Emesis Blue: A Horrifying Masterpiece
*SPOILER ALERT!*
Emesis Blue is a 2023 horror film by the YouTube channel Fortress Films. It is set in the Team Fortress Universe; however, the movie takes a darker turn from the game. It sets out to explain the backstory of Team Fortress Two in a disturbing yet intriguing manner, with fascinating characters, a gripping story, and stunning visuals. But, the selling point of the film is that the characters are truly one of a kind. Each character we see in the film goes through their own journey. Whether that be them slowly losing their minds or realizing the faults of their judgment. But before diving in, I highly recommend watching the movie first rather than returning to it. Without further ado, let me explain the journey of Emesis Blue.
Among all the characters, there is one that has the most impact on the story: Fritz Ludwig, aka Medic. Fritz’s character is the centerpiece of Emesis Blue. He is a timid man who is fearful but also will protect his friends at all costs. We see this with his relationship with Jeremy, aka Scout. When Jeremy visits Fritz at his office for a late-night checkup. Fritz is eager to help him,
as he can tell Jeremy is stressed. Jeremy explains that he had a very frightening nightmare where all his teeth began to fall out. Fritz listens to him, all while trying his best to console him. In the end, Fritz gives him a bottle of Valium Pills, which will help him calm down his nerves. After this, he provides Jeremy with a ride back home. This is all in the first five minutes of the movie, which perfectly shows us who these characters are. Showing that they care for each other and are willing to tell each other things. This is further proven in the car ride to Jeremy’s apartment, where Jeremy asks Fritz about the Respawn Machine (The Respawn Machine is a fear device that all the characters know). Something that gives him chills down his spine. But, because he’s that close to Jeremy, he explains his experience with it and what he saw: “Sometimes it doesn’t work like it’s supposed to, some get stuck inside trying to come through. I’ve only seen it once, on the frontlines, he came through screaming…you don’t know what I saw.”. Before he stops out of fear, I believe this is the perfect way to set the mood and show us these characters. While it is lighthearted between Fritz and Jeremy, mentioning the Respawn Machine can shift the movie's entire mood. The movie and the characters take a massive turn from this point onward.
This perfectly segways us to the next scene and our next set of characters: John Doe and the Corporal. These two are opposites to Jeremy and Fritz as they don’t seem to care for each other and only tolerate each other for work. John Doe, aka Soldier, has a serious yet also dumb nature. At the same time, the Corporal is gritty and unforgiving. They are introduced to us as John Doe sits in his car as the rain beats down. John looks out to see a man standing staring at him. In a quick moment, he grabs the gun in the glove box. But before he can, the Corporal takes it from him. Then he insults him, “What the hell are you doing! Stupid, give that to me before you shoot yourself. Stay in the car”. The Corporal takes the gun and heads into an alley to confront someone on the whereabouts of Jules Archibald (The man the two are tasked with finding). While that happens, John Doe sits doing what he’s told. This is a main part of John Doe’s character; he’s a soldier and follows orders mindlessly. And we see the fault of this when the Corporal is pinned to the ground in the alleyway, and John is forced to help by shooting his attacker. Yet even after John saves him, the Corporal is only mad that he shoots their only lead: “You idiot! He was our only lead, now he’s died”. This begins the slow divide between the two characters, which grows wider as the movie progresses.
Now, with the character established, we can talk about what happens in the dreaded Carnegie Slaughterhouse. This is where the layers of the characters are peeled back, and their true self is exposed. First, let’s focus on Fritz and Jeremy. Earlier in the movie, Jeremy is kidnapped and taken to the slaughterhouse. Fritz, wanting to rescue him, rushes over. As he explores the slaughterhouse, he finds Jeremy chained up. However, he’s different. When Fritz frees him, Jeremy suddenly strikes and says, “If I had a gun, I’d shoot you–you sick bastard!”. Jeremy’s sudden hatred for Fritz is due to what he has supposedly done. Now, it isn’t clearly stated but highly implied that Fritz—in a sort of haze due to the Valium Pills he had taken—had killed Jeremy’s mother. This is shown right before Jeremy is kidnapped and is implied later in the movie when John and the Corporal visit the crime scene and find Fritz's record. From this point onward, Jeremy isn’t seen, as it is heard in the background that he is murdered. This caused Fritz’s dormant, darker side to begin taking over. The timid and scared mask begins to crack as he is trapped in the slaughterhouse and the weight of Jeremy’s death. He begins to lose himself to the madness.
As for John and the Corporal, it’s a similar case. The divide starts to show again as the two search the slaughterhouse for Fritz. The two argue into the slaughterhouse until an opening in a giant pipe. Corporal, now finally fed up with John, pulls a gun on him. “I hope you can swim because you’re going right back out the way you came! We’re done. You are not coming with me!” However, a ceasefire is put on when a sniper ambushes them, but when the sniper is shot down, a new threat shows up. A masked man shoots the Corporal in the leg, and in the chaos, John is forced to flee. This is the moment that changes their story. After the Corporal is kidnapped during an intense scene, he is covered in gasoline and sets a blaze. He burns his entire body, and the only one he blames for it is John. For John, it's different; he continues to search the slaughterhouse for the Corporal and Archibald. But, like earlier, John’s unwavering nature as a soldier who follows orders causes him to suffer. He is compelled to venture deeper, but he only finds the truth of the slaughterhouse and what Archibald has been doing here. In the end, he realizes his faults of following orders unthinkingly.
I skimmed over many details in this, but I tried my best to explain the main character's journeys. But I can’t do it justice here. Nonetheless, I highly recommend you watch Emesis Blue, as it is truly special and unlike any other horror movie out there.
