The Melting Man By Stephen Wise - Just In Time For Halloween, This One Will Give You The Heebie Jeebies

The Melting Man by Stephen Wise

The Melting Man is a short horror suspense story from screenwriter and filmmaker Stephen Wise, and it is brilliant. Just in time for Halloween, this story will give you the heebie jeebies. It is written in a noir style appropriate for a great Twilight Zone episode. It is a fun story that will take less than an hour to read and there is never a dull moment.

Retired Detective Peale lies waiting for death and thinking about his life. He writes about a memory from his days as a young detective, a memory so disturbing, he's told no one about the events that have haunted him over his entire adult life.

Hoping to find peace with himself, Peale writes about a couple he's had dealings with during his early days. The Harlins are a tumultuous couple who always seem to be down on their luck. Their lives together are filled with constant fights that often become physical. When Peale volunteers to check in on them, he expects to find them both dead in their ramshackle home. He finds the male, Todd, still alive, tells his story that amounts to a confession so macabre, it terrifies Peal to his core.

Peale doesn't know if his own confession will be read but hopes for some small amount of comfort before he succumbs to his own disease.

Speaking for myself, the best part of Melting Man is how Wise describes the settings in the story. As I read, I could see the shadowy black and white pictures clearly in my mind. That particular aspect greatly enhanced my enjoyment of a bizarre tale within a tale.

The theme that stood out to me the most is how, even in the most dysfunctional relationship between two people, there can still be love and caring. You'll just have to read the story to see this, but for me, this element of Melting Man was like a flower growing in the middle of a busy sidewalk; it shouldn't be there, but nonetheless, it inspires a small token of hope. Brilliant!

Melting Man is an excellent story. It is compelling, well written, and well edited.

When I finished reading, I had an idea to make it an addition to a Halloween celebration. If one is planning a party, turn down the lights, light up a few candles, and have someone read this story to the guests. The spooky nature of the story will add to the atmosphere and entertain everyone in attendance.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Stephen Wise is a multiple award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker with a Bachelor's degree in film production from the University of Central Florida. His films have been screened in over a dozen countries. He is the author of the collection of short stories Portals of the Mind and a co-writer on Batman: DarKnight, which IFC lists as one of the seven best unproduced Batman screenplays. He is a Michigan native and currently resides in Northwest Florida.

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