Graveyard Rats story
In Salem, Massachusetts, graveyard caretaker Masson catches two grave robbers stealing valuables from a corpse. At gunpoint he forces them to hand over the stolen items while telling them that graveyards mark the start of human civilization and will signal its end when people stop respecting the dead. After the robbers leave, Masson continues to steal from the corpse by pulling out a gold tooth. He drops the tooth and, while searching for it in the coffin, is bitten by a rat. Masson takes the loot to Hans who says that lately Masson has been coming up short. Masson tells him that rats have been stealing valuables from the dead throughout the entire cemetery. Hans gives Masson one week to pay back his debt. Masson goes to see city morgue employee Dooley for tips on wealthy deceased slated for burial so as to steal their gold fillings. Dooley is bribed with drugs and brings Masson into the embalming room, where the last body is a wealthy merchant with a mouth full of gold teeth. Masson goes insane trying to get them and Dooley convinces him to come back the next day to keep the coroner from asking questions and giving away the scheme. The deceased man's family arrives and Masson and Dooley spy as the widow designates that he should be buried with medals and his expensive sword from King George V. After the funeral, Masson digs up the grave to witness rats taking the body. Fearing what Hans' punishment for failing to pay, Masson, despite suffering from claustrophobia, crawls in after the body. He is chased by a pack of rats that attack and bite him and scares them off firing his gun. Hearing a growl in the tunnel, a giant hairless rat corners him. Masson shoots the giant rat but it claws and chases him through the tunnels until he falls into a hole ending up on a pile of human bones. Masson is thrilled when he finds valuable jewelry and the sword. He realizes that he is inside a stone structure in front of an altar to a demonic entity, a place Masson calls "The Black Church." He sees a dessicated body with a beautiful gold pendant which he tries to take. The body animates and attacks a screaming Masson and repeats "Mine!". Masson escapes, with the zombie following him into a tunnel where the giant rat is waiting. They fight and Masson is victorious. Masson sees a light and crawls towards it, but it turns out to be a reflection from his lamp against a plate on a coffin. The rats attack Masson. Later, the grave robbers dig up the coffin and find Masson's body with the jewels, but rats crawl out of his mouth when they try to take the loot. Cast: David Hewlett, Julian Richings, Nabeel El Khafif Directed by: Vincenzo Natali. Story by: Vincenzo Natali, Henry Kuttner.
17 total · 2 choice · 8 major · 7 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| grave robbery | choice | The activity at the center of this story was grave robbing. Masson made a living by stealing from the newly buried corpses at the graveyard where he was the caretaker. He came into conflict with a pack of rats that had made it their own living to do the very same thing. |
| greed for riches | choice | Masson let his greed get him into deep water more than once. In particular, he dove after the corpse of the rich merchant that the rats were carrying off and thus found himself trapped underground in the rats' lair. |
| claustrophobia | major | The self-described "certified claustrophobe" Masson faced having to navigate rat infested, subterranean tunnels in order to retrieve the expensive sword he coveted. |
| coping with being in debt | major | Masson was struggling to pay off a gambling debt. |
| facing one's darkest fear | major | The self-described "certified claustrophobe" Masson, who had nightmares about rodents, faced having to navigate rat infested, subterranean tunnels in order to retrieve the expensive sword he coveted. |
| giant monster | major | Masson was terrorized by an abnormally large rat. |
| human phobia | major | Masson clearly suffered from musophobia. He even had a nightmare about the ceiling above his bed caving in and himself being covered by rats falling from above it. |
| human vs. monster | major | Masson fell into a grave and went into a rats lair under ground where he faced a supernaturally large monster rat, and a re-animated corpse. |
| living corpse | major | Masson stole a locket off an emaciated corpse, which promptly came alive to retrieve its glittery possession. |
| trapped underground | major | Masson found himself trapped in a rat's lair deep underground. |