"There's a kind of freedom when you don't have a choice."
— Jonah Henry
AM1200 (2008) is a cosmic horror short film (39 mins.) written and directed by David Prior. It stars Eric Lange, John Billingsley, and Ray Wise.
Sam Larson (Lange), an investment analyst, is on the run after being involved in a financial scam. He becomes haunted by an evangelical radio station and confronts a power beyond his imagination.
AM1200 was officially released at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival on October 3, 2008, and won The Brown Jenkin Award at that same festival.
AM1200 contains examples of:
- And I Must Scream: Jonah makes it clear- as clear as he can, he's kind of a mess by this point- that he doesn't want to do the things that the creature is forcing him to do; he even handcuffed himself to a pipe to prevent himself from hurting anyone else. But once it starts exerting kinetic pressure on the inside of his skull he'll do anything to make it stop. Even mangle his hand pulling free of the cuff. Even kill and dismember Sam to feed to the creature in the basement. He doesn't get the chance to do these last two before Sam kills him, but once Sam is the only one left...Jonah: And I'd enjoy it. Oh, God, I'd enjoy it. There's a kind of freedom when you don't have a choice... They say it's better to reign in Hell than to serve it Heaven; What about serving in Hell? What if the only option is to serve in Hell?!
- Cosmic Horror Reveal: It becomes clear that Sam is in a cosmic horror story when he looks down the deep hole in the station floor at the giant eye that stares back at him.
- Distress Call: While trying to stave off road hypnosis, Sam hears a cry for help on the radio declaring a medical emergency at the KBAL radio station and goes to investigate. This ends up being a trap. Sam makes a similar call himself after taking over Jonah's position.
- Driven to Suicide: Harry is already dead by the time the movie starts, having killed himself due to Sam committing a massive theft that Harry told him how to pull off and then arranging the evidence to make it look like Harry did it.
- Eldritch Abomination: Sam Larson encounters a giant eye and set of teeth in the radio station.
- Eldritch Location: Downplayed, but the creature in the basement is capable of powering the building once its fed, which allows the radio equipment to work so that its servant can lure in more victims. Its apparent range of influence doesn't appear to extend much farther than a little beyond the building itself, assuming Sam's car breaking down once inside the gates was deliberate.
- Foreshadowing: Ray Wise's character Harry suggests to Sam that they "adjust" the preferred holdings accounts, which he says are used for "false profits." Harry then quotes Matthew 7:15: "Beware of false prophets" as a joke. Jonah is the "prophet" for a creature that is at the very least ungodly, a role Sam comes to fill. Sam himself also indirectly causes Henry's death due to his theft.
- Improvised Weapon: After the incident with whoever or whatever had the flashlight outside, Sam grabs a prybar out of the trunk to defend himself before investigating the radio station. He later uses it to kill Jonah.
- It's Quiet… Too Quiet: After his car breaks down, Sam takes a moment to curse his own poor fortunes, comforted by nothing but the sound of nocturnal insects. Until they all fall silent at once.
- Mad Oracle: Jonah Henry is a variation on this trope, having become unstable due to his imprisonment in the radio station. He's the one that tells Sam that he is doomed.
- Nothing Is Scarier:
- We never see who or what is in the woods around the radio station with the flashlight; not even when Sam signals to it that he has taken over Jonah's duties.
- Whatever is down there in that hole, we only see an eye and a mouth; just enough to confirm that it's otherworldly and huge.
- Plot-Driven Breakdown: Sam gets cold feet at the gate of the radio station, and makes to go back the way he came, but his car overheats and stops. It is implied that the cosmic force in the radio station breaks Sam's car intentionally.
- Pre-Insanity Reveal: Sam sees Jonah's smiling employee photo on the wall, implying that he Used to Be a Sweet Kid before servitude to the Eldritch Abomination caused him to lose his mind.
- Tempting Fate: Jonah's a little hard to understand by the time he attempts to articulate it, but KBAL AM1200 was an Evangelical radio station who's employees may have sought to talk to God via radio, and caught the attention of something far more sinister.Jonah: Transmissions. We summoned it... Or God, it summoned us? Don't know.
- Unexpectedly Abandoned: The radio station is completely abandoned, except for Jonah Henry and the Eldritch Abomination. The employee photos on the wall indicate that the station was once had a normal workforce.
- Unscrupulous Hero: Sam is on the lam after a financial scam.
- Unwitting Pawn: Eventually, it becomes clear that the radio station is summoning Sam to become the next DJ/preacher.
- You Kill It, You Bought It: Sam kills Jonah in self-defense, and with no other around to do its bidding, the creature in the basement turns its attention on Sam, making him its new servant. First order of business? Feeding time.
