HDC Idol 2008-09

[_____V_____]

The script outline.

A full blown script will take 100 pages, and obviously a lot of time.

[ChronoGrl]

Knowing of Gore Verbinski’s current project to adapt Bioshock, I have decided that the way to go in terms of horror video game adaptation is to diverge from complete science fiction and focus on the psychological horror: something more real, more gritty – Condemned: Criminal Origins.

Instead of using the full title, Condemned : Criminal Origins, we’ll keep the title short to Condemned, leaving the audience questioning who, exactly is the condemned here – Our antihero? Or the souls after him?

Condemned

Story and Plot:
Condemned focuses both on psychological horror as well as mass panic schizophrenic horror. Ethan Thomas is an SCU investigator in the fictional city of “Metro City” where, inexplicably, the homeless, the derelicts, the junkies, all, are suddenly turning into violent and raging criminals. News broadcasts burst with stories of mysterious bouts of rage and aggression, pushing both the citizens of Metro City and the audience into panic. The main story line focuses on Ethan Thomas tracking down Serial Killer X, a serial killer who is hunting down and copycat killing other serial killers while simultaneously stalking and following Thomas’ work. While Thomas is on the trail of the mysterious SKX, he also finds himself descending into his own psychological struggles – seeing visions of inhuman creatures amidst his crazed human attackers. Is it Thomas who is going insane? Or is Metro City truly being overrun by these dark creatures? The dip into the super natural will allow Gans, once again, to create a truly creepy counter-universe filled with terrifying visions of creatures that begs the question: Who are the real monsters? Us, or them?

Ethan Thomas is aided by Rosa, the department’s forensic investigator. He sends his findings to Rosa who then analyzes and interprets them in the lab. Thomas is also aided by the mysterious Malcolm Vanhorn, Ahab foil to SKX who seems to know much more about what is happening in Metro City than he leads on.

Business Case:
True horror is the horror that hits close to home. Condemned will not only rope in video game fanboys, but will also attract the horror audience with its gritty portrayal of shock, panic, and surrealism. Condemned will appeal to fans of the infected genre (frenetic depictions of the violent people of Metro City), the monster/super natural genre (creepy CGI visions of the inhuman creatures that haunt Thomas), the crime investigative genre (filled with delightful visions of macabre gore a la Se7en), and the psychological genre (first-person story of Thomas’ decent into darkness). Also, when adapting Condemned, we are also securing a franchise, keeping in mind that the first Condemned will focus on the first video game, Criminal Origins, while a sequel will be in the works during or post-production for the adaptation of Condemned 2: Bloodshot.

Writing Staff:
While Roger Avary penned Silent Hill, I would like to avoid him this time around (though he worked on True Romance and Reservoir Dogs, Condemned is going after a different tone and, quite frankly, Beowulf is a blight on his writing resume). Condemned will be a horrifying first person character piece told through the eyes of our unreliable narrator Thomas. I think that we should reach out to Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine), who seems to be able to capture both the inner psychotic struggle of the main character but also the paranoid vibration of an entire world falling apart.

Suggested Casting:
Ethan Thomas: For Ethan Thomas, we need someone who is young, handsome yet rugged. He needs to be liked by the audience but also pitied and feared at the same time. I suggest that we cast as lesser known so as to do away with audience expectations going into this role. I think that AJ Bowen would be perfect – His breakout role in The Signal proves that he can show various sides to a man: Pure threat, obsession, and pathos. While we feared him in The Signal, we pitied him as well. We need that rugged, dirty raw energy brought to the screen for Condemned.

Rosa: For Rosa, we need someone who is also rugged, strong, but also has a vulnerable side (as she will eventually serve as Big Bad fodder). I suggest that we pursue Michelle Rodriguez to breathe life into this small yet integral role. She will be the grounding point, the rock to Thomas’ descent as he starts to lose his focus. She is straight and strong, but also loyal and focused.

Malcolm Vanhorn: For Malcolm Vanhorn, we need an older gentleman (old enough to be Thomas’ father) who is striking, intriguing, and vibrant. I think that Peter Weller will fit perfectly into this role – His striking visage adding an air of mystery and intrigue into the role, and his cult reputation adding bodies in the seats.

Serial Killer X: For SKX, we need someone who is the same age as Thomas. We also need someone who can be placid yet terrifying at the same time, his calmness adding threat to his onscreen appearance. Cillian Murphy seems perfect for the role, previously playing victim-turned-monster in 28 Days Later, and larger-than-life Big Bad in Batman Begins. Murphy’s high cheekbones and clear complexion creates a beautiful yet oddly creepy visage; hollowed out like a corpse, but chiseled like a mall mannequin. This queer beauty will be a perfect foil to Thomas’ rough appearance. Also, in a certain light, Murphy resembles the aged Weller, which will aid the eventual reveal of their relationship (SKX being the nephew of Vanhorn).

Marketing
Condemned focuses mainly on the consequences of mass madness and widespread panic. Our viral marketing campaign will be a series of short faux news briefs covering the “mysterious outbreaks of violence and crime in the Metro area.” We’ll see various news correspondents in front of burning buildings (example: a library that mysteriously resembles New York’s Public – it’s lions dark with soot), faux tickers underneath marking the next attack while the correspondent fights to keep their composure. The “news briefs” will also cover the exploits of SKX, alluding to murders that will not be on screen in the film and that will add to the mystique of the antagonist of the upcoming movie.

[Doc Faustus]

Very creative. Interesting choices all around, although Cillian Murphy is a little safe.

[ChronoGrl]

Originally Posted by Doc Faustus

Very creative. Interesting choices all around, although Cillian Murphy is a little safe.

Yeah, that was the toughest one to cast and the last one that I came up with... I needed someone in their 30s who's beautiful yet threatening. ALSO, I wanted to have someone who was known - My philosophy was that the audience would be disappointed if the anticipated Big Bad was was a big No One (we're going after him the entire time and we need SOME kind of payoff). I've been fascinated with Cillian's creepy beauty since 28 Days Later and I thought that his resemblance to Weller was a serendipitous plus.

I understand the critique, though - I'm not sure if I'm completely satisfied with that choice either. Thanks for the feedback!

Off the challenge - Who do you think would be good in the role? It's driving me CRAZY (PM me if you don't want to post it - I'm actually geeking out over this). Part of the fun in this entire competition is the, What would YOU have done?? or, when reading someone else's challenge, What would I do??

[ferretchucker]

Evil Dead IV: Ashes to Ashes


Ashley J. Williams has found himself 100 years into the future, in the apocalyptic wasteland of England. He has no idea what has happened, but it's been something big.

The film begins with the protagonist, Ash, laughing maniacally to himself. Quickly, he is heard, and a group of people in radiation suits come over to him. They grab him and carry him into an underground cavern, full of other people. Ash puts up no fight, and merely laughs to himself.

The group of people take off their suits and reveal themselves to be the order of the king, survivors the catastrophe who found writings of the brave king, and have lived in the hopes of finding him

Ash is about to ask what catastrophe they mean when an army of deadites swarm the cave. The group put up a brave fight. The scene includes many close up scenes of gore and blood. Eventually, the humans win it, with only one deadite left. But the deadite reveals it has a large number of grenades strapped to itself, and pulls the pin on one of them.

One of the men grabs Ash and dives for cover as the grenades go off. Everyone in the room is dead but Ash and the man. The man collects supplies from the cavern with Ash, then has a conversation, explaining that a band found the necronomicon and used the passage for raising demons in their song. Deadites were created worldwide, and eventually, there were more of them then there were people. Certain people survived, such as the order, and have fought against them ever since in a hope to rebuild humanity.

Ash and the man then take a plane from the back of the cavern and fly down the Germany, where the Necronomicon Exo Mortis is currently being held, in an attempt to destroy it, a mission the order were just about to undertake. The two of them have a mid air battle with a group of deadites causing the plane to crash into the sea. Ash drags the man, whose legs were broken in the crash, to shore on an island. The island creatures appear to be deadites and after a short fight, Ash and the man make their way to the top of hill and into an old fort.

In there, Ash finds out some more about the man. His name is Ashley also and he has fought deadites his entire life. Their coversation is interrupted when some germans with swords find them in the fort. Ashley speaks some German to them and they all nod. He tells Ash to hand over any weapons. He gives them a couple of knives. Ashley smiles at him, and then he and the Germans all reveal themselves to be Deadites. Ash is cornered but dives out of a hole in the wall, rolling down the hill and into the middle of a pack of deadite dogs. They chase him to the water, where he swims away from them. Before long, he's worn out, and he resigns himself to his fate when he sees a boat with the deadite, Ashley and the germans.

As they're right upon him, another boat appears and shoots all of the deadites until the boat is suitably covered in nothing more than limbs and red mush. The boat that came to his rescue lift Ash out of the water. As they drive away, there's a shot of Ashley, under the water. They are American and simply live on the water, only coming to land for supplies.

Ash asks if they have any idea where the Necronomicon is, in the hopes it can send him back in time. They have no idea what it is. After a few days of living on the boat and getting to know people, Ash is content with the life. It's peaceful.

The boat stops off at land. Everybody leaves it except Ash and a woman he has taken a liking to. Out on the land, all of the other people from the boat are silently killed by Ashley and a large group of Deadites. They swarm around the boat but Ash acts swiftly, driving out into the sea.

They appear to be safe, and Ash goes down into his room. He takes a glance at the bookcase and sees a book and takes it out. As he opens it, he notices something familiar. Ripping off the front cover reveals it to be the Necronomicon. Just as he's looking through it, Ashley, who is shown to have been holding on to the back of the boat, climbs aboard. He goes down to Ash and makes short work of him, beating him to the ground.

Ash asks why, to which Ashley explains who he is. He is the child of Evil Ash and Sheila, conceived in the rape. When he was thirty, he was struck by lightning. In that moment he knew who he was, and realized he was both human and deadite. He doesn't age, and simply wants control.

He made sure that the Necronomicon found it's way to the cabin in the woods to ensure his existence, but when he went to claim it after Ash was sent back in time, it was gone. He discovered that a band had found and bought it. He persuaded them to use some of it in a song, so the dead would rise and he would gain his powers. Since then he has spent his life trying to find the book.

Just as he is about to finish reading out an incantation, which would give him full control of every living being, the woman comes down and shoots the book. A huge hole appears in Ashley, so she does it a few more times until he's dead. The book starts to rot.

Ash shouts out at her, and worrying he will never be able to return home, he grabs the book and reads random words from it, just before it rots away totally. Ash falls through a portal, with the woman. They find themselves in the S-mart where Ash used to work. Things look slightly different, though. The two of them see a newspaper and gasp. It's 2031. Then, on the radio that's playing, they hear something.

"Okay, we now have a brand new song by The Evil Dead called Book of the Dead!"

A rock song starts playing with the passage that raises the dead. The camera zooms in on a screaming Ash, then goes to black.



I hope this satisfies the judges. I've only seen Evil Dead 1, so I'm going by what I know of Army of darkness.

[The Flayed One]

We start out seeing a news broadcast. The date is December 21, 2012. A violent terrorist leader has just been pardoned from the death sentence. The newscaster reflects her thoughts on what this means for the world. If a terrorist who has been responsible for the murder of hundreds of people has been spared, are we doomed as a species?


Pan out. The newscast has been shown in a classroom. The teacher goes on to discuss the historical significance of the pardon. It is now 2042. The pardon of the terrorist leader opened talks between the middle east and the west, ushering in a new era of peace. There hasn't been a recorded murder in the world in 20 years. All militaries have been disbanded; weapons are a relic of the past. The world is at complete peace.


All government resources have been poured into scientific research. Nanotechnology has brought mankind to the brink of immortality. The dream of colonizing other planets is within reach. As the teacher talks, the room suddenly starts to shake. The school crumbles, and many students are killed. The teacher and a few of her students manage to crawl their way out of the dust and rubble. The sky outside is a dark purple and distorted. The sky ripples as though it was a sheet with worms crawling beneath it. They take refuge in a jammed local bar, where news is coming in from all over the world. Rivers have reversed their courses, and landmasses have crumbled and broken away. Governments threaten to reinstate their militaries Looting has begun, and the peace the earth has known for thirty years has been broken within a matter of hours. All of the refugees watch in horror, as the earth trembles again.


The group moves outside, where the sky has grown dark redish black. The sun and the stars are out at once, and the sky writhes as if it were pregnant and about to give birth.


The the group tries to come up with a plan, where they can go. As they talk about possible scenarios, the city crashes and burns around them. The sky continues to fluctuate as though it where a living being. They decide to move to the countryside where there are less possible hazards. Many die on the way.


When they finally reach the country, the entire world goes silent. Not a sound can be heard. No one talks, heavy breaths are the only sign that there is anything, living or dead within miles. Then a distorted stretching sound is heard. As they look towards the unreal sky, an image, like a face pressed against spandex, starts to form in the sky. There comes a form of a horrible face, distorting reality itself. Masses of entrails, tentacles and teeth push the stars outward to their limit and ever closer to the horrified group. Finally, a ripping noise is heard as the head of the monster tears through the fabric of space and time, like a horrid child being born from a womb. It screams with a mixture of dying pigs and crying children, a noise so horrible that the group start to bleed from their ears and fall to the ground in pain. The beast steps into it's new world, creeping along and absorbing everything in its path.


The creature engulfs the world. There is no stopping it. We see cities collapse under its mass of writhing tentacles and slime, people dying at its horrible howls. As we see the last of mankind fall under its form, the screen goes dark. The entire world is wrapped in tentacles and flesh.


Shot: The flesh begins to recede and withdraw from the earth. Wreckage and ruin are revealed. Somewhere in a barren land, we see something move. It's a discolored amniotic sac of sorts. Something tears through, resembling a cross between a human and a bird. It cries out. The earth has given birth to a new child; the cycle has begun anew.

[neverending]

Chrono- Brilliant. That's all.

Ferret- Excellent. Nice twist having Evil Ash & Ash battling each other.

Flayed- Definitely some horrific visions- but where are the characters? There's no one for us to identify with and it seems like just a tableau of destruction.

[The Flayed One]

I almost wrote something at the end that would have justified the criticism. I pulled back at the last moment, because I wasn't sure if it would have been part of a good script pitch. If it bites me in the ass, I'll know next time.

Thank you for the critique.

[bwind22]

Let me preface this by saying that giallo is probably the sub-genre of horror which I am least familiar with so this is a very difficult challenge for me. (Although, like I’m sure everyone here is, I’m very excited to see Argento’s Giallo, if for no other reason than to check out another of Sean’s scripts.)

Dario Argento liked Sean Keller's Giallo so much he wants to make another giallo flick with you in Sean's place.

Since I am in Sean’s place for this challenge, that makes me the screenwriter. Since the writer generally has little to do with selecting the cast or crew, I believe that it is acceptable for me to leave those up to the director, Mr. Argento, on this task and focus solely on the story so here goes….

A Lady in the Night

Bronx, New York – Present Day

A hotel maid knocks at a door. No answer. She enters and gasps. The room is a grisly scene; a naked woman lays mutilated on the bed with blood drenching the sheets and splattering all walls.

A short time later, two detectives stand in the hallway outside the room while forensics teams gather possible evidence inside the room. Detective Bava, short and stocky, and Detective Lado, tall and handsome, discuss what occurred. Lado asks if they have an ID on the girl. Bava informs him that her name was Crystal Plumage and she worked as a stripper at the Grey Velvet Club down the block. The hotel manager had informed Bava that she had been a long term guest at the hotel and has occupied the room for the past couple months. Bava goes on to say that there is no sign of forced entry.

Later that afternoon, Det. Bava and Det. Lado park outside the Grey Velvet Club and have a brief conversation in the car about the shabbiness of the building, the dimly lit parking lot and the dark alley adjacent.

The Detectives enter the Club. It’s a smoke filled, neon cesspool that we can only imagine must smell like some unholy mixture of sweat, cum and cheap perfume. A massive bouncer, Martino, blocks their path but steps aside when they flash their badges at him. The Detectives head directly for the bar and ask to speak with the manager. As they wait, they take in the show. A large breasted brunette in a cowboy hat and crotchless chaps simulates sex with the strip pole as a half dozen overweight lonely men stare perversely at her and shower her with dollar bills. Her song ends, she collects the wads of cash strewn about and scurries off the stage just as the manager arrives at the bar. Leon, the manager, asks what he can do for them. They flash their badges, then a picture of Crystal. They ask Leon if he knows the girl and he nods instantly, informing them that she is the Club’s top earner. Bava corrects him and lets him know that she WAS the Club’s top earner, but she was found murdered in her hotel room earlier this morning. Leon is stunned and offers to do anything he can to help with their investigation. They inform him that they’ll need to speak with her co-workers and ask them a couple questions. Leon tells them that’ll be no problem.

A short time later, the Detectives are in a back room sitting at a table. Across the table is the brunette from the stage. Leon is sitting next to her as the detectives ask questions. The questions range from the last time she saw Crystal to what type of girl Crystal was to whether or not she was aware of any dangerous people in Crystal’s life, all of which she answers to their satisfaction. As she stands to leave the room, Detective Lado asks, “Oh, Miss, what did you say your name was? Your legal name, not your stage name.” She informs them her name is Andrea Bianchi then leaves the room. As Detective Bava reviews the pages of notes he’s taken from what has obviously been several interviews, Leon informs him that they’ve spoken to everyone. Bava and Lado thank him for his cooperation and exit the backroom. As they make their way through the club towards the front entrance, Lado stops to stare at the girl on stage. Bava questions him and Lado points out that they had not spoken with her yet. Leon, who is escorting them to the door, informs them that the girl in question is Barbara Bouchet and she just started last night so she didn’t know Crystal at all. As they near the entrance, a blond stripper attempts to solicit either of them for a private dance. Embarrassed, Leon shoos her away “Michelle, beat it. They’re workin’ here.” Michelle responds that she is working too, or at least trying to. Leon tells them to stop back on their day off some time and he’ll set them up with the VIP treatment.

Back in the car, the detectives compare notes. They both agree that Leon was extremely helpful, almost suspiciously so. They are also in agreement that the bouncer, Martino, seemed like a pretty cold guy that could potentially be capable of murder and that several of the Club’s patrons seemed like they’d probably seen the inside of a state penitentiary at some point in their lives. To summarize their discussion, nearly everyone they saw inside the Club could be considered a suspect and this case could be a tough one to crack.

Later that night, Detective Lado, driving a different car, arrives outside an apartment building and parks. He enters, heads up four flights of stairs and fishes his keys out of his pocket. He enters his apartment, let’s out an exasperated sigh and kicks off his shoes. His cell phone rings. “This is Lado.” His brow furrows as he listens, then “I’ll be right there.” He puts his shoes back on and dashes out of his apartment.

Detective Lado’s car pulls up outside a different apartment complex. He gets out and heads inside. He arrives at a specific door and knocks. It opens and we see, the blond stripper Michelle, standing there in street clothes. She’s terrified. He enters and asks her what’s wrong. Trembling, she hands him a note and informs him she found it shoved under her door when she arrived home. He unfolds it. The note reads simply “You’re next.” She begs him to stay at her apartment overnight to protect her and he hesitantly agrees. Relieved, she offers him a drink and then tells him she needs to take a shower.

Michelle exits the bathroom in a robe, toweling off her hair. She expresses gratitude to Lado for his willingness to stay with her. There is a brief conversation over a glass of wine about Lado’s personal life; no wife, no kids, he’s never had the time and has basically been married to his job since he got out of college. She offers herself to him, but he declines because he doesn’t think it’d be prudent. She persists saying technically, he’s off the clock and could probably stand to relieve some tension. Again, he declines. She asks a third time but this time works the angle that it would help soothe her nerves to be in the arms of a man. He finally agrees and they retreat to the bedroom where a steamy romantic interlude takes place. She falls asleep on his chest and eventually his eyes drift off to sleep as well.

Lado’s eyes jolt open to the sound of the apartment door being kicked in. He instinctively grabs a knife off the top of the nightstand beside him but before he can climb out of the bed, there is a pistol in his face. “FREEZE! Drop the knife asshole!” The room quickly fills with cops, all with guns drawn. “Don’t move scumbag!” Lado notices blood on the knife and glances over his shoulder to see Michelle laying next to him with her throat slit from ear to ear, a pool of blood staining the sheets.

(CONTINUED)

[bwind22]

(CONTINUED FROM ABOVE)

Later, in a police interrogation room, Detective Bava sits across the table from Lado staring at him reflectively. Bava asks what he was doing there. Lado tells him. Bava raises an eyebrow and asks why he wasn’t informed of the threat against Michelle. Lado explains that it was late when he got the call so he just headed over to make sure everything was okay then one thing led to another. Bava seems skeptical of this story and points out that Lado has no alibi except one that places him in the bedroom at the time of the murder. Bava goes on to point out that Lado’s prints are all over the murder weapon and, in general, none of this looks good for Lado. Lado agrees but tries to explain he was set up. Since they are partners, Bava shows some compassion and tells him to sit tight while he sees what he can dig up.

Detective Bava arrives at the Grey Velvet Club. Martino the Bouncer lets him pass without a hassle. Bava spots Leon near the DJ’s booth and waves him over. Bava informs Leon of what has occurred and asks if the two women had any common friends or enemies. Leon says none that he was aware of. Leon informs him that the two girls used to be roommates but they had a falling out a couple months ago and that was when Crystal had taken up residence at the hotel. Bava informs him to let his girls know that they need to watch their backs and that, at this point, everyone associated with the club is a suspect. Leon thanks him for stopping by and Bava exits.

Later, Detective Bava sits in his car which is parked discreetly across the street from the Club’s rear entrance. A cup of coffee sits on the dashboard and a pair of binoculars rest in his lap. Beside him is a notepad detailing who’s come and gone since he’s been keeping an eye on the place. He notices Andrea Bianchi, the large breasted brunette, exiting the club. She starts towards her car as he grabs the notepad and begins to scribble. When he glances back up, she has changed direction and is now heading in to the dark alley alongside the Club. Perplexed, he holds the binoculars up to his face and watches her disappear in to the shadowy darkness. A split second later, she emerges running and looking frantic. A dark figure appears behind her and drags her by the hair back in to the darkness. Startled by this sequence of events, Detective Bava fumbles with his pistol before he dashes across the street towards the alley. As he gets closer, sounds of a scuffle can be heard followed by a blood-curdling scream and then… silence.

He enters the dark alley with his gun drawn. A few steps in to the shadows, he sees Andrea Bianchi on the ground. In addition to her throat being slit, she’s been gutted from crotch to sternum and now there’s a growing pool of blood around her. Bava quickly checks her pulse and determines that she’s dead. Keeping his gun drawn, he continues deeper in to the shadows. A startled black cat darts from behind a dumpster, knocking over a trash can on the way out. Half way down the alley, he spots a second blood covered body on the ground. It’s the new girl, Barbara. He races to her side and again drops to a knee to check her pulse. His brow crinkles as he realizes her heart is still beating. Her eyes pop open and in a flash, she jabs a scalpel in to his neck.

Series of flashbacks.
1. After her first time on stage, Barbara counts her cash with disappointment.
2. Barbara watches jealously as Crystal and other girls rake in much more cash than her.
3. Barbara approaches Crystal in the parking lot and asks her if she has a place to crash.
4. Barbara attacks Crystal as she gets out of the shower, mutilates and kills her.
5. Barbara removes a key from Crystal’s purse.
6. Barbara slides a note under Michelle’s door.
7. Barbara uses the key from Crystal’s purse to enter Michelle’s apartment.
8. Barbara stands over the bed that Lado and Michelle are sleeping in and silently slashes Michelle’s throat, then leaves the knife on the nightstand next to Lado.
9. Barbara stands outside Michelle’s apartment complex and dials 9-1-1 on the corner payphone.
10. Barbara stands in the dark alley and calls out to Andrea as she exits the Club.
11. Andrea approaches, sees Barbara’s scalpel, tries to run. Barbara chases her down and guts her, then slices her throat to silence her scream.
12. Det. Bava enters alley just as Barbara lays herself down on the ground.

Back in the alley now, Bava’s eyes bulge as a geyser of blood sprays from his jugular. He staggers as he attempts to raise the gun towards Barbara who is already on her feet, but he loses his grip as he falls to his knees. As the blood pours from his body, the color drains from his face. He tips backwards, crashing in to a pile of debris as Barbara approaches. She pulls the scalpel from his throat, wipes it on his shirt and then walks casually out of the alley towards the parking lot, leaving him to die alone.

Epilogue: Two new detectives, Detective Lucio and Detective Klimovsky enter the Grey Velvet Club. Martino blocks their path but steps aside when they flash their badges. They head to the bar and ask for the manager. A moment later, they are greeted by Leon. They inform him that they are the new detectives assigned to the case. Lucio turns to admire the naked woman dancing on stage. It’s Barbara. Lucio asks Leon who she is. Leon tells them “That’s Barbara Bouchet. She’s our top earner.”