How do things end up becoming *things* on the internet? Oftentimes, one person posts something and inspires a friend to do the same, and sometimes, those things explode and take on a big beautiful life of their own. Such is the case with the recent “Describe yourself in three fictional characters” social media game, which has likely clogged up your Facebook and Twitter feeds with images of movie and TV characters that your friends consider their fictional spirit animals.
Of course, it’s not exclusively a horror game, but we’ve decided to make it one. We want YOU to comment below and describe yourself in three horror characters, and you’re encouraged to explain why each of them made the list. We want to know which horror characters you share a powerful bond with, and we hope that with that knowledge, we’ll learn a little something about you.
As for me, well, allow me to kick off the fun!
If I had to pick just one horror character to describe myself, it’d be Secret Window‘s Mort Rainey. Played by Johnny Depp in the 2004 adaptation of Stephen King’s novella, Rainey is a work-from-home writer who divides his time between napping, playing with his dog, and of course, writing, and though I related to the character even before becoming a writer myself, it’s almost frightening how much I relate to him now. Mind you, I’m not a delusional killer or anything, but anyone who knows me knows that I’m a secluded cabin in the woods away from being Mort Rainey. The primary difference between he and I, it must be pointed out, is that I’m more of a cat guy.
Another character I deeply relate to is the title character in Lucky McKee’s 2002 film May, pitch-perfectly played by Angela “best Carrie ever” Bettis. May Dove Canady (pictured at the tippy top of this post) is a shy and highly awkward girl who desperately wants a friend but can’t quite seem to find the perfect one, and though she may be as batshit crazy as she is absolutely adorable, I can’t help but feel that there’s a little bit of May in me. And really, I feel like everyone reading this probably has a little bit of May in them too. She’s an extreme weirdo and a total outcast, and to some extent, aren’t we all? If you take away all the killing, she’s one of the most downright relatable and lovable characters in horror history.
Okay, this last one may seem a little strange at first, but hear me out.
Introduced in Michael Dougherty’s Halloween anthology Trick ‘r Treat, Sam is a pumpkin-headed monster child who rocks the coolest pair of footy pajamas on the planet, and though Sam and I may not visually have much in common with one another, what we do share is a love of Halloween – and a hatred for anyone who disrespects our favorite holiday. Sam is essentially the protector of Halloween, dispatching anyone who doesn’t follow the rules of the holiday, and in many ways he is the very embodiment of the Halloween spirit. Sam is the little kid we all become around this time of the year, and though some may call him a nasty little villain, I prefer to think of him as a Halloween hero. Because he is, is he not?
All of my spirit animals are killers. Go figure.
The floor is now yours!
