Good afternoon, House of Madness travelers:
The social media craze is in full blast upon us, and even if you don't partake in it physically, it still affects you whether you prefer to deny it or not. From Facebook and Twitter to Instagram and TikTok, the footprint being left on us as a society is undeniable. All over the world there are social media gurus making more money playing video games, just chatting, or showing their tits as they spew a bunch of nonsense from their hot tubs overlooking the beach while we lap it up and make them richer. For Maddie (Emily Tennant), life couldn't be better as she travels the globe in luxury whilst her followers and boyfriend Ryan (Rory J Saper) pay her way as she makes her way around the world; her latest venture is a two week stop in Thailand, and while the scenery is lovely, Ryan bails on her because of a business venture, and she's left to traverse the Thai terrain on her own. Before long, Maddie meets a fellow traveler named CW (Cassandra Naud) with ties to the island, and the two hit it off instantly; only Maddie doesn't know CW has ulterior motives.
One night as the two new friends are out painting the town, someone breaks into Maddie's room and steals a bunch of her valuables, most notably her passport. With travel out of the country now impossible for at least two weeks until Maddie can get a new passport, CW assures her everything will be fine, and the two new besties will have the time of their lives. In order to ease the situation, CW tells Maddie she has planned a surprise, and the two head out before dawn the next morning to a remote island in the middle of nowhere. As they're taking in the beauty of the island and drinking themselves into oblivion, CW jokes that she's not going to kill Maddie, but is simply going to abandon her on the isolated island which is just as good as being dead when you take everything into consideration. They both have a good laugh, and as Maddie awakes the next morning to nothing but sand an ocean, she realizes her predicament and we're left to accept her fate.
Now that she's out of the picture, CW is free to hack into Maddie's social media and photoshop her way through Thailand with no one the wiser about Maddie's true existence (or lack thereof) except for her. Just when CW is about to change gears and pounce on her next victim, Ryan shows up in search of his girlfriend, and CW is forced to play her most deceiving character yet. As Ryan chips away at CW's story and background, he's left wondering what her real motives are, and why she does the things she does, while we the audience know the answers to some of her story, but what exactly is her end game, and what possesses her to do the things she does? One thing is for certain, nobody needs friends like CW, but CW needs friends like you; I recommend staying on dry land, just to be safe.
Madness Meter: 6.4/10
NB
