Chapter 1: READY, CAMERA, ACTION!
by fnovelpia
I love horror movies.
I make sure to watch at least one film a day.
I watch even the films that are called disasters, and I can recite the lines from the ones hailed as masterpieces.
It’s gotten to the point where it’s not me watching horror movies; the horror movies are watching me.
Naturally, it’s a hobby others don’t understand.
People around me treat me like I’m insane.
Since I talk about horror movies whenever I open my mouth, I don’t have many friends.
But I’m not lonely. I have horror movies by my side.
I can’t live without horror movies.
Even if I tried drugs, I wouldn’t become this addicted.
My fascination with horror movies began when I was about 7 years old.
It was a day when my parents were out. I was left alone at home.
The first thing I did was rummage through the drawer under the TV.
I don’t remember well, but I think I was looking for ‘The Lion King’ videotape.
However, what I found in the drawer wasn’t ‘The Lion King’.
What I found was an old VHS videotape. It had no box and not even a cover.
The black surface of the tape exuded a strange energy.
It felt like it was alive.
I was compelled to play the tape.
It was a movie.
The genre was horror.
To be precise, a slasher.
It was a typical story where stupid college students step into a secluded forest and are sequentially murdered by a killer.
The killer was a lumberjack as big as a bear. He swung his large axe and chopped the college students to pieces.
Having watched countless splatter movies now, it wouldn’t impress me much, but back then, it was a shock.
After all, I was only 7 years old.
Until then, I had never encountered murder in any form of media.
The sight of the axe-wielding killer lumberjack was terrifying.
He was incredibly strong, had endless stamina, and was completely immune to pain.
While the survivors desperately ran away, he would leisurely walk.
The survivors would trip, and the weapons in their hands would slip away, but he never fell or dropped his axe.
Just when they thought they had escaped and let their guard down, he would suddenly appear from behind.
In the end, as the last survivor put all their effort into taking him down, in the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
Needless to say, it was a movie filled with blood and gore.
It was perfect for tearing apart the innocence of a 7-year-old kid.
But what I felt at the time was not fear, but a thrill.
I couldn’t believe there was something this fun in the world. It felt like I had been missing out on half my life.
From then on, whenever my parents went out, I would take out that tape and watch it over and over again.
That movie was my guide into the world of horror cinema.
But now, even if I wanted to watch that movie, I can’t.
One day, the tape just disappeared.
I’ve watched almost every horror movie in existence, but I still haven’t found that one.
Was it an unreleased indie film? Why was such a rare video at my house?
Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked my dad.
But my dad said he had never seen or kept such a video.
It was strange.
People have many prejudices about horror movies.
One of the most serious prejudices is about the types of horror.
People mistake the horror genre for being just one genre, like romance or melodrama.
That’s not true.
Horror is a highly diversified genre.
Slasher, splatter, thriller, mystery, monster, occult, gothic, house, cosmic, natural, giallo, found footage… and so on.
Just listing the categories could fill a page.
I don’t get it.
People look for horror movies in the summer but don’t really care about the horror genre itself.
On the other hand, I watch and study all the categories within horror.
A few years ago, I could no longer be satisfied with just the horror movies shown in cinemas.
To quench my thirst, I turned to DVD rental stores.
“Are you here, cinephile?”
As I opened the door and entered, the old man at the counter greeted me.
He’s the owner of the rental store and called me a cinephile, a movie enthusiast.
It was a somewhat embarrassing nickname, but secretly I was pleased.
It meant he understood my love for horror movies.
I asked the owner.
“Do you have any new arrivals today?”
“There’s an Indian action movie that came in. Interested?”
“…I’ll pass.”
As always, I walked towards the horror movie section.
The place was lined with DVDs and old videos alike, from cheap B-movies to classic horror masterpieces.
The dusty shelves were like a treasure mine to me.
As I was carefully choosing today’s horror movie to watch,
The owner approached silently and spoke.
“Cinephile. Pick 5.”
“Five? But you can only borrow up to 3 movies, right?”
“I’m not lending them to you. I’ll give you the 5 movies you pick.”
“Really?”
The old man smiled slyly and nodded.
He’s giving me five films.
“What’s going on, boss? Are you closing up shop?”
“That’s right. I’m shutting down the store.”
My heart sank at that moment.
I had meant it as a joke. I didn’t know it would be true.
“Are you really closing down…?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think? Because of Netflix and Watcha[1].”
The owner said bitterly.
Due to the flooding of OTT[2] services, DVD rental stores have completely lost their place.
It was a miracle he lasted this long.
The rental shop that accompanied my youth full of horror was disappearing into the annals of history.
Deeply saddened, I picked out 3 DVDs and 2 videos.
Then I went to the counter and pulled out my wallet.
The owner waved me off.
“Don’t worry about paying.”
“No, I insist…”
“It’s fine. You’re a regular, aren’t you? Since it’s the last time, I’m giving these to you.”
“……”
The DVDs and videotapes I picked were out of print and hard to find.
I was choked up with emotion at his generosity to freely give away such valuable items.
But then, the owner remembered something.
“Ah, wait a moment.”
He went to the back storage and came back with something.
It was an old VHS tape.
“I found this while cleaning out the storage. It’s a film that’s perfect for a cinephile like you.”
“What is it?”
“A mysterious slasher movie produced in the 80s.”
The owner spoke in a low voice, as if reciting a sinister spell.
The 80s were the golden age of slasher films.
A monumental era that birthed iconic serial killer characters.
A mysterious film from that time…
I was salivating.
“But this… I’m not sure if I should give it to you.”
“Why?”
“There was a customer who died of shock after watching this film.”
A movie so scary it could kill someone?
I couldn’t miss out on such a movie.
Moreover, a possibility crossed my mind.
Maybe this was the horror movie I first watched when I was 7 years old.
The terrifying slasher movie where a lumberjack with a huge axe massacres stupid college students…
A video tape now impossible to find…
Proving my thoughts, the videotape had no box or cover, just like my memory.
The black surface flowed with a strange energy.
It felt alive, just like I remembered at 7 years old.
“Boss, I have to watch that video. I think it’s the film I’ve been searching for a very long time.”
“Are you sure you won’t die?”
“I’d rather hope so. Dying while watching a horror movie would be the best death for me.”
“Typical. You’re hopeless.”
The owner smiled slyly and handed me the videotape.
I continuously bowed my head, expressing my gratitude.
It was also a farewell.
A farewell to the rental store that was closing its doors today for the last time.
But cruelly, my sense of farewell was overshadowed by anticipation.
The excitement of finally reuniting with the film I had searched for so long.
On my way home, a hum came to me spontaneously.
The DVDs and videotapes I held were nothing short of treasures.
As soon as I got home, I hurriedly turned on the TV and the VHS player.
I inserted the black videotape given to me by the owner into the player.
The sound of the tape turning was familiar.
The screen crackled to life, and a nostalgic title appeared.
The screen showed a lumberjack holding an axe, a muscular killer as big as a bear.
This was it. This was the film.
The first horror movie I watched at 7 years old…
“Ah… finally……”
I lost consciousness.
When I opened my eyes again, my mouth was terribly dry.
It felt like I had swallowed sand.
I coughed and lifted myself up.
My limbs felt heavy yet strangely light.
What I touched was not the floor of the room. It was damp moss and soil.
What in the world had happened? I looked around.
Instead of the familiar scenery of my room, a teal forest unfolded before me.
A line of ominous trees seemed to mock me.
“What, what is this… How did…”
The moment I spoke, I was startled. Because it wasn’t my voice.
It was a deep, bass voice. The kind that a killer might have.
I looked down to check my body.
I wasn’t wearing my clothes. No, it wasn’t even my body to begin with.
Limbs as thick as logs.
A height that seemed to reach 2 meters.
And…
“……Huh?”
A large axe in my hand.
[1. raei: watcha is korean netflix!]
[2. raei: OTT stands for “Over-The-Top” and refers to streaming services that deliver content over the internet directly to viewers]
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