Riding the Bullet 2004

In the autumn of 1969, we meet Alan Parker, a student at the University of Maine, who finds himself mired in a complex tapestry of existential dread and emotional turmoil. His professor has observed an unsettling obsession with death in Alan’s artistic expressions. On his birthday, October 30th, Alan grows increasingly convinced that his girlfriend, Jessica, is intent on severing their relationship. As darkness envelops the day, Alan retreats into the sanctuary of his bathtub, where cannabis clouds his thoughts, leading to a spiral into suicidal ideation.

It is at this low point that the Grim Reaper appears, a chilling embodiment of death, who whispers temptations of despair into his ear. The murals surrounding him ominously reflect faces that seem to echo the Reaper’s sinister calls, intensifying Alan’s inner chaos. Just as he succumbs to the suffocating darkness, Jessica and a group of friends burst in, surprising him with a jubilant birthday celebration, which ironically culminates in a moment of accidental self-harm.

Upon regaining consciousness in a hospital bed, Alan is confronted by Jessica, whose feelings of anger and concern mingle with an unwavering declaration of love. In a bid to console him, she gifts him tickets to a John Lennon concert in Toronto, Canada. However, this glimmer of hope fades quickly as the Grim Reaper continues to shadow his every thought.

The following day, after being discharged, Alan is faced with Jessica’s stark revelation about the emotional barrier he has erected, which protects him but also alienates her from his true self. This insight is abruptly overshadowed by a distressing phone call: his mother, Jean, has suffered a stroke. With a heavy heart, Alan decides to return home to Lewiston, Maine, selflessly giving his concert tickets to his roommates.

His journey back to his hometown dredges up memories of his father’s funeral from when he was just six. Alan is haunted by visions of his mother’s demise and the sorrow of Jessica mourning at his grave. The trip takes an unexpected dire turn when he is offered a ride by Ferris, an army deserter, in his Volkswagen van.

What ensues is a harrowing near-miss as they barely escape a head-on collision, crashing into a ditch instead. Shaken but unscathed, Alan navigates this brush with death, which ignites a hallucinatory journey, blurring the lines between the living and the deceased.

In this dreamlike reality, Alan encounters vibrant apparitions that transcend life. A billboard advertising “Ride The Bullet” revives lost memories of a long-ago visit with his mother, where they both hesitated to ride the attraction. His surreal voyage leads him through a cemetery, where the grave of George Staub, who passed away two years prior, catches his eye.

As Alan’s grasp on reality begins to slip, he is confronted by a ghostly version of himself, which brings forth a chilling warning: a place awaits him if he ignores these signs. Accompanied by this spectral doppelganger, they are whisked away by George Staub, whose unsettling scent of formaldehyde sends a chill down Alan’s spine.

While traversing winding roads, Alan’s spectral companion nudges him to recall a cryptic phrase from a forgotten book: > “The dead travel fast.” Despite Alan’s silence, his discomfort grows as he and George delve into conversation about Thrill Village and the infamous ride. In a moment of desperation, Alan fabricates a tale of his conquests on the attraction, only for George’s knowing gaze to expose his deception.

The conversation darkens as George reveals his own tragic fate: decapitation in a horrific car accident. Adding to the weight of this revelation, George poses a harrowing dilemma: Alan must decide who accompanies him to the afterlife—his mother or himself. The inability to choose could result in both facing an eternal fate together, leaving Alan caught in a storm of fear and uncertainty.

In a moment of panic, Alan chooses his mother for the afterlife, only to be violently expelled from George’s vehicle as if he were a piece of refuse. When he comes to in the cemetery, he hastily seeks another means to return, arriving at the hospital just as his mother succumbs to a heart attack while watching television.

As Alan grapples with the twilight of his existence, he finds his life fractured—divorced from Jessica and struggling to survive as an artist. Despite the ravages of time, his creative spirit perseveres, kindled by a passion for painting. A visit to Thrill Village brings him full circle, as he finally gathers the courage to confront his fears and ride “The Bullet,” a potent reminder that some truths are best left unspoken.