The Ballad of Dwight Frye
Genre: Biography/Horror/Drama
Director: Sam Mendes
Writer: D.R. Cobb
Cast: Barry Keoghan, Richard E. Grant, Makenzie Leigh, John Goodman, BJ Novak, Alice Cooper
Plot: 1930. In a dimly lit Hollywood studio, struggling actor Dwight Frye (Barry Keoghan) walks into a room filled with shadowy figures. In the back of the room is Carl Laemmle Jr. (BJ Novak), who has recently taken over Universal Studios from his father. Desperate to show that he can handle the job, Carl has taken a personal interest in the casting of the studio's next big film - Dracula. Dwight is nervous as he stands center stage for his audition for the role of Renfield. He begins his audition with a quiet intensity, but as he delivers Renfield's lines, he becomes more animated, his eyes growing wide and manic. Dwight finishes his audition with Renfield's maniacal laugh, which echoes throughout the room. There is a moment of silence before Carl leads a round of applause, awarding him the role on the spot. After the audition, Dwight leaves the studio, visibly shaken by his own performances. Outside he catches his reflection in a window and briefly sees Renfield's crazed expression staring back at him.
1931. The premiere of Dracula is held at a grand movie theater. The marquee lights flicker as a crowd has gathered outside, eager to catch a glimpse of the film's stars. Dwight and his wife Laura (Makenzie Leigh) walk down the red carpet. Dwight is swept up in the excitement of the premiere. As fans start recognizing film, they begin shouting for him to do Renfield's laugh. Dwight hesitates, feeling uncomfortable. Laura playfully nudges him to give his fans what they want. He lets out Renfield's laugh, echoing eerily through the crowd. The crowd erupts in cheers, but Dwight looks unsettled. As Dwight and Laura sit down to view the movie, Dwight finds himself frightened by the film, having to turn away from his own performance. After the screening, Carl catches Dwight and offers him a role in another monster movie the studio has planned, this time an adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein.
On the dark, gothic set of Frankenstein, Dwight films a scene as Dr. Frankenstein's assistant Fritz. The film's director, James Whale (Richard E. Grant), pushes Dwight to delve deeper into Fritz's madness as his character torments Frankenstein's monster. As Dwight performs, he becomes increasingly intense. His twisted energy becomes so great that others on the set are distracted from their own tasks, ruining the scene. After the scene ends, Dwight silently retreats to his dressing room where he stares into the mirror. For a brief moment, he sees Fritz grinning back at him instead of his own reflection. The moment passes, but Dwight is uneasy.
Dwight lies in bed next to Laura. The bedroom is bathed in pale moonlight. wight tosses and turns in bed, sweating and murmuring in his sleep. Laura is woken by her husband's unrest. Dwight is trapped in a vivid nightmares where he is running through a twisted version of the sets from Dracula and Frankenstein. he sees Renfield, Fritz, Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster pursuing him. The sets continually shift, trapping him in a loop of horror. Dwight finally wakes up, screaming, drenched in sweat. Laura tries to comfort him, but Dwight refuses to talk about his nightmare, terrified that speaking of it will make it real.
Back on the set of Frankenstein, Dwight is shooting a scene opposite the monster. As the scene progresses, Dwight suddenly snaps, attacking his co-star, believing he is really the monster of his nightmare. James Whale and members of the crew restrain Dwight, pulling him away from the set. Dwight, confused and disoriented. James talks with Carl, suggesting Dwight is removed from the film. Carl is not convinced until James says that he has shot enough footage to make Dwight's performance work. Dwight is sent home to recover, but the incident has hit the gossip rags.
Several months later, Dwight sets up a projector in his darkened living room. He begins spending days on end watching his own performances, analyzing every detail in an attempt to understand what's happening to him. He becomes obsessed with the idea that the characters he has played are trying to take over his mind. As he watches Frankenstein, he begins talking to the screen, pleading with Fritz to leave him alone. Laura, worried about Dwight's mental state, tries to intervene, but she shuts her out, insisting that he's fine.
Laura, desperate to help Dwight, convinces him to commit himself to a private mental institution for treatment. Dwight reluctantly agrees, driven by the hope that the doctors can possibly cure him. Upon arrival, Dwight meets Dr. Conrad (John Goodman), a boisterous doctor who takes a keen interest in Dwight's unique condition. Conrad's methods are unconventional and he seems equally fascinated in Dwight's fame as he is with his well-being. Dwight is led to his room, hearing disembodied whispers calling his name, echoing through the halls. Dwight lies down on his bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling the walls of the asylum closing in on him.
In Dr. Conrad's office, Dwight is seated for a therapy session. Conrad asks Dwight to confront his reflection in a large, ornate mirror. At first, Dwight sees his own face, tired and drawn. As Conrad prompts him to speak to the reflection, it begins to change, morphing into Renfield's crazed grin, then Fritz's malevolent stare, and finally a grotesque, monstrous amalgamation of the two. Conrad encourages Dwight in engage with the reflection, despite his fright, pushing him deeper into the delusion. Overwhelmed, Dwight stands up and shatters the mirror with his fist. As the glass breaks, Dwight looks down at his bloodied hand.
Dwight wanders down the darkened corridors of the asylum, lit only by flickering lamps, disoriented and paranoid. The walls seem to stretch and twist around him. Dwight encounters a mysterious figure (Alice Cooper), presenting himself as a former inmate of the asylum. Dressed in ragged clothing and speaking in cryptic, riddling phrases, the figure claims to know what Dwight is going through. Dwight cannot tell if the figure is real or a figment of his imagination. The figure leads Dwight through a warped version of the asylum where the walls are lined with film reels showing Dwight's past performances. The figure promises that embracing madness is the key to freedom, but there will be a terrible cost.
As Dwight's dainty deteriorates, he begins to believe he really is Renfield. In his damp, decaying cell, Dwight mutters about his "Master" and starts eating bugs he finds crawling along the walls of his cell. He smiles a wide, crooked smile, his teeth stained with the remnants of the insects that made his feast.
Dr. Conrad decides to use electroshock therapy as a last-ditch effort to "cure" Dwight of his delusion. Dwight is led into a sterile, white room and strapped down onto a table. As electricity courses through Dwight's body, he experiences a series of violent hallucinations of his body being ripped apart by Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster. When the session ends, Dwight is left catatonic, his mind shattered. Conrad observes Dwight's condition with cold detachment.
In his shattered mental state, Dwight imagines himself living out a horror film where Dr. Conrad is the villain orchestrating his torment. Dwight runs through the corridors of the asylum, pursued by shadowy figures. Dwight confronts Conrad, seeing him as a monstrous figure. Dwight attacks Conrad, but suddenly Dwight realizes that he is actually alone, clutching at thin air.
Dwight has become convinced that the asylum is trying to destroy him and decides that he must escape. The corridors of the asylum warp and stretch, creating an impossible maze. Dwight runs down the corridors, refusing to stop for anything. Just as he reaches the exit, the doorway leads back to the set of Frankenstein, causing him to stop in confusion. He is soon caught by the asylum's orderlies and dragged back to his room, kicking and screaming. Conrad orders Dwight be put into a straightjacket and confined to a padded cell for his own safety. From his restraints, Dwight howls at the moon light that creeps in through the tiny barred window of his padded cell.
After months, Dwight is finally released from the asylum and returns home to Laura. Dwight is distant, quiet and detached. He avoids looking at any mirrors or reflective surfaces. When Laura tries to speak with him, Dwight responds with cold indifference. That night, as Dwight prepares for bed, he catches a glimpse of his reflection in the bedroom window. For a brief moment, he sees Renfield's grin staring back at him. He quickly looks away, trying to convince himself it was just his imagination. Dwight gets into bed next to Laura, too nervous to sleep.
Dwight tries to resume a normal life, running errands and walking through the park with Laura. However, he feels increasingly uneasy, as if he's being watched. Shadows flicker in the corner of his eye. He sees the mysterious figure from the asylum standing in a darkened alleyway, watching him intently. When Dwight approaches, the figure vanishes. Dwight does his best to hide what he is seeing from Laura.
Dwight visits Universal Studios, pleading with the studio president Carl Laemmle Jr. to help revive his career. Carl expresses concern over Dwight's past erratic behavior. Dwight gets down on his knees and begs. Carl relents and offers him a small villainous stooge role with no lines in an upcoming production. Humiliated, Dwight accepts.
Dwight walks alone down a deserted, foggy street, lost in thought, his face expressionless. The fog begins to swirl, forming shadowy figures that reach out to him. As he passes a storefront window, he stops and looks at his reflection. Seeing Renfield's crazed grin staring back at him, Dwight's expression shifts to mirror the reflection, and he starts to laugh softly, the sound growing louder and more manic.
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