vd_land challenge - AU movie
Here Comes the King
Genre: Drama/Thriller, no supernatural aspect, everybody is human
Plot Summary: The film is set around the turn of the 20th and 21st century in England, among the disgustingly rich and famous. Klaus, a young millionaire constantly on the front pages of the tabloids, invites family and friends to his huge country house to celebrate Christmas and let the year (and century) go out with a bang. By the time the New Year comes he has murdered all of his guests in cold blood. First it’s set up as a chilling game, no one knows what is happening, who is killing them all one by one, but even after the mystery is revealed, there is no escape for those still alive, the party turns into a cruel hunt. During this slaughter we get to see Klaus’ reasons for doing this in a series of flashbacks: all the people invited were in one way or another involved in the death of Klaus’ former lover, Stefan. The film ends with Klaus finally taking revenge on his father, who had ordered Stefan’s murder to escape the shame a gay son would bring on his family and business. The film ends with the police’s arrival at the house: the screen goes black and we are led to believe Klaus might be arrested but then it is revealed that he escaped.
Main Characters:
Klaus
Klaus is the only son of a wealthy millionaire, whose position and importance pushes the whole family into the centre of attention. Klaus’ mother couldn’t deal with this (and her husband’s cruel nature) and she ran away with her lover when her children were still small. Klaus has two older sisters: Rebekah and Rose. While Rose, the oldest always ignored the media’s attention, spending her allowance travelling the world, and Rebekah thrived in it, Klaus simply despised it. He despised the whole “perfect son and heir” image that his father had created for him. So he leapt at the opportunity of going abroad to the States to study Art. There he met Stefan. They hit it off right away and eventually they started dating.
Stefan
Stefan was a regular American boy, and it was that cultural difference and their very different backgrounds that first interested Klaus in him. He was also fascinated by the story behind Stefan’s decision to come to study History at University. Ever since the early death of his parents, Stefan and his brother Damon had taken care of each other, and even when Damon finally married his first and only love, Katerina, a Bulgarian stripper, it was a given that Stefan would continue living with them. But then Stefan and Katerina had a fling and it completely ruined the relationship between the two brothers. Stefan was barely 20 when he got murdered.
Even though he is already dead at the time the movie is set, he features heavily in Klaus’ flashbacks. Besides, it is his death at the order of Klaus’ father that triggers Klaus’ revenge.
Mikael
Klaus’ father, an English millionaire, who made his fortune dealing with arms. He is proud of what he has achieved and feels constantly disappointed with his son’s character, which he attributes to the fact that Klaus never had to fight for anything. Ever since they were born he’s done everything to control his children’s lives, but especially that of Klaus, because as the only son he is to inherit the family business. Mikael went even as far as to hire an upcoming pretty model (Caroline) to pose as Klaus’ girlfriend for the media to hide the fact that Klaus is gay. When he found out about Klaus and Stefan he sent assassins to abduct Stefan and then he himself murdered Stefan right in front of Klaus.
Lexi
Lexi was Stefan’s best friend at University. She was studying History, like Stefan, but she was always more interested in music. She had a band and it was at one of her concerts at a small, somewhat dodgy bar that Stefan and Klaus first kissed. She was distrustful of Klaus at first, knowing about his and his family’s reputation but she slowly warmed to him, knowing perfectly well what it’s like to have a difficult family - she herself had run away from home because she couldn’t bear living with her stepfather. This story of her friendship with Stefan and Klaus we see in flashbacks, just like her reaction to Stefan’s death, we see her blame Klaus at first. She also appears in the present timeline, she’s one of the early deaths at the party and for a while we are lead to believe it’s a result of her falling out with Klaus but there’s a huge revelation at the end. Her death was staged so she could help Klaus in his revenge without anyone realizing he’s not working alone. At the very end she and Klaus leave the country together.
Supporting Characters:
Jules
She’s Mikael’s second wife. She’d been his mistress even when he was married to Klaus’ mother and once the divorce was finalised Mikael married her. She’s a seemingly cold and unfeeling woman, more in love with his money than Mikael himself, but it is also hinted at that she’s paying dearly for marrying such a man. Still she makes the most of her husband’s position and power, it helped her open her own law firm. Jules also has a fierce grudge against Rose, who, being the oldest, has the most memories of her mother and loathes the new wife most. Jules is at the party as well and dies at Klaus’ hands.
Elijah
He was a powerful mob boss, who had had dealings with Mikael several times in the past. When Mikael found out about Klaus’ relationship with Stefan he made a deal with Elijah. Elijah would organize the kidnapping of Stefan and bring him to Mikael, who would then kill him. Elijah and his best assassin, Anna, succeeded, and delivered Stefan as promised.
Later, after Stefan’s death, Klaus plunged into the low life and accidentally met Elijah. They started a brief but intense affair. Elijah kept the fact that he had had a hand in Stefan’s death a secret because he didn’t want Klaus to leave, but when Klaus found out he killed Elijah in a heartbeat. When the movie starts Elijah is already dead.
Anna
Anna was the best assassin Elijah had ever had in his service. She was very young but good at what she did and determined. She had been raised in an orphanage, which she ran away from when she was 12, she was found by Elijah not long after. She knew nothing of her parents and asked Elijah to find out for her, he did but ended up telling her a lie that her parents had long died. She never discovered out the truth.
Klaus killed her right after Elijah, before the beginning of the movie, both of them only feature in flashbacks.
Pearl
She was an FBI agent who worked undercover as a porn star to get close to the low life and especially targeted Elijah, whose reign she was determined to end. She knew about his dealings with Mikael as well and she found out that they were responsible for Stefan’s death. She intended to use this information to turn Klaus into an asset, but instead of helping the FBI Klaus swore revenge and murdered Pearl along the way as well.
She was Anna’s mother but she never found out.
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