u/_Waves_

So we all know there’s tons of unreleased material, tons of live shows, and some essential outtakes. But I actually never saw anybody provide a CD that’s a coherent "best of ZWAN". Or to be more clear: a selection that is the best and essential Zwan songs, in the length of one album.

I’m sure some people here have their own playlists and such, but I actually want to ask if there’s - or if somebody has - a somewhat ideal compilation of Zwan material that’s their definitive material.

So I’m a fan of the original movie but never dug deeper - I know a lot about Book of Shadows and a little about 2016, I know some of the video games and read up on the lore that’s in the documentary, all this stuff I looked up over the years…

Yesterday, I was reading up on Kedward and Parr. And something struck me as I dug into the lore…

So I always followed what was the official narrative: that Rustin Parr killed the 7 kids, that the witch whispered into his ear. So far so good. But then reading up the lore, I was struck with Kyle Brody being left alive. It felt like the writers/filmmakers were particular in this detail for no reason, and I don’t think they did anything on accident.

I was also confused that Parr mentioned on his last day that he did not kill the kids. I thought this was odd, given he claimed to have acted upon the witches wishes and Kyle Brody supported this narrative.

So I dug in, read that Brody disappeared, led a life or crime and eventually committed suicide. But it still felt oddly atypical, even for a character supposed to suffer from PTSD.

It was about then that I stumbled over the detail that the director of the mockumentary perceived Brody to have killed the kids. And I was like… wait, what!? So if Brody killed the kids, this would mean Parr had been controlled by Brody.

And then something struck me, which is Kedward's story! Kedward was a troublemaker due to her environment and hand she's been dealt, but there’s little to support she was a witch outside of town lore… UNTIL a group of kids claims Kedward drew blood from them for a potion, which leads to the townspeople tying her up, and the kids coming to torture and likely murder her!

Suddenly, something clicked! I had read the story similar to the Nightmare on Elm Street lore - that a malignant spirit took revenge on a collective due to the "sins of the fathers", which leads to generational violence. That the witch essentially is the echo of that action.

But suddenly, I saw something else! It seems like each time, kids are to blame for the harm and death that is enacted upon others, and adults are blamed for it!

I’m now wondering if there is something that takes over the minds of kids in those woods, that controls their actions. Every time we hear about the witch, it’s narrated by kids. Every time somebody is murdered, kids are present. And every story is told by kids - from the old woman recounting seeing the witch to Brody to the group of kids blaming Kedward! And adults believe them every time.

I’m really curious what people think of this. Am I up to something?