Stranger Sings
Written By: Jordana Arkin
An animated intro shows the Creep browsing through a collection of records, selecting one titled "Tunes of Terror". He places it on his record player, which produces the sound of ethereal singing. The Creep then begins scratching the record with his clawed finger, changing the singing to the sounds of flesh being devoured and a man screaming in agony as he laughs maniacally.
Divorced OB/GYN Barry (Chris Mayers) starts his day by ordering some coffee from a local bookstore. He then notices a young woman carrying her own coffee and several heavy books struggling to open the door, so he decides to do a good deed and assist her by opening the door himself. Barry and this woman, Sara (Suehyla El-Attar), proceed to take a walk together, where they introduce themselves and engage in small-talk, seemingly developing a bond. During the walk back to Sara's house, Barry reveals that he was married for nine years and tells Sara that he may have seen her at the bookstore the other day. Sara also relates to Barry's troubles with holding onto a long-lasting relationship, mentioning that her friend Miranda ominously warned her that she might "snap from extreme loneliness and start murdering random men for sport" if she doesn't get out and start dating again, which the naïve Barry doesn't judge. When the pair arrive at Sara's house, Sara invites Barry inside for a glass of wine, which he timidly declines. As he prepares to walk away, Barry suddenly hears ethereal singing coming from Sara's house, which puts him in a hypnotic trance. When the singing stops, Barry snaps out of the trance and believes that Sara was the one singing, applauding her performance. He asks if she still has the wine prepared, now accepting her offer to come inside.
Inside the house, Barry discovers a large amount of Ancient Greek décor all over the living room, Sara claiming that it is because she likes "weird things". Gaining some courage, Barry psyches himself up for a possible romantic encounter with Sara, who enters with the wine. As she pours it, Barry asks her if she's willing to use her singing to embark on a music career, but Sara denies the chance to sing in front of an audience. She accidentally spills some of the wine on Barry's pants, but she fortunately allows him to use her bathroom to clean it up. While attempting to get rid of the stain, Barry discovers a pile of clothes in the bathroom hamper, all of them stained with blood. Upon further investigation, Barry discovers a partially eaten corpse in the shower. Frightened out of his mind, Barry attempts to escape the house, only to run into Sara, now dressed in what appears to be a ceremonial robe. Taking note that Barry has discovered the body, Sara expresses displeasure and mentions that she was hoping they could share the wine first. As Barry attempts to call the police, his phone is taken away by Sara's friend and housemate Miranda (Kadianne Whyte), who tells Barry that Sara has told her a great deal about him. Not paying any attention, Barry orders the women to get out of his way so he can leave, but the women merely laugh at him and state that they are the ones in control. As Barry makes his way to the door, Miranda begins singing, hypnotizing him into stopping in his tracks. After snapping him out of it, Miranda ominously informs Barry that she can use her singing to control him in any way she wants, telling him that many men secretly crave that sort of thing.
When Barry repeatedly fails to get the message, Sara explains that Miranda is a siren, and thus was actually the one who lured him inside. Upon hearing this, Barry thinks that Miranda is some kind of mermaid, prompting Sara to "womansplain" that Miranda is actually an immortal, man-eating, bird-like creature that has been living since the days of Ancient Greece, having spent hundreds of years hypnotizing and devouring hapless sailors who sought delight in otherworldly pleasures. The women also explain that they have specifically sought out Barry because they need him to perform an operation. Miranda no longer wants to be a siren, and wishes to have her voice box surgically swapped with Sara's so that she becomes an ordinary mortal. Finding the situation utterly ludicrous, Barry covers his ears and once again attempts to leave. Miranda sings again, and this time hypnotizes Barry into holding a dagger up to his head. Upon snapping him out of it, the women again ask if he will perform the operation, threatening to make him plunge the dagger into his brain. Barry points out that he isn't even the right kind of doctor to perform their operation, but the women pay him no mind, mentioning that he is pathetic enough to assure them he won't try fighting back, no one will miss him if they kill him, and that he will be putting them under anesthesia one at a time so that the other can watch over him. Left with no other options (or interjections that are shot down), Barry is forced to accept their terms.
While heating a scalpel with a sacred candle, Barry tells Sara that the surgery may transform her into a siren herself, asking if she genuinely wants this. Sara simply tells him to shut up and do what Miranda tells him, as well as not to make her angry. Immediately after this, Barry, in another attempt to escape, slashes Sara's cheek with the scalpel. Upon seeing this, Miranda sings and hypnotizes Barry into dropping the scalpel, then quickly transforms into her bestial form. Miranda aggressively tells him that she might consider letting him live if he simply did what she asked, violently reiterating that she no longer wants to be a man-eater. She also explains that Sara truly does want to be a siren, the latter growing tired of potential lovers ghosting her and telling her that she would be cute if she lost weight, and will be able to have any man she wants come running up to her after the surgery. Miranda once again threatens to hypnotize Barry into stabbing himself in the brain, after which Sara would write a note to frame the incident as a suicide. Once Miranda is under sedation, Sara watches over Barry to ensure that he doesn't try anything. In spite of the spiral of madness his day has dragged him into, Barry begins operating on Miranda. Despite his lack of surgical training, Barry actually manages to perfectly swap the women's voice boxes
When Miranda awakens after surgery, she attempts to sing, but the resulting noise comes out sounding horrible. Realizing that she is no longer a siren, Miranda turns over a new leaf and sincerely thanks Barry for helping her out, not knowing what else to do in her quest to become mortal. Now a siren herself, Sara immediately hypnotizes Barry and drags him to the bedroom. She rips his shirt open and begins biting into his shoulder, the rush of lust and gluttony turning her into a bestial siren. Suddenly, Miranda lives up to the promise she made Barry, and comes to the man's rescue by repeatedly stabbing Sara with a dagger bathed in a former victim's blood, which she reveals is the only way to kill a siren. With her sociopathic housemate dead, Miranda genuinely apologizes to Barry for her villainous behavior and putting him through such a nightmarish ordeal, explaining that she never wanted to live the gluttonous life of a siren in the first place. Miranda does say that she's quite opportunistic about her new life as a mortal, and is thinking of becoming a vegetarian, prompting Barry to mention that there is a vegan restaurant around the corner. Miranda accepts this offer as a date, claiming that the experience has bonded the two of them for life. The pair then depart from the house, developing their own romantic partnership.
This episode contains examples of:
- Achievements in Ignorance: Despite having no surgical background whatsoever (which he explicitly brings up), Barry actually manages to successfully swap Sara and Miranda's voice boxes.
- Affably Evil: Sara and Miranda stay light-hearted and jovial as they threaten to kill Barry and dispose of the body unless he operates on them. Miranda even stops being evil entirely after Barry completes the surgery.
- Beautiful Singing Voice: As a siren, Miranda's voice box allows for her (or any woman who is surgically given it) to produce hypnotically beautiful singing.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Sara initially comes across as the gentle member of the human/siren partnership. By the ending, however, she reveals herself to be even more bloodthirsty than Miranda, to the point where the former siren is the one to put her down.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: After spending a good amount of time shooting the breeze with Barry, Sara reveals herself to be a heartless monster who wants to become a siren so she can rape and devour any man she wants, simply from being ghosted and told that she would be attractive if she lost a few pounds one too many times.
- Blank White Eyes: Barry's eyes roll back into his head whenever he is hypnotized by the siren's song.
- Bystander Syndrome: As the newly-turned Sara prepares to eat Barry alive while raping him, Miranda initially allows her to do this, telling her "You never forget your first." Thankfully, she changes her mind at the last second and saves Barry's life.
- Call-Back: "Our Demons Ourselves", Tara's book from Within the Walls of Madness, can be seen on display in the bookstore. A second book, "Monsters Born of Madness", can be seen next to the former book, revealing that Tara had apparently taken Zeller's advice that his case could've made for a lucrative franchise to heart.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: After he attacks Sara, Miranda turns into her bestial form and nearly slaughters Barry right there. Before she can do so, she cools down by remembering that she and Sara still need him to perform their surgery.
- Chekhov's Gun: The partially eaten body in the shower is the most likely place where Miranda dipped the dagger she uses to stab Sara.
- Compelling Voice: Miranda is a siren, so she naturally has one. Sara later gains the voice when given Miranda's voice box.
- Creepy Souvenir: Sara and Miranda's hamper is filled with the blood-stained clothes of their former suitors/meals, revealing that they've played the exact same trick on Barry countless times.
- Decoy Damsel: Sara plays this role to trick Barry into entering her house, and has previously done so to a plethora of other men so Miranda could feed on them. When their scheme is revealed, Miranda personally tells Barry that she could've reeled him in herself, but feels that Sara plays damsel-in-distress so much better.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Sara wants to be a siren, and thus be able to rape and eat any man she wants, simply because she's tired of being ghosted and having men tell her that she would be cute if she lost a little weight.
- Drunk on the Dark Side: When Sara nearly rapes and eats Barry, the rush of lust and gluttony causes her to transform into a bestial siren.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Barry gets to avoid becoming siren food and even gains a bit of confidence through his ordeal, whereas Miranda finally becomes a mortal as well as Barry's new love interest, appearing to turn over a new leaf as a normal person.
- Evil Former Friend: Once she becomes a siren, Sara attempts to devour Barry as she nearly rapes him. Unwilling to let any harm come to the person who finally gave her what she's been craving for millenia, Miranda saves his life by stabbing Sara with a dagger dipped in a former victim's blood, living up to the promise she made him.
- Evil Is Petty: Sara is strongly hinted to have become a twisted sociopath who craves raping and eating men because she's been repeatedly ghosted and crapped on for being a typical "dumpy woman".
- Failed a Spot Check: Barry does this several times throughout the first half of the segment, thinking that Miranda is a cannibal instead of a siren, and even neglecting to notice the red flags about his makeshift hostage situation.
- Fantastically Challenging Patient: Barry, an OB/GYN, is more-or-less kidnapped by a sociopathic woman and her man-eating siren housemate to forcefully perform an operation on them that he has no actual skill in.
- Fatal Attractor: Sara and Miranda are a pair of them. The former plays damsel-in-distress to lure men to their house, where the latter ambushes and eats/rapes them.
- Forced into Evil: Miranda turns out to not actually be as evil as she appears. Her wicked behavior and her plans to kill Barry if he didn't do what she asked were the products of sheer desperation, since she had very little options left in her quest to become mortal.
- Foreshadowing: Sara's house is filled with Ancient Greek decorations, hinting at the fact that she houses a siren. Barry actually comments on the décor at one point, but Sara brushes him off by saying that she likes "weird things".
- She's also notably seen carrying a copy of The Odyssey at the bookstore. Guess who/what her housemate happens to be?
- Heartfelt Apology: Miranda sincerely apologizes to Barry for putting him through his horrific ideal after being made a mortal and killing Sara, only acting so villainous because of her desperation to be a normal person.
- Heel–Face Turn: Once she becomes mortal, Miranda quickly saves Barry's life from her now-siren housemate, then becomes his new romantic interest.
- Hollywood Tone-Deaf: Miranda's attempt at singing after her surgery results in a cracking, atonal vocalization, making her realize that she's no longer a siren.
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: Sara, the seemingly-kinder and fully human member of her and Miranda's partnership, reveals herself to be an utter sociopath who belittles the kindly Barry and craves being made a siren so she can rape and eat men whenever she wants.
- I Gave My Word: Miranda tells Barry that if he shuts up and just does what she tells him, she may let him live. In the end, as the now-siren Sara begins to have her way with him, Miranda lives up to her promise and stabs her former friend to death.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Miranda's motives for luring Barry into her house and having him perform surgery, since she never wanted to be a siren in the first place.
- Jerkass: When her charade is revealed, Sara quickly reveals herself to be a heartless sociopath who wants to be a siren so she can rape and eat any man she wants, solely because she's been ghosted and called slightly overweight a lot. She also belittles Barry for how pathetic he is, mocking him for having lost his wife.
- Karma Houdini: Miranda may qualify. It's true that she's highly ashamed of her past, and she does somewhat atone by saving Barry's life, but she's still gotten away with eating millions of men over the centuries. The end of the episode, where she still gets exactly what she wants, doesn't exactly help matters.
- Lampshade Hanging: Barry is the only person who tries to tell the women that their desire for him specifically to perform surgery on them is impossible, since he doesn't have the skills to just swap two peoples' voice boxes. His pleas unfortunately fall on deaf ears:Barry: Look, what you need is an otologist. I just do pelvic exams and routine pap smears. My expertise is in a very... well, different part of the body.Barry: But, neither one of you can trust me when you're under anesthesia.Sara: Well, that's why you'll put us out one at a time. That way, we can keep an eye on you. See?Miranda: Okay, so are there anymore questions? Because my expertise is with all the delicious parts of a man's body.
- Late to the Realization: It takes Barry a while to realize that he's been abducted by a sociopathic woman and her siren housemate.
- Lesser of Two Evils: Between the two women, Miranda is easily the lesser of the evils, as she only kills and feasts on men because they provide her dietary needs, and only threatens to do the same to Barry because she's desperate to be mortal. Case in point, when she does finally become mortal, she stops being evil and saves Barry's life.
- Literally Shattered Lives: After turning into a siren and being viciously stabbed, Sara's skin breaks off her skeleton like ceramic when she hits the floor.
- Literal Maneater: Miranda, being a siren, is one of these. The catch is that she doesn't want to be one anymore.
- Loser Protagonist: Barry is described by Sara as "a pathetic, desperate divorcee who hasn't been laid in years"; a "loser fish" that any woman could have "brought up". Other than the fact that he has medical training, this is the reason why the women seek him out in the first place, because they think of him as too pathetic to fight back and stating that no one will miss him if they kill him. On top of that, they don't even care that he isn't the right kind of doctor to perform their surgery, focusing largely on how pathetic he is instead of his actual credentials.
- Malicious Misnaming: Sara's coffee cup in the opening scene has her name spelled with an "h". She tells Barry how she's kept telling the barista at the café about the misspelling, but she doesn't really care anymore because her coffee always tastes the same.
- Meet Cute: Sara and Barry's first interaction in the bookstore, where the latter opens the door for the former and walks her home. We later learn that she and several other men have had similar run-ins to ensure they become Miranda's dinner.
- Mind-Control Music: Miranda's singing easily turns Barry into a mindless drone.
- Monster Roommate: Miranda, a siren, lives in the house of the human Sara.
- Mythology Gag: A Stephen King novel can be seen housed in the glass display case in the bookstore.
- Never Suicide: Miranda forces Barry to operate on her and Sara by using her voice to hypnotize him into plunging a dagger into his brain, after which Sara would forge a suicide note, tracing his signature off the receipt for his coffee.
- Nice Guy: Even if he's had a ton of bad luck with romance, Barry is a pleasant, well-meaning guy who goes out of his way to be kind to Sara and Miranda on separate occasions. Even when Miranda is under sedation, providing an easy opportunity to kill her, then kill Sara and make a run for it, he appeals to his own better nature and completes the surgery.
- Oh, Crap!: Barry has a pretty big one when he finds the corpse in the shower.
- One-Woman Wail: How the siren's song is presented.
- Only Sane Man: Barry is the only person in the episode who questions the logistics of an OB/GYN like him swapping Sara and Miranda's voice boxes. Despite being the only person who questions the procedure, he actually manages to complete it perfectly.
- Open Heart Dentistry: Barry tells Sara and Miranda that he's an OB/GYN, thus lacking the skills to swap voice boxes. The women completely ignore his pleas and force him to operate under the threat of making him stab himself in the brain. Despite this, he manages to complete the operation perfectly.
- Our Sirens Are Different: Miranda's "bird-like" form resembles a harpy, which is more accurate to the proper mythological siren than the incorrect mermaid version. Despite this, there are a couple alterations to the mythos present with Miranda and Sara:
- The source of a siren's power is their voice box. If the voice box is surgically removed, the siren becomes mortal, and a mortal woman who is surgically given the voice box becomes a siren themselves.
- The only way to kill a siren is to stab them with a sacred dagger bathed in a previous victim's blood. When a siren dies, their skin breaks off like porcelain.
- Plain Jane: Sara is one (albeit slightly plump), having had a plethora of lovers ghost her and men telling her that she would be more attractive if she lost a few pounds. Rather than take the initiative to lose weight or change her appearance, she instead decides to have herself turned into a siren so she can rape and eat any man she wants, having snapped from the constant rejection.
- Really 700 Years Old: Miranda is said to have been alive since Ancient Greece and doesn't know her exact age, having stopped counting "after 500 years". Barry doesn't seem to mind this, since she perpetually looks to be in her early-to-mid 20s.
- Reluctant Monster: Miranda has grown tired of being an immortal, man-eating siren after thousands of years. As such, she now only feeds on men because they're her primary source of food. She goes bestial and almost kills Barry at one point after he attacks Sara, but she doesn't go through with it (partly because she's tired of killing and partly because they still need him to operate on them).
- Seinfeldian Conversation: Sara and Barry engage in a lengthy period of small-talk during their walk, only stopping when they reach Sara's house.
- Shout-Out:
- The story's title is an obvious nod to Stranger Things.
- The Odyssey is one of the books Sara is carrying in the bookstore, which also hints at the eventual reveal of the siren Miranda.
- Barry may be named after Barry Botswick, who is known for playing Brad "A Hero/Asshole" Majors in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which similarly dealt with a pair of awkward and naive protagonists getting ensnared by the art of seduction.
- Sirens Are Mermaids: Barry invokes the trope when he learns that Miranda is a siren, believing that she's a mermaid. Sara has to "womansplain" to him that she's "not that type of siren."
- Socially Awkward Hero: Barry, having spent an untold amount of time divorced, often inserts awkward facts about his former marriage during his small talk with Sara.
- The Sociopath: Sara is revealed to be far more monstrous and bloodthirsty than Miranda, who is an actual man-eating siren. Whereas Miranda kills men because they constitute her diet, and only threatens Barry because she desperately wants to become mortal, Sara wants to be a siren so she can rape and devour any man she wants as petty revenge after repeatedly being ghosted and told that she should lose weight. Barry himself tells Miranda that the girl certainly had her issues after she's killed.
- Too Dumb to Live: Barry zigzags the trope.
- On one hand, the man himself says he isn't a fool, but despite this, he misses the obvious red flags about his hostage situation when he first finds out about it, such as thinking that Miranda is a cannibal instead of a siren, and then later thinking she's a mermaid. If that isn't enough, when Sara warns him not to make Miranda angry, the first thing he does is attack her with a scalpel, which gets Miranda pissed off.
- On the other hand, he's the only one who questions the women about why they want him specifically to perform their operation, since he can't surgically swap voice boxes. Even when he's coerced into doing it, he does the procedure perfectly.
- Ungrateful Bitch: Barry finally gives Sara Miranda's voice box and the ability to lure any man to her clutches like she's always wanted. The first thing she does is almost rape and eat the poor OB/GYN who performed her surgery.
- Voice of the Legion: Miranda develops one when she goes into her bestial form.
- Win-Win Ending: In a surprising rarity for Creepshow, the hero and the (former) monster get what they want: Miranda becomes mortal like she's always wanted, Barry gets to survive the nightmarish ordeal he finds himself thrown into, and the pair manage to start a relationship, heading off to a vegan restaurant for their impromptu first date.
