Wrestling is magic.
New Orleans, 1984. Chuck Frenzy is the main event star of the local Louisiana pro wrestling territory, but yearns for something greater. A fateful encounter with a trio of terrifying beings in the Bayou gives Chuck a glimpse of championship glory beyond his wildest dreams...if he is willing to do something terrible to achieve it.
The Crimson Cage contains examples of:
- Adaptational Abomination: The assassins hired by Macbeth in the original story are just regular human killers, but here they're supernatural, deformed Humanoid Abomination types in Luchador masks.
- Adaptational Explanation: In the original play, Macbeth suspect's that Banquo's son will try to get his revenge but it never comes to pass. Here, his equivalent returns to help kill Chuck Frenzy.
- Adaptational Sexuality: "The Outlaw" Emmett is the story's equivalent of Macduff, and in this story he seems to be either a closeted homosexual or bisexual (given he carries an affair with a man while being married with kids).
- Adaptational Villainy: In comparison to the benevolent King Duncan in the original play, Van Emerald is a jerkass who humiliates Chuck after promising to help him become champion.
- Ambition Is Evil: As in the original play, Chuck Frenzy resorts to murder to achieve his dreams of becoming champion.
- All There in the Manual: The trade paperback edition includes some extras which give some insight into the more secondary and tertiary wrestlers in the story (as well as their names).
- Arc Words: Multiple characters remark that "Wrestling is magic", a statement that gets increasingly more ominous as things get more murderous and supernatural.
- Asshole Victim: Emerald tells Chuck he'll throw a fight to him and help him become champion, only to go back on his word and humiliate him in the ring. He is the first to die.
- Car Fu: Terry is decapitated after having his car door repeatedly slammed against his head by the assassin.
- Cheap Heat: Van Emerald is seen directly insulting the Louisiana crowd as inbred hicks to gather some Heat for his match with Chuck.
- Decomposite Character: Macduff's role is primarily given to "The Outlaw" Emmett Crowe, but part of it is also distributed to the Diamond Brothers (the Malcolm analogue) and Bryan (the Fleance analogue), namely they all join in actually killing Macbeth/Chuck Frenzy. The Diamond Brothers themselves are a lesser case of this as they collectively fullfill Malcolm's role in the narrative.
- Deep South: This is set in the backwoods of Louisiana. Chuck in particular can't wait to get out.
- Demoted to Extra: The Diamond Brothers play a lesser role in the narrative than their loose counterpart in the play Malcolm.
- Face–Heel Turn: In both senses of the term. Chuck and Sharlene both become more ruthless across the story and also adopt much darker, more villainous characters as wrestlers as the kayfabe bleeds from the ring to real life.
- Frame-Up: After killing Emerald, Chuck and Sharlene plant the dagger on Rubie, who is passed out drunk.
- Gory Discretion Shot: The death of Crowe’s son is not shown.
- The Giant: The Abominable Grudd's gimmick is that he's a terrifying, gigantic force of nature. Outside the ring, of course, he wouldn't harm a fly.
- Gorgeous George: "The Fabulous One" Elijah Quince is a minor character who seems directly based on the actual Gorgeous George with his vaguely homoerotic flamboyance.
- Humanoid Abomination: The Bayou Sisters appear as this when they’re not completely monstrous.
- I've Come Too Far: Chuck justifies the murder of Terry by saying he already damned his soul for the championship to let it go to someone else.
- Klingon Promotion: Chuck kills Emerald to take his spot as the wrestling champion.
- Masked Luchador: The Faceless assassins are here portrayed as masked Luchador types in suits (billed as "South of the Border" in the extra material).
- Man of Wealth and Taste: The figure strongly implied to be Satan is seen driving a white limousine and smoking expensive cigars every time he appears.
- Mouth Stitched Shut: The assassin is depicted as having a luchador mask with their eyes and mouth sewn shut.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: A lot of the characters are directly referencing real world wrestling figures and events.
- Chuck Frenzy doesn't have many obvious parallels but his status as a great technician who struggles with charisma follows in the vein of Dean Malenko and his incoherent, ominous and borderline lovecraftian horror-esque promos post Heel-turn are reminiscent of Kevin Sullivan.
- The main promotion featured in the story (GWA, presumably standing for Global Wresling Alliance) riffs on the National Wrestling Alliance and their manager Ms. Grusky seems based off on pioneering female wrestling promoter Christine Jarrett with some sprinklings of TNA's Dixie Carter.
- The Abominable Grudd is reminiscent of Kamala in the "monster heel" department.
- Van Emerald is very transparently Ric Flair as the flamboyant Heel champion with a huge ego.
- Sharlene Frenzy takes cues from both Miss Elizabeth (pre-Heel turn) as a wholesome all-american girl valet and Sherri Martel (after Heel turn) in being this darker valet character who aims to be a more legitimate female wrestler.
- "The Outlaw" Emmet Cobb is reminiscent of "Cowboy" Bob Orton Jr..
- Gorilla Gozu is another transparent riff on Aja Kong as the japanese tough female wrestler with facepaint.
- The Devil may or may not be Vince McMahon.
- No Man of Woman Born: The witches promise Frenzy that "so long as the roof stands above the ring, Chuck Frenzy shall never be defeated". During the final fight, Frenzy is slammed against the walls of the Crimson Cage causing it to fall apart.
- Patched Together from the Headlines: The story takes inspiration from several sordid tales of professional wrestling. Frenzy's murder of Van Emerald for example calls to mind the murder of wrestler Bruiser Brody, a likewise murky event marred in wrestling politics that has never been properly solved.
- Prophecy Armor: Like Macbeth, Chuck thinks he's invincible because of the prophecy he will never be beaten as long as the Crimson Cage stands. Little does he know...
- Sanity Slippage: As in most Macbeth versions, the two leads unravel pretty badly after their crimes.
- Satan: Chuck is eventually brought before the boss of the Bayou sisters, and it's very strongly implied (though not stated outright) he is the Devil himself.
- The Show Must Go On: Frenzy demands the final event carry on despite the fact Sharlene has just died in the middle of the ring.
- Southern Gothic: The change of setting from Scotland highlands to Louisiana backwoods gives the narrative this feel, particularly with the Weird Sisters being here framed as cajuns swamp witches from the bayou of a Voodoo-esque tint.
- Tag Team: The Diamond Brothers (Malcolm's rough counterpart), Van Emerald's associated tag team that quickly realizes Chuck Frenzy is responsible for his death.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Many of the killings are like this; eyes are gouged out, heads are crushed and entrails are spilled.
- Villainous BSoD: Frenzy goes into brief catatonia after his first murder. Sharlene also ends up essentially dying this way when she freezes mid-match.
- When Trees Attack: One of the Bayou Sisters appears in the form of a tree creature.
- Would Hurt a Child: Frenzy kills Emmet Crowe's little boy.
- Wrestling Monster: The Abominable Grudd is a animalistic, giant Heel in the ring (and a nice guy outside of it). This is enforced by Chuck hallucinating him post-mortem as even more monstrous and grotesque.
- Our Witches Are Different: The Weird Sisters are now the Bayou Sisters, monstrous creatures living in the swamps of New Orleans.
