Scotty’s Horror Short Showcase: ‘Creak and Shriek’

Written by Scott Edwards 

Birthdays can be strange times every once in a while. Sometimes you get to run into family members that you never knew that you had and then, you get presents from them, that may seem nice, but are really something that you are not into, or so you think. Granted, getting weirded out by some gifts can be very common, in the past and very much so in the future as you can get almost anything from the internet. But I am always a firm believer that you should get to know all of your family, no matter how out there they might be, since they are family and should have some part in your overall life. With that being said, you don’t always need to keep them close to you, as they might have something a little more sinister in store for you in the future.
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After a monstrous birthday party, young Noah retreats to his room and puts on a record that he received from an aunt he never knew existed before today. Listening to the ghostly voices and ghastly sounds coming from the record player, he turns to see his mother standing in the doorway. With nothing but regret for the terrible birthday, Noah’s mother tries to apologize, putting all of the blame on herself. Knowing that her son has not been able to move forward since the death of his father, she does not know what else to do and lets her son go on about his night, with the promise that the strange record will be sent out of the house in the morning. 

Before his mother leaves, Noah tries to talk to her with no avail. Going to bed with the record still playing, Noah wakes up to the voices and strange sounds being more pronounced. Hearing his mother’s voice on the record gets the boy out of bed and forces him to try and find out what is going on. Trying to talk to the record to find his mother a way back to this world, the other voices wish him a happy birthday from his Aunt Debbie which forces the boy to retreat. As the record continues to play in the boy’s room, the situation seems to get bleaker as he discovers it is looking for more than just being played, it needs a young soul to survive.

To be honest, I got a little caught up in this horror short, as I too have been privy to getting presents from relatives that I have never met before and they were, for a lack of putting it any better, very strange. I really did enjoy the mother’s interaction before she left Noah’s room, trying to put all of the blame on herself, but when her son tried to ask her to stay, well, sorry, no best mom awards for this woman. With a creepy record, an unknown relative, a demon voice, some eerie sounds, the call of a mother and a record player that will not stop, no matter what is done to it, this is a good little story that will get one wondering, what if the hidden messages in our music are no longer hidden and want to collect their rightful bounty. Stay Scared.

Watch ‘Creak and Shriek’ on Amazon Prime.

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