Day 10 Assignments

[James Burns Burns]

James’s Level 1 Horror Emotion Scene

I learned how to incorporate different levels of horror anticipation – apprehension, surprise and then shock – to build up the suspense in a scene.

EXT. MAIN ROAD – DAY

Bruno is smoking a joint, which he keeps out of the window, as he drives along the main road, which is long, straight and really boring, Celine, Justin and Aubrey are all asleep. Brittany and Shania are chatting among themselves quietly, not paying attention to the road ahead.

BRUNO

(quietly, to himself)

Fuck, man, this is boring as shit.

He looks around him and sees pine trees over to the left.

BRUNO

(to himself)

Those pines look way more interesting. Let’s check ‘em out.

Without saying anything to the others, Bruno leaves the main road and trundles along a pretty crappy road. It is more interesting, with more beautiful scenery, but it is clearly becoming even more desolate than when they were on the main road.

He drives along for some time, then but comes across a large diversion sign.

BRUNO

Shit.

He slows down and follows the diversion sign onto an even crappier dirt road, which is full of potholes and in really bad shape. He turns to his phone but there is no signal, and the maps app doesn’t work.

BRUNO

Oh, that’s just great…

The bumpy ride wakes up Justin, who looks around him.

JUSTIN

(loudly and annoyed)

Where the fuck are we? Did you leave the main road? You idiot!

Celine and Aubrey wake up at this disturbance.

BRUNO

We’re just taking a detour through the pines.

SHANIA

The pines? Are you insane? The man said we had to avoid the pines. What the fuck’s wrong with you?

Justin pulls out his phone and realizes there is no signal or map app.

JUSTIN

Turn back.

BRUNO

What?

JUSTIN
Turn back. We have no idea where we are and no GPS to get us out of here. Turn around and get us back on the main road.

Bruno puts his foot down and speeds up considerably.

BRUNO

Look, every road leads somewhere, right? We just keep going ‘till we get there!

AUBREY

Bruno, for once act like a grown-up and turn around.

BRUNO
Shut up! Jesus! You’d think I was driving you all to your deaths the way you’re whining!

JUSTIN

Slow down and turn around.

Bruno speeds up even more and lets out a long howl.

JUSTIN
Are you fucking high?

BRUNO

Just a little, just enough!

JUSTIN
Stop the car.

BRUNO

You want to drive? Go ahead and drive, buddy!

Bruno lets go of the wheel, lifting his arms up and laughing like an idiot. Justin grabs the wheel but, just as he does, the tires all suddenly burst, Justin loses control, the car careers off the road and slams into a short tree trunk at such a speed that the car rears up on its hood and falls onto its roof.

As it does, it lands on a large, spiked tree stump that crashes through the windscreen and impales itself into Justin’s face. There is silence: all the passengers are knocked unconscious except Justin, who is very dead. We hear footsteps and the passenger door opens. We hear the same sniggering as in the opening scene.

[Madeleine Vessel]

Madeleine Vessel’s Level 1 Horror Emotion Scene

What I learned doing this assignment is it’s fun to conjure up these horror emotions:

· apprehension/anxiety,

· surprise

· shock.

INT. THE UMBRA HOUSE – NIGHT

Surrounded by a group of friends, the birthday girl, Bedelia Umbra, 13, opens packages.

Taking one from her mother –

MOTHER

(all smiles)

This is from me.

Excited, Bedelia strips off the packaging to reveal…

…A OUIJA BOARD.

Bedelia and her friends react with squeals, a mix of delight and horror.

Katheryn, 14, who recognizes the game as a form of divination that calls upon evil spirits for answers, is SHOCKED.

Nervously fingering the crucifix at her neck, Kathryn grabs the arm of her sister, Mallory, 12.

KATHRYN

(whisper)

It’s evil. Don’t touch it.

Mallory angrily brushes Kathryn off.

MALLORY

(defiant)

It’s just a game.

KATHRYN

That doesn’t mean it’s not evil. Please don’t touch it.

Mallory glares, daring Kathryn to stop her. She leaves Kathryn standing apart and joins the girls at the table around the Ouija board.

Girl #1 takes a turn at the Ouija board.

GIRL #1

What is the name of my dog?

The Ouija board spells out M-U-R-P-H-Y.

GIRL #1

(excited)

Oh, my God. That’s right.

GIRL #2 takes a turn.

GIRL #2

How old is my little sister?

The Ouija board points to 3.

GIRL #2

(surprised)

How does it know?

KATHRYN

(fingering her crucifix)

It knows because it’s supernatur–

MALLORY

It’s my turn.

Mallory asks the board –

MALLORY

When will I die?

The Ouija board spells out B-E-F-O-R-E – Y-O-U – A-R-E – T-H-I-R-T-E-E-N.

MALLORY

But I’ll be thirteen tomorrow.

The Ouija board spells out Y-E-S.

Mallory loses it. She SCREAMS. She PULLS HER HAIR.

A couple of the other girls join in the hysteria.

KATHRYN

St. Michael the Archangel protect us against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

Kathryn tries to comfort Mallory, but she won’t have it.

MALLORY

(hysterical)

Get away from me… The board knew the dog’s name. It knew Sally’s age. It knows I’m going to die before midnight.

All the girls start screaming.

KATHRYN

(to Mallory)

We’re going home right now.

(to Bedelia’s mother)

I’m taking my sister home.

Kathryn dons her coat and helps Mallory into hers.

They exit the house and start off into the night and heavy snow.

Kathryn recites the prayers of the rosary as they walk.

KATHRYN

I believe in God, the Father Almighty…

[Gregg Guest]

This lesson I learned that even the smallest moments in a scene can create apprehension, surprise and shock.

INT. OFFICE – DAY

Julian canvases the office, inspecting moldings, door jambs, corner edges and other construction details. Carina follows behind him, taking pictures with her smart phone.

JULIAN
The edging is terrible. And the door jambs don’t look plumb.

CARINA
No problem. I’ll just shoot this way.

She turns toward the plate glass windows and takes a photo.

Julian surveys the back wall and shakes his head. He pulls a blueprint out of his shoulder bag and unfolds it.

JULIAN
There should be an exit door here. This wasn’t done according to plan.

Carina spins around to look at the wall.

CARINA
More wall space. For huge photos of Singapore, Dubai and Toronto.

Julian kneels to inspect an electrical outlet which seems to be loose. He tugs on it and the entire housing falls out exposing unsheathed wires. He grunts.

JULIAN
Terrible work. This is not safe.

CARINA
You should see the wires under my desk at home.

Julian stands, notices a doorway in the corner. He walks over to it.

JULIAN
And what is this closet doing here? There shouldn’t be a closet…

He opens the door and DIMITRI PIERNO leaps from behind it.

DMITRI
Ahhhhha!

Julian jumps back, face flushed, startled by the hairy, middle-aged man in a wrinkled track suit.

JULIAN
Dmitri! You scared the shit out of me.

Dmitri laughs in slow, staccato baritone.

JULIAN
And by the way there should not be a closet there!

DMITRI
Is not closet. Is exit.

JULIAN
The exit is supposed to be over there…

Julian points toward the opposite wall.

JULIAN
…next to the your shoddy edging and the broken outlet.

Dmitri saunters over to the outlet. He pushes it back into place.

DMITRI
You see? I fix.

Carina chuckles.

CARINA
No problemo.

Julian rests his head in his hands.

JULIAN
You’re going to be working here. What if that started a fire?

CARINA
We’ll escape. Through the closet.

She smirks. Julian sighs. Dmitri pats him on the back.

DMITRI
You worry too much. Everything fine. Just behind little bit. Come, we have drink downstairs, celebrate building.

JULIAN
It’s a bit premature for Champagne.

DMITRI

Beer. We drink beer.

CARINA
Sounds good to me, let’s go.

EXT. ELEVATOR LOBBY – DAY

The three of them turn the corner of the elevator lobby where three banks of elevators line the wall.

CARINA
Let’s hit that bar across the street. They have some great microbrews.

Carina pushes the button. It doesn’t light up. She pushes it again. And again. Nothing.

The floor indicators above the elevators are not lit up either.

CARINA
Damn. No elevators.

JULIAN
They were just working.

CARINA
Something must have happened.

JULIAN
(to Dmitri)
Can you fix that too?

Dmitri pushes the button. Nothing. He pushes it again. And again.

DMITRI
Elevator not my expertise.

JULIAN
Obviously.

CARINA
I wonder what happened.

KEELAN FINN answers her with confidence and a slight Irish accent.

KEELAN (O.S.)
Problem with the mechanism.

The tall, red-haired security guard approaches. He’s in his thirties and wears his badge proudly, along with a small sidearm.

KEELAN
The mechanic is working on it as we speak. I’ll go see about his progress. If you all want to wait in the office I’ll come let you know.

Julian turns and heads back towards the office.

JULIAN
Back to the drawing board.

Dmitri and Carina follow.

DMITRI
Is there beer in there?

Carina shakes her head as they disappear around the corner.

The security guard heads down the opposite hallway.

[Micah Delhauer]

MICAH’S LEVEL 1 HORROR EMOTION SCENE

EXT. NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE – DAY

Jared and Jenna’s five-year-old BOY plays with a toy truck at the end of the driveway.

BOY: Vroom, vroom!

EXT. FELIX’S HOUSE – DAY

Felix steps outside and has barely made it off the porch when he’s approached again by Jared.

JARED: Howdy, neighbor!

FELIX: Hi, Jared.

JARED: How’s the old cranium, doing? Still having those headaches?

FELIX: Umm… they haven’t been that bad, actually.

JARED: Hey, that’s great! Listen, I was hoping— (whistles) wow, it got chilly all of a sudden.

FELIX: Did it?

JARED: (calling) Jenna?

Jenna is once again on the other side of the fence, going to town with the sheers.

JARED: It feel cold to you?

JENNA: It’s your circulation, honey!

JARED: That’s getting old, isn’t it? Anyway, Barry just got this job offer, and it’s a really big deal for him, but, you know, he really has no experience with contracts, and let’s be honest, I don’t understand them myself.

EXT. NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE – DAY

Barry comes out and climbs into the car.

JARED (O.S.): I wanted to ask if you could go over it Barry, you know, just to make sure he’s not getting screwed.

Barry puts on his seatbelt and checks the rearview, completely unaware that the boy is directly behind him at the end of the driveway.

EXT. FELIX’S HOUSE – DAY

FELIX: Gee, Jared, I kinda got a lot going on right now.

JARED: You don’t have to do it today or tomorrow. But, you know, if you could give it a once over before the weekend…

EXT. NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE – DAY

Barry starts the car. The brake lights shine red on the playing child.

JARED (V.O.): …it would really help the guy out, which in turn would really help me out, know what I mean?

EXT. FELIX’S HOUSE – DAY

Felix glances past Jared and sees the situation.

JARED: Not that I don’t like having him around. He’s a good guy and all…

FELIX: Hey…

EXT. NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE – DAY

Barry puts the car in reverse. It backs toward the boy.

EXT. FELIX’S HOUSE – DAY

Felix pushes past Barry.

FELIX: HEY!

EXT. NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE – DAY

Jenna appears suddenly behind the car and slams on the trunk.

JENNA: STOP!

The car knocks into her, knocking her onto the pavement.

Barry hits the brakes, inches from the boy.

EXT. FELIX’S HOUSE – DAY

JARED: Jenna!

Jared runs.

EXT. NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE – DAY

Barry leaps out of the car.

BARRY: Jenna, I’m so sorry!

Jared helps Jenna up. The boy is crying.

JARED: Are you okay?

JENNA: Yeah, I’m alright.

EXT. FELIX’S HOUSE – DAY

Felix has his hand over his heart.

FELIX: Jesus.

[CLAIRE RILEY]

Claire’s Level 1 Horror Emotion Scene Deadline

What I learned: Wow! This is fun to write. I am having trouble with assignment 9. I feel overwhelmed, like it is too much. So I am leaving it for now and getting caught up with the other assignments so that I don’t fall behind. I’ll work on assignment 9 for ten minutes a day until it is complete.

Concept:

When an evil ghost possesses the lesbians visiting an isolated farm, forcing each woman to murder her own partner, a timid psychic must stop it before it possesses her or her girlfriend.

SCENE FROM ACT ONE

INT. FARMHOUSE/KITCHEN – NIGHT

The eight women sit around the table eating.

REGINA
I don’t like this place at all.

Maeve looks down at her food and eats.

SYBIL
How can you say that? It’s beautiful here.

REGINA
It may be beautiful, but it scares the shit out of me.

DIANA
Why does it scare you?

MAEVE
She’s afraid of the country.

Sybil, Alison, Caitlin, Libby, Zora and Diana LAUGH.

ZORA
You live in New York City and ride the subways at all hours of the day and night, and your afraid of the country?

Regina gives Maeve a dirty look, then turns to Zora.

REGINA
Not ten minutes from here, we helped a woman with a flat tire. She said that this place was haunted.

Sybil, Alison, Libby and Diana LAUGH. Zora and Caitlin look uncomfortable.

REGINA
She said there was a murder suicide here in the eighties.

Zora drops her fork and her eyes open wide.

SYBIL
Nonsense. You can’t believe the locals here. They tell these stories to attract tourists for their Halloween festivities.

REGINA
She said a woman killed her friend and then herself.

ZORA
No, it wasn’t her friend.

Zora pauses and hyperventilates.

ZORA
It was her lover.

ALISON
Nonsense!

ZORA
You remember, Alison. It was in all the queer newspapers. And I felt something uncomfortable when I arrived here.

CAITLIN
I felt something, too.

Everyone is quiet.

[Edward Lusk]

<div>Ed’s Level 1 Horror Emotions Scene.</div>

What I learned doing this assignment is when a scene’s purpose known prior to writing, the scene’s is more powerful and clearer. There’s an expectation to hit and knowing what emotions the characters are to exhibit makes the structure easier to achieve.

EXT. AIRPORT TARMAC – DAY

Before us is a twin prop commuter airline, the ones everyone fears will crash. Approaching are the RODAK FAMILY, AVA (14), Wife/Mother, LINDA 40’s, and Father, MIKE, 40’s. It’s snowing lightly.

LINDA

You’re sure this is safe?

MIKE

Just because it’s not a jet doesn’t mean it not safe.

This is real flying.

LINDA

Not all of us were in the air force. Where’s Ava?

The engines burst to life, Linda jumps. Smoke billows from the exhaust. Ava follows behind, sensory deprivation, headphones cover her ear, nose buried in the small screen of her phone, sun glasses even though it’s cloudy. She’s always pissed off.

MIKE

I wonder of she knows she’s getting on a plane?

INT. AIRPLANE – DAY

The space is cramped. Everyone has to crawl over something to someone to get settled. One side of the plane is single seat, the other is twin seats. Ava takes the single seat in a huff. Mike and Lina, opposite her.

CAPTAIN (O.S)

This is your captain. We expect a bumpy

Ride up to Vermont this afternoon.

The Nor-Easter is bearing down.

We’ll try to stay ahead of it, get you on the ground

Safely to start you holiday weekend.

Merry Christmas and flight crew prepare for

Departure.

Linda goes for her purse. She pops a Xanax from a prescription bottle.

LINDA

Real Flying.

Mike holds her hand. Ava rolls her eyes.

EXT. THE PLANE – DAY

The plane bobs and weaves through the sky. Snow flies. Wind howls.

INT. THE PLANE – DAY

The plane interior shimmies and jolts. It like the whole plane is going to shake apart. Ava, tries to apply make-up. The results – disastrous.

LINDA

Ava, honey – seriously? Put it away.

AVA

Why do we have to go on this stupid trip anyway?

All my friends are having fun, except me!

Sputter , sputter, the engine outside Ava’s window konks out.

AVA

Um, dad, the propeller thingy’s not moving.

Mike leans over to take a look. Sure enough the prop is lock up, dead.

LINDA

What is it?

MIKE

Nothing , I’m sure it’s just a glitch.

CAPTAIN (O.S.)

Ladies and gentleman, it appears we’ve lost

Power in our port engine.

Flight crew prepare for emergency procedures.

Some signal lights flash. A DING DING, repeats over the PA system. The plane starts to descend at a very steep angle.

AVA

Daddy? What’s happening?

LINDA

Oh, God, Oh, God, Oh God.

AVA

I knew it! I hate you both. I wish this Christmas never

Came! I hate Christmas! I wish I were back home in

My room!

Mike backhands Ava right across her smart mouth.

LINDA

Mike! He didn’t mean it sweatheart.

The plane dives, speed, angle increasing. The O2 masks fall from the ceiling. It looks bad. Everyone braces. Ava screams. Mike reaches for her hand, that she snaps away.

LINDA

Our father, who art in heaven….

It sounds like an explosion outside Ava’s window, there’s a burst of flame and smoke. The port engine back to life. The propeller whirls to life.

The plane pulls up, levels off. The DING DING stops. Passengers can breath again.

MIKE

Best to get the glitch over and done with

Before the holiday fun begins, huh?

Mike and Linda look at Ava, her make-up job smeared over her face, mixed with tears. Her mood sour. She looks evil.

[Tom Wilson]

Tom’s Level 1 Horror Emotion Scene

Doing this assignment, I learned it’s great fun to build the story from the ground up at the beginning.

EXT. RAINY CITY STREET – NIGHT

M’Lord leads a dozen homeless cannibals wearing rags to a covered stairwell across a town square from an ancient Catholic orphanage. He nods to MILLICENT who walks with a limp across the street and places a new born babe on the orphanage porch and shuffles back to the others.

INT. ORPHANAGE – DAY

The orphans who compete to be adopted hate Andrew because he’s cute and more adoptable.

Not adjusting well, ANDREW has panic attacks. Three mean boys bully him. He’s miserable. Betsy and Clare laugh when Andrew flubs his first writing lesson.

INT. ORPHANAGE – NIGHT

That night Clare flashes her bare chest at him. Andrew is embarrassed. Elizabeth thrusts his hand into her pants. He turns red and runs away.

Later Andrew removes a box from under his bed. He fondles his “Andrew” name tag from the charity hospital where he was born.

EXT. TWO LANE HIGHWAY – NIGHT

A man wearing a cape claims Andrew from the orphanage. Says he’s his son, takes him out in the country, and gives him a high voltage shock. Andrew flaps his arms and flies around the man’s head, has strange hallucinations. The man drops his cape. His skin is scaly like the creature from the Black Lagoon. He attacks Andrew who accidently kills him and returns to the orphanage.

INT. ORPHANAGE – NIGHT

The three boys gag Andrew and throw him down a staircase. He takes flight and kicks their butts.

INT. ORPHANAGE – DAY.

Years later, Father Mike walks Millicent through the game room. Boys and girls pretend to have fun but really hope this lady or anybody will adopt them. Millicent notices Andrew.

MILLICENT

And how long has this young man been with you?

FATHER MIKE

Ten or twelve years.

MILLICENT

He was left on your doorstep in November, wasn’t he?

FATHER MIKE
Why… Yes, as a matter or fact. How did you…

She hands him paperwork from her shopping bag.

MILLICENT

I just want to lad to be a good meal. Huh, get a good meal.

The priest gasps and drops the papers. He stares at a carving knife in her bag.

MILLICENT
No worries. I work — I mean volunteer — at the homeless shelter kitchen.

EXT. ABANDONED BUILDING – DAY

Millicent adopts Andrew, takes him inside, ties him up, seasons and cooks him. He crashes through a window to escape. She follows but cuts herself and bleeds out. He bakes her in the oven and makes the best meal he’s ever had. When cops surround the building, he goes to the roof and flies away.

Detective MABEL finds his fingerprints and identifies Millicent’s burned hulk as Andrew’s body.