Midnight Movie Club Ch. 07

"No actual manipulation of limbs occurred," Beatrix answered with a neutral expression. "It's as Tricia said. Last night after you left I pointed out that she wasn't acting in a manner according to her religious affiliation and that she should reconsider the way she treated people. She responded that she would pray about what I said." A thin smile crossed Beatrix's face. "Apparently God didn't check his text messages until the last possible moment, and even then there was a modicum of cajoling. However, we are both here and I am looking forward to this evening's slate of entertainment."

"Well, I'm glad you came."

"So am I. And if you play your cards right, there's a chance I might be encouraged to cum again later tonight."

Eleanor laughed as she put her hand against the small of Beatrix's back, guiding her towards the refreshment table. "Well," she teased, "you do know what they say about horror movies..."

X X X X X

Confronting her nervousness head-on, Julie did her best to channel Alexander's sunny optimism by putting on a confident smile. "Good evening, everyone," she began, "and thank you for attending this evening's double feature. Tonight's bill will consist of the 1978 horror film Halloween and it's 2018 sequel, also called Halloween." She clasped her hands together as she scanned the lounge. A trio of three-person couches and several chairs were arranged in a crescent formation facing the flatscreen television, with Eleanor and Beatrix sitting cross-legged on the floor munching on a shared bag of popcorn. "Tonight was put together as a way to celebrate a belated All Hallow's Eve... as well as the conclusion of mid-terms," she spontaneously added. "It's also an opportunity to meet interesting people and hopefully make new friends. We will have two latecomers following the first movie, however, for now, I'd like to go around the room and have everyone give a quick introduction. Since I am somehow the host for this event, I shall initiate it. My name is Julie Wyndham, I graduated high school in Emerald Pines, Colorado, and my favorite movie is The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Cole? Would you care to go next?"

"Can do," Cole drawled. Giving a casual wave, he said, "Cole Scales. Born and raised in Sandpoint on the north side of the lake. Favorite movie? Heh." He favored Julie with a warm smile. "Weeks we've been friends, never once thought about that. Probably go with Crazy Heart. Enjoyed Jeff Bridges in that one." He turned his head to the tall redhead sitting next to him. "Going around the room on this one. You're up."

The redhead raised a slender arm. "Hello everyone. I'm Lynn Reed, Cole's study partner from our History of Jazz course. I'm from Portland, and my favorite movie is Whiplash." Flashing a flirty smile to the young man on the next couch, she purred, "Your turn, dark and handsome."

"Well, buena noches to you as well, senorita," Alcide laughed. "I'm Alcide Angelico, from Avul Vaos, New Mexico. I know Julie from the college film club, and my favorite movie is Vanishing Point."

Next to him, Brian rose from his seat to give a half-bow to both sides of the room. "Good evening, one and all. My name's Brian McKenzie. I'm from McCall, Idaho. My invitation came from Eleanor, who I know from the Environmental Club. However, I also know Cole from the Gaming Club, and I'm wondering why he didn't offer me an invitation." Brian's statement was accompanied by an eyebrow raised in jest.

"Honestly," Cole answered, "still getting to know you, didn't know if you held a grudge from pelting you with rubber burritos a few weeks ago."

"Please," Brian pshawed, "it's not like I haven't had worse things hit me in the face." The comment drew a sharp laugh from Eleanor, which in turn made Brian smirk. "My favorite movie is also the one that's had the most influence on my life - A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge. I watched it when I was fourteen and it helped me to realize I was gay. That, and it's one heck of an unnerving movie."

Julie smiled at Brian's answer. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Tricia's knuckles turning white as she squeezed her knees. The raven-haired young woman remained silent however as Piper spoke next. "Hello everyone," she said with a friendly wave. "I'm Piper Williams, Lynn's roommate. I'm kind of a third wheel since I barely know Cole, but he was kind enough to extend the invitation to me when he asked Lynn yesterday. I'm from right down the road in Coeur d'Alene. I don't know if I have a favorite movie. A lot of the movies I watched as a child didn't appeal to me. I guess..." She lowered her head and pressed the side of her finger against her lips. "I guess I don't have one. Is that OK?"

"That's perfectly fine, Piper," Julie said in a reassuring tone. "We're happy to have you here. Um... Gwen, right? Do you want to go next?"

"Gwen Crutchfield," the girl with the pixie cut answered eagerly. "Glasgow, Montana, invited by Alexander who should be here with my roommate Karen later on, and hands down my favorite movie is Disney's version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I love both the animated version and the stage musical."

Next to her, Tricia nodded in way of greeting. "Good evening. My name is Tricia Young. I also hail from Coeur d'Alene," she said, gesturing towards Piper, "although I don't believe we've met before this evening. Did you attend Coeur d'Alene High School?"

Piper shook her head. "No. I was homeschooled. I'm guessing you went to Lake City?"

"I did. To resume, Eleanor was gracious enough to extend an invitation to me despite her and I not getting off on the best foot as next-door neighbors. I was initially against attending. However my roommate Beatrix convinced me to give tonight the literal college try. I will be honest, I am not a fan of horror movies. I can't recall ever seeing one. However, I shall do my best to not be a wet blanket or a distraction while we watch. As for my favorite movie?" Tricia smiled thinly. "Monty Python's Life of Brian."

"Get out of here!" Eleanor practically squeaked in surprise. "That's your favorite movie?"

Tricia's smile frosted over with a layer of ice. "Sometimes Christianity has its moments of mirth."

"Amen, girlfriend." Gwen leaned over and held her hand in the air. Confused, Tricia raised her hand as well, with a look of surprise crossing her face as Gwen high-fived her.

"An interesting choice," Julie said. "And a movie I believe is funnier than Holy Grail, which ironically is blasphemy to some. Beatrix?"

"My name is Beatrix Ames," she began quietly, "and I am from Idaho Falls." With a soft smile, Beatrix put her hand on Eleanor's knee. "Like my roommate Tricia, I am here this evening at the behest of Eleanor, a recent acquaintance I hope to turn into a friend. My favorite movie is John Wick, or as my father calls it, Headshot: The Movie."

Eleanor patted Beatrix's hand. "Guess I'm last," she said as Beatrix pulled her hand back. "I'm Eleanor Freeman. I went to high school with Cole in Sandpoint and am currently Julie's roommate, which I guess means I'm here at her invitation. Favorite movie, hmm...probably Inside Out. It made me laugh and it made me cry."

"Thank you, Eleanor." Julie pressed her hands together and dipped them towards her roommate. "And thank you everyone for the introductions. I have to say, we have a wide assortment of favorite movies, from dramas to comedies to horror to action, and even both hand-drawn and computer-animated."

"Yeah," Gwen chimed in, "and there were only two I never heard of before." She leaned her head against the back of the sofa so she could glance at both Cole and Alcide. "Cole, I'm willing to bet it's a movie about music. But you, Alcide? No clue. What's Vanishing Point?"

"A slow-burn car chase movie from the 70s," Alcide answered. "Where I grew up, it's nice and flat. If you're not a car junkie, you live next door to one."

Cole followed up, telling Gwen, "Right in one on mine. Movie came out recently with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper where they were singers? Like that, but the main dude was the dude who was the Dude in The Big Lebowski, Jeff Bridges."

"Who won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Crazy Heart." Cole nodded in agreement with Julie's piece of information. "He was also nominated in 1984 as Best Actor for Starman" she added, "which was directed by John Carpenter, who also directed Halloween, and that is my segue into our first movie. Who here has seen the original Halloween?" Julie raised her hand in the air, joined by Cole, Brian, and Beatrix. A smile crossed Julie's face at the result. "Outstanding," she said eagerly. "I enjoy introducing new movies to people."

"She does," Eleanor spoke up from the floor. "Trust me, she does."

"A quick overview before we begin. Halloween was John Carpenter's third movie as director, after Dark Star and Assault on Precinct 13. He agreed to do the film as long as he had complete creative control. His goal was to make the kind of film he loved as a child, akin to the haunted house at the county fair where something jumps out at you every ten feet. It was Jamie Lee Curtis' film debut and one of the few slasher films praised by Roger Ebert." She pointed to her smartpad sitting on the couch next to Cole. "Alcide and I have loaded up two movie trailers as well to complete the film-going experience. Are there any questions before we get started?"

"Yo." Lynn gestured with her arm to get Julie's attention. "What are the rules here? Should we be dead quiet like we're actually at the movies, or are we going all RiffTrax on this puppy?"

"I... don't know." Julie chewed her lower lip apprehensively as she pondered Lynn's question. "I would enjoy hearing people comment on the movie as they watch it, but not to the extent that it drowns out the movie for everyone else." She looked around the room. "Should we vote on it?"

With a noise of disagreement, Alcide shook his head. "Nah. We're all adults here, right? Let's just police ourselves. If you want to comment just don't be loud or disruptive, and don't be an attention hog."

Tricia raised her hand, leaving the other one resting properly on her lap. "If I may suggest, act as if you are viewing this movie at a sleepover or a slumber party. Be respectful, but have fun."

"What Tricia said," proclaimed Alcide. "Hey, do you prefer Tricia or Trish?"

Confusion swam in Tricia's eyes for a brief moment. "Tricia, please" she eventually answered. "No one's ever called me Trish."

"Are those ideas acceptable to everyone?" Julie's question was met with general murmurs of consent and agreement from the other students. "Very well then. Let's go ahead and get started then with the trailers. If someone wouldn't mind getting the lights, please?"

As Gwen got up from her couch and walked back towards the door to the lounge, Brain spoke up in a movie announcer's voice. "Please be respectful to your fellow moviegoers and silence your cell phones at this time."

"And remember, pirating movies is illegal!" Alcide tossed a kernel of popcorn into the air. He had to lean back slightly to catch it in his mouth. "If caught, you could face more jail time than if you robbed a pension fund or got the nation addicted to painkillers!"

The room briefly fell into near darkness, lit only by the light leaking past the edge of the curtains. Having taken her seat next to Cole, Julie waited until Gwen had sat back down before looking down at her smartpad. After a brief hesitation, Julie tapped the "PLAY" button. Immediately, the flatscreen television bolted to the wall flared to life in a bolt of flickering orange as a tall Mexican man with facial scars strode across the screen, accompanied by a deep, ominous voiceover.

"They called him 'Machete...'"

The quiet smile on Julie's face was nothing compared to the wide grin on Alcide's as he subjected his classmates to the faux trailer of the fake Danny Trejo movie Machete. The over-the-top nature of the trailer brought about a mix of shocked gasps and surprised laughter as Trejo sliced and diced his way through various mooks and goons as he embarked on a roaring rampage of revenge. A cacophony of howls filled the air at one point when Trejo, standing in front of a waterfall, made out with two topless women.

"...but they soon realized...they just fucked with the wrong Mexican..."

"OK, next Saturday," Lynn called out as the scene cut to Trejo opening up his trenchcoat to reveal an excessive number of machetes, "I want to watch THIS movie!"

Julie's eyes couldn't help but shift towards Tricia during that particular scene. Tricia was sitting upright, spine straight and body rigid, with her hands resting on her knees. Even across the darkened room, the wince of disgust was evident on the young woman's face. Still, she remained quiet, focused on the screen, while next to her Gwen covered her eyes in disbelief while also chuckling in amusement.

The trailer ended on a shot of Trejo jumping a motorcycle over a group of barrels, an explosion going off behind him, while firing a minigun attached to the handlebars, drawing a final round of laughter and a smattering of applause. Julie allowed the screen to fade to black for a few seconds before pulling up and hitting "PLAY" on her trailer choice. As opposed to the over-the-top comic-book violence of Alcide's pic, Julie had gone with the darker, grittier, more realistic Assault on Precinct 13 for her selection. From the opening moments where gang members were ambushed by faceless police officers, the students watched with rapt interest as the surviving gang members laid siege to a decommissioned LAPD police station.

Once the trailer had concluded, Julie once again waited a few moments before pulling up the movie's menu on her smartpad. With a deep breath and a quiet smile, she pressed her finger against the glass surface.

X X X X X

Eleanor appreciated the simplicity of the opening credits - the cast and crew listed in orange font against a black background while the camera slowly zoomed in on a burning jack o'lantern as the familiar Halloween theme played. She casually munched on popcorn loaded with powdered white cheddar cheese knowing that she'd probably regret it in the morning. Next to her, Beatrix pulled a single kernel from the bag at a time. It kept her fingers clean as opposed to the thin layer of powder that covered Eleanor's, despite her best efforts to lick it off.

Something else she'd regret was her choice in vantages for movie watching. From her spot on the floor, Eleanor had to crane her neck slightly to see the television. Her neck and shoulders would be sore tomorrow morning, without question. But sitting cross-legged on the floor, popcorn within easy reach, reminded her of watching television with her family. Her older brothers would claim the couches, so she'd sit on the wooden floor next to her dad, his legs up on the footstool and remote control in hand. If she closed her eyes, she'd bet that she'd smell the pine floorboards of her living room.

As she reached into the bag for another handful of popcorn, something brushed against her arm. The sensation repeated itself a moment later in the form of two fingers lightly making their way down the underside of her forearm. Next to her, Beatrix was looking at the screen, her attention split between the movie and playfully dragging her fingers along Eleanor's skin. Eleanor managed to suppress the shiver that threatened to go through her body at the feeling, instead giving a quiet, closed-mouth hum. Beatrix's fingers were the airiest of feathers against her skin, almost angelic in their touch, as they glided over Eleanor's wrist and into the palm of her hand. Beatrix's fingers proceeded to intertwine with Eleanor's for the briefest of moments before she pulled her hand free from the bag.

The pale blonde's eyes never wavered from the screen as she put her index finger against her mouth. Eleanor shifted slightly, mentally chastising herself for not wearing underwear underneath her loose orange one-piece dress, as she watched Beatrix open her mouth slightly, just enough to slowly lick the stray crumbs of white cheddar powder from her finger with the tip of her tongue.

"Tease," Eleanor gently chided her, speaking quietly enough so only Beatrix could hear.

"Considering the movie we're watching," Beatrix responded neutrally, "I believe the more preferable word is 'trick.'"

"And is there an accompanying treat?" Eleanor whispered.

"Provided you're a good little ghoul, perhaps I will put a piece of candy in your basket come intermission. Now please." Beatrix pressed her finger against her lips once again. "Be quiet and enjoy the movie."

X X X X X

"Seriously," Lynn said as Jamie Lee Curtis' character Laurie daydreamed in her English class, "if I age half as well as she did, I'll consider myself lucky."

"I believe her graceful aging is a combination of Activia yogurt and bathing in the blood of virgins," Beatrix spoke from the floor. "And good luck trying to find a virgin on this campus."

X X X X X

"If I may point something out?" Tricia had been sitting in the same position since the movie had started. Now, as she spoke, she gently pointed towards the television. "Aside from the opening scene, there has been little in the way of blood. This movie is nowhere near as violent or as gratuitous as I believed. If anything, it feels like Michael should be stalking Laurie's Instagram and working up the courage to ask her to the Homecoming Dance."

"Yeah." Piper patted her pillow. "I've only had to bury my face once."

X X X X X

"First he kills his sister when he was a kid," Eleanor proclaimed harshly, "and now he strangles a dog? Yeah, this guy's an absolute dick. I can't wait for Jamie Lee Curtis to kick his ass."

X X X X X

"I met him fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no, uh, conscience, no understanding and even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes, the devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized that what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply...evil."

In any other horror movie, it would have been easy to view the monologue as nothing more than a hunk of cliched cheese. However underneath the surface of Donald Pleasance's delivery of Dr. Loomis' clinical monologue swam a hint of anxious desperation, an unspoken plea to the town sheriff to believe the extent of evil that dwelled inside the soulless Michael Myers. Julie took the opportunity to glance around the lounge as the scene came to an end. All eyes were on the screen. Nary a sarcastic remark or humorous observation was made.

Relief flooded through Julie at the sound of silence. Compared to modern-day horror films, Halloween was a slow burn that depended more on dread and subtlety than blood and jump scares. Despite having chosen the film herself, doubt had begun to overshadow Julie's enjoyment of the evening. It would have been easy for one of her fellow students to pull out a cell phone to alleviate their boredom, or to find an excuse to step outside or perhaps depart. Her fears compounded during the movie's runtime. When worry began to clutch at her heart, it wasn't from the threat of Michael Myers but rather a fear of public embarrassment.

But the sight of her fellow students under Halloween's spell, especially at this particular moment in the movie, saw that worry drain away like water in a bathtub. Julie smiled quietly as she settled back against the couch cushion, finally ready to relax and enjoy the movie.