How would you stop a killer that had no set pattern or seeming motive? Serial killers are known to be elusive at times and extremely crafty, especially those that have no conscience and perform the acts of murder, torture, and other depravity for the sheer joy of it. But then how do you catch a killer that has no set M.O., and picks targets at random? One might hope that such a killer would leave forensic clues, hints and even arrogant notes here and there that might point to their eventual downfall. But imagine a killer that knows how law enforcement thinks, how they react, and how they’re trained to seek out those that break the law in such a heinous way. Now imagine that this killer doesn’t select victims, but makes each victim select the next target in line using a dated but extremely useful, the phone book.
Think of it, the randomness of a selected target, the idea that there’s no way to predict who’s next, that there’s not even close to the manpower in any town or city to cover the safety of everyone. When the killer knows just how the system works, even the bevy of cameras and security measures that are taken these days would be ineffective as any motivated killer would wade through each and every security measure, or even worse, move around them without a pause in their step. Phonebook is a story in which the killer not only knows the playbook of the other side, but actively exploits it every chance he gets. The nameless killer is someone that enjoys the pain of others and willingly inflicts it in the most jovial of manners, laughing as he forces each victim to pick the next victim from the thick tomes that are still to be found in many homes. And if there’s no phone book? That’s simple, he allows fate to decide as there are plenty of targets in the world that seem poised and ready for karmic justice to pay them a visit, though often it’s seen that many upon many of his targets still tend to keep the antiquated tomes within their home, a relic that many simply don’t throw out for various reasons. Think about it really hard and you might remember when you had a phone book in your home for what seems like an interminable amount of time.
In terms of making this into a successful series or movie there’s a lot of work that might need to be done, but the big screen seems like the best idea as the epidemic that is started in this story is one that might seem unreal but is insanely addictive as murder begets murder and in turn creates the need for revenge and even retribution. As detectives Darin and Sybil do their best to find the killer they uncover few clues and a host of bodies that continue to pile up as the killer continues to move from one victim to the next, taking one apprentice after another only to leave them lying cold on the floor as they continue to prove wanting.
Phonebook is a story of outright murder and madness on a level that has been seen in the movies before, but the story itself is cold, calculating, and crazed in a manner that some studios seem hesitant to touch lest it give viewers the impression that they’ve gone off the deep end or are attempting to push an agenda or message that society isn’t ready to hear. One could call the killer in this story a madman, a nutcase that believes he’s the agent of fate, but at the same time he’s cold, clinical, and entirely too calculating to be crazed on the level that some might believe. Also, the madness that he spreads becomes an epidemic as one young man that might have been an apprentice if not for being busted by the cops goes off on his own and begins his own murdering spree, though without the efficiency of his would be mentor. By the end of the story the madness has spread as another and yet another individual have taken up the trend of killing those that they feel have wronged them or someone near them. In the end the madness breaks down the inhibitions of many that start to believe that the rash of murders are little more than a means to an end. Has the world gone mad? In a way, but thankfully those such as Darin, Sybil, and the many individuals they work with and around are still willing to stand against the madness and deny it a stronger foothold within the world.
As a movie this would work as it would no doubt draw people in with its manic energy and infectious story. As an idea it’s just flat out terrifying.
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