Inspiration

[Mavspade]

Inspiration Materials:
Movies & shows:
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006): A perfect changeling story, this film has everything from the dark visual aesthetic tinged with moments of beauty as well as strange world of Faerie and their magical tasks. A deep and must see film.

Stranger Things: Small town horror, plucky kids, a touch of fantasy. A horrific world just next to our own. Has Changeling written all over it. I think the community of characters dealing with a tradgedy within the town hits alot of the mood we are looking at.

True Detective (Season 1): This show hits the creeping dread and unsetteling horror on the head. The strange occult under tones and rural community vibe is perfect for this setting. Of course we aren't in the south and are in the deep forests of the Pacific North West instead.

Hemlock Grove (2013-): While not the best show, it has some great visual moments and helps build a unique and eerie environment for its setting. It at times uses violence and sexual themes to help create that dark horror environment that we are looking at for our own setting.

Penny Dreadful (2014-): While a period piece and focuses entirely on Gothic Horror classics, this show builds a palpable mood. Along side it its varied cast and their conflicts among each other is a great example if character conflict, while still pushing a plot forward.

Mothman Prophecies, The (2002): This movie captures the eerie experience of a town being visited by a truly alien entity. With unknown abilities and motivations, numerous people in town report being visited by a strange creature, both frightening and comforting at once. The small-town feel of “nobody talks about it, but everybody knows” is well represented here.

The Tall Man (2012) film based on Slenderman meme only loosely., its not a great movie. However the  opening part of the film as it establishes the setting is good to check out. town, the environment and missing children element.

The Village (2004): This film is a great example of what a community that is ruled out of Fear and Ritual for its own safety can look like. Great examples of strange rituals done with an outside force (in a forest no less) Ignoring the period aspects, The Village hits a lot of the same themes that Naukati Lake has. The use of Tradition, Ritual, and Fear as ways to control a group of people  in an attempt to protect itself.

Gravity Falls (2012-): While aimed at a much younger audience and with a much cheerier tone, this animated show centers on a small backwoods town where mysteries and monsters are hidden just behind the curtains. There is again the sense that everyone knows Gravity Falls is strange, but not quite why or how, and no one brings it up in common conversation.

Books:
Fables: Great story, awesome characters, beautiful artwork. Its a must read graphic novel series. That said it's also is a great inspiration for how characters motivations, and choices in a community that is striving for survival have lasting impact, and how not everyone agrees on what that means.


Games:
Alan Wake: this game hits the setting just right on the head for us and in fact you will notice we may even borrow some images. Small Washington off of lake in the deep forest, with beautifully haunting locations. With a strange story coming to life idea that fits perfectly with the changeling themes.

Year Walk: A game loosely based on the old swedish tradition called “Årsgång”, a tradition about prophecy and divination. The game is a eerie silent puzzler which brings in lots of the faerie tale and myth traditions. It’s a great example of what the “Ancient Pacts” in our game might look like as traditions and strange rites.

Wolf Among Us: Based on Fables, this noir detective game again shows the awesome variation of characters and how people's own ambitions and faerie magick can make life very complicated. An excellent exploration of storytelling.