#1 ·
Good grief, I haven't felt this rattled by a horror flick in a long time...
Last night—Saturday, I think—I rolled in around midnight. Weather was miserable, but that’s not the point. The point is, sleep wasn't happening. I was just messing around with the remote, watching some static... and then it hit me. I remembered there was this horror movie sitting in my collection I hadn't gotten around to yet. It’s called The Ring (I know it's been discussed here before, doesn't matter)—people said it was worth a watch, so I figured, why not...
So, I pop the tape in, the movie starts creeping up, I kill the lights, light a cigarette, crack a beer. Outside, it’s pouring rain, occasional thunder and flashes of lightning. Just me in the room—setting the mood, I suppose...
As the movie progresses, the downpour outside gets heavier, the thunder louder, lightning flashing through the windows. Suddenly, the lead actress lets out this blood-curdling scream, the TV glitches out, and then—CLICK. The picture shrinks and vanishes. Total darkness. Then a massive crack of thunder—the power went out.
I felt a chill go down my spine... but fine, I told myself, it’s nothing. It’s just a movie. The power will come back, I’ll flip the switch, settle down. I started getting up slowly, waiting for a flash of lightning just so I could see where I was stepping. Out of nowhere, the fridge starts humming. Power's coming back on... everything's fine. I'll just finish the movie. I turn the TV back on, hit play, the screaming continues, and I act cool—nothing scares me...
A few minutes pass. The screen flickers, more static... Rachel is vomiting up whatever that thing was... thunder, lightning...
Then, a bolt hits right near my house. Thunder rolls close enough to shake the floor. Some girl screams and dies on the screen, a fly buzzes across the display, and then—darkness again. The TV cuts, the fridge stops humming, and I freeze.
Everything is "fine." I start to get up. The power will surely return just like last time... so I just sit there in the dark. Lightning... I sit for a bit longer... another flash... more thunder... I'm basically ready to call it a night and head to bed—and then a fly lands on my table! Get lost, I tell it. I was genuinely spooked, and it was just a damn fly. What a joke. I grab my lighter, decide to just head to bed; staying up isn't worth it. Halfway there—the flint snaps off my lighter. Darkness... lightning. Darkness...
That was the breaking point. I bolted for the bedroom and gave up on the movie, the power, the flies, and the storms all at once.
Oh, I should have mentioned I have a lovely view of the cemetery. And since it was All Saints' Day, they had plenty of candles lit to really set the atmosphere...
By the afternoon, when I finally got back to watching it, the sun was out, the birds were chirping, and the whole thing seemed incredibly naive and even a bit funny...
Last night—Saturday, I think—I rolled in around midnight. Weather was miserable, but that’s not the point. The point is, sleep wasn't happening. I was just messing around with the remote, watching some static... and then it hit me. I remembered there was this horror movie sitting in my collection I hadn't gotten around to yet. It’s called The Ring (I know it's been discussed here before, doesn't matter)—people said it was worth a watch, so I figured, why not...
So, I pop the tape in, the movie starts creeping up, I kill the lights, light a cigarette, crack a beer. Outside, it’s pouring rain, occasional thunder and flashes of lightning. Just me in the room—setting the mood, I suppose...
As the movie progresses, the downpour outside gets heavier, the thunder louder, lightning flashing through the windows. Suddenly, the lead actress lets out this blood-curdling scream, the TV glitches out, and then—CLICK. The picture shrinks and vanishes. Total darkness. Then a massive crack of thunder—the power went out.
I felt a chill go down my spine... but fine, I told myself, it’s nothing. It’s just a movie. The power will come back, I’ll flip the switch, settle down. I started getting up slowly, waiting for a flash of lightning just so I could see where I was stepping. Out of nowhere, the fridge starts humming. Power's coming back on... everything's fine. I'll just finish the movie. I turn the TV back on, hit play, the screaming continues, and I act cool—nothing scares me...
A few minutes pass. The screen flickers, more static... Rachel is vomiting up whatever that thing was... thunder, lightning...
Then, a bolt hits right near my house. Thunder rolls close enough to shake the floor. Some girl screams and dies on the screen, a fly buzzes across the display, and then—darkness again. The TV cuts, the fridge stops humming, and I freeze.
Everything is "fine." I start to get up. The power will surely return just like last time... so I just sit there in the dark. Lightning... I sit for a bit longer... another flash... more thunder... I'm basically ready to call it a night and head to bed—and then a fly lands on my table! Get lost, I tell it. I was genuinely spooked, and it was just a damn fly. What a joke. I grab my lighter, decide to just head to bed; staying up isn't worth it. Halfway there—the flint snaps off my lighter. Darkness... lightning. Darkness...
That was the breaking point. I bolted for the bedroom and gave up on the movie, the power, the flies, and the storms all at once.
Oh, I should have mentioned I have a lovely view of the cemetery. And since it was All Saints' Day, they had plenty of candles lit to really set the atmosphere...
By the afternoon, when I finally got back to watching it, the sun was out, the birds were chirping, and the whole thing seemed incredibly naive and even a bit funny...