𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇

‘  THIS  ISN’T  A  FUCKING  JOKE,  RICHIE.  ’   voice  laden  with  frustration,  with  anger,  wavers  as  the  words  leave  her  lips;  DERRY  WAS  SUPPOSED  TO  BE  A  FRESH  START.  but  she  knows  the  voice  from  the  other  end  of  the  receiver—warped,  twisted,  chilling—and  even  worse,  she  knows  it  could  belong  to  anyone.  the  realization  that  she  may  never  escape  it  is  a  weight  that  suffocates  her;  the  thought  that  billy  and  stu’s  reign  of  terror  was  only  the  beginning,  and  this  is  just  her  life  now,  is  almost  too  much  in  that  moment.

phone  almost  slips  out  of  her  hand;  it’s  been  seconds  since  ghostface  hung  up  on  them  and  she’s  worried  she’s  lost  precious  time  to  prepare  for  an  attack  in  those  fleeting  moments—she  tosses  the  phone  to  the  richie  and  takes  off  in  a  quick  stride  toward  the  kitchen,  pausing  along  the  way  to  lock,  deadbolt,  and  chain  the  front  door  shut.   ‘  call  the  police.  ’   maybe  it’s  just  a  sick  prank,  she  thinks  for  a  fleeting  second  as  she  grabs  a  knife  out  of  the  butcher’s  block  holder  on  the  island,  gripping  the  handle  tightly;  and  then  her  focus  is  back  to  her  friend.   ‘  we  can’t  waste  any  more  time.  ’

he  thinks  I  did  it,  she  murmurs  to  herself  in  the  echo  chamber  that  is  her  mind.  knees  fold  into  her  chest  as  she  sits  on  the  stiff  cot  in  the  corner,  back  pressed  against  cold,  unforgiving  concrete.   he  thinks  I’m  a  monster.

she’s  brought  out  of  her  thoughts  by  the  sound  of  something  hitting  the  ground—and  suddenly  she’s  aware  of  how  distant  and  quiet  the  bullpen  is,  her  stomach  twisting  for  a  moment  as  she  shifts  in  her  spot.   ‘  dewey?  ’   she  calls  out  from  the  corner,  through  tears  that  have  since  started  to  dry  on  her  cheek.  no  answer.  so  she  rises  slowly,  taking  a  step,  two,  three,  until  she’s  up  to  the  cell  door,  fingers  curling  around  the  bars  as  she  attempts  to  get  a  better  perspective  into  the  bullpen.   ‘  dewey?  ’

easier  said  than  done;  she’s  not  aware  that  she’s  hyperventilating  until  he’s  speaking  gently  and  she’s  feeling  the  world  around  her  closing  in  too  fast.  all  at  once  she’s  seventeen  again,  made  of  glass  and  cracking  slowly,  waiting  for  the  moment  she’ll  fall  to  pieces.  her  hand  is  shaking  as  cell  phone  screen  flashes  CALL  ENDED:  1MIN 9SEC.  UNKNOWN.  she’s  waiting  for  someone  to  pop  out  of  a  doorway,  yell  GOTCHA!,  claim  it  was  a  joke  made  in  very  poor  taste—she  could  live  with  that.  but  it  doesn’t  come.

‘  I  have  to  go.  ’   it  makes  the  most  sense  to  her,  in  that  moment,  as  that  bone-chilling  voice  echoes  in  her  ears.  YOU  THOUGHT  YOU  COULD  RUN  FROM  ME,  SIDNEY?  I’VE  GOT  A  LOT  PLANNED  FOR  MY  MOVIE;  SO  MUCH  THAT  PEOPLE  ARE  DYING  TO  BE  PART  OF  IT.  it  sends  a  chill  down  her  spine,  prickling  at  her  skin  as  she  dodges  barry’s  hands  coming  to  rest  on  her  shoulders,  pushing  past,  still  breathing  erratically  as  she  does  so.   ‘  I  need  to  get  out  of  here.  ’

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GOTHIC HORROR.

gaslights.   corsets.   ballrooms.   candlelight.   mist.   starless nights.   full moons.  cobbled streets.   horse-drawn carriages.   mysterious strangers.   bogs.   moors.  forests.  mountains.  castles.   velvet.   silver.   brass.   gold.  jewels.   domino masks.  the opera.  dangerous romances.   tragic romances.   violins.    cellos.   roses.   lilies.   empty graves.  crosses.   cemeteries.   snow.   ice.   the gallows.   crows.   milk-white skin.  ambiguous illness.  fangs.   pointed nails.   something howling in the night.   capes.   gloves.   top hats.   straight razors.   lightning.   pipe organs.   underground caverns.  bats.   mice.   rats.   ravens.  cats.   pearls.   attics.   talismans.   axes.   wood. isolation in a room full of people.   vampires.   werewolves.  ghosts.   coffins.   western europe.   eastern europe.   bones.   churches.   catacombs.   mausoleums.   spiders.   books.

CLASSIC HORROR.

black   &   white.  powder puffs.   red lipstick.   winged eyeliner.   white kitten heels.  black lace lingerie.   icy blue eyes.   rain.  abandoned cars.   skeletons.   acid.  poison.  voyeurism.   switchblades.   strangling.   overcoats.  looking over your shoulder.   trans-atlantic accents.  private detectives.   dinner parties.   haunted mansions.   alcohol in glass decanters. cobwebs.   perfect blonde curls.   kitchen knives.   shock.   cellars.  dust.  dark alleys.  empty streets.  driving at night.   horn-rimmed glasses.   radiation.   zombies.  serial murder.  paranoia.   the city.   witches.  the devil.  conspiracies.   amulets.  abject terror.  the american south.   the american northeast.   england.   analog cameras.

SLASHERS.

bloodbaths. massacres.  wanton nudity.   newspapers.   leather jackets.   letterman jackets.  converse sneakers. obscured faces.   social unrest.   bonfires. lakes.  babysitters.   suburbia.   high school. lockers.   dead leaves in the fall. jack-o’-lanterns.  outdated television sets. nightmares.   psychiatrists.   hospitals.   unstoppable forces.  gunfire.   police.   landline telephones.  household objects turned into improvised weapons. halloween. secrets.   revelations. character masks.  scrunchies.   queerness.  wild curls. morbid humor.    jeering children.   parties.   fire.  swearing.  revulsion.   california. the american midwest. ambulances.

PARANORMAL HORROR.

malevolent spirits.   seances.   spells.   missing bodies.  hidden graves.   white noise.  static. flickering lights.   rings of salt.   demons. poltergeists.  dark histories.   old buildings. cold air.  mausoleums.   wells.  urban exploration. a dog barking at something you can’t see.   black ooze.   old photographs. faces you can swear you’ve seen before  but can’t for the life of you figure out where.  dark bodies of water.  crucifixes.   priests.  possession.   exorcisms.   dolls.   jump scares.

CRYPTID   &   URBAN LEGEND HORROR.

aliens. blinding light.   dark woods.   driving at night.   claw-marks.   bite-marks. men in black. memory loss.  dismembered bodies.   sewers.   flashlights.   cell phones.   video cameras.   cars with tinted windows.   abandoned houses.   unlabeled cassette tapes. bugs. big cities.  urban crimes.  clowns.  something rustling outside your window. glowing light. unsolved mysteries.   suburbia.   mirrors.   the american pacific northwest.                  the american east coast.  hiking   /   backpacking.

THRILLERS.

daylight.   fluorescent lighting.   morgues.   asylums.   unwavering eye contact.   tension.   lit rooms with no one inside them.   a dog digging in the newly-planted flower bed.  steely gazes.   paperwork.   anagrams.   codes.   convicted killers.  missing persons. law enforcement.   federal agents.   small towns.   suspicion.   paranoia.  subdued terror.   dimly-lit parking lots.