Dark Journey
2008, 83 minutes
An American girl is stranded and alone in London
KELLY, a beautiful blonde 19 year old American rock chick arrives in London ostensibly to join a band. She meets two cynical ROADIES who gleefully inform her that the band she was meant to go on tour with have gone without her leaving the confused girl stranded and alone in a strange city. Suddenly alone and friendless, Kelly rents an attic flat in Hampstead from HARRY, a strange seedy but jovial landlord, who tells Kelly that she can be his guest. After moving into the flat, Kelly speaks to her selfish uncaring mother on the phone who informs Kelly that she is going to marry her live-in partner whom Kelly loathes. Kelly ends up in tears as both mother and daughter have a strained relationship. While sitting in a cafe going through a music magazine looking for work as a singer, Kelly meets DAVID, a dashing young fashion photographer who offers to make her a cover girl for a new magazine. They agree to meet the following day for an informal shoot. David takes Kelly on a boat ride up the Thames river and to markets taking photos along the way. Despite David's promises of money, none is forthcoming, leaving Kelly ever deeper in rent arrears to Harry, the landlord. Kelly's only friend is MEGHAN, her best friend from the west coast who she confides in via internet instant messages on her laptop computer. JENNA, a 15 year old local girl briefly befriends Kelly, Jenna is both beautiful and rebellious and takes a shine to Kelly who she sees as a role model, the two look so alike, they could be mistaken for sisters, and strike up an immediate friendship. Not having any money, Kelly starts to feel pressure from Harry who is in league with a 300 year old bisexual WITCH, whom Kelly has a strange encounter with on Hampstead Heath, the Witch shows obvious designs on Kelly causing the young American girl's chain to break as a pretext to magically overpowering her. The Witch takes Kelly's chain and exchanges it for a strange snakey looking old ring, further cementing a strange bond between the two women. Kelly begins having terrifying nightmares in her flat which transport her to local graveyards and to Hampstead Heath, an ancient woodland situated in the heart of North London. The heath has many dark secrets, which include being the haunt of the notorious highwayman Dick Turpin in the 18th century, as well as being the place where Queen Boadicea who led a revolt against the Romans in the first century was said to be buried. Kelly is also seeing strange things and hearing demonic voices mocking her, but refuses to believe they are really happening. Meanwhile Harry assists the Witch in a lesbian attack on the helpless girl. Kelly finds out about a good singing gig, and aranges to attend an audition which if succesful will see her problems solved. Instead of going to the audition she is attacked by evil spirits in her flat, and ends up spending several days in a deep state of trauma, which has her drinking vast amounts of alcohol, and gulping tranquilisers as though they were candy. Something is starting to take her over but she doesnt know what it is. Kelly naturally misses the audition which causes her no end of consternation. Having grown fed up with David's never ending promises of cash and promising to make her the covergirl for his new magazine, as well as Harry and the Witch's manipulation, Kelly dyes her hair from blonde to dark and changes from a sweet naive small town girl to an aggressive Goth looking Vamp, who is sarcastic, rude and very sexy looking. Kelly is shocked to discover that schoolgirl Jenna has been kidnapped, and is feared to be in the hands of a local cult. Seemingly by chance, Kelly meets EMMA and JANE, two pretty local teenaged girls. As with Jenna previously, Kelly strikes up an immediate friendship with this vivacious pair of young Londoners. The three girls share wine and swap tales of witchcraft. Kelly relies on Emma and Jane to help find Jenna but to no avail . After discovering that Jenna has been murdered, Kelly has had enough and packs her bags. Now tired of London, Kelly makes plans to return home to her mother but finds to her horror that she cant get out of the house....
