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In this surprising, darkly funny, hard-hitting and emotionally charged thriller novelette from the author of The Last Days of Jack Sparks a child of the '80s takes ever more extreme measures to protect his family's lifestyle.
Stephen Skipp loves his mother, who he thinks is “really old” at the age of 27. They have a fun time in their London home, renting films on VHS and watching TV, even if Stephen can hardly ever get her to watch Doctor Who on Saturday nights.
If their life really is so very ordinary, though, then why is a corpse slumped in the corner of their living room – and another in the downstairs toilet?
Stephen Skipp loves his mother, who he thinks is “really old” at the age of 27. They have a fun time in their London home, renting films on VHS and watching TV, even if Stephen can hardly ever get her to watch Doctor Who on Saturday nights.
If their life really is so very ordinary, though, then why is a corpse slumped in the corner of their living room – and another in the downstairs toilet?
68 pages, ebook
First published December 8, 2015
16 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Jason Arnopp
34 books658 followersJason Arnopp is the author of the chiller-thriller novels Ghoster (2019) and The Last Days Of Jack Sparks (2016). He is also the co-author of Inside Black Mirror with Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones.
Arnopp wrote the Lionsgate horror feature film Stormhouse, the New Line Cinema novel Friday The 13th: Hate-Kill-Repeat, various official Doctor Who works of fiction (including the BBC audiobook Doctor Who: The Gemini Contagion) and script-edited the 2012 Peter Mullan film The Man Inside.
Arnopp has also written 2012's Beast In The Basement, a horror novella available at Amazon, and experimental ghost story A Sincere Warning About The Entity In Your Home.
He is the author of non-fiction ebook How To Interview Doctor Who, Ozzy Osbourne And Everyone Else. He is on Twitter here, and is represented by literary agent Oli Munson at The AM Heath Agency. He is also represented for film and TV by Lawrence Mattis at Circle Of Confusion.
He runs a private cult - sorry, that should have read CLUB - at Patreon, where members enjoy various perks.
Arnopp wrote the Lionsgate horror feature film Stormhouse, the New Line Cinema novel Friday The 13th: Hate-Kill-Repeat, various official Doctor Who works of fiction (including the BBC audiobook Doctor Who: The Gemini Contagion) and script-edited the 2012 Peter Mullan film The Man Inside.
Arnopp has also written 2012's Beast In The Basement, a horror novella available at Amazon, and experimental ghost story A Sincere Warning About The Entity In Your Home.
He is the author of non-fiction ebook How To Interview Doctor Who, Ozzy Osbourne And Everyone Else. He is on Twitter here, and is represented by literary agent Oli Munson at The AM Heath Agency. He is also represented for film and TV by Lawrence Mattis at Circle Of Confusion.
He runs a private cult - sorry, that should have read CLUB - at Patreon, where members enjoy various perks.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 18, 2019
It's Xmas - so I'm pushing this 4 - 4.5 STARS up to 5.
It went in a completely different way and I loved it!
Check this out if you like surprises!
It went in a completely different way and I loved it!
Check this out if you like surprises!
November 5, 2024
Great pace. Some good moments of gore. Great reveal and ending!
June 3, 2017
Wow! What a read! Fast, punchy, a crazy, twisted horrific tale of the unexpected.
Stephen Skipp loves VHS videos the phenomenon of the 1980's, gorge on as many horror flicks as you like, rewind and watch again.
Stephen worships his Mum, but she's an alcoholic and probably just as unstable as Stephen. His mania continues through to adult life and sees him getting treatment but the unexpected death of his Mum sees his life spiral out of control as his whole world literally 'rewinds'.
Absolutely riveting, horrific stuff, Arnopp never fails to lull you into a false sense of security and then 'grabs you by the balls'! A brilliant short novel with a completely original concept and a big twist towards the end. You have to read this!
Stephen Skipp loves VHS videos the phenomenon of the 1980's, gorge on as many horror flicks as you like, rewind and watch again.
Stephen worships his Mum, but she's an alcoholic and probably just as unstable as Stephen. His mania continues through to adult life and sees him getting treatment but the unexpected death of his Mum sees his life spiral out of control as his whole world literally 'rewinds'.
Absolutely riveting, horrific stuff, Arnopp never fails to lull you into a false sense of security and then 'grabs you by the balls'! A brilliant short novel with a completely original concept and a big twist towards the end. You have to read this!
April 7, 2018
After reading and really enjoying American Hoarder yesterday, thought I'd read this one too.
Stephen Skipp lives with his hard-working mother. He loves Saturday, Christmas and renting VHS movies. He also wants his mum to watch Doctor Who with him. As the awful truth slowly reveals itself, he might get his wish...
Um. Okay. I couldn't connect with this character or his twisted story. The 80s references felt forced, the situation was meh and I didn't find anything about this comical. I kept waiting for it to get better, but it only got worse.
Yeah. I didn't like this one. :/
Stephen Skipp lives with his hard-working mother. He loves Saturday, Christmas and renting VHS movies. He also wants his mum to watch Doctor Who with him. As the awful truth slowly reveals itself, he might get his wish...
Um. Okay. I couldn't connect with this character or his twisted story. The 80s references felt forced, the situation was meh and I didn't find anything about this comical. I kept waiting for it to get better, but it only got worse.
Yeah. I didn't like this one. :/
March 10, 2022
Genuinely creepy and tension building. Found this a fascinating read finished in one sitting
June 7, 2017
The horror underlying much of Jason Arnopp’s fiction often feels rooted in remorse. Invariably, his miserable, thwarted but very identifiable characters have made some dreadful decision and are awaiting the dire consequences. It’s that hinterland between realisation and outcome that gives the narratives their particularly febrile atmosphere, a bit like the moment Road Runner’s Coyote looks at the audience when he’s run off the cliff and realises in a second or two he’ll be falling.
This dynamic lends the author’s trademark twists that just-punched-in-the-face feeling one looks for stories like these. A few deft lines establish character and immediately we’re in the fictional world, which feels like ours, but… well, just isn’t.
In ‘Auto Rewind’, it’s Christmas 1983 and the young male narrator is excited about watching ‘Doctor Who: The Five Doctors’ with his beloved mother. The ‘Doctor Who’ strand is another way into the story for me personally, because I remember watching and loving this celebratory episode, which not only had all the Doctors but a lot of the monsters as well. The special effects were impressive, although would seem dated now.
And therein lies the conundrum. I liked that episode and, looking back, everything seemed more innocent then, although of course it wasn’t. For ISIS read the IRA; for climate change read nuclear annihilation. ‘Doctor Who’ would only last a few more years before the BBC killed it off around the time of Kylie Minogue’s first single release, which tells you all you need to know about the 1980s.
The choice of ‘Doctor Who’ episode is telling too; it’s one of the rare ones where the villain gets what he wants, only to find that the immortality he craves is so horrible I can feel the hairs rising on the back of my neck thinking about it now, and I haven’t seen the episode since it was first aired.
The reason for all this detail is that it underpins ‘Auto Rewind’ with themes, images and emotions that make the slow reveals more upsetting; the imagery more stifling and a story that could have been merely unpleasant tragic in the way the best horror is. Like Jason Arnopp’s full-length novel ‘The Last Days of Jack Sparks’, this story has a time-travelling element, albeit of a more devastatingly hopeless kind. In both narratives, a character seeks to preserve an imagined state of grace at all costs, which unpredictable but neatly terrible results.
In much the same way as the video tapes the young narrator relies upon gradually become worn, so too does the edifice he creates to preserve what passes for his sanity. For example, it seems unseasonably hot for Christmas and, oh yes, there’s a dead body in the living room.
Meanwhile, the mother goes to work at the same time every day and says the same things she usually does, which the boy loves as if he can’t get enough of them even though the repetition would do most people’s heads in. And, like the sound on an eroded video, the narrator’s voice slowly becomes harsher.
To say more would be to spoil things for you; instead, read this compelling, short and guilty pleasure to find out why mummy always being right is sometimes even worse than you can imagine.
This dynamic lends the author’s trademark twists that just-punched-in-the-face feeling one looks for stories like these. A few deft lines establish character and immediately we’re in the fictional world, which feels like ours, but… well, just isn’t.
In ‘Auto Rewind’, it’s Christmas 1983 and the young male narrator is excited about watching ‘Doctor Who: The Five Doctors’ with his beloved mother. The ‘Doctor Who’ strand is another way into the story for me personally, because I remember watching and loving this celebratory episode, which not only had all the Doctors but a lot of the monsters as well. The special effects were impressive, although would seem dated now.
And therein lies the conundrum. I liked that episode and, looking back, everything seemed more innocent then, although of course it wasn’t. For ISIS read the IRA; for climate change read nuclear annihilation. ‘Doctor Who’ would only last a few more years before the BBC killed it off around the time of Kylie Minogue’s first single release, which tells you all you need to know about the 1980s.
The choice of ‘Doctor Who’ episode is telling too; it’s one of the rare ones where the villain gets what he wants, only to find that the immortality he craves is so horrible I can feel the hairs rising on the back of my neck thinking about it now, and I haven’t seen the episode since it was first aired.
The reason for all this detail is that it underpins ‘Auto Rewind’ with themes, images and emotions that make the slow reveals more upsetting; the imagery more stifling and a story that could have been merely unpleasant tragic in the way the best horror is. Like Jason Arnopp’s full-length novel ‘The Last Days of Jack Sparks’, this story has a time-travelling element, albeit of a more devastatingly hopeless kind. In both narratives, a character seeks to preserve an imagined state of grace at all costs, which unpredictable but neatly terrible results.
In much the same way as the video tapes the young narrator relies upon gradually become worn, so too does the edifice he creates to preserve what passes for his sanity. For example, it seems unseasonably hot for Christmas and, oh yes, there’s a dead body in the living room.
Meanwhile, the mother goes to work at the same time every day and says the same things she usually does, which the boy loves as if he can’t get enough of them even though the repetition would do most people’s heads in. And, like the sound on an eroded video, the narrator’s voice slowly becomes harsher.
To say more would be to spoil things for you; instead, read this compelling, short and guilty pleasure to find out why mummy always being right is sometimes even worse than you can imagine.
September 7, 2017
A twisted, 80s nostalgia-fest
Jason Arnopp's novelette is dark, clever and constantly surprising. Told from the point of view of Stephen, it quickly presents the intriguing premise - a child watching the 1983 Doctor Who anniversary special with his mum, who keeps being distracted by the dead body in the room - then slowly unwraps its secrets one by one as we discover that nothing is what it seems. To give just one example would be to ruin the surprises, so pick this one up and enjoy a twisted, nostalgic tale of the very unexpected. Highly recommended.
Jason Arnopp's novelette is dark, clever and constantly surprising. Told from the point of view of Stephen, it quickly presents the intriguing premise - a child watching the 1983 Doctor Who anniversary special with his mum, who keeps being distracted by the dead body in the room - then slowly unwraps its secrets one by one as we discover that nothing is what it seems. To give just one example would be to ruin the surprises, so pick this one up and enjoy a twisted, nostalgic tale of the very unexpected. Highly recommended.
June 2, 2019
Auto Classic!
Well, as far as short stories go anyway.
It was snappy, extremely visual and in a way was a time machine itself, taking me back to the 80s I remember too.
Great characters and a plot twist that revealed itself early so as to avoid the cliche of hanging on till the end for that final cheap shock value. As it goes, the ending was far more satisfying.
One star removed purely for the fact that it was way too short and the time travel was over far too quickly. Will be looking for more from this author immediately.
Well, as far as short stories go anyway.
It was snappy, extremely visual and in a way was a time machine itself, taking me back to the 80s I remember too.
Great characters and a plot twist that revealed itself early so as to avoid the cliche of hanging on till the end for that final cheap shock value. As it goes, the ending was far more satisfying.
One star removed purely for the fact that it was way too short and the time travel was over far too quickly. Will be looking for more from this author immediately.
January 31, 2017
good little story. nice twist exposed quite early.
July 7, 2022
Punch rewind & blow your mind
Reads like Twilight Zone meets Psycho. Well written as always. It started with a kid staying after school. His mother waving goodbye, going out the door, wearing the same fur coat day after day. Never mind the red meaty stuff on the floor. And the well-suited bureaucrat coming into his home like something out of a Philip K. Dick story. This should clue any reader that something’s off base. Recommended.
Reads like Twilight Zone meets Psycho. Well written as always. It started with a kid staying after school. His mother waving goodbye, going out the door, wearing the same fur coat day after day. Never mind the red meaty stuff on the floor. And the well-suited bureaucrat coming into his home like something out of a Philip K. Dick story. This should clue any reader that something’s off base. Recommended.
December 1, 2017
Meh
An okay story, but the "twist" was muddled and the writing felt amateurish at more than a few parts. The main character was too "tell, not show", and the story never was scary or even moderately creepy. Worth it if you can get it free on Kindle Unlimited, like I did.
An okay story, but the "twist" was muddled and the writing felt amateurish at more than a few parts. The main character was too "tell, not show", and the story never was scary or even moderately creepy. Worth it if you can get it free on Kindle Unlimited, like I did.
October 31, 2018
This story was not bad, but not great either. I'm not super interested in the delusions of a middle aged man without severe psychological issues.
February 14, 2019
For me, the reveal came way too early. Yes, the rest of the story was creepy and twisted, and quite well-done, but it lost a lot of its suspense...
July 23, 2020
Brilliant! Sharp, to the point, keeps you guessing, full of wicked twists, I read this in one sitting. Becoming a huge fan of this writer.
March 28, 2022
Spooky. Twisted. Nostalgic. No spoilers. Read it!
October 3, 2022
Very clever
I don't want to give anything away but a child of the 80's who loves Doctor Who, video games, VCRs and horror will love this story.
I don't want to give anything away but a child of the 80's who loves Doctor Who, video games, VCRs and horror will love this story.
May 31, 2023
I really enjoy Jason Arnopp's writing. This is super short and packed with mystery and surprise. A dark and unsettling novelette.
August 16, 2023
3.5 - an intriguing and dark short story
August 15, 2016
This was a very intriguing story that made me very uneasy. It had an absolutely fantastic twist and an unexpected ending. I would recommend Auto Rewind if you’re looking for a violent short horror story.
September 4, 2016
Interesting tale, but one that I struggle to believe could happen; it just didn't ring true enough for me.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews