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Lesson 12
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Tom’s Level 3 Horror Emotion Scene
What I learned: The continuous escalation of emotions make for a very riveting horror scene.
(Background: Because of the screams caused by the worm’s attacks, the North Korean sub hunter must have located the position of the sub. The pings from the enemy ship’s sonar signature reveals its fast approach.)
Anguish
INT. BRIDGE – NUCLEAR SUBMARINE – DAY
Captain Vanderpool, Angel, and Ray Ray stare at a sonar monitor, which emits urgent PINGs. The skipper speaks over secure comms channel.
CAPT. VANDERPOOL
Confirm Yan Joon audio signature. Over.
SONAR (O.C.)
Confirmed. Confirm visual I.D.? Over.
CAPT. VANDERPOOL
Pending. Over. (to Ray Ray) Down periscope.
RAY RAY
Aye aye, sir
ANGEL
Wait!
CAPT. VANDERPOOL
There a problem, Chief Warrant Officer Hidalgo?
ANGEL
Sir, not sure it’s safe, sir.
CAPT. VANDERPOOL
Nonsense. Down periscope.
Angel and Ray exchange a worried glance.
RAY RAY
Aye aye, sir.
Ray presses the button. The periscope descends and stops directly in front of the Captain’s face. He rotates the scope, adjust the aperture, and places his chin on the chinrest.
CHOONK! The Captain SCREAMS as the right eyepiece shatters and the worm drives itself into his eye!
Instantly Angel leaps at it, grasps the worm as it attempts to burrow into his body! Instantly, Depth charges begin dropping. BOOM!
Panic
The sub shudders from the explosion.
BA-BOOM!
ANGEL
The fuck? Oh no! It’s got him! Help me!
BOOM! BOOM!
Ray Ray grabs the worm’s slick body also. The captain writhes in pain and shock.
The two pull with everything they’ve got.
RAY RAY
No! Oh Jesus!
Now that it’s bloody, Angel and Ray Ray are losing their battle with the worm. Its slippery body undulates and oozes through their hands.
BA-BOOM! BOOM! BA-BOOM!
As Captain Vanderpool twists and screams, his lower back begins to vibrate and throb.
CAPTAIN VANDERPOOL
AAUUUGHHH!
Ray Ray’s hands slip off the worm. Another close explosion!
BA-BOOM!
RAY RAY
C’mere, mother fu– unh!
His head smashes into the wall of hydraulics. He’s out cold! Angel sobs and growls at the same time.
ANGEL
Ray! Oh fuck! Oh God!
BOOM! BOOM!
Horror
A lump forms at Captain Vanderpool’s abdomen and blood spreads over his crisp white shirt. The shirt bursts open and his entrails fly out, followed by the worm’s buzzsaw mouth on its bloody head! The worm screams: SCREEEEEEEEEEEE!
Hysteria
Angel sobs uncontrollably. She pulls at Ray Ray ,shakes him, all the while keeping an eye on the worm, which seems to regard her for the first time. It slowly begins to slither out of the Captain’s abdomen and towards Angel and Ray Ray.
ANGEL
Ray Ray! Ray Ray! Wake the fuck up, goddamit!
Oh Jesus. C’mon! Ray Ray!
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M. Morgan’s Level 3 Horror Emotion Scene
I learned to intensify the horror and rev it up for the final act. I also thought how I can apply these levels to other areas, such as in the cave, perhaps, by having Sam go with them and in the chaos lose Maddy there. But then, so much happens there, I think I want this last act to have the desperate attempt to control something in a chaotic situation where bad things happen until it’s over and only three survive the reactions to a massively confusing and terrifying situation.
EXT. WHISPERING THICKET – NIGHT
Sam, Megan, and Maddy search, flashlights ready, pausing to listen if a Bigfoot is near.
They think they hear something close but can’t be sure. Sam picks up a stick.
MEGAN
What are you doing?
SAM
Sending a message.
With that he blasts the tree twice, breaking the stick on the second ‘knock.’
MADDY
Don’t you get it? Maybe, if you stop acting like you do we won’t be put in any unnecessary danger.
SAM
I’m not powerful enough to control what happens. It was a good knock.
MADDY
I’m just saying, maybe, we decide together, that way if something happens, we all had a part in the choice.
MEGAN
Shh. I think it worked.
Sam smiles. Maddy doesn’t reciprocate.
MADDY
Not funny, Sam. Can’t imagine what you have to smile about.
SAM
It was a good knock.
A stone brushes past Maddy’s head and nails Sam in the shoulder. Megan searches with the flashlight. Sam grasps his shoulder. Maddy freezes.
A putrefying scent captures them.
SAM
Alert the Doc.
Megan fumbles for her walkie.
MEGAN
Doc, are you there?
Branches break. Something gets closer.
MEGAN
Dr. Julian, are you there? Dr. Julian? Need a little help?
DR. JULIAN (O.S.)
I have your position on the GPS, I’m coming. Keep it there. Over.
More branch breaks. Why can’t they see it?
MEGAN
Got it. Over.
(to the others)
That shouldn’t be a problem. How ya doing, Sam?
As Megan checks, Sam’s demeanour drops. Megan spins, Maddy screams. There it is, it’s huge, but it’s not the Sasquatch they’ve been seeing. This one has a scar on it’s face, some fresh wounds, and blood matted in its hair.
Maddy wants to run but she’s frozen. They all are. The Sasquatch springs to action and Sam tries the brave thing but what can he really do? This thing can tear him apart, so, he does nothing. Megan searches for something. She finds a stick and takes a swing but it has to affect.
Sam leads Maddy away but not quick enough. The Sasquatch captures Maddy. She reaches fro Sam and he reaches for her. He almost has her but it dashes her against a tree. Blood flows from her head. She’s unresponsive. She’s dead.
Megan weeps at the sight and Sam holds her corpse, full of anger and sobbing.
The Sasquatch stays. Watches.
Dr. Julian arrives and sees the corpse. He sees Sam.
DR. JULIAN
Stand down, Sam, or it will kill you, as well.
SAM
What’ve I got left?
But Dr. Julian rushes the distracted Sasquatch, or so it seems because as he sprints to inject the Bigfoot, it turns on him and he drops the shot.
The Sasquatch TEARS him apart, the sound of snapping bones and ripping flesh.
Sam grabs the shot and drives it into the Bigfoot’s arm and flies backward. Megan helps them up and they sprint away, towards the trap.
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Eve Williams’ Level 3 Horror Emotion Scene.
What I learned from doing this assignment is that I need to add more traumatic emotions to my scene.
EXT- STREET – NIGHT
Full on desert storm: hard rain, dark boiling clouds, whipping winds, thunder and lighting.
The house’s front door bangs open, and Maria is sucked out into the front yard. After staggering a few steps, she regains her balance and attempts to go back into the house.
MARIA
Jesus! Jesus!
The winds blows her backward, and she crouches down and crawls toward the house. Just as she reaches the front door, Jesus is propelled past her.
He hits the ground and rolls over and over until he hits the rear tire of the truck. Jesus lies motionless.
Maria gets up and runs toward him, but is sucked backward toward the house.
A huge black apparition appears at the door to greet her. Maria yells and fights to remain on her feet. She turns and runs screaming toward the frame stage house next door.
A dust devil forms in the front yard and throws sand and rocks in all directions. The Apparition walks through the dust devil, and it splits into two.
The apparition looks for Jesus, and walks toward the truck.
Watching in terror from the frame stage house, Maria spies Jesus hiding under the truck.
Maria runs from the frame stage house.
MARIA
HEY YOU!
The apparition turns and looks at Maria.
MARIA
YOUR HOUSE IS A PIECE OF SHIT!
Enraged, the apparition races toward Maria, who runs inside the frame stage house.
MARIA
PIECE OF SHIT!
Enraged, the apparition throws its arms upward. A lighting bolt hits the frame stage house and it bursts into flames.
Maria runs to the next frame stage house and hides. Outside, the apparition appears, looking in a window opening for her. Maria looks around the structure, yelling.
MARIA
YOU THINK I WANTED TO LIVE HERE?
The apparition growls, and waves its arms. Lighting hits the frame stage house.
Maria runs to the next, and crouches behind a creosote bush.
MARIA
HERE?
The apparition charges toward her, and lighting hits the structure.
Maria dashes to the next frame stage structure and ducks inside.
Jesus rolls out from under the truck and sprints toward Maria’s new hiding place. He falls in the middle of the street.
The apparition moves slowly toward Jesus, who lies motionless in the street.
Maria steps out from her hiding place.
MARIA
STOP!
The apparition stares at Maria and gives a deep growling laugh.
APPARITION
OR WHAT?
The apparition completely envelopes Jesus, who wakes up and starts coughing.
MARIA
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
APPARITION
LEAVE THIS PLACE!
MARIA
DEAL!
Maria quickly heads toward the apparition and Jesus.
MARIA
JESUS! VAMOS!
Jesus runs to Maria, who hugs him tightly.
APPARITION
AND YOUR BABY.
Maria grabs Jesus’ hand and they sprint to the last frame stage house. Once inside, Maria and Jesus hide behind construction debris.
The apparition enters the last frame stage house, and searches for them.
MARIA and JESUS
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Maria lobs a brick at the apparition; after passing through it, it hits the back wall.
MARIA and JESUS
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil
The apparition appears to laugh, and a beam in the house falls near Maria and Jesus.
MARIA and JESUS
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray.
A large creak, and another beam falls free, crashing on the floor behind Maria and Jesus. They run to the other side of the structure, and duck behind a pile of lumber.
MARIA and JESUS
O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God,
The apparition screams and the frame of the structure shakes.
MARIA and JESUS
Thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander…
Maria throws the crucifix at the apparition, and grabs Jesus’ hand. As they run from the structure, Maria and Jesus scream the end of the prayer.
MARIA and JESUS
Through the world for ruin of souls. AMEN!.
A massive bolt of lighting hits the structure, and a huge fireball forms. A short distance outside the flaming structure, Jesus is knocked off his feet. Maria stumbles, catching herself on one hand before falling completely.
Unearthly screaming of a thousand demons. Then silence.
Maria crawls to her feet. A short distance away lies a motionless Jesus. She shakes him.
MARIA
Jesus! Jesus!
Maria cradles Jesus in her arms. He opens his eyes and smiles.
Maria gets up, and helps him to his feet. Slowly, they walk away from the smoldering ruins.
MARIA
Let’s go home.
The rain stops as they walk to their home.
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Kevin Lobo’s Level 3 Horror Emotion Scene:
What I learned…. Going through these final 4 emotions almost becomes like a framework to work through to really structure the final scenes… brilliant way of going about it…Anguish / Panic / Horror / Hysteria
EXT. THE village coffee house – night
THE NEXT 3 SCENES ARE A PART OF ACT 3 – WRITTEN AS PART OF LEVEL 3 HORROR EMOTION SCENE – ANGUISH-PANIC-HORROR-HYSTERIA.
Julia and Kimberly emerge from the coffee shop… silent… slow steps. Julia swirls around…
Mrs. McKinnon staring at them… hurriedly slams the door… a lock clicks… the lights go out.
Julia pulls the teen in close and guides her to the car… a few stares from across the street… she ignores them.
INT./EXT. IN JULIA’S CAR – NIGHT
They drive in silence… Kimberly reaches out and takes Julia’s right hand… gripping it hard with both hands.
Julia sees the abandoned diner lot and swings in. She slips out of the car, kneeling… motions Kimberly to climb over.
Kimberly, surprised… climbs over…
Julia grabs her in a silent hug not bothering to check any more for signs of the evil spirit in Kimberly.
Julia
Honey, I feel like a walk, need to think. Dump it on the motel lot… leave the keys in, I’ll grab them later.
Kimberly
Will do… be careful… it’s a chilly one!
Julia
Sure… I’ll fix this, I promise.
Kimberly nods and drives off.
Julia runs to into the forest. She lays low as fearful spasms grip her body. She looks through a bush and sees…
A car pull up… Fr. Augustus and Giovanni. They see Kimberly drive away. They follow.
Julia darts off into the dark forest instantly battling the foliage and low branches. Her phone falls… she picks it… the screen still lit… on it is her destination… TOM – 36 PICKERING AVENUE.
EXT – tom’s house yard – continuous
Julia does a final crawl and scans Tom’s house… a deadly dark silhouette, menacing and evil, wrapped in darkness.
She sinks low and bursts into tears soothing the cuts and bruises… trying to patch back her torn coat… delaying. Her nose drips like an open tap… she feels her pockets but instead blows into her coat, loud and then panics.
Julia
Shhh! Shut up…
She cradles her quivering cheeks in her hands and wraps up her shuddering body into a tight ball… rolls to the ground and jumps right back up with a scream as something crawls.
Julia (cont’d)
Get away…
She pounds the ground angrily, stops, as her nose begins its long drip again. Silence returns. She chants… a frenzy…
Julia (cont’d)
Run away, Julia, run away, run away…
Her hands drifts to her gun instinctively. She draws it, plays with the safety… lock, unlock, lock unlock, in a flash she places the muzzle in her mouth, and giggles.
A car approaches… she slides low… the Sheriff’s cruiser. It drives past… a faint chatter echoing from its radio… she smiles remembering…
Julia (cont’d)
New York… let’s go stupid!
Buoyed, she leaps over the wall hissing…
Julia
For Kimberly… for the teens that didn’t make it!
She darts from tree to tree… silence after each foot step… until a silent crunch becomes real… she listens…
Another dart… another crunch of tiny feet… she slides to the ground, alert, reaching for her gun… trembling hands, too late as something slams into her… sends her sprawling…
It leaps on her chest… pinning her down…
She grabs something… its throat with her right as its hot breath snaps on to her left wrist…
Angrily gnawing down threatening to tear apart her wrist…
Julia screams in pain as her right-hand squeezes and digs hard back into the fleshy throat… it yelps and let’s go of her left wrist, choking.
Julia rolls to her feet, left hand half dangling, she draws her gun with her right, circling in the dark… it darts around her in the bushes… a trained killer…
Julia braces against a large tree and waits, whispering…
Julia
Come out, come out you son of a bitch.
It leaps straight at her throat from the dark…
She ducks right… it latches on to her coat lapel… a part of her flesh included… she squeals in pain… she brings the gun up but it throws her hard back to the ground.
It snaps its mouth… going for her jugular… the gun falls as she reaches with both hands for its throat.
The dog and Julia roll in a fierce struggle… its claws ripping her clothes, she feels it’s wet nose on hers… fierce low growls emerging… she winces as something hard stabs her back… her gun…
In one swift move she yanks her right hand… grabs the gun and, BANG, into the dog’s chest… it falls on her… dead.
Julia lies still, panting, her hands wrapped around… hugging the dead dog. Her tears flow both sides.
She rolls to her left… feels her left wrist… moves it… it survived… she draws her left hand from under the large dog…
Julia
Sorry, Buddy…
The wind picks up, swishing through the trees, distant footsteps get close… a chanting drone floats on the air… she gasps looking around in fear… slaps herself hard over and over again… and breaks off into a rant…
Julia
Alex, Rueben, the rear… Harry, James, fire escape, Peter, covering fire, Bob, the ram, these bastards don’t play games, shoot to kill, rest, ready… 3,2,1 GO!
She draws her gun and sprints for Tom’s door… a behemoth double door, kicks it open and falls through.
int. tom’s living room – night
SLAM… the large doors slam shut as if pushed by someone… the silence and darkness return.
She searches for a switch, finds it but draws away, tip toeing along the wall… a window… she looks out and catches the droning chant again, faint…
She works her way back to the door, feels for the knob… when… the doors blast open and…
The storm, the droning voice and the possessed Kimberly with her deathly scream all burst in together.
Julia is thrown over, rises quickly, leaps in the dark to the other side… the kitchen… but Kimberly is right in front, this time a punch catches her in the stomach…
She gasps for air, bent on her knees, when…
A vicious kick lands in her midriff… she rolls right over, jack knifing back to her feet but…
The punch is ready… to the nose, she falls right back, into a narrow stairway… like a dead bundle, bumping and thumping all the way down.
INT. – THE BASEMENT – CONTINUOUS
She feels her nose, tries to push it back straight… messy hands… all blood and mucus… a bone creaks in her back… she bends back and sees…
Kimberly at the top of the stairs… a ghastly figure in the faint red stair case night light.
Male Voiced Kimberly
Hello again, Agent!
Julia shoves two chairs in the narrow stairway and flips a switch… another faint red light… a large hall… mounted with stuffed heads of hunted animals, Bear, Elf, Moose…
She sprints to the other end as the two chairs from the stairway crash next to her… one catches her back… to the floor again.
Julia rolls into a fetal position, weeping hysterically, stuffing her fist into her mouth to silence herself.
She lies still… an eternity… faint hustling footsteps… she rises a few inches when…
The deathly scream rifts into her ear… right next to her.
Kimberly’s two fists shoot out like battering rams… slammed into the ground again… Julia rolls, crawls, furiously…
A BUMP, she is under a table, Kimberly’s bare feet a few feet away.
Male Voiced Kimberly
You will find it, Agent! Find it, find it…
Julia springs to her feet, gun drawn, hands drooping, barely holding the guns, when…
The deathly drone gets louder. Kimberly screams louder… in agony… her head tossed viciously from side to side, as if fighting the voice.
Julia runs through an arch, a kitchenette… a dead end… Kimberly’s voice floats through.
Male Voiced Kimberly
Son of a bitch, you, son of a bitch!
Julia, confused, feels around as Kimberly comes through…
A handful of knives fly… Julia to the ground… her head hits something… in a panic she begins ramming her head into it…
Julia
Just kill me… get it over with…
A side table comes flying through the air… crashes into the wall above Julia… debris rains down on her… she squeals in pain, falling back…
A squeak… a crack… the ruptured wall begins to give way. Julia falls right through into a secret narrow staircase, rolling endlessly, till she lands on her head.
Another dead end, a dark long staircase and Kimberly at the top, coming down one step at a time.
At each step a frame comes at Julia like a missile…
Julia, aims…
Male Voiced Kimberly
Really… would you kill this helpless little new pal of yours, Agent?
Another frame… Julia fires into the step below Kimberly… she steps right on it… a ceremonial knife this time…
Julia feels around the dead end… a wooden door… she feels for a knob… nothing… she turns in time to duck as a few more frames come flying through… a gash on her forehead…
Julia
Do you plan to kill me like the kids, Jason? Kimberly, you’re in there, fight…
Kimberly is half way down the steps. Julia punches and kicks the wooden door… no effect… she screams as…
A glass snow ball strikes her waist. She crumples down… to her knees… sees a faint hole… a tiny beam of light.
She draws her gun as more objects strike her.
BANG! BANG! BANG! She empties her magazine into the little opening… loads another…
Kimberly is four steps away… her deathly screams echoing endlessly… the drone from above like a hypnotizing voice…
Julia sees Kimberly’s bulging eyes a few feet away… her hands reaching out to her… she kicks the shot door…
It gives way and Julia falls right through… a small fall and a lower floor… the door swings back shut and SILENCE.
Julia lies in her collapsed position, broken, bloodied… she sees Kimberly’s feet in the little crack under the door…
And then no more… sounds of the feet fade, climbing away.
She rises slowly, taking in the room, turning round and round as if under a spell. Upside down crosses, frames of burnt crosses, hooded folks in pictures, skulls, witch craft objects and in all of them the same large man…
Julia collapses, head spinning… Kimberly’s distant scream…
She grabs a low table to rise… the cover slides away… she falls flat to the floor and inside the glass table comes face to face with…
A skull… a bullet hole right in the center of its forehead and a very crooked jaw.
Julia
Jason Hughs… OMG, OMG… you…
Julia leaps to her feet, scrubs the dust off a frame, smashes it, peels away the faded glass and falls to her knees… shock written all across her face…
She grabs her phone. 10:00:00 PM.
She reaches for the skull… instantly backing away in fear…
She looks around, tears a cushion cover away and delicately scoops up the skull… a tortured smile on her face.
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Brett Born’s Level 3 Horror Emotion Scenes
What I learned doing this assignment is the subtle nuances of the various horror emotions and how to weave one into another.
Anguish: Christine finds Alyxx’s body hanging from the ladder.
Panic: Christine has to get to the car and warn Marcos. They have to get away and find help.
Horror: Christine realizes that Marcos Isn’t in the car. It was a trap.
Hysteria: Christine loses her composure and demands the killer show themself.
INT. MOVIE SCREEN – NIGHT
The wooden ladder rattles from Christine’s weight.
She moves quickly down the rungs. Missteps. Catches herself.
She looks below.
In the shadows. Jade’s body hangs… tied to the side of the ladder. The vibrations cause it to rock back and forth.
Christine forces herself to continue her pace. She gets closer to the body… glances more and more. Her anxiety grows.
She knows she has to push past it.
Christine hugs tight to the ladder… her feet almost even with the top of Jade’s head.
She slides down slowly. A little further…
Christine. A whisper. It’s faint. Is she hearing things?
Christine freezes. Turns her head to face Jade’s body.
Christine turns her head… a slow realization… it’s not Jade’s body that hangs from the rope.
It’s Alyxx. Her dead eyes come face to face with Christine.
All the sorrow that Christine’s ever felt rises in a single moment. She lets out a guttural scream.
Christine falls off the ladder… lands awkwardly on her feet… crashes to the ground.
She cries in disbelief. Tries to stand… immediately feels the pain. It doesn’t matter. She has to move.
EXT. HOLIDAY THEATER – LOT 1 – NIGHT
Christine stumbles from the doorway. The adrenalin rush allows her to run through the pain.
The parking area. The Honda sits in the middle of the lot.
Christine hobbles awkwardly toward the car.
CHRISTINE – Marcos?! Marcos!!!
Christine skips and hops as fast as she can… pushes herself to the limit… beyond exhaustion… makes a beeline for the car.
Christine runs to the driver’s side. Peers in the window…
She takes a step back. Disbelief. It was a trap.
Christine looks around the lot. This was all for her… to draw her out. It worked.
CHRISTINE – This isn’t happening to me.
Christine looks back to the car… she’s going to be sick. Emotions turn. From fear to anger.
CHRISTINE – This isn’t fair! You can’t do this!!! Why are you hiding like a pathetic loser?! Coward!!! That’s what you are! A nobody who hides in the shadows! Come out!! Come out and face me!!!
She collapses to her knees. There’s nothing left in her to stay standing.
CHRISTINE – Don’t you know who I am?
Christine smirks acrimoniously at her own question.
Behind Christine… Muse waits.
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Tasha’s Level 3 Horror Emotion Scene
What I learned doing this assignment is that outlines are integral to brainstorming ideas for how to add horror emotions to a scene.
1. Look through your Act 3 scenes and pick one that you would like to write through all four emotions. The most likely candidates will be your climax scenes where the most horror happens.
INT. MIRROR MIRROR’S KILL SHACK – NIGHT
Ike heads into the burning building after Jade and Mirror Mirror.
2. Brainstorm the scene to emphasize the Level 3 emotions and write it.
Complete
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