History

Shut In

Brandon was born on March 10, 1978, in Lakewood, to Owen and Cassie James, farmers who maintained a tract of land north of Lakewood. Brandon was born disfigured, the result of birth defects caused by what would later be called Proteus Syndrome: a rare genetic disorder causing uneven tissue growth at various spots on the body…the face, in Brandon’s case.

Owen James died shortly after Brandon’s birth. In later years, rumors would circulate that he was so disgusted by Brandon’s appearance that he shot himself rather than admit the fact that he’d birthed a monster. Owen’s death meant his first born son, Brandon’s much older brother Troy, became the man of the house, taking over the failing farm.

Troy stuck it out for some years, but wanted to spread his own wings. In 1985, he sold the property to Roger Lipinski, a neighbor and old friend, who was able to double the size of his own farm. Cassie and Brandon relocated to Lakewood proper, finding a small house in the eastern part of town.

Cassie, always protective of her son, became even more so after they moved. She had a debilitating fear that Brandon’s appearance would bring him no end of misfortune, and so kept him close to home, having him homeschooled and never even letting him leave the house. Brandon didn’t meet another child his own age until he was eight years old.

The child in question was Maggie Anderson, a neighbor girl whose parents had also recently sold their farm for a more traditional suburban life. Bran, naturally shy and reticent from a life of solitude, gradually warmed to Maggie’s overtures, and she became his first friend. They coined nicknames for each other: Brandon was “Bran”, while Maggie became the less intuitive “Daisy”, in reference to the daisy chain she’d gifted him ahead of their first meeting.

The years passed and Bran’s hunger for the outside world grew. Cassie refused to be moved, however, unwilling to part with her “Golden Years Child”. It was only through Troy’s intervention, that Cassie’s hold weakened. Troy returned to Lakewood in 1992, having failed on a business venture. Bran confided in his brother about his friendship with Maggie and his desire to start high school with her in the fall. Troy took the case to Cassie and successfully persuaded her.

That summer was the first Bran spent outside his own home. He and Maggie were invited to the Lipinski farm, where Troy had taken up work as a hand. Those few months were the happiest Bran had ever spent.

They would not last.

Mean Kids

Bran started at George Washington High School in September 1992. The culture shock was as bad as Cassie feared, though arguably Bran being separated from other kids for so much of his life hadn’t helped. Bran’s appearance did him no favors, and his social inadequacies only made things worse. Those kids who weren’t immediately repulsed by him took savage pleasure in mocking him, not just for his appearance, but for his status as a mousy ex-homeschooled shut-in.

During this time, Bran and Maggie began to drift apart, as the pretty, charismatic Maggie found a home among the school’s popular set. By her sophomore year, she was dating Kevin Duval, quarterback of the Lakewood Lancers football team. Their separation wasn’t intentional on Maggie’s part, but that only worsened the wound as far as Bran was concerned.

Sheltered as he’d been, Bran had begun to see Maggie as more than a friend. For a few years, it had seemed obvious to him that Maggie loved him as he loved her, and that they would get together some day. That the thought didn’t seem to have crossed her mind was a cold shock.

It didn’t help matters that Kevin, a braggadocious “big man on campus” type, was one of Brandon’s most regular tormentors, aided by his friends and teammates Brett Keener, Trent Price, and Mike Vinson.

Maggie and Kevin’s relationship wasn’t without troubles, however. In the fall of their junior year, about a year since Maggie and Kevin had started dating, Maggie came to Bran in tears and confided to him about how possessive, angry and volatile Kevin was getting. Bran sympathized deeply and, on another level, couldn’t help but be grateful that Maggie still saw him as a worthy confidante.

He resolved to do something about Maggie’s boyfriend.

Slasher

Things came to a head on Halloween night, 1994. Brandon arrived at the school Halloween party, his costume a black raincoat and an eerie facial cast that a doctor had made of his face during his adolescence.

Over the course of a few terrifying hours, Brandon went on a killing spree. By the end of it, five people were dead: Kevin’s friends Brett, Trent, and Mike; Brett’s girlfriend Dara Alden, and Trent’s girlfriend Laura Cossey. Kevin himself was badly wounded and nearly died from blood loss en route to Lakewood General Hospital, though he ultimately survived the night.

Responding to a message left by Maggie, Brandon went to the jetty at Wren Lake, expecting to meet her. The police were lying in wait, and opened fire as soon as he arrived. Brandon fell into the water…his body was never recovered, and was pronounced dead after a week, leaving behind a rapidly metastasizing urban legend that would haunt Lakewood well into the new millennium.¹

As it happened, Brandon left a more permanent, flesh and blood legacy behind too.

Appearance

Brandon’s deformities rendered him big and clumsy. He was not a physically powerful person, and was hobbled in many ways owing to the scale of his facial deformities. In public life, he went out of his way to hide his face, usually concealing himself in hooded shirts.

The infamous mask later adopted by the perpetrators of the 2015 – 2016 murder sprees was a medical mold made by surgeons as a reference point. The reconstructive surgeries the mask had been meant for never came to pass.

Victims

Development

Brandon James looms large in the backstory of Scream the TV Series, as the perpetrator of the killings that inspired the Lakewood Slasher…or at least one of them. As the series went on, it was increasingly suggested that Brandon may not only be innocent of the crimes of which he was accused, but that he may even have been still alive.

The show was ultimately cancelled before this could be confirmed one way or another. Brandon’s influence is felt less in the precursor roleplay forums to the SRU, where he and his crimes are only mentioned incidentally in connection to the present drama.

Come 2019 and the launch of the SRU, the events of 1994 got closer attention, with a distinct history being built out, particularly in Volume II of The Story so Far.

Gallery

1. The Story so Far, Vol. I: Chapter 1, Scene 17 ↩︎