Cause of Death

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Just thought it'd be fair to let you know why you're going to die.

A Web Original debuting in 2010, focusing on murderers, serial killers, and all around villains.

The pilot shows the event when a nameless man enters the house of a drinking lounge-about. What happens next is chaos and violence, coupled with the killer's dark desire and the poor man's fight to survive. Add a picture of a mysterious girl and a granola bar to the mix, and you've got a four minute short that was originally written to introduce an entire series.

The main site can be viewed here.


Tropes used in Cause of Death include:
  • Almost-Dead Guy: After the blackout.
  • As You Know: Subverted. It seems the killer is about to tell the audience and the man why he?s come to the house, but then simply drops the subject and then kills him. Brutally.
  • Book Ends: The pilot begins and ends with the sunny street.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: Not right away, but it becomes quickly apparent that the killer is gonna walk out satisfied.
  • David Versus Goliath: The killer is not a big guy. The slob is?quite large.
  • Fight Scene: Basically the whole thing.
  • Follow the Leader: The pilot makes it look almost Dexter-ish, but later episodes prove otherwise.
  • Fork Fencing: The slob pulls a steak knife out of a drawer when the fight makes its way into the kitchen.
  • Improvised Weapon: When the killer finds himself against an armed man, he uses a granola bar with deadly results.
  • Nameless Narrative: No names are given for either the killer, the slob, or the woman in the photo
  • Never Bring a Knife to A Fist Fight: Yeah, that knife isn?t gonna help?
  • Pay Evil Unto Evil: Seems to be the backstory, but we?re never explicitly told.
  • Sharp-Dressed Man: Compare the killer?s attire to the slob. It may not be a suit and tie, but it?s certainly nicer.
  • Soundtrack Dissonance: The radio plays in the house, and the final song puts an eerie look to the final moments of the fight.
  • Villain Protagonist: Yeah.