For the 13 days leading up to Halloween, I am trying an experiment by rewriting the same story in 13 different styles, reflecting the various horror subgenres as part of my Thirteen For Halloween series. You can find the original version HERE. So, feel free to come back and weigh in with your opinion of which style worked the best!

[Video Title: Unearthed Footage: Anaïs’s Haunting Reunion]

[Scene 1: A dimly lit room with cobwebbed corners, decaying wallpaper, and dusty family portraits that seem to look back at you. An older camcorder’s timestamp glitches before settling on 03:07 AM. A shaky hand sets the camera on a creaking, antique table, opposite a tattered couch where Anaïs lies, draped in a worn-out blanket. The footage is grainy, distorted, with ephemeral artifacts.]

Voiceover (muffled, unnervingly breathy): “I had to see if the legends were true, especially after what happened to my sister… Recording this as proof.”

[Scene 2: The unmistakable sound of a door groaning open. Takashi cautiously steps in, his eyes widening at the sight of Anaïs. “Did you find her, Kaito?” The camera operator—now identified as Kaito—nods almost imperceptibly. Clock ticks to 03:12 AM. The room darkens as though swallowing light. Static flares on the screen.]

Voiceover: “Takashi, look! The static… and Anaïs is…”

Takashi (nervously): “Kaito, we’re violating sacred ground. We need to go.”

[Scene 3: Anaïs’s eyes flash open, glowing an unnatural hue. The camera’s auto-focus spirals out of control. A shadowy mist encircles her like a halo of darkness.]

Voiceover (stuttering): “She’s awake? Is she really awake?”

Takashi: “This is straight out of the village folklore! The girl who vanished after invoking forbidden gods…”

[Scene 4: Anaïs rises, and a visible chill permeates the room; frost forms on the lens. A corrupted lullaby creeps into the audio, originating from an antique music box that wasn’t there before.]

Voiceover (quivering): “What… what is that tune? And this cold… it’s unbearable.”

[Scene 5: As Anaïs moves, the camera captures a disconcerting change—a family photo now includes Anaïs, her eyes glaring from the frame. Ghostly whispers crescendo in the audio.]

Takashi (voice breaking): “The legends… they said she just wanted her family back. Is this what it means?”

Voiceover: “I don’t know, but we can’t stay. We need to leave this forsaken place.”

[Scene 6: A quick pan to a window reveals not Tokyo but an endless, foggy void. Anaïs draws closer, her eyes locking onto the lens as if peering into the soul of the viewer.]

Voiceover: “She’s onto us, Takashi. We have to shut it off—”

Takashi: “Wait! Do you hear that?”

[A shrine bell tolls. The camera malfunctions, pixelating Anaïs’s face into something monstrous.]

[Scene 7: The footage jumps. The timestamp glitches before stopping at 03:33 AM. The room is deserted but changed—more decayed, as if years have passed in minutes. The lullaby descends into an unsettling silence.]

Voiceover (distorted, almost inhuman): “She’s not here. But she’s not gone. She’s searching for them. For us. Beware.”

[End of Footage: The screen plunges into blackness. A laughter that blends youthful innocence with malevolent intent fills the void. Text materializes: “This footage was discovered on a camcorder left at a shrine. Kaito, Takashi, and Anaïs are still missing.”]