Recently I’ve become more aware that the world of horror is ever growing and expanding to the world of spoken word, whether it be through audio books, podcasts, live one-woman shows, or in this case audio short stories. To change with the times and provide horror fans with a free way of enjoying his original work, Mark Bessenger launched a new web-series called “Fiendish Things” to release short stories in the form of spoken word. I recognize Mark from his 2011 horror-comedy Bite Marks and I was excited to check out his new material since I hadn’t been exposed to anything from him in the last couple of years. I wondered what the writer, director and producer had in store for listeners outside the world of studly, gay vampires.
“Fiendish Things” is an eight piece series as far as episode count goes. All of the stories – I’ll call them episodes from here on out to avoid constant format switching – are all between eight and twelve minutes long, except for two that are just under four. That means that you can knock season one out in less than two hours, or you can be a normal person and treat yourself to an episode a day to give “Fiendish Things” some longevity. A few of the episodes are reminiscent of iconic horror films of the 80’s, but the majority of them are completely original in terms of plot and are a good showcase of Mark Bessenger’s writing skills. In my opinion, Crucifixion, Second Floor Walk-Up and Wind Chill are capable of being adapted from spoken word episodes to feature length films.
The plot content, length and performances from the cast are all perfect. I can’t find a single critique to offer in those areas. My problem with “Fiendish Things” stems from the lackluster, slapped together appearance of the YouTube videos. The images that are featured throughout the episodes appear to be the best results of a Google search, where non-copyrighted images were saved and pasted into a timeline to make the file look flashier. The issue with this is that it looks unprofessional, almost lazy, and Bessenger is anything but that. If you’re going to put yourself out there with a project like this, then go balls to the walls. Make it the best-enger it can be in hopes of reeling in new fans of the spoken word format such as myself who may pass up “Fiendish Things” due to it looking slightly amateurish. I think this is why the web-series has struggled to find an audience so far – not because of lack of quality but because of lack of glamour.
I’m going to provide you with two episodes from “Fiend Things” season one. I’ll post one episode just below and the other at the bottom of this post following the episode breakdowns. In my opinion, these are the two best episodes and the best reasons why you should listen to this online show. They’re good scary stories to listen to in the dark and have superb performances from actors with background in horror. If you can get past how the episodes look, then I think you’ll find there’s a lot more to them than meets the eye. Season two of “Fiendish Things” has already been announced with a ton of new episodes and performers on the way. Here’s your chance to get acquainted with this series before it returns to chill and thrill you. Final Score: 6.5 out of 10.
Episode 1 – Crucifixion
Written & Directed by Mark Bessenger
Performed by Stephen Twardokus (An American Ghost Story)
“Thomas, a young man fleeing a brutal religious upbringing, travels cross-country to a new life. But when his car crashes in the desert in the middle of the night, he discovers that his personal Hell is just beginning.”
Episode 2 – Puddy
Written & Directed by Mark Bessenger
Performed by Eric Dean (Sledge)
“An abusive man murders his girlfriend, then immediately has a stroke. As he lies naked, bloody and paralyzed on the kitchen floor, he’s stalked by his dead lover’s pet cat…who’s getting hungry.”
Episode 3 – The Tune
Written & Directed by Mark Bessenger
Performed by Stephen J. Carrington
Music by Robert Hamil
“A terrified man hears an odd whistling noise in his house as it moves closer to his bedroom.”
Episode 4 – Stuck
Written & Directed by Mark Bessenger
Performed by Jon Cahill (Bloody Bloody Bible Camp)
“A jealous husband catches Mike having an affair with his wife. Seeing the spouse strangled and then himself beaten unconscious, Mike awakes to find that the husband’s revenge is just beginning.”
Episode 5 – Night Terrors
Written & Directed by Mark Bessenger
Performed by Caitlin Marie Wagner, Jon Cahill and Lois Kellar.
“Sandy is an opportunistic teenage girl babysitting a young boy. While rummaging through the house, she is terrorized by phone calls, knocks at the door, footsteps and the presence of a creepy life-sized toy in the child’s bedroom.”
Episode 6 – Private Chat
Written & Directed by Mark Bessenger
Performed by Matthew McKelligon (You’re Killing Me)
“Marty, a young gay man, is online doing private video chats for his customers when he starts hearing reports of a strange new plague that is returning the dead to murderous life.”
Episode 7 – Second Floor Walk-Up
Written & Directed by Mark Bessenger
Performed by Brian Sheppard, Steven Patterson
“Lee Harper is offered a great deal on an apartment, but it comes with one stipulation: never EVER disturb the tenant in the apartment on the second floor above his. But will curiosity…and a loud TV…kill the cat?”
Episode 8 – Wind Chill
Written & Directed by Mark Bessenger
Performed by Vincent Cusimano (“Creepfest”)
“Have you ever felt the wind was alive, howling and shrieking in the night? This mysterious man tells you the things it’s made him do. Bad things. In the name of love.”
