In 2016, Deathmatch writers brought a new level of weird. Unicorns, PBS documentarians, rogue human organs, fur coats, Instagram stalkers, space travelling kittens, cockroach weddings and paedophiles were just a few themes that were selected to compete. As the December 31st deadline to enter this year’s competition approaches, we’re offering up five Deathmatch stories that messed with our heads.
Tiny Girls by Sofi Papamarko
Tiny Girls is a story that makes you feel touched in a bad way. This tale of below-the-age-of-consent love is so carefully crafted that the neighbourhood threat comes across like a sweetheart. In spite of the kids who play in the grown man’s bedroom, this is probably the most mature story we saw last year.
Christmas in the Walls by Jacob Wilde
Christmas in the Walls is a completely different type of sexed-up tale. Unicorns are infesting a house and using matchsticks as dildos. Move aside ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas – we’ve found our new yuletide standard.
The Jamaican Nanny by Matthew Fargo
Everyone needs to be taken care of. This bizarre take on the nanny tale goes down like a spoon full of sugar.
Moulting by Madeeha Hashmi
Moulting was last year’s Deathmatch winner. It’s a love story. But there was a lot of debate over whether this was about romance or friendship. We do know that two girls become obsessed with each other until they start to tangle. Whatever it is it’s a dark side of love.
Jean Claude Van Damsel in Distress by Ryan Power
JCVDD was the runner-up. It’s a crazy story involving ninjas and cowboys and aliens and witches. Ryan basically threw all his favourite daydreams into a story and weaved it into some post modern challenge on narrative structure. We love him for it.
To enter Deathmatch 2017 click here.