WALLINGFORD, Conn. — Horror fan Rebekah West recently mistook her paused TV screen for a tense, slow-burning scene from experimental found footage horror film “The Outwaters,” confused and spooked sources confirmed.
“Right around the beginning of the second act the characters are attacked after hearing weird noises in the distance. Suddenly, the camera stops, and eerie clicking noises, whispering, and groans continue on the soundtrack,” West said. “This was a bold and effective choice. Or so I thought. But after almost an hour of nothing happening on screen I realized I accidentally sat on the Roku remote. And the sounds weren’t coming from the TV, but from the neighbor’s sprinklers and my roommate masturbating to ASMR porn. I started the movie up again, and it was okay, but nothing compared to that one horrifying scene I apparently made up in my mind.”
The Director/Writer/Star of “The Outwaters” Robbie Banfitch took Rebekah’s viewing mistake as a compliment.
“It’s flattering,” Banfitch said. “We were just trying to tell a simple story about a group of friends making a minimalist music video in the desert. I’m thrilled we were able to create an atmospheric, immersive experience. And to think, the movie worked even without the movie actually playing is a game-changer for filmmakers. This could open up a whole new world of meta-filmmaking in which the viewer just sort of imagines what happens next, but still pays us to ‘watch’ the movie.”
Andrea Bever, Host of the “Colors of Horror” podcast, reported that this experience coincides with the rising “liminal” horror trend.
“Between Creepypastas and movies like ‘Skinamarink,’ there’s been an explosion in the exploration of uncanny feelings in familiar places,” said Bever. “And the beauty of it is, it’s so easy to pull off. Just juxtapose something innocent from a typical Millennial’s childhood with something spooky. A lost episode of ‘Street Sharks’ where Ripster strangles Streex to death? Sure, why not? Or how about the Babadook running around an abandoned Rainforest Cafe? Those are two billion-dollar ideas just off the dome, baby.”
At press time, West has seemingly not learned her lesson as she recently mistook the DVD menu for the film ‘Lost Highway’ to be the film itself.