all of your love because Santa's coming for us, just not in the way that Aussie lady with the questionable reputation within the autistic community might have meant it but we'll come back to that in a second. For yes, it's December once again so it's time once more for us to give the 12 holiday adjacent pieces of media thing a try. We haven't managed that in a number of years and this year's Halloween wasn't a great effort but I endevour to at least better last year. 2? What a slacker. As ever we start with a horror related Christmas movie and in doing so we wrap up our little venture through the universe of Silent Night, Deadly Night. After uncharacterisicly starting with the remake, we've since seen a killer Santa, the same killer Santa but recapped by his demented younger brother, that same younger brother with a lobotomy and then a woman getting sexually assaulted with insect larva. What, you can't see the natural progression there? I say we're wrapping it up but there is talk of another remake on the way that is apparently due out next week. I can't say I'm familiar with the work of the director, Mike P. Nelson but he has a segment in one of those later VHS movies that I need to see one day. And before we start, no, subtitles don't count so we don't need to do another 'The' movie next time out. On to the show and, my goodness, I could just spend the rest of this just recapping the opening scene.

[IMAGE REDACTED BECAUSE BARE SKIN MAKES TUMBLR CRY] After the…unique story that was Initiation that seemed to deviate massively from the established series, we waste no time getting back to the heart of the series; young kids getting warped by seeing people banging. Little Derek hears a knock at the door and goes to get his mum, only to find her and her boyfriend going at it. No matter, he'll just go answer it himself. Truly a smart thing for a 7 year old kid to do in the middle of the night. Something his mum's boyfriend is keen to point out to him when he finds Derek playing with a Christmas present that was left on the front step whilst leaving the front door wide open. After sending Derek to bed, the boyfriend inspects this new toy…

Awww, it's just a musical box with jolly old St. Nick!

Well that can't be good..

As the music changing from a rendition of Jingle Bells to Chopin's Funeral March might suggest, that is indeed not good as the toy promptly goes all face hugger and starts suffocating the boyfriend.

Derek is less than enthused to see this play out. The boyfriend struggles desperately to free himself, frantically stumbiling around the living room and clawing at anything to hand. He only manages to crack his skull on the fireplace and send random items flying to the floor.

Including a set of pokers, one of which conviniently lands facing up and let's just say, as in last years The Mean One, ends up in a place that Tony from Hack the Movies would not be keen on.

We return some time later to find that Derek has been traumatised by the experience and in what seems to be some form of PTSD, refuses to speak. But at least he gets to watch the Rambo cartoon. Now, this is not something I've seen but is one of those weird examples of movies aimed at adults that suddenly became TV shows. Bill and Ted, Bettlejuice, Conan the Babarian, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Toxic Avengers, The Real Ghostbusters, Highlander, Police Academy, Robocop…the list goes on. I think they just made cartoons out of anything in those days, hell I used to watch Hammerman when I was a kid. You know, that show based on MC Hammer having talking shoes?

And here's a suprise, it's Kim and Lonnie from the last movie just showing up out of the blue. I don't know if I talked about Lonnie but he was the younger brother of Kim's boyfriend who ended up involved in the sacrifical plot before Kim came to her senses and shanked that witch that was shoving cockroach eggs up her snatch. Derek's mother, Sarah, figures she might be able to snap Derek out of his episode by taking him to get a new toy at the local toy store, Petto's. Everytime that name comes up it sure does sound like they're saying something else…

At the store they find the owner, Joe, and his son Pino. Wait just a second here…Joe Petto? Pino? Oh no, is this the non copywright infringing Pinocchio horror film 30 years before it became cool to do that sort of thing?! Apparently that Blood and Honey guy is actually doing that next year. He's really churning those things out, huh? There's going to be an Avengers esque crossover at some point as well that ties them all together. As much as I am resistant to these movies because they feel really baity like the Sharknado movies, I kinda do appreciate the commitment to the bit. I'm also burying the lead slightly here because, Jiminy Jillikers, it's Mickey Rooney! That Simpsons bit is probably the thing I know him most from but he seems to play Santa a lot, especially in those Rankin/Bass specials. I know he was a big child actor though and also had that unfortuate turn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, one of the most shocking cases of yellow face since John Wayne played Ghengis Khan.

And sure, he may look all smiles and sunshine here but as soon as the coast is clear, he's threatening to beat the shit out of Pino and getting drunk off his ass. I don't know how often Rooney made it a habit of playing against type but I can imagine this works a lot better if you already have that image of him. Still, it comes across well enough that he seems like this kindly old man and then suddenly he's got the crazy eyes.

There's also this drifter looking fellow that keeps showing up and seems to be taking an interest in Derek and Sarah so it feels like the movie is trying to misdirect you or leave it up in the air who the real killer might be but when you have Rooney going nutso every five minutes, it's hard to look anywhere other than at him.

Meanwhile, at the mall, the drifter is playing Santa and amongst his colleagues is…wait, is that Clint Howard? Holy shit, it's Ricky, also from Initiation! Now wait just a goddamn minute, I'm pretty sure you're meant to be dead. And if not, I have no idea how you passed a DBS check because you definitely killed like 5 people in that movie.

The drifter spots Derek out in the crowd of people waiting to see Santa and demands to take Ricky's spot in the seat. A little girl is up first but he spends the entire time distracted and staring at Derek which again Derek is a little perturbed by. My gosh, if it's not Mickey Rooney stealing scenes it's this kid. I swear you can just pause at random intervals at any point this kid is on screen and you have a meme worthy reaction face. It's like the fact that he's mute 99% of the time in this movie made him really sell his emotions through his body language or facial expressions and he just goes completely over the top everytime. This is unintentional comedy at it's finest because I laugh my ass off everytime he shows up.

Another highlight amongst the creepy vibes this movie is giving off is the clearly 40 year old man playing 18 who is dating Derk's babysitter here whilst making thinly veiled threats at Lonnie. Spoiler alert though because this movie embrace's the slasher movie lifestyle and he'll get his later when he commits the cardinal sin of trying to get his end away.

Speaking of which, cue 5 minute gratitious sex scene featuring those two, plus Sarah and the drifter getting it on in the back of his truck at Sarah's office. You know that trend that came up on Twitter for a while where everyone was being prudish and acting like anyone showing a hint of nipple was an affront to nature? They'd hate this. Just lots of heavy panting and dry humping.

During which Joe Petto dressed as Santa unleashes a bunch of killer toys on the unsuspecting 'teens' who begin to question where all these things came from.

The boyfriend doesn't notice a disembodied hand climbing up his leg though and just thinks his girfield is giving him a finger of fudge, dude really enjoys it though.

When Derek gets up to find out what all the noise is, he promptly gets bundled up in Petto's sack and whisked away which feels like there's any number of inappropriate jokes to make there.

It's only at this point once they're done banging that the drifter, who it's revealed is Derek's real father, reveals his true intentions of being back in town. When he was a kid, he grew up in the same town as where Petto had a store and apparently Petto was accused of tampering with some toys that lead to some kids being injured, maybe even killed. Oh sure, just wait until you've had your little fun to share that nugget of information why don't you. Now, I can't possibly hope to do the finale justice so I can only suggest you check it out yourself. Let's just say the concept of a robot with an Oedipus complex is a big factor. In fact, I would strongly suggest you check this movie out in general if, like me, you are a sucker for those 'so bad it's good' type flicks. After the middling effort of 3 and the bizzarities of 4, this entry really ends the series with a bang with it's off the wall plot points, cheesy effects and over the top acting. It really does capture the vibe of the first two movies that made me enjoy them so much. There's a suprising level of depth to it in the sense that, despite being obviously sub par on a technical level, it's still able to convey what it needs to in order to get it's message across such as the duality of Petto; all sweet and innocent to his customers but a surly bastard behind closed doors. Or the immediate sense of there being something uncanny about Pino from the first time you see him, with the reasons becoming apparent as the movie wears on (as if the whole Pinnochio thing wasn't already a give away). I can only hope this new remake attains this same level of enjoyment for me, I guess we'll come back in a couple of years and find out.

[zolganif]

Okay.

So, they weren't on my list of movies I want to watch sometime soon, but it looks I'm going to anyway. Possibly sometime this week. The It films.

Why you ask? Especially if I'm not really interested in watching them all that much? I have seen the old It series, have enjoyed it, but it is not my favorite Stephen King film. Carrie actually would be. But yes, a small part of me is interested in seeing the new ones, but I wasn't planning anytime in the future.

But have since changed my mind.

Recently, I have seen news about a new remake of a beloved film I own, which is the Crow, with the great Brandon in it. Bill Skarsgard, the new Pennywise actor is going to be Eric Draven.

Now, I have no idea how to feel about that.

Ever since there has been about a remake of the Crow, I have dreading. I don't mind remakes, but it feels as if nothing new or original/different is being made, and most remakes suck. I have personally enjoyed a few, I'll admit I'm one of those horror fans who enjoyed the remake of Martyrs. It was good in its own way. And left me feeling intense emotions as much as the original.

But I am really worried about the remake for the Crow. And shit, what if this is more remembered by future generations and the beloved classic is forgotten about? Probably won't happen, considering how well loved and known the original is, is infamous because of the death of Brandon Lee.

So, the first actor they considered for the remake was Jason Mamoa. And honestly, I feel as if he doesn't exactly fit the role. I'm sorry, he is a good actor, but I just it would've been a mistake to cast as Eric. And plus the man is very muscular, and I picture the crow character as someone who does have some muscle to him, but is more skinny. I don't know, I just want them to get right, and the new one also won't have the great music in it, that the first one did. The new one will probably have a bunch new stuff I don't know or maybe some I'll know. Maybe there'll be a few old in it, maybe there'll be a remake of It Can't Rain All the Time by Jane Siberry.

But yeah, now I have to go check out the new It series asap. Just to see how this guy is. I looked at his other stuff besides It, and have not seen any of it. Some recommendations of other stuff he is in would be helpful. I also want to see how he is without all that makeup. I want to if he is as good as what people say about. Heard he was very good as Pennywise.

I have no opinion on him. I don't know how to feel about him as Eric Draven. Do I think he can pull it off? I can't say for sure because I haven't seen any of his stuff. And unless if I watch any of his films, I won't know until I see actual footage of him as the Crow.

There is one actor who I think may have been perfect for a remake if he were still, would be Heath Ledger. And he played a lot of good roles, many of them I have enjoyed, his version of the Joker being my favorite. The new Joker is amazing, but Heath's will always be number 1 for me. Second would be the original Joker and the new one 3rd.

But if he were still alive, or consider perhaps maybe in different timeline, dimension, he could've been casted as the Crow, Brandon Lee could possibly still be alive. There's so many different scenarios. But I feel the film would still as perfect as it is today if Heath was in it instead.

[murderyoursoul]

N o like evil dead 2013 is probably one of the best examples I can think of of a well done remake in horror aside from Ring 2001 (which still has its problems but is still one of my favorite movies ever) because it remade it but changed enough including the 5 second explanation as to why teens would go to a cabin in the woods which made complete sense. Jane Levy turnt the whole party with that role like she absolutely snatched everyone bald. That being said I have very little hope for evil dead rises idk how the book got from a cabin in the middle of nowhere to an apartment complex in LA

yesss, i was just talking about this with my best friend last week, how evil dead is probably the best reboot i’ve ever seen. i actually tend to like remakes and reboots better than the originals, like the ring, the grudge, a nightmare on elm street (mostly because of rooney mara tbh 🫣), it, etc. so i’m really looking forward to the new exorcist movie, and if i’m not mistaken there’s going to be a christine reboot as well 🫶🏻 when i first heard about evil dead rise i immediately thought jane levy was going to return as mia because i just cannot imagine an evil dead movie without her anymore 😪 i still haven’t watched the trailer because i want the entire thing to be a surprise, but i stumbled across a couple screenshots and it looked pretty sick 👀 i’m really curious about how the storyline is going to work in such a limited space (btw i’m so jealous of everyone that has been playing the game 😭 i thought about buying it but my laptop sucks so bad it would probably explode lmao)

[cipheramnesia]

I think you may be disappointed in more mainstream uses of gore. While I'm a bit of a gorehound myself, I don't find many mainstream horror uses gore in a way that extends past being fun and exciting. However, I can suggest some movies that utilize gore and violence in ways that are complicated and intertwine with the film in meaningful ways.

Most obvious I think is the Hellraiser series, the first and second films, plus Hellraiser 2022, none of the rest are very special. One of the major elements of Hellraiser is the idea of BDSM and sexual extremity which goes past the realm of human experience to the point where torture, dismemberment, and other acts of violence are indistinguishable from pleasure or sex. While the plots of the movies are a little bit mundane, the overall execution and underlying ideas are very queer. The original film is considered a cornerstone of the splatterpunk genre and also a key piece of queer cinematic horror history, so there's a lot of interesting ways gore and queerness intersect.

On the side of unintentionally queer body horror you'll find movies by David Cronenberg. He's taken a range of directions with his work, but his 80s body horror movies The Fly and Videodrome have deeply trans interpretations in the subversion of the human body, along with ideas about human identity in general which remain relevant today. Nearly every movie Cronenberg has made is intriguing, but for more movies carrying along queer and trans themes you may want to watch his Crash adaptation and the recent Crimes of the Future.

The Giallo subgenre is also a good place to find use of gore and blood which is transcendental. I'd suggest the original Suspiria and All The Colors of the Dark as two movies where the use of blood and color and light and cinematography and emotion can't be untangled. It's less about the queerness and more about transforming graphical violence into something visually decadent, a beautiful combination of light and color. Dario Agento's movies are relatively reliable for this kind of evocative use of gore, but they're not all winners, just a useful entry point.

The French extremity horror Inside is brutally, graphically violent movie, like nearly every French extremity horror, but it makes a powerful connection between the use of its violence and the connection between the characters, as well as the plot. I can't call it the most horrific violence I've ever seen in film, but it sure does prompt me to consider it as a contender. Do not watch the English language remake, it's absolutely trash.

Both the original Candyman and the reboot / sequel from 2021 also make strong use of graphic violence in a way that supports the movies rather is more incidental. Both movies are handle ideas of class and race based violence and oppression in ways that make them stand out from their contemporaneous mainstream peers. They'll transform your ideas of what horror can do. Unrelated plug for People Under The Stairs here also.

Lastly, okay well. Listen, sometimes gore is a roller-coaster ride. It's not there to be scary or disgusting, it's there to be ridiculous and make you laugh. If you want to see what that's like, Dead Alive is the gold standard. If you ever wanted to know what gives about blood and gore being fun to watch, that's the movie.

Just watched Der Samurai, genuinely don't know how to describe it other than perhaps "holy fuck".

There's a sense of euphoria you get from a film like this – I think I last felt it when I watched Sound of Violence last year – which is quite hard to explain. It's almost addicting honestly.

I'm pretty sure both of these came onto my radar courtesy of @cipheramnesia so thank you for that.

It's interesting, I've never really had much of had much of an interest in either horror or slasher films before I watched SoV, so now I'm wondering how much of my enjoyment of these two films was because of their treatment of gore as somewhere between being sexual and being a gender, and whether I would actually enjoy more mainstream examples of the genre.

[maxwell-grant]

Having asked your thoughts on designing Frankenstein's daemon, might I now ask your thoughts on bringing Count Dracula from the written word into illustration? (I'm definitely in favour of the 'Hairy Old Mountain Man of Horror pretending he's people' look from the original novel; one of the small tests too many Draculas fail to pass is an absolutely tragic lack of the Evil Beard and/or Wicked Moustache explicitly described by Mr Stoker).

Unlike with Frankenstein, where I think the design needs to be painstakingly thought out in order to achieve the best balance of the creature's traits for horror and tragedy alike, I think with Dracula you can actually just take an approach of "whatever works". Because as I mentioned before, I think much of the appeal and longevity of Dracula is how the character's both a layered villain as well as a shapeshifting narrative force that can be tailored to whatever you want to do with. Granted, there are bad or dissappointing Dracula designs, of course there are, but in regards to the leeway you get for reinterpretation, you get a lot more of it with Dracula than with other literary icons.

Like with Frankenstein, I'm gonna bring up how I'd tackle a less grim, more comedy-centric Dracula first, one that's less a force of horror and more of a charismatic villain, and I think to that end I definitely agree that people are sleeping a lot on the hairy old man barely-passing-off-as-humanoid of the original story. Despite very much loving these performers, I'm actually not a fan of takes that mold Dracula too closely to people who've portrayed him, like Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee, partially because I think it's a waste of an opportunity to create your own Dracula design. Since I can't draw (yet), I'll do what I usually do and make a board of images to try and convey some of my thoughts on one way I'd design Dracula.

(Pictured: Kiwi's design for Dracula, Hotel Transylvania concept art, Nandor, Castlevania Dracula, Charles Dance in Dracula Untold, Vladislav, a Transylvanian rug)

I used the images in my other Dracula post and I’ll post it here again because I absolutely adore @kiwibyrd's designs for Dracula and it's main heroes, in particular I love the way it strikes a good balance at making sure Dracula looks distinctly separate from the humans, but not too much that he couldn't conceivably operate in society as just a harmless old man. I also adore the mustache and bushy eyebrows and pointy ears and I think these three are wonderful features to keep on any Dracula design. I'm also very partial to the Hotel Transylvania concept art, even if it makes me incredibly depressed to look at all the great designs they had for Dracula that they threw in the trash because they somehow decided making him look like Adam Sandler was the idea to go with.

I deeply adore What We Do In The Shadows, both the movie and the show, and Jemaine Clement's Vladislav is one of my favorite (maybe even my actual favorite) on-screen Draculas. But I also enjoy Nandor just as much, and I think it's really great that as a character he's completely different from Vlad while also being ostensibly a take on Dracula, and in particular I bring up his Jersey look because "Dracula in common clothing" is a criminally underrated concept for a joke.

As a character, I'm very partial to comedy takes on Dracula that play him up as a decadent aristocratic supervillain, the kind that can get away with talking in third person. I also have this idea for a version of Dracula who dresses ostentatiously in finely-broidered Romanian or Transylvanian patterns, maybe even wearing a rug as a cape, claiming that he's carrying the legacy of his people on his back. And of course he's lying, he's not Vlad Tepes and he's not even Romanian, he is just a parasite pretending to have a history to be proud of, but good luck getting him to admit that. And finally, I'd like this version to be played by Charles Dance, and I consider it a tremendous crime against humanity that he has yet to play Dracula proper even despite being in a film with the character's name on the title.

So that's kinda how I would design a take on Dracula for something more comedic or more based around him as this guest character and personality on-set. Now, if we're talking a more serious version, I think the possibilities increase, and I won't be getting into all of them because I may prefer to keep them to myself, but I'll elaborate a few ideas.

For example, the edition of Dracula I personally own comes with these really scratchy, really creepy B&W illustrations related to the story, that I can't find scanned online so I'm uploading them here so you can look at. They don't necessarily depict the scenes but rather some of the story's moments, like Van Helsing staking Lucy, Renfield in a straightjacket, Dracula as a coachman, and they are more focused on conveying the horror of the concepts at play.

Dracula never looks the same way in any of the illustrations, in fact you kinda have to piece him out of them by trying to find teeth or capes or eyes or bat-features to see where he's hiding this time. In the first, it's the half-man half-bat, in the 2nd, he's the shrieking bat silhouette next to Renfield, and in the latter, he's the gaping jaws and eerily humanoid eyes in the wolf. The effect to me almost feels like if you were to look at a bunch of tv static and then see a humanoid shape form for a split second before everything went back to normal, something like you'd get from Slender Man or other modern creepypastas, and I’ve argued before that Dracula’s form of horror is a very modern one. 

In terms of illustrations of Dracula that keep up the original traits while still pulling off horror, I definitely have to hand it to the one at the left of the image above, drawn by regourso on Deviantart (account deleted at present). Going back to Castlevania’s many takes on Dracula, two in particular that stick out to me would be Castlevania: Judgment’s armored dress Dracula, who’s got this great twisted heart/rose motif going on in his outfit, and Dracula’s final form in SOTN where he just sits in his throne and his cape twists into all these monsters, particularly how it’s depicted by witnesstheabsurd’s depiction. 

I’m not particularly a fan of how Dracula’s “final form” in these games is usually just some big demon, and part of what I like about his final form in SOTN instead is that, while it’s not a particularly challenging final boss, I do find it interesting the idea of us never actually getting to see what Dracula’s true final form looks like, only an ever-shifting pitch-black torrent of teeth and claws and bloody veins pouring out because that’s ultimately what Dracula is and brings to the world.

On the flip-side of the rotten old monster, we have the charming seductor Dracula, and while I’m really not a fan of how various adaptations have convinced people that “the point” of Dracula is that he’s a seductive force and an allegory for Victorian xenophobia and I’m reeeally even less of a fan of adaptations that make Dracula some misunderstood tragic hero (and I think I’ve made rather violently clear my feelings on interpretations that play up a romance between him and Mina), that the seductive force part exists is impossible to deny, so conversely, while on one hand we can have Dracula as the gargantuan whirlwind of predatory violence, we can also go for Dracula as the tantalizing lover.

I’ve seen a lot of opinions proclaiming Frank Langella as the best Dracula because he was the best at actually being seductive while still playing Dracula, although I haven’t yet seen his performances. If I had to point at one picture I look at and do buy for a second the idea of Dracula as a romantic character, it would be that particular still of Raul Julia in the left of the above image. And it’s strange for me to think of Raul Julia as attractive because I mainly associate him with his brilliant comedy performance of M.Bison (I know it’s far from the highlight of his career but, look, I grew up with Street Fighter, I can’t help it) but those eyes are definitely looking pretty convincing to me, if nothing else. 

And I’ve included this still of Sebastian Stan in the right because, during a conversation between me, @krinsbez and @jcogginsa about who could be a good fit for Dracula, jcog suggested Sebastian Stan, partially because he’s Romanian, and I’ve learned recently that Stan was actually interested in playing the character in Blumhouse’s upcoming remake. And you’d think I’d hate this idea  considering how much I don’t care for tragic anti-hero Draculas, but who says that’s what he’d have to play? 

Do you have any idea how much actors, who are traditionally known for heroic or supporting roles, usually LOVE it when you give them a chance to cut loose as the main villain?

I’d want Sebastian Stan to put all of his charm, all of his talent, all of his good looks and etc, into playing the absolute most vicious, bloodthirsty and irredeemable Dracula put on screen. Someone who is exceedingly, eerily good at being a lovable protagonist, who’s all smiles and charming eyes and politeness mannerisms and maybe even a funny accent, and then it isn't as funny when he's flying through your window intent on kidnapping babies to feed to his brides, except he may take a moment or two to do so because he's feeling pretty hungry himself right now.

Now, admittedly this is kind of a lot to juggle in regards to a single character, which is why my answer for questions like these inevitably has to be “depends on what I’m going for”. That being said, if I was going to try and cast someone who I think could both look the part of Dracula, as well as respectively, play “cartoon aristocrat” Dracula, “mercurial embodiment of evil” Dracula, as well as realistically be an attractive, even seductive performer who can charm viewers even as the character descends into horrible villainy, and juggle these performances even?

I think I’d have to go with Mads Mikkelsen. Not specifically because of Hannibal (I actually haven’t watched it yet), although it’s definitely a factor, the thing that actually made me pick him specifically is, other than his looks, his voice, his reputation for playing sinister characters, the fact that he loves the role and wants to play it, or how many people are deeply in love with this man, or that people already joke that he looks like a vampire, was watching him in Another Round, and specifically that glorious final scene where he’s just dancing to his heart’s content and just, moving with such spring in his step and such joyful vitality even though he’s past his mid-fifties, and that was the moment where, in regards to how much you all love this man, I went

And now I am going to add “casting Mads Mikkelsen as a dancing Dracula” to The List of Reasons Why I Became a Filmmaker.

[jeongyunhoed]

Past-Present-Future Black Dahlia RED: Rogue, Extremely Dangerous

The fourth and final installment to the (ever-expanding) superpowers AU. San’s past comes catching up to him as he is targeted by an old colleague turned foe. With everyone else caught in the crossfire, San is forced to reveal what happened to him in the years before going on the search for his sister.

group: ATEEZ member: San pairing: yunho/oc, san/oc (in flashbacks)  t/w (in this chapter): gambling

things to note: inaccurate depictions of the card games being played.

Another A/N: I’ve come with another chapter! Tag list is open. The flashback scene is inspired by the first sequence in the Charlie’s Angels (2000) movie. Also, saying hello to Yeosang again!

Listen to: Live Wire - Motley Crue, Boys Wanna Be Her - Peaches

tag list:

Masterlist

Chapter 5

A suited, caucasian man moved across the plane that was already bound for Jeju into the first class section. He made a beeline for the empty seat that was at the very front, next to a guy who looked like he didn’t want to be on the flight. He sat down and fastened his seatbelt, the flight attendant immediately asking him for his drink. 

“Whiskey, neat,” The man replied, settling himself down. 

The man sitting next to him glanced at him, noticing that he was taking out a cigar. “Would you like a match?” He said in English. 

“I prefer a lighter,” The man replied. 

“It’s better still.” 

“Until they go wrong,” The man finished, taking out a small, velvet pouch. He emptied the contents of the pouch, seeing a mound of diamonds. “You got the drive?” 

“Yeah,” He took out a flash disk. 

“What about the bomb?” The suited man glanced at him. 

The man unzipped his jacket, revealing a timer that only had a minute left. “I am the bomb,” He said. 

The suited man looked back at his watch, handing the pouch with the diamonds over to him, in exchange for the flash drive. He looked up at the movie that was playing on the screen. “Another remake. Will Hollywood stop at these?” He gave a disapproving look. 

“It’s all about the money, isn’t it?” The jacketed man let out a nervous chuckle. 

The suited man looked at his watch. “Not necessarily.” 

He unfastened his seatbelt and got up, dragging the jacketed man towards the emergency exit and opening the door to jump out. Both of them were zooming through the air, the man screaming as they were slowly making their descent. In the midst of their free fall, a figure dressed in black made their way toward them, taking out the bomb just as it was ten seconds left. 

The bomb exploded in the air, ramping up their descent into the water below. The figure in black grabbed the jacketed man as they pulled open their parachute, the suited man doing the same as if trying to aim for the speedboat that was moving through the ocean, close to the buoy. 

The figure in black and the jacketed man landed in the speedboat first. Jaehyun looked over. “Had a good flight?” He chuckled, as the figure in black removed their helmet, revealing themselves to be Jungwoo, who was beaming. 

The jacketed man was looking at them in horror. “Who are you people?!” He yelled, squirming when he saw the suited man land in the boat as well, slipping out of his parachute. “You crazy bastard!” He yelled. 

The man took out what looked like a mouthpiece. “Damn right, I’m a crazy bastard,” He spoke, his voice changing, language switching to Korean. The man removed his mask, revealing himself to be San, looking victorious as he held up the flash disk and hit high fives with Jungwoo and Jaehyun, who drove them away. 

“You’ve got information we want, and we don’t just mean the drive,” Jungwoo turned to the jacketed man, who was still in shock.

“Looks like we might have to call you the White Rabbit instead, Sanie,” Jaehyun chuckled as he turned to San. 

“Maybe, but I prefer the Cheshire Cat more,” San pocketed the drive, the three of them driving off. 

~ 

Mirae, Mingi, and Jongho arrived at the Papillon Hotel, seeing the familiar pops of electric colors in the midst of the all-white building. She could hear Yunho’s thoughts, of how they were somewhat ambushed by Jungwoo himself, and that he now possessed mutant powers and planned to take theirs. She turned to Mingi and Jongho, who were also looking out the window. 

“Keep your lighter ready, and,” She glanced at Jongho. “Keep yourself ready.” 

“What do you think we’ll find here?” Mingi asked. 

“If we’re lucky, we’ll probably find Jungwoo himself, or at least people linked to him,” Mirae replied, driving to park the car. 

They got down and entered the lot, seeing several dressed men and women enter, some of which were carrying their luggage or were having their luggage brought in by the bellhops who were dressed in vibrant purple uniforms. 

The inside of the Papillon Hotel was a pastel pink that had the geometric shapes and patterns from the 1980s in colors that were appropriate for the era. Everything had a 1980s feel to it. 

“Where now?” Jongho scanned the crowd. “...And what does that Jungwoo guy look like?”

“I guess we’ll know when we see him,” Mirae shrugged. “But we’re not totally here for him, we’re here to check out the Caterpillar Casino. I don’t know what we’ll find, but there’s always something.” 

“May I help you?” They were stopped by who they figured was part of the front desk. 

“We were just looking for the Caterpillar Casino? A friend of ours is looking for us there,” Mirae replied, holding up the poker chip. 

The concierge stood up straight. “Follow me,” They said, leading the way into what looked like the executive elevators. “May I ask for your names?” They asked as they entered the lift. 

“Gogo Yubari, I’m Japanese,” Mirae replied, exchanging looks with Mingi and Jongho, who immediately played along. 

“High rollers, huh? It must be one of those days. Do you play often? Or is it your first time?” The clerk said. “You speak very fluent Korean, Ms. Yubari.” 

“I’ve lived here for a while,” Mirae smiled. “My friends, Kentaro Sakaguchi and Takumi Kitamura,” She gestured to Mingi and Jongho, who nodded in acknowledgment. “They’re high rollers too.” 

“Oh, which tables do you play?” The clerk asked. “So I’ll have people bring your drinks and food, whatever you need, Ms. Yubari, Mr. Sakaguchi, Mr. Kitamura.” 

“Baccarat,” Mirae replied. 

“Poker,” Jongho said, trying to sound as confident as possible. 

“Roulette,” Mingi chimed in, trying to sound just as confident. “I play Blackjack from time to time too,” He added, making Mirae and Jongho glance at him. 

The clerk nodded, the doors opening once they arrived. The Caterpillar Casino was designed unlike the hotel, hardwood and leather interiors with touches of psychedelic patterns. In the private booths were men and women smoking hookahs while the gambling tables were in the middle of the entire floor. The crowd seemed just as diverse, yet evidently made up of people who loved to gamble. 

“May we know the name of your friend?” The clerk suddenly turned to them. 

“Kang Yeosang.” 

The vampiric mutant himself appeared, having come from the slot machines. “They’re with me,” He said. Mirae, Jongho, and Mingi stared at him, trying not to look taken by surprise. 

The clerk nodded upon seeing him and walked off. “Somehow I was wondering when I’d see you here again,” Mirae turned to him. 

“That’s nice of you to think of me, my dear,” Yeosang said, glancing at Jongho and Mingi. “Passed yourselves as Japanese, huh? Smart.” 

“In case Jungwoo told them about us,” Mirae said. “Read anyone’s mind?” She raised a brow. Jongho and Mingi had the same questioning look. 

“I can’t say I didn’t anticipate that possibility,” Yeosang replied with a chuckle, gesturing for them to follow him. “So, what has happened?” 

“We split up, they’re going to another old colleague of San’s,” Mirae replied, feeling his cold fingertips touch her arm as if guiding her around the place. 

“How did you know we tried to pass ourselves off as Japanese?” Jongho pressed. 

“I can do magic, Jongho,” Yeosang said with a sly smile. “Even with me, I can’t read her mind, but I can know what everyone else is doing with a simple spell. I will need to feed again as a result.” 

“You can start with that Jungwoo guy, then,” Mingi quipped. 

“It would save us a lot of time and effort if you already got rid of him,” Jongho added.

“Yeah,” Mirae nodded. She approached Yeosang, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “I heard Yunho’s thoughts earlier. They met him, kind of like a trap. He’s got powers now, and he wants to take San’s away, and everyone else’s. If you’re not careful, he might come after you too.” 

Yeosang stifled a shudder at how close she was. “My dear, you’ll have to stand back, or I’ll ask for a repeat of what I asked of you in my office,” He murmured. Mirae stared at him, taking a step back. “Very good, my dear. Follow me, if anyone asks, Ms. Yubari, Mr. Sakaguchi, Mr. Kitamura, you are all my associates in the Japan division of the Kang Organization.” 

“Got it,” Jongho exchanged looks with the taller male. “...Who’s Takumi Kitamura and who’s Kentaro Sakaguchi between us?”

“You’re Kentaro, Jongho, and Mingi’s Takumi,” Mirae glanced at them, making them nod in relief. 

Yeosang side-eyed their exchange as they kept walking towards a more private booth than the others. “Have a seat, make yourselves comfortable,” He said. 

Mirae, Jongho, and Mingi followed and sat down on the chairs. “So, this is the Caterpillar Casino. Seems exclusive then,” She said. 

“It is, my dear,” Yeosang replied. 

“We found the chip on the body of one of San’s old colleagues. Jungwoo must’ve paid him that. How much is this chip worth?” Mirae held up the object. 

“Two billion won,” Yeosang replied, making them gape at him. “That’s why only high rollers have that chip, it’s like an invitation to play here.” 

~

“What now? That guy’s after us and our powers,” Yunho said as they rushed back into the van. “Wooyoung said his powers were given to him, he’s never had those powers before.” 

San looked a little shaken as he climbed into the passenger seat, Junhong choosing to drive this time. “Yeah, he’s never had those powers before. How did he get those powers?” He looked down. “Looks like our target’s shifting.” 

“From Jungwoo to the source of his power,” Hongjoong understood. “It could be anything. It could be like what the Kang family put in us, or it could be from something else, like the dust from the cult we fought.” 

They nodded. Junhong’s expression fell. “There is one other possible source…But, it seems impossible, at least I know it is, I can’t be sure,” He muttered. 

“What is it?” Seonghwa asked. 

Junhong looked over at them. “...Could it be that the diamond found its way into his hands?” He asked. 

They stared at him. San looked up at the older male. “...The diamond? You mean that diamond we tried to pry out of those robots?” He asked, and Junhong nodded. “That diamond? The diamond that’s been hiding with Ino but ended up somewhere else?” 

“Yes, that same diamond,” Junhong nodded. “I need to go back to my research to recall what I found out about that diamond, but I do remember it was once thought to be a legend that just so happened to be true.” 

“Who else knows about that diamond?” Hongjoong asked. 

“Aside from Ino and me? Mirae, and Baekhyun, and Jongin, and Chanyeol, and Hyuk,” Junhong replied. “That means we have to get to the Papillon Hotel now.” 

Junhong stepped on the gas and began to drive them away. It was starting to become clear to San. If Jungwoo had a reason to be jealous of everyone, then he envied him simply because he was a mutant. And knowing that Jungwoo now had powers, San wondered where he got it. 

San started to think about what Mirae told him earlier. Jungwoo was someone who couldn’t let go of the reasons to be jealous of them, even though San couldn’t see a reason why Jungwoo would be jealous. San saw him as a big brother, someone to admire, flaws and all. Jungwoo was the one who recruited him, acknowledged his mutant powers, made him feel welcome even when he could do serious damage. 

Remembering his last months with the group, San began to realize how greedy Jungwoo had become, which eventually led to him going rogue in that job in Italy. Jungwoo wanted it all to himself, wanted to become the boss, wanted to be better than everyone else. And now, with most of them gone, San knew Jungwoo would become the one and only assassin in Wonderland. 

Jungwoo envied Sungchan for knowing information before he could, envied Jisung for knowing how to handle more weapons than he could, envied Jaehyun for his looks and persuasive nature, and Jaemin, Xiaojun, and Hendery for the very same reasons as Jisung. San realized that Jungwoo’s increasing greed and insecurity made him look as if he was the least capable of all of them. 

Somehow, San understood him now. But the realization didn’t stop him from wanting to kill him, however. 

“What do you think’s going on in the Papillon Hotel?” Seonghwa asked, turning to the rest of them in the hopes of an answer. “You think Mirae found something by now?”

“She did,” Yunho looked out the window. “People don’t just go into that casino, it’s very exclusive. They showed that poker chip we found on Jisung and they were let in.” 

“An exclusive casino in the hotel? Then that hotel must be very-” 

“Fancy? Maybe. A room costs a lot, even when it’s got a reputation for being a place where drug cartels gather,” Yunho was trying to word everything he could hear from Mirae properly. 

“Then I suggest we think of the possible other ways that Jungwoo guy got his powers on our way there,” Junhong spoke. “If it was the dust from that cult we took down, it must be a more powerful version of the dust, or at least something Jungwoo’s been taking for years. That’s the only way I can see it happening.” 

They nodded, having understood. “Could Jungwoo have experimented on himself?” Hongjoong asked. “I remember Junhong hyung saying our mutant genes activated after those experiments we went through. Could Jungwoo have known about that and did it to himself?” 

“It’s possible,” San said quietly. “But he’d only know that if any one of us told him, and I definitely didn’t.” 

“Yeosang and his clan,” Yunho said. “Jungwoo must’ve gotten his hands on their technology to do that, put himself through those experiments they did to you. It’s either that or…” 

They all exchanged looks. They knew who else would. “Ino,” they said. 

“Or at least someone from that group of people that tried to kill us, and Mirae,” Hongjoong frowned. “Didn’t Yeosang say a few of those people were psychics?” 

“Yeah,” San frowned. “Seonghwa…you’re only a telekinetic, right?” He turned to the slightly taller male. 

He nodded. “Last I checked, I was only telekinetic…But just because I can move things with my mind doesn’t mean I can also develop telepathy, right?” Seonghwa turned to Junhong. 

“I’m sure you’re right, Seonghwa,” The older male said. “But usually, at least from my experience, the telekinetics I’ve known tend to also have some telepathic abilities. Ino hyung can do both, Luhan, an old colleague of ours at the Center for Paranormal Research also had some telepathic ability, and Hyuk too.” 

~

Mirae, Mingi, Jongho, and Yeosang scanned the tables in front of them. “There’s an even more exclusive set of tables in this casino,” Yeosang muttered to them. “Only Jungwoo and his men play there. They won’t bother to mingle with the crowd here, and this is already an exclusive place.” 

“So, the game plan is?” Jongho asked. 

“I propose that we play our way up to the top. I’m sure your other colleagues will have figured this out by now. All we can do is take this venture down from the inside,” Yeosang replied. 

“San does want his revenge,” Mirae nodded. “What better way to take it than by robbing Jungwoo of all the money that comes into this place, huh?” 

“While he rips the guy’s head off, that appears to be certain,” Yeosang added. 

“It still feels weird being on the same side as executive Kang, I admit,” Mingi said. 

Yeosang smirked. “Get used to it, Mingi. I’m always sticking up for our kind,” He said. “As late a bloomer the two of you are. Besides, there’s a trick to always having a good hand in whatever game you play, particularly Blackjack.” 

Mirae sensed what he was going to say. “You mean-” 

“The oldest yet frowned upon trick in the book, my dear. Counting cards,” Yeosang finished. “Baccarat’s fairly easy, it’s the amount of money that’s in the pot is what makes it intimidating. But don’t forget, we’re fairly better than everyone here, including Jungwoo.” 

“What do you mean?” Jongho asked. 

“We’re mutants,” The immortal gave him a look. “That alone makes us better.” 

Mirae turned to Jongho and Mingi. “They found him. They found Jungwoo earlier at the Four Seasons. He’s…got powers now,” She said quietly, having heard Yunho’s thoughts. “And he told them he’d take theirs away.” 

“He’s got powers now? You mean his powers ended up like when ours came?” Mingi said. 

She shook her head. “No, Wooyoung said it was given to him. They’re trying to figure out who or what gave him those powers and they’re on their way here now,,” She said, slowly glancing at Yeosang. “...Care to answer that question?” 

“I may have done a lot of things in my very long life, but I couldn’t possibly give a person powers,” Yeosang pointed out, side-eyeing her. “Besides, the technology my descendants possessed has been destroyed. I got rid of the plans, everything, after we dealt with Madame Seo.” 

“Are you sure you got rid of everything?” Mirae asked. “Even digital copies of the plans, formulas, everything?” 

“Everything. I’m sure of it. I would know if there was a copy left,” Yeosang repeated. “I’ve even searched their homes for the plans, if you want any further proof. I have no one else left in my bloodline.” 

She nodded, looking back at the tables. “Any amount to play?” She asked, making Mingi and Jongho return their attention back to the gambling that was taking place in front of them. 

“If we reach up to that amount you’re holding or more, we’ll be able to at least get their attention,” Yeosang said. “I’ll take the baccarat tables, the rest of you split up in the others.” 

The three of them nodded, scattering in the different tables. Mingi settled himself on the roulette table, while Jongho and Mirae went to the blackjack tables. Yeosang took his place on the baccarat table, quietly taking out a checkbook to hand over to the nearby clerk to change into chips. 

While Mirae, Jongho, and Mingi weren’t looking, Yeosang muttered a spell, targeting the tables where they were settled. Once the clerk came back with the number of chips and plaques that were the equivalent to the amount he bet, he sat up. “Let the games begin,�� He said. 

Mirae looked down at the cards dealt to her. A one and ten. “Hit me,” She said. The dealer took out five. “Hit me,” she said again, and the dealer took out six. 

“21. Congratulations,” The dealer slid the chips toward her. 

“How long until they arrive?” Jongho muttered as he made the same bet, succeeding as well. 

“I don’t know, let’s keep going,” She assured him. Noticing the others on the table glancing at them, she chuckled. “We flew in from Japan,” She said, wrapping an arm around Jongho, who smiled. Mirae turned back to the cards she was dealt with. Seventeen. “I’ll stay.” 

The dealer took out their own cards. “Ten. Congratulations,” They slid more chips toward her. 

They heard cheering from the roulette tables. Mingi was succeeding, trying to look as cool as possible, taking a cocktail from the server nearby. Mirae and Jongho turned back to playing their hands, getting one good hand after another. 

They heard a slight commotion coming from the elevators. Mirae and Jongho tilted their heads slightly to take a look. Amongst a group of men dressed in black was another, face partly scarred. He had a slight limp and used a cane to walk past everyone, while some of the clerks followed their group into another part of the casino, disappearing behind the slot machines in the farthest end. 

“That must be him,” Mirae muttered. 

“Scarred huh?” Jongho said. “Kind of like those villains in the movies with the way he looked.” 

“San must’ve been the reason why he looks like that,” She said, making another good bet, the dealer pushing more stacks of chips toward her. “Not bad.” 

“You think he knows what we look like?” Jongho muttered. 

Mirae shrugged. “If he does, then we would’ve been cornered by now.” 

“Good point.” 

Mirae kept glancing at the part where the man and his group disappeared. She noticed Yeosang do the same and stand up, carrying what were handfuls of poker plaques. Yeosang sat down near Mingi at the roulette table, betting all the plaques he had on hand. Mingi looked surprised at how the immortal mutant bet that much, comparing the money Yeosang had to the stacks of chips that were in front of him. 

She looked at the money she had, a little surprised that she was slowly making halfway up the amount she needed. Jongho had almost the same amount she had now, and they took their winnings, playing in separate tables so as not to attract attention. 

Yeosang smirked as he was earning double the money he was betting on the roulettes, Mingi looking just as satisfied yet slightly frustrated, wanting to make just as much. In the corner of his eye, he noticed a woman wearing a tight-fitting black dress, and a gold eagle mask to cover half her face. 

Mingi noticed what Yeosang was looking at, both of them seeing that the woman entered the part of the casino where the man with the cane disappeared to. 

[introvertguide]

Some Good Film Adaptations of Stephen King Stories

At this point in time, I don't think there are many people who have not heard of horror mystery writer Steven King. He has published well over 50 novels, dozens of short stories and compilations, and a bunch of screenplays. Being such a prolific writer, it is not surprising that so many films have given credit to the author. King however, is not always happy to take credit for the associated films, often times publicly denouncing the movies. A quick scan of IMDB and Wikipedia references over 100 movies, TV movies, and sequels as well as two long running graphic novel series. Being the inspirational spring that he is, I want to run down some of the best film adaptations because his association does not necessarily mean quality. As a side note, I will mention if King actually liked the movie, but that has zero affect on what I personally think of the production:

Carrie (1976) Brian De Palma

The first official adaption of a Stephen King novel to film, this was also Brian De Palma's breakout film before going on to make classics like Scarface (1983), The Untouchables (1987), and Mission: Impossible (1996). There are not a lot of horror films that have any association with Academy awards, but both Sissy Spacek (Carrie) and Piper Laurie (Carrie's mom) received nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively. The film is really a tale of vengeance by an oppressed girl who turns out to have some amazing powers. It is a fine film, but it was basically cancelled for a period of time due to the surge of school shootings. A remake was made in 2013 that was not nearly as good but had much better special effects. Despite this being a breakthrough for Stephen King into the film world, the best compliment he ever gave the film was that it was pretty good. King was not nice to film adaptations initially, but the process seems to have grown on him.

The Shining (1980) Stanley Kubrick

This film is considered to be the best psychological horror film, if not the very best horror film, of all time. Stephen King, on the other hand, was very outspoken about how much he hated this film and that the director butchered the concept. I guess all the success goes straight to director Stanley Kubrick, one of the most successful American directors of all time. I remember seeing this film completely uncut on TV in the late 90s (this happened with a couple R rated movies at that time for some reason) and feeling like it was much more creepy than actually scary. The tense atmosphere was palpable as the lead character slowly went insane. The director and cinematographer really walked the audience through the nightmare visuals and decline into madness of the lead character, played perfectly by Jack Nicholson. A fantastic movie all around that owes very little to the original work of Stephen King. Side note: a 1997 remake in the form of a mini-series was produced and written by Stephen King and it absolutely sucked.

Stand by Me (1986) Rob Reiner

Maybe not as well known today as he was when I was growing up, director Rob Reiner has made classics like The Princess Bride (1987) and When Harry Met Sally (1989). This is a director that knows his way around a character study, a fact that is clearly evident in this coming-of-age story in which 4 boys go off in search of finding a dead body. The kids have to deal with a lot of dangerous situations and the journey strengthens their friendship. The acting is surprisingly good from established kid stars at the time Wil Wheaton, Jerry O'Connell, River Phoenix, and Corey Feldman. Stephen King worked closely with the production and has often said it was his favorite adaptation of his work, although it eventually got some competition.

Misery (1990) Rob Reiner

Rob Reiner is back for a second time with another adaptation of a Stephen King original. Once again, Reiner stays very close to the material and uses the acting and cinematography to bring the story to life. Now this film is well ingrained into American culture and there is a famous hobbling scene that has been parodied many times including on the Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy. Although this film is relatively tame on the gore, Takashi Miike was inspired to make the Japanese extreme horror film Audition that takes the torture aspect to disgusting levels. The main character in Misery (played by Kathy Bates) represents the ultimate obsessive fan and her inability to distinguish reality from the characters. When the author (James Cahn) of the book series that she loves kills off the main character, she kidnaps the author and forces him to write a new story. As you can probably tell from the picture above, her methods of persuasion are of the violent type. I think this is a great film in its simplicity because it is almost entirely two characters set in a secluded cabin in the winter. I think the film is fantastic all around, but I have been advised that you have to be at least a little bit of a horror movie fan to get into it.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Frank Darabont

This film was adapted from the short story "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King, which primarily describes the twist at the end of the film. I believe that the suffering of Andy Dufresne in the prison is what made the twist so amazing. Full credit to Stephen King, this is a mystery thriller concept that rivals the works of Alfred Hitchcock, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie. However, Darabont adds to the story and character development that really puts his stamp on the film version. This film has remained the highest rated by site users on IMDB for over a decade and there is good reason. The redemption aspect of the film is probably the best of any movie that I know. King called this his favorite adaptation alongside Stand By Me.

The Green Mile (1999) Frank Darabont

This is a film that I feel should be on the AFI top 100 some day because it really has become part of American culture. I worked with a very large man that had the characteristics of John Coffey that his coworkers affectionately called "Green Mile" and most everyone I met, whether they had seen the film or not, knew exactly what I meant (very kind and gentle African American man who was absurdly tall and muscular) when I mentioned his nickname. As pictured above, Coffey was angelic and had some amazing powers of good. The film was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. My very favorite Stephen King adaptation are the ones directed by Darabont.

The Mist (2007) Frank Darabont

It seems at this point that Darabont should have directed every Stephen King adaptation because they all turn out so well. I think so, anyway, but not everyone agrees about the quality of this particular film. On the surface, this movie seems much more about actual creatures and crossing dimensions, basically Lovecraftian in nature. There are complaints that the CG monsters were not very good, but this actually goes away if you watch the film as it was intended: in black and white. Without color, the movie takes on much more of a human drama where panic and desperation lead humans to do the most inhumane things. One warning before watching, though, is that this film has some of the grossest insect-like creatures along with possibly the most downbeat ending of any move I have ever seen. Stephen King actually complemented Darabont on taking such a dark turn because it was not in the original material.

It (2017) Andy Muschietti

I went into this movie with the expectation that nothing could compare to the performance of Tim Curry as Pennywise from the 1990 TV movie. I was wrong. Bill Skarsgard plays the demonic clown with a creepiness that is all his own. I generally also have issues with groups of child actors because I am consistently let down by at least one of them. I was wrong again. The acting, the cinematography, the directing, the use of the material...exceptionally good across the board. A note about the source material is the book is 1100 pages and filled with a whole lot of strange and inappropriate content that director Muschietti left out. The film is still 135 minutes, but it is much more cohesive and a beautiful coming-of-age story.

Gerald's Game (2017) Mike Flanagan

Again, put an amazing concept in the hands of a very capable director and you will have an amazing production. Mike Flanagan brings us the story of a woman who goes out to a forest cabin with her husband to rekindle their marriage. There is some kinky handcuffing to the bed and the husband suddenly has a heart attack and dies, leaving the woman trapped and trying to escape. There are wild animals and other things that get into the cabin that force the woman to take desperate measures to get loose. There is a scene of pure self inflicted gore that I have watched once and now skip through. It actually makes me nauseous. It is more than just horror, because the woman is forced to face things that have happened to her in the past as she grows desperate, tired, and hungry. The film is very hard to watch and I recommend having somebody there and keeping the lights on. Or maybe you aren't a wuss like me and can totally handle it. By the way, director Mike Flanagan has made some other psychological horror films like Absentia (2011), Oculus (2013), and Hush (2016). In 2019, he directed the sequel to The Shining, called Dr. Sleep, but I don't think it was the best story or Flanagan's best work.

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Depending on your tolerance of gore and comedy horror, there are a lot of other films based on Stephen King novels that you might like. Also, a lot of King's novels involve rape and repressed childhood physical and sexual abuse. If that is a trigger for you, then you should probably stay away. There is a whole Wikipedia page that lists every single adaptation of King's works that link to the individual films. There are really good ones not listed in my favorites above like Creepshow (1982), Christine (1983), and Dolores Claiborne (1995). There are a couple surprises on the Wikipedia list, like I didn't know The Running Man (1987) was based very loosely on a Stephen King novel. King has also contributed to some film garbage like The Night Flier (1998), Riding The Bullet (2004), and The Cell (2016). I noticed a pattern amongst the good adaptations compared to the bad: the skill of the director directly correlates with the quality of the film and the story has to have something to do with the uprising of the oppressed. If that is in the plot synopsis, you got a pretty good chance of getting a quality movie. If it is about vampires or werewolves or zombies and directed by a hack...maybe not so much.