Your First Born, a Goat, and Three Virgins

Making a pact with the Devil for incredible magic powers sometimes seems like an easy route to power. It can hardly be worth it, even beyond the contract's infernal legalese, where the devil really is in the details. If the pact seeker takes for granted that they are indeed dealing with the Devil then it's hard to deny the opposite side of the coin that one is getting into something that is an affront to all that is holy and the real price comes after the witch's death. Still many deny such an idea as divine punishment or see themselves on the side with any power and do not fear the future. Others consider the stance of the pact granter as claptrap to awe the superstitious or misinformation to prevent the less ardent the acquisition of power. Some just do not care, or as psychology may dictate, look to punish themselves in the long term even as they chase current desires.

The contents of a witch's pact will vary depending upon a host of factors. The first of these would be the intermediary involved. It is the rare witch--we are talking about Satanic Witches so far--that gets to deal with Lucifer himself. There are a variety of powers to be granted either as inborn abilities or as spells, or a mixture of the two. There are additional boons such as familiars and other minions that may be granted. There are costs, often at all stages, but most of them come after the power has corrupted the pact seeker and has driven them to do whatever what was agreed upon. All of these are woven into the contract whether it is written and signed in blood or only enacted upon verbal agreement. Enforcement of the pact will be detailed as well. The pact itself is of course long-winded, impossibly complicated, and intended to be unbreakable.

The costs of the pact includes items meant to ensure the seriousness of the initiate, to humiliate and control them, and items and conditions desired by the pact granter. Giving up the seeker's first born is a common cost that covers all three. Sacrifices may be required at such stages as beginning the negotiations, sealing the deal, and regular intervals thereafter. What is sacrificed may be the same every time or different based on the occasion. It may include animals, children, virgins, any random human life, or more intangible sacrifices--use your imagination. There is also the cost that the witch is indentured to the granter to do as bid at any time. The witch might not be the only one asked to pay. One of the conditions may be the enslavement of others. Or the witch might be tasked to build a cult with an ever-growing number of members.

Mood: hopeful.

Music: A Charge to Keep by Iced Earth and Wicked Witch by Demons & Wizards.

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13 Nights of Hallowe'en: Night #7 Body Parts

Wow, what can I say about tonight’s movie? It’s called
“Body Parts” and it stars a bunch of people I love to watch. This movie is a personal favourite. Up first is Jeff Fahey who is stupendous and I dig all his work. I have to tout another of his movies “The Lawnmowerman”. I just have to tout it. Okay, done. Fahey plays criminal psychologist Bill Crushank. Crushank consults on a convict named Ray, played by the coolest man with three first names, Paul Ben-Victor, who is like Super Guest-Star-Man on TV. Later Crushank runs into a man in his unique situation played by Brad Dourif. Dourif of course is most famous for all of the “Child’s Play” movies as Chucky’s voice but I must also tout “Death Machine”! Dourif won a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actor in “Body Parts”.

One last cast comment: Crushank also gets help from Detective Sawchuck played by Zakes Mokae who should be remembered from “The Serpent and the Rainbow”. Now for the director, Eric Red. Red is the director for “Body Parts” and did some of the writing. He was also a writer on the 1986 and 2007 versions of “The Hitcher” and on “Near Dark”. Now, “Body Parts” is one of those movies that the audience has to go with. Some call it cheesy, and laugh at the dialogue, but that’s mostly a matter of the philosophical questions given flesh (pun intended) in the film. Does that fall flat? Honestly, kind of, but the pacing is good, it has great excitement, and I enjoyed Red’s handling of things. After all, the film was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and won one for Best Music.

Mood: contemplative.
Music: Haunted by Type O Negative off of October Rust.

Pulling it Together

Everything is made of bits of something else. It is inevitable, until you get down to the nitty-grittiest little building blocks. For material objects the parts are easy to identify. For something more ethereal or ephemeral, it is a different matter altogether. This is true of a story. There are influences, research, inspiration, and my always-favourite taint mucking up all of it from as many directions as there are stars in the sky. There are characters, and plots, and themes both intended and unintended. There are lessons, morals, and pointers on growth and the human condition… Say what?

Didn’t you know? Every story has to be an ABC After School Special. Well maybe not that blatant, but pretty close. It’s time to pull out the segments of “Sailor Moon Says” and start writing. First we need a character to act as the main character and be the focus of everything as well as be the one to learn something important from whatever encounters/situations the story is about. This main character has to be totally likeable except for one flaw, but it can’t be a terrible flaw that might make the character unlikeable. This flaw will be the focus of the growth that character has, the root of the lesson to be learned about life or love.

The growth that this character has/takes/makes can be invalidated in so many ways and they must be precluded from being a part of the story. Such invalidations include major harm or irrevocable death being visited upon the main character, being unable to learn from the situation that is the focus of the story, some other character pointing out the answer to overcoming the flaw that the main character has, and the worst, the main character being an s.o.b. and unwilling to grow or learn.

These are the other things that must be pulled together. In fact they have to be the driving force of the story otherwise it is a completely useless exorcise. There can be no entertainment without education. There can be no writers without vast knowledge of psychology or having great wisdom and having learned many lessons without just being told that something must be a certain way, or just understanding it when they see it in other people. So crack the textbook, get out there and do all sorts of stupid things so you can learn valuable lessons, and watch everyone like a hawk.

Mood: aggravated.
Music: The Sign of the Cross by Iron Maiden and Breathe a Sigh by Def Leppard.

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P.S.: I’m being about 75% facetious above.