Totem (1/2)

[lalalive23]

Title: Totem (Installment 1: 13 Days of Horror Series)
Author: lalalive23
Pairing: Implied Belldom
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Swearing, horror, paranormal situations, nudity except not explicit
Disclaimer: The locations in this story - Borley Rectory, Boxer's Lake, Liverpool Street Station, Suffolk, and Sudbury - are all real places. Borley Rectory was known as 'the most haunted house in England' and it did get severely burned in 1939. There is actually a woman who haunted the building named Marie Lairre. Matt and Dom do not belong to me. They are real people. I am not affiliated with Muse aside from the fact that they own 96% of my bank account.The character Geoff belongs to me. The events are entirely fictional.
Feedback: HELLZ YES
Summary: AU. This is a report of YouTube video bloggers DH2026 and theMProject. In April of 2010, Dominic Howard went to England to visit his friend Matt Bellamy for a week. They went into Borley Rectory. This is an account of what happened.
Note: This is a very unusual style for me, and it really doesn't even count as fic. As a film student, I wanted to try my hand at an unusual screenplay in the MS world. I will not be posting this to MS, though, because I don't entirely know how to categorize it. I had an absolute fucking BLAST writing this. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun. I do hope you enjoy it!! Love to my darling sunshine_173 for being my cheerleader and part-time beta. And you, my darling readers, I love you so dearly <3

Towards the end of the research for my Ph.D, I became fascinated by the "second wave" of realism films in production, thanks, in part, to the advent of creative social websites like YouTube and Vimeo. The introduction of reality, and scripted reality, television in companionship with the internet sparked a new direction in filmmaking that prided itself on low budgets and immediate authorship. Where Vimeo encouraged well produced filmmaking and art house developments by semi-professionals to professionals, YouTube saw a strong dynamic shift in what was called vlogging. Video series like Marble Hornets, Fewdio, and curiously chilling uploads by users such as EverymanHYBRID became cult canon amongst internet users. Instead of humour posts, videogame 'hangouts' and make-up tutorials, users sought creative expression in 'noise aesthetics' and the horror genre. 

On April 30, 2010, YouTube user DH2026 (full name: Dominic Howard) uploaded a video entitled #184-190 to his channel of 2,413 subscribers. It would be the final upload he would make before deactivating his account three weeks later. The video itself is an account of his trip to England to visit fellow YouTube vlogger theMProject (full name: Matthew Bellamy), depicted through seven pieces of footage taken from video cameras and mobile phones. DH2026's channel was a comedy channel, in which he would present everyday information in a humorous way, therefore,the unsettling events in the final video left both fans and casual viewers stunned. Avid fans of the Marble Hornets series were the first to draw attention to the video, before it went viral on hundreds of forums, Reddit and even BuzzFeed. When the user's account was deactivated, the video was removed from the website only to resurface two months later by user TwerK (full name: Thomas Kirk). There are only two videos on TwerK's channel: #184-190 and Help Explain This. 

Help Explain This was filmed in August 2011 and is the last surviving footage of Matthew Bellamy.

Numerous attempts at paranormal investigations have occurred in the last two years with no results. Psychics have been brought to every location depicted, though their efforts have been futile. The pocket watch in the film has been defined, by paranormal researcher David Kelwayne, as a totem. To quote David:

                                                     "A totem is an item left behind by the dead which they had ascribed deep 

                                                     personal meaning or symbolism during their life. To come into contact 

                                                     with a totem is to contact the spirit attached to it; to become connected

                                                     to the totem is to become connected with the spirit." (Seeking Answers: 

                                                     Beginner's Guide To The Paranormal, 54)

This report exists only to present the video as it was found, in its untouched manner, for archival and historical purposes. The research to be found on the events, the people and locations involved has lead many in vast circles and down endless rabbit holes. It is my hope that the academic world will provide its resources for the many seeking answers about what truly happened to Matthew Bellamy during that week in April. 

~~

#184

Duration: 1:46

[Exterior. Night-vision mid-close up of dirt path. Leaves cover the ground and crunch audibly. Feet remain in view as two boys walk the path in brisk, even steps. A British male voice is heard]

M: Are you filming, Dom?

[A second male voice speaks. He is American]

D: I have no idea. Your camera is weird.

M: It's no different from any American camera. It's a SONY. Has the green dot gone on?

D: Well, it's different in the dark. Yeah, it has.

M: Then it's filming. Point it at your face, you knob.

[Camera is lifted and spun towards the holder's face, the night vision on the camera giving him a blue glow. He is young, no more than 24. The fringe of his light hair is caught in his eyes, trapped there by the hood of his sweater. He smiles brightly]

D: And so we meet again! Today I am joined by theMProject -

[camera pans left. Another young man, also no more than 24, is walking briskly with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. He squints at the light of the camera and pulls a face by sticking out his tongue]

- say hi, Matt.

M: [nods once] Hello, Howard Harem.

D: Must you call them that?

M: [shaking black hair out of his eyes; he sniffs, not looking at the camera] You have two thousand subscribers and 1,950 of them are women. Yeah, I'd say it's a harem.

D: That's an insult to my fifty male subscribers.

M: Not if they're gay.

D: Har, har. [turns camera back to his face] So, as you all remember I landed last night in Heathrow, after which I got embarrassingly drunk on incredible beer. We spent most of the day being hungover before getting on a train from - what station was it?

M: [in background] Liverpool Street.

D: Right, yeah. We got a train from there to here, [pulls camera back to wave hand, denoting surrounding location] which is apparently Suffolk…specifically Sudbury. We had a grand idea to go to the Borley Rectory because I'm in England and apparently that means it's ok for Matt to go on a midnight ghost hunt.

M: I'm not ghost hunting, I'm just….exploring.

D: [faces camera; raises one eyebrow]

[Camera turns off] 

~~~

#185

Duration: 7:08

[Interior; night. Camera pans from left to right as Dominic breathes heavily. The windows of the rectory are shattered. Leaves scatter the concrete floor. What little furniture there is in the house is tattered and worn. Dom walks to his right, into a small dining area. The camera pans over a wooden table that is badly scratched. A hand comes into view, Dominic's, as he runs his fingers over the marks. The camera pans up and to the left, showing cabinets that are missing their drawers. He leaves the room, slowly walking towards the foyer. A mirror hangs on the wall, the light reflecting off the glass into the lens. He waves.]

M: [distantly; calling] Dom, come up here.

[Dominic's head turns right, facing the direction of Matthew's voice. The camera turns right as he walks straight back toward a carpeted staircase. Slowly, he ascends it, his footsteps quiet. He sniffles. As he approaches the landing, a painting of a pasture comes into view. It is crooked. When he reaches the landing, the camera moves from right to left. There are three bedrooms]

D: [loud whisper] Where are you?

M: [voice from left] In here.

[Camera passes through a doorway. Long shot of Matthew at chest of drawers to the left. There is an empty bed on the right side of the room, the mattress bare and torn. The video pixelates fore a moment, correcting itself a second later. The windows of the bedroom are in tact, though the carpet has been ripped up from the floor in random patches. Dominic walks to where Matthew is standing. Atop the chest are several items: a broken hairbrush, a small empty picture frame, an empty ring box and a pocket watch. Dominic zooms in on the pocket watch. Matthew picks it up. Dominic turns the camera, zooms out to a medium close up of Matthew's face as he inspects it]

M: [whispers] This rectory had hundreds of residents before it was condemned. I wonder whose this was.

D: [also in a whisper] Matt, this place was destroyed by a fire in 1939. Isn't it weird to you that there's still…..things, objects…belongings in here? Nothing seems terribly ruined.

[Pause. Matthew does not reply. Dominic returns the subject to the pocket watch, appeasing his friend] It looks really old. Can't be from any time after 1920, look at the design. Early surrealist or something.

M: So what, now you're an art aficionado? 

D: Fuck off.

[The camera zooms back on to the pocket watch in Matthew's hand. There is a patch of dirt along the rim of the cover, but an intricate design of intertwined clock hands and numbers is distinct.]

M: This is mental. You know the more you look at it, the more it resembles a kind of face. Like from a masquerade. 

[Long pause]

D: I don't see it man. 

[Matthew's thumb comes into view. It presses the button on the side to open the watch. The cover pops open with a soft click,  revealing an almost Victorian clock face.]

M: Too much to ask for it to be working, isn't it. [laughs]

D: Probably needs to be wound. 

[Matthew closes the pocket watch.]

[Cut. Interior. Dominic thuds down the stairs after Matthew, the two boys laughing. They come to a stop in the parlor. Matthew inspects bookshelves, looking for something or nothing. Dominic turns the camera away and zooms in on a picture frame. It is badly singed. The image of a woman, who looks almost sad, is barely discernible.]

D: [muttering] Something about this……isn't……

[The sound of piano notes echo loudly through the room. Dominic gasps loudly, swears, and is visibly shaken as he turns toward the noise. Matthew sits at a piano by the back of the room, playing Satie's "Gnossienne No. 1." He is chuckling. Dominic approaches him.]

D: There's a fucking piano?

M: [plays uninterrupted] Scare you, did I? 

D: Matt, is there anything about this that's ok? You said this place was destroyed by a fire and has been abandoned. Logic this out for me: why would there be a piano in a burned down house? Wouldn't the city have this cleared out?

[Matthew shrugs]

D: I think we should go. 

M: Don't want to spend the night here? We haven't seen anything.

D: I paid £35 for a perfectly good bed at a B&B. I'll cut my losses ok. 

M: OK. [He stops playing. The silence is deafening.]

[Cut. Exterior. Dominic and Matthew walking along a residential side walk. Matthew is holding the camera this time, pointed at Dominic in a long shot. Night vision is switched off, faces now illuminated by street lamps they pass.]

M: [laughing] Say what you said again. 

D: [clearly irritated, but with a smile] I said you're a twunt.

M: Huzzah! Dom has spent 30 hours in this country and is already adopting our language. 

D: Yeah, well you are. Tell the audience what you did.

M: [turns the camera to his face and holds it out. His leather jacket is unzipped, revealing A Horrors band-tee shirt] I've been a naughty boy. [His other hand reaches into his pocket. He pulls out the pocket watch] Dominic's upset with me because I wanted a souvenir. 

D: It's not yours, Matt.

M: [turns his face to Dominic, camera still aimed at himself. He puts the watch back in his pocket] It's technically not anyone's. Besides, this is one thing we could at least fix. 

[Camera turns off]

~~

#186

Duration: 2:01

[Interior. Hotel bedroom. Dominic sits at the desk provided, laptop open as he uploads footage from the video camera onto his computer. His back is to the camera. The pocket watch twirls in front of the screen. Matthew hums. The camera flips, revealing his face. It is clear he is filming on his iPhone. He starts to mouth lyrics to "Don't Stop Me Now," which is playing in the background. He flips the camera back to the watch.]

D: [turns head quickly over shoulder] Holy shit, come look at this.

[Matthew drops the pocket watch and hoists himself off the sofa. He is wearing plaid flannel pants. He approaches the desk, leaning against the back of Dominic's chair and extending his arm as he films]

M: What is it.

D: You tell me. [looks back at Matt]

[Dominic has Final Cut open. He presses play on footage taken earlier in the evening. He has selected footage from when he ascended the stairs and entered the master bedroom. It plays without sound.]

M: What am I looking for….I don't…

D: [quietly] Just wait. 

[The footage shows the camera panning through the room. As it comes to the bed, the footage warps, revealing a figure wearing black sitting on the mattress. It turns to look at the camera. It is wearing a white mask. The footage warps again. The figure is gone]

M: [reels back] What the fuck is that?! Did you put that in there?

D: [turns to look at Matthew] No. How would I do that?

M: I don't know, you're the film wizard. I use iMovie. Maybe you have clever special effects or something. 

D: I can assure you that I have no idea how to superimpose an image that clear onto digital footage. I took one semester of New Media, I'm hardly advanced.

M: How did you not see it when you were filming?

D: I don't know, the camera went all pixelated when I was filming but I just thought the battery was running low or something. 

M: You better not be having me off.

D: What does that sentence even mean? 

M: Is this punishment for taking the pocket watch?

D: I'm really not that upset about the pocket watch. Why would I do that?

M: Whatever. Let's just go to bed and forget about it.

D: Fine by me.

[Video ends] 

~~~

#187

Duration: 0:53

[Interior. Mid-Day. Close up of Dominic's face. He stares at something out of view. Behind him, the scenery has changed. Band posters line the green wall, gig tickets and setlists framed next to them. This is what many assume is Matthew's bedroom.]

D: [whispers] He's been like this all morning. I have no idea what the hell is going on. He was fine yesterday when we got back from Borley. Fine when we went to lunch, fine when we went to The Borderline for the Lescop gig. Now, he won't stop staring at that goddamn pocket watch. Look.

[The camera is flipped, again the film is from an iPhone. Matthew sits shirtless on the bed, the pocket watch in his left hand. He stares almost impassively at it.]

D: [loudly] Matt.

[Matthew does not respond]

D: [louder] Matt, you're a fucking wanker.

[Matthew does not respond]

D: [mutters quietly] Jesus Christ.

[The camera tilts and wobbles, tipping down for a moment as Dominic bends to pick something up. A shoe is thrown in frame and lands on the bed right next to Matthew. Matthew lifts his head, dropping the watch. He smiles]

M: Want breakfast?

D: [long pause; quiet breathing] Uh huh.

~~~~

#188

Duration: 3:21

[Exterior. Mid-Day. Extreme long shot of Matthew as he stands in front of a wooden sign that says Boxer's Lake. From the pockets of his leather jacket he pulls the pocket watch]

M: [looking over his shoulder; calls] You sure this is a good idea.

D: [loudly; voice garbled by wind into microphone] You should have seen yourself man. It's gotta be the watch.

[Matthew reels back and throws the watch into the lake. He stares after it. Shoulders drooped]

[Cut. Interior of a car. Matthew is driving. Dominic points the camera at his face.]

D: How do you feel?

M: Like my soul has been ripped from my chest.

[Pauses. Looks at Dominic]

M: [bursts into laughter] Chill out, Dom. I feel fine. 

D: [laughs weakly]

[Cut. Interior. Matthew's kitchen. Dominic films as Matthew brews tea.]

M: You want any?

D: Nah, water is fine.

M: [looks up at camera] Are you going to film everything? 

D: We have an interested audience. Need to keep them satisfied.

M: [begins to pull off shirt]

D: [laughter] What the hell.

M: [straightens and flattens shirt] You said satisfied. 

[Matthew walks to a cabinet to the left. He makes to open it, but his attention is brought to something on the counter beneath it. He pauses. His hand slowly drops from the knob of the cabinet. The colour drains from his face]

D: What?

[Matthew brings his eyes to the camera, lips parted. He is visibly disturbed. He lifts his right hand. He holds up the pocket watch. Dominic's breath becomes heavy and labored]

M: [voice small] What the fuck.

[Camera shuts off]

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