In high school, I once had to read an entire section of the classic poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” in front of my fellow students in literature class. Why do I bring this up? Because while watching Bryan Enk’s horror short Beneath the Sea It Sings, I was reminded of myself delivering that soliloquy. Except in Bryan’s story, it isn’t a sea captain paying penance for murdering an albatross. Instead, it’s a nameless character (Julia Kolinski) breaking the 4th wall to tell you her story, which is more similar to the story of the Demeter (a derelict sailing ship) in Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula than it is to the ancient mariner’s tale.
Being a musician and a performer in general, I turned it into a live one-man show, acting it out as well as one could with no actual set or props. I even banged my fist in frustration on another student’s desk while walking toward the front of the room and reciting, “Day after day… Day after day!” They weren’t too happy about it, but at least they were awake afterward.
And is that Woman all her crew?
Is that a Death? And are there two?
Is Death that Woman’s mate?
– Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
“…similar to the story of the ship Demeter in Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula…”
Our journey begins out of the darkness with the creepy sounds of a creaking wooden sailing ship and the water flowing around it, splashing and taunting us – daring us to keep listening. This leads us to the sight of a lone woman chained to a chair in what appears to be the hull of a wooden ship. She’s jarred awake by the sound of banging on the ceiling, followed by what may have been a person running across the deck and jumping into the water.
After collecting herself, she begins her tale of this strange voyage by looking directly into the camera and speaking to you, much like someone telling an old campfire story. She laments that she and her crew redirected themselves to follow a mysterious musical melody that appeared one night out of the blackness of the water, leading them to something that they soon regret finding.
Beneath the Sea It Sings presents the story in an original fashion, having your sole character relay the narrative as if she were passing down a folk tale. I give extra points for a great, spooky sound mix, along with some great musical cues near the end. If you’re looking for a spooky horror story told in an original fashion, check it out.
"…spooky horror story told in an original fashion"
