High-Stakes Twisted Plot: "Premium Membership" (Dark Psychological Horror)

0:00 Speaker 1: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. It lies in wait amidst your dreams, where nothing is ever how it seems. It is a portal to a terrifying world beyond the doorway.

0:29 Speaker 2: Nightmare.

0:30 Speaker 3: Come in.

0:44 Speaker 4: Welcome.

0:46 Speaker 1: I'm Artemis Black. In this digital age, almost every kind of entertainment is available to you. right at your fingertips. Not only is your phone a way to communicate with others, but a full computer. You can find practically anything, even things that should never be found. But Mr.

1:19 Speaker 4: Perkins, look, I don't think that you understand what I'm trying to tell you.

1:23 Speaker 5: No, I don't think that you understand. Your job is to simply put that video store out of business. If we can't buy them out, then we force them out.

1:35 Speaker 4: But I don't think it's going to be that simple. These people, well, they scare me.

1:42 Speaker 5: It's just a small town mom and pop operation of a video store. What could possibly be so scary?

1:58 Speaker 1: Was written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and Crimson McKenzie. Our cast includes Dave Archipaugh, William Stafford, Patience Adams, and Winslow Swan. I'll return shortly with Act 1. Mystery.

2:16 Speaker 3: Horror.

2:17 Speaker 1: Thriller. Suspense.

2:20 Speaker 6: Novels and short story collections from Winslow Swan, now available from Amazon.

2:42 Speaker 1: If you are old enough, you will remember the videocassette and the VCR, a device that would play a major motion picture on your own television. The popularity of this device hit its stride in 1980, and the majority of films available were rented. In most small towns, the rental store was usually owned and operated by someone locally. As time went on, larger corporations began to dominate the markets, and these small hometown video stores slowly disappeared.

3:28 Speaker 7: Come in, Daniel.

3:30 Speaker 8: Come, take a seat.

3:31 Speaker 4: Thank you, Mr. Perkins. I hope that everything is satisfactory.

3:35 Speaker 7: Always is with you.

3:38 Speaker 8: You are the best acquisitioner that this company ever had. You know your stuff, Daniel. We, that is, the board of directors and me personally, think that you are doing an outstanding job.

3:54 Speaker 4: Well, it's really not that hard. I simply target those small little mom-and-pop video stores. If they won't sell, then we simply build our own store and just drive them out of business.

4:09 Speaker 8: Cut the rental price to almost nothing. Then, when the others do go out of business and the people have nowhere else to go, we jack the price back up again. And it's all perfectly legal.

4:24 Speaker 4: Yeah, just maybe not... Ethically.

4:27 Speaker 8: Oh, who cares about ethics? This is a cutthroat business, and it's only going to get bigger. If you think 1983 is a big year, wait till you see what's coming next.

4:42 Speaker 4: Is that why the company is building so rapidly?

4:45 Speaker 7: Naturally.

4:46 Speaker 8: Pretty soon you're going to see our name in every city in the USA. Why, we will be synonymous with videocassettes. Just you wait. The whole business will be a.

5:01 Speaker 9: Blockbuster.

5:19 Speaker 1: Yeah? Nice greeting.

5:22 Speaker 4: Good afternoon. I just happened to see your sign out front. So, you rent videotapes?

5:32 Speaker 7: Yeah.

5:34 Speaker 4: And where do you keep the new releases?

5:38 Speaker 1: Right there.

5:38 Speaker 3: Under the great big sign that says, New Releases.

5:45 Speaker 4: Oh, yeah. I see it now.

5:48 Speaker 3: Not exactly hard to miss.

5:51 Speaker 2: Oh.

5:51 Speaker 4: Okay, so what do you need from me to rent a couple of tapes tonight?

5:56 Speaker 3: Driver's license, credit card, proof of your residence.

6:02 Speaker 4: Oh, well, I'm only in town for a few days. I'm staying at the hotel down the street.

6:08 Speaker 3: Got a receipt for the room?

6:09 Speaker 4: Yes, sir, right here. Here is my license and credit card.

6:16 Speaker 3: You get two tapes at a time. They're due back tomorrow anytime before midnight.

6:22 Speaker 4: Kind of a small selection. Only got a few new releases and only one shelf of old movies.

6:31 Speaker 3: And that's all you need to know about right now.

6:34 Speaker 4: Oh, you mean you have other movies?

6:37 Speaker 3: Mister, you're not from around here. So you don't need to concern yourself with other movies.

6:50 Speaker 7: Well, Daniel, what did you find out?

6:53 Speaker 4: Mr. Perkins, that's the weirdest little store I've ever been in.

6:56 Speaker 7: Oh, what's so weird about it? They rent tapes, don't they?

7:01 Speaker 4: If you can call it that. I mean, I only have about maybe 20 copies of new movies and only about 50 older movies and nothing else.

7:12 Speaker 7: Is the store in a broom closet?

7:15 Speaker 4: Oh, no, it's a full-size store. But then there's the strange part. You see, I saw this red door that was just to the side of the counter.

7:25 Speaker 7: The office, maybe?

7:26 Speaker 4: I don't think so. I hung around and I saw several people use a key to get through it. When they came out, they had an armful of tapes with them.

7:37 Speaker 7: Ah, must be their adult section.

7:40 Speaker 8: We thought about that for a bit, but decided we wanted a more family atmosphere.

7:46 Speaker 4: I'm going to go try to get into that door tomorrow.

8:02 Speaker 3: Did you like the movies?

8:04 Speaker 1: Not bad.

8:06 Speaker 4: So, do you happen to have an adult section?

8:15 Speaker 3: Here you go. Just look through the folder and pick out the one you want.

8:20 Speaker 1: Oh, okay.

8:22 Speaker 4: Hey, what's behind that red door?

8:27 Speaker 3: Why do you want to know?

8:29 Speaker 4: Oh, I simply thought that.

8:32 Speaker 3: That is only open to premium members, not regular customers.

8:38 Speaker 4: Oh, I see. So, what do you need to become a premium member?

8:47 Speaker 3: That's easy. First, you need to have lived here, or at least be moving here. Then, you submit your own video. After that, It's just a membership fee.

9:01 Speaker 4: And what is the membership fee?

9:05 Speaker 3: Not much at all.

9:06 Speaker 7: Only $ 5, 000 a month.

9:21 Speaker 1: In 1923, Eastman Kodak Company invented the 16mm film and camera for home use. With it, families could record their special moments, captured forever on film. By the 1980s, the first video camera was introduced. Of course, it wasn't just family pictures being made.

9:47 Speaker 2: More images.

9:49 Speaker 1: Nefarious movies were also produced. I'll return shortly with Act 2.

9:59 Speaker 6: If you'd like to support us, visit our merchandise store. T-shirts, caps, mugs, and so much more. Visit doorwaytonightmare.com today.

10:28 Speaker 1: Famous movie director Frank Capra once said, There are no rules in filmmaking, only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness.

10:55 Speaker 7: Thanks, uh, take a breath.

10:58 Speaker 9: Thanks. I'm just a little blind.

11:28 Speaker 4: Uh, Mr.

11:28 Speaker 1: Perkins?

11:29 Speaker 7: Daniel! What's going on?

11:32 Speaker 4: Yeah, I think we got a big problem.

11:36 Speaker 7: I haven't heard from you in three days.

11:38 Speaker 5: Have you got the deal signed, or do we start breaking ground?

11:42 Speaker 4: It isn't that simple, Mr.

11:43 Speaker 1: Perkins.

11:45 Speaker 4: I still don't know who the owner of that so-called video store is.

11:50 Speaker 7: Did you ever find out what's behind that door?

11:53 Speaker 4: No. No one is talking about it. Oh, I've asked several people, but... And just smile at me and walk away.

12:01 Speaker 7: Offer them money. Everyone has a price.

12:04 Speaker 4: Yeah, I've already tried that. No one, and I mean no one, will give me any information.

12:13 Speaker 5: Daniel, I'm counting on you to get this done. Either we buy the store out, or we drive them out.

12:29 Speaker 9: Well now, how are you doing?

12:31 Speaker 4: I'm not doing too well.

12:34 Speaker 9: Perhaps we can fix whatever is ailing you. How about the blue plate special?

12:39 Speaker 4: I didn't even know they still had that anymore.

12:44 Speaker 9: Everything around here is retro.

12:47 Speaker 4: Is it any good?

12:49 Speaker 9: Well, like Crocodile Dundee said, you can live on it, but it tastes like sh... I'm kidding. It's ham steak with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans.

13:00 Speaker 4: Actually, that sounds delicious.

13:02 Speaker 9: Coming right up. One blue plate special.

13:05 Speaker 4: I suppose the only other place to eat in this town is in the next town over.

13:11 Speaker 9: You won't find any better than this one within 100 miles. Alvin, the cook, came here 20 years ago from New York. He used to cook in one of them real fancy places. Said he was a five-star chef.

13:23 Speaker 1: Really?

13:23 Speaker 5: Really.

13:24 Speaker 4: What made him stay here?

13:26 Speaker 9: Guess he liked the town. What would you like to drink?

13:29 Speaker 4: Oh, sweet tea will be fine.

13:31 Speaker 9: Is there any other kind?

13:36 Speaker 4: Say, listen, if you don't mind, can I ask you a question?

13:40 Speaker 9: The name is Molly, and I don't date the customers. Unless they happen to be handsome single men.

13:48 Speaker 4: Well, that wasn't my question. But it's good to keep in mind. What I wanted to know is, what do you know about the video store?

13:59 Speaker 9: Quite a bit. My uncle owns it. I work there sometimes when my cousin wants a night off.

14:05 Speaker 4: Well, they have this, I guess, back room, but I was told it was only for premium members.

14:12 Speaker 9: That's right.

14:13 Speaker 7: Why?

14:14 Speaker 9: Do you want to be a premium member? Unless you suddenly bought a house here, I don't think it's going to happen.

14:22 Speaker 4: But how does the place stay in business?

14:24 Speaker 9: We got a lot of premium members. That's how. Now, don't you worry about it. Here, eat up. Go rent you a movie and relax. Who knows? I might just ask you out and then you will find out everything.

15:21 Speaker 5: Do you have any idea what time it is, Daniel?

15:24 Speaker 4: You know, Mr. Perkins, I may have found the one person in this town who's willing to talk to me.

15:31 Speaker 5: Daniel, I'm having a dinner party at the moment, and you are keeping me from my guests.

15:38 Speaker 3: Ah, damn.

15:39 Speaker 7: What's the matter now? Daniel? Daniel, what are you doing?

15:54 Speaker 9: It's not possible.

15:58 Speaker 7: What the devil are you talking about?

16:02 Speaker 4: Oh, Mr. Perkins, I'm sorry. I was watching Jaws, but just as the credits were ending, the tape did a kind of, I don't know, glitch. I swear.

16:15 Speaker 3: I saw.

16:17 Speaker 4: I. I think I just saw the waitress at the diner

16:24 Speaker 4: stab a man to death on camera.

16:33 Speaker 1: Director Peter Jackson once said.

16:35 Speaker 3: The most honest form.

16:37 Speaker 1: Of filmmaking is to make a film for yourself. I'll return shortly with our final reels.

16:47 Speaker 6: Have you heard any good books lately? Audiobooks from Winslow Swan, now available on Spotify.

17:11 Speaker 1: From the play As You Like It, penned by William Shakespeare, comes this familiar phrase. All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.

17:43 Speaker 9: Well now, Daniel, how are things going?

17:46 Speaker 4: Hey, I didn't expect to see you here.

17:49 Speaker 9: I told you last night that sometimes I work here too. You know, it is a small town. What brings you here?

17:57 Speaker 1: This.

17:59 Speaker 9: So you got a videotape. Let's see. Oh yeah, Jaws. Great movie. You know, Steven Spielberg said that it was a great movie to watch, but horrible to make.

18:13 Speaker 4: No, Molly, you don't understand. There was something very wrong with the tape.

18:18 Speaker 9: What happened? Did it get wound up in the VCR? We have had some do that. Pick out something else.

18:25 Speaker 4: On the house. I saw what was on it, Molly. I saw you.

18:32 Speaker 9: Me? Whatever do you mean?

18:33 Speaker 1: The movie.

18:35 Speaker 4: The regular movie.

18:37 Speaker 1: Jaws.

18:37 Speaker 4: It started playing. But then, well, there was a blank space and And I saw... Molly, I watched you stab a man to death.

18:48 Speaker 9: I was wondering where that tape got to.

18:51 Speaker 3: Wait, you mean.

18:54 Speaker 4: You mean you admit it?

18:56 Speaker 9: Why not? After all, I suppose it was one of my... best performances.

19:05 Speaker 3: No.

19:06 Speaker 4: No, it had to have been a special effect of some kind.

19:09 Speaker 9: Oh, no, Daniel.

19:11 Speaker 7: It was.

19:12 Speaker 9: Very real. You watched as I murdered someone.

19:16 Speaker 4: But who was he? I mean, where did he come from?

19:19 Speaker 9: Oh, some tourist who checked into the hotel down the street. He started renting videos, asked about our red door, and then smiling. Well, he became a star in our own little production. Just like you will be a star.

19:37 Speaker 3: Molly.

19:40 Speaker 4: Molly, you You're insane. If you think I'm going to let you.

19:46 Speaker 6: Oh, no.

19:47 Speaker 9: Not me. It's Aaron's turn. Come on out, Cousin Aaron.

19:54 Speaker 3: Did you tell him, Cousin Molly?

19:56 Speaker 9: I was just getting to it.

19:58 Speaker 4: Tell me what?

20:01 Speaker 9: We knew what you were up to. We monitored those phone calls to a Mr. Perkins. If you think we are going to let you take over our video store... At least now you know what's behind the red door.

20:14 Speaker 4: You mean there's more tapes like what I saw you do?

20:22 Speaker 9: Some of them are tamer, more adult-themed, but the majority, over 2,000 tapes, are just like that one.

20:33 Speaker 3: Get the camera going, Molly. My knife is itching to carve into him.

20:39 Speaker 9: Lights, camera... And action.

20:43 Speaker 8: Aaron!

20:49 Speaker 4: Oh, God.

20:51 Speaker 9: You killed him.

20:51 Speaker 1: I always carry a gun. No, don't move.

20:57 Speaker 4: You see, I never know what sort of place I'm going into. I've never had to fire it. Until now. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

21:07 Speaker 9: Don't point it at me.

21:08 Speaker 4: Oh, but why not? Weren't you just about to help your cousin kill me?

21:13 Speaker 9: How do you feel? I mean, right now.

21:17 Speaker 4: Why do you ask? I mean, it's weird. I actually feel alive for the first time in my life.

21:29 Speaker 9: Then I have a rather unique proposition for you.

21:47 Speaker 4: And that's how Molly and I met. Eventually, we married. Had a nice family. Two kids, a boy and a girl. On the video store? Well, it couldn't last forever. I mean, videotape gave way to DVDs, which has given way to streaming services and the Internet. Everything is being streamed. But that didn't stop us. Did it, dear?

22:17 Speaker 9: We have to give our premium members content, don't we?

22:21 Speaker 4: And that's where our son comes in. Oh, he's a genius when it comes to computers. Like, right now, we're outside in that nondescript car, watching you on our laptop.

22:40 Speaker 9: Little Aaron, yes. Named after my cousin. Found your IP address... Even though you tried to hide it.

22:48 Speaker 4: Molly, you got all the necessary tools?

22:53 Speaker 9: Everything we need. You see, we can actually see everything that you are doing. We use a camera on your phone, your computer, even the security cameras.

23:07 Speaker 4: So just sit there and enjoy the show. You are about to be a star.

23:16 Speaker 5: Lights.

23:17 Speaker 9: Camera.

23:19 Speaker 4: Action.

23:19 Speaker 2: And I will return shortly with a final word.

23:35 Speaker 4: Mystery.

23:37 Speaker 3: Horror.

23:38 Speaker 4: Thriller.

23:39 Speaker 6: Suspense. Novels and short story collections from Winslow Swant now available from Amazon.

23:46 Speaker 1: As you browse through the internet, you may come across a website that shows a small, now closed, video store. dare to enter into this site, you will see a sign that says, coming soon, death on the internet, for premium members only. Our cast included Dave Arkapov, William Stafford, Patience Adams, and Winslow Swan. The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swan. And now, a preview of our next tale.

24:49 Speaker 4: Now look, George, I'm willing to bankroll this little enterprise, but I will not have you coming home.

24:58 Speaker 9: Smelling up the place.

25:00 Speaker 7: Yes, dear.

25:01 Speaker 9: You know how I detest you smoking.

25:04 Speaker 7: And owning a smoke shop, well, I just don't see it.

25:09 Speaker 8: I'm sure that you will be proud of me, dear.

25:12 Speaker 1: Proud?

25:14 Speaker 7: Of a little scarecrow like you?

25:17 Speaker 4: But at least it will give you something to do, since you can't do anything.

25:22 Speaker 7: I ask of you. You'll see, dear. I'll have the best smoke shop in the state.

25:29 Speaker 1: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. This is Artemis Black, inviting you to return with us to the doorway to nightmare for yet another adventure into the terrifying world. of your imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue The Butler Did It