"The Fox, The Light-Bulb, the Child"

“The Fox, the Light Bulb, the Child”

An art collector commissioned a young artist residing in the poorer parts of London. He did so after seeing his collection of polaroids and short super 8 film pieces. It took much longer than expected for him to finish the piece he commissioned. After almost nine months, he apparently left a damaged package in the collector’s mailbox containing the film. It was no secret the young man was a hoarder, a recluse, who was known to shiver and tremble a lot. He had signs of extreme anxiety.  In some of his work he talks about getting lost in forests and collecting animal parts throughout his childhood life. As such, things like skin, bones, horns, and teeth were usually present in his art. Many have made complaints about his artwork being displayed in exhibits and shows.

When the art collector opened the package, he noticed a scribbly paper with addresses and names- perhaps sending many copies out. As well, a short Biblical quote that he was never able to recall, but perhaps of vision of Ezekiel. Polaroids that were burnt and degraded were found within.  In his journals, the collector mentioned footage being quite aged already, perhaps purposely damaged. It was certainly hard to see things at times because of this.

There was a cassette tape as well, the artist explaining the instructions of the timing and numerology and many other methods that were esoteric and bizarre in nature. Sounds of decayed whispers, personal confessions, bells, and choirs, and a collection of screaming animal sounds.

The art collector said the film opens with a blurry title card, followed by a shot of a library with leather bound books. It was all dimly lit, and there were brief glimpses of forest animals running there. In corners, there were other glimpses of sickly people in the fetal position. At times they appeared to be near dead pets and waste. A shot of a child hiding in the corner has him come forward and pick up a light bulb. He proceeds to walk to a hanging fixture hanging above him. He stands on a chair, with his trembling tiptoes when suddenly he loses his balance but manages to grab the light bulb. What follows is a scene in which the light fixture falls to the ground with the child. He is seen sobbing and bleeding, rolling around in the glass.

Following this, a grey fox walks in and drags the child by the legs. It brings him to a closet filled with jars and bottles. The child is still squirming and twitching, as the fox nudges and licks. Two figures come in, petting and trying to sooth the child. They are obscured by the dark, with only the lamps and candles providing light at a distance. They pet the fox a few minutes, softly and sensually, and the film goes blank for several minutes. The cassette then produces sounds of anxious animal whimpers and howls, being strangely composed into a melody.

The film ends with what seems to be the child having the head of a fox sewn on, with all of his limbs replaced with deer legs. There were strings attached to the legs, pulling them like a puppet. As well as that, there were tubes filling in fluids to the the stomach which caused breathing and nerve twitches throughout the body

The collector reported the the film the next day, and with police then raiding the artist’s house. They witnessed piles of medical equipment, antique books of obscure subjects, and rotting animals, food, and vegetation. The film-maker appeared to have left the house during the night, somehow knowing it would lead to this. Since then, he has never been able to be traced, despite investigator’s best efforts.

Films similar to this have been seen online at some point, but the uploads are often taken down soon even with the description saying this.