I'm waiting in anxious anticipation for the horror film "Dear David" (directed by John McPhail and written by Mike Van Waes and Evan Turner), which will be available to watch on October 13. It's based on a spooky viral Twitter thread from 2017-2018 by comic artist Adam Ellis, about a creepy ghost boy named David that was causing all sorts of problems in Ellis' life. We Got This Covered explains:
The artist chronicled his experience with what he believed to be a ghost haunting him, gaining him a tonne of exposure, and now that story has been adapted for the big screen.
Collider provides more information about the original Twitter thread:
On August 7, 2017, Ellis began by tweeting a brief yet effective sentence: "My apartment is currently being haunted by the ghost of a dead child, and he's trying to kill me."
Within minutes, further explanation followed, with Ellis saying that he'd first seen the child in a dream but now believed the child had "crossed over into the real world." That same evening, Ellis revealed how he came to be haunted by the boy (now known as David) before logging off for the night.
By the following morning, Dear David had captured the attention of thousands. Over the coming months, the storyline and lore vastly expanded to the delight of an eager audience before wrapping up in early 2018. During that time, many well-known paranormal YouTubers, such as Loey Lane covered the story on their channels, adding to David's global interest.
Collider also reveals more details about the film:
The movie follows a fictional version of Ellis as he becomes haunted by the spirit of a child named David. David – who has a chunk of his head missing due to the mysterious accident that resulted in his death – starts up an increasingly terrifying campaign of torment around Adam's apartment. Encouraged by his boss to exploit the haunting on social media, a reluctant Adam begins to lose his grip on reality . . .
Based on the 2017 viral Twitter thread of the same title, Dear David centers on the life of BuzzFeed employee Adam Ellis. The movie follows the fictional version of Ellis as he finds himself haunted by the spirit of a boy named David. In the film, it seems Adam becomes haunted by David after engaging with online trolls. However, this differs from the original Twitter thread.
On the thread, Adam becomes haunted by David (who's been appearing to him in dreams) after breaking an important rule: never ask the boy more than two questions. Adam asks David how he died and what happened during the accident – and he also asks who was responsible for said accident. After being met with silence, he realizes his mistake and thus begins the haunting. It's unclear whether this exchange makes it into the movie and exactly how faithful the adaptation will be.
If you missed the original Twitter thread, the entire thing is archived here. I recently sat down one morning with a cup of coffee and spent about an hour reading through it, and it's definitely highly engaging, entertaining, and spooky. I won't spoil the ending for you though. I'm excited about seeing the movie when it's released! For now, enjoy the trailer.
