Lesson 5

[Hiram Taylor]

Hiram Taylor – HORROR SITUATION TRACK
What I learned doing this lesson: This was an amazing lesson. Following your format and using my outline I was able to see how to make the horror work for the plot easily in a simple layout. There’s more to fill out, like character development, dialogue and description but I see the movie now.

ACT 1
An atmosphere of Evil is established: A dark and dreary silent monastery with a rule of complete silence for the seven monks who live there is broken…
Horror Situation: Loud, terrifying screams are heard inside one of the monk’s rooms.
Reaction – The monks run from their beds to the hallway as, the head monk knocks on the door of the screaming monk’s room and demands silence, he opens the door with his key, and the monk inside runs out still screaming.
Horror Situation: The distraught man runs to the courtyard and throws himself into the well. ( or off a wall) to his death in front of everyone.
Connect with the characters: The shocked monks express their opinions until the head monks demands silence. They quietly go about their duties with their heads down, but express their characters’ reactions with eye glances, frowns, and head movements. This is how they communicate in silence.
The characters are warned not to do it: The oldest monk whispers to the group once away from the head monk. That this has happened before, there is something evil in this monastery.
Denial of Horror: Group collectively decides his story is not real and he is a little off in the head.
Safety taken away: A stranger arrives in a snowstorm seeking refuge as the storm locks them in the monastery with no way to escape.
Horror Situation: The ghost of the dead man rises out of the well before their eyes and disappears.
Reaction – Screaming and running to their separate rooms and locking the doors.
Horror Situation: The head monks takes the Stranger to the room the dead man came out of, saying this is the only vacant room available and locks the door.
Reaction – Denial: They bed down for the night,
Monster: The nature of the beast: The youngest monk is awakened by a strange man’s voice, which accuses him of committing a gruesome murder and placing the blame on an innocent man who was electrocuted in prison.
Horror Situation: He drives the young man insane until the man starts banging his head on the stone wall and ultimately when the head monk comes and opens the door the young monk falls dead in his arms. The head monk screams, breaking his vow, and drops the dead man on the floor
Reaction: The monks shiver in their beds, the stranger tries to open his door, finds it is locked, and wishes he hadn’t come here.
ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN
Isolated / Trapped / the Stranger locked in his room cannot sleep, the Voice calls to him then realizes and says “You should not be here” and is gone.
Horror Situation: In the morning, the cook is preparing breakfast before the others are up. The voice accuses him of committing a different murder story as the cook stabs the blank air frantically backing away until he backs against the hot stove an unseen force (the voice) pushes his face into the fire, and the cook goes up in flames screaming.
Reaction: A monk gathering herbs in the garden has seen the whole scene but without seeing or hearing THE VOICE. All he saw was the cook killing himself.
Horror Situation: The herbalist rushes to help the cook who is dead and suddenly he is confronted by a knife swishing through the air towards him. He is confused with no seen person holding the knife which chases him around the room, then the voice laughs and accuses him of a different killing. The monk is horrified that the voice knows his secret.
Reaction: The herbalist monk escapes by running into the walk-in freezer, when the freezer door slams shut and locks him inside, he panics, realizing he cannot get out.
Horror Situation: The monks that are left rush into the kitchen, and see the burned body of the cook. Scream and run out, they start arguing among themselves and the head monk rushes in and demands they be silent. They refuse and attack the head monk.
Character Death: The herbalist monk is desperately trying to get someone’s attention the others have chased the head monk into the chapel, everyone talking loudly, so they cannot hear the monk in the freezer as he freezes to death.
HORROR SITUATION: The stranger can hear all the noise taking place outside but he is still locked inside his room and starts to come unhinged. He tries various method to escape. None of them work.
Reaction: He is trapped!
Horror Situation: In the chapel, the two monks are attacking the head monk. One of them stabs him with a crucifix and the other bangs him in the head with a communion plate.
Reaction: When they realize what they have done, they panic and run out.
Horror Situation: In the chapel, the head monk crawls across the floor bleeding from both his head and chest. The voice speaks and accuses the monk of molesting several young boys and when one of the boys commits suicide the monk is sent into exile to run this monastery for sinful monks isolated from the outside world like him.
Reaction: The monk confesses that it is true, He looks down as the crucifix is slowly being pulled out by an unseen hand. Blood shoots everywhere and the monk falls to the floor in great pain and dies.
Horror Situation: The two monks agree that they are getting the hell out of the monastery, storm or no storm. They start to pack their things. The voice speaks to each of them at the same time, but they cannot what he is saying to the other one. The voice convinces them each that the other one is the killer. Setting them against each other until they kill each other.
Reaction: Silence.
Horror Situation: The stranger’s room door magically opens.
Reaction: He is afraid to come out now. Spooked by everything he heard. All is quiet now.
Horror Situation: The Stranger comes out and in a sequence of events he finds that everyone is dead. Silence. No more voice.
Reaction: He rushes out into the sun.The snow has melted. He runs down the mountain until he gets to his truck. He gets in.
Horror Situation: He starts his truck and suddenly the passenger side door opens and after a few seconds closes. He becomes terrified realizing something is sitting next to him. Finally the voice says drive.
Reaction: He is scared but starts the engine and drives away.
Horror Situation: He is confined in the truck with an unseen monster. The Stranger is sweeting in fear. The radio dial turns on. The voice sings.
Reaction: Total Fear.
Horror Situation: They travel on a long road in the middle of nowhere. The Stranger finally asks the Voice, if he is going to kill him. The voice tells him that he hasn’t done anythings to deserve death. They pass a female prison. The voice says “Stop here: The stranger pulls over, the door opens and closes. The stranger asks “Who are you.” The voice answers “Justice.
Reaction: Relief. The Stranger steps on the gas and races away.

[Aaron Clow]

Aaron’s Horror Situation Track

What I learned doing this assignment is…? Something bigger than the actual assignment actually. I started this yesterday and was very frustrated that nothing seemed to fit my story very well. Tonight when I started going through it again, I saw all the places where things could fit into my story. I am still having a major issue with Act III, but I hope future lessons will help me with that. If not, I’ll have to go back and do these exercises again, and maybe brainstorm something that fits the tone of the story.

ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR

Atmosphere of Evil established: Opening scene is at the atmospheric, imposing gate to the game preserve.

Injured, wounded, or debilitated: A hunter accidentally shot his friend, shooting at a strange monster inside the preserve. He could be making it up, but he seems terrified.

Connect with the characters: Protagonist and assistant banter at work, it’s late and they’re eating take-out. Neither has a family – the office is their only family.

Characters are warned not to do it: They’re walking to their car and get a call – a hunter has died after being shot by a fellow hunter. They go to the police station to talk to the chief, who they know, and the chief’s dialog infers that he had history with these two, and that they had been warned.

Denial of Horror: The developer challenges the chief – maybe he’s been slack and someone is messing with them, setting them up so that they can’t develop this land. Maybe someone in town.

Character refuses to take action: The police chief won’t investigate, and seems to take the side of the environmentalist

Doing something forbidden: Word is already out in town about the monster. Campers try to hide out in the preserve on a dare.

Environment changing: The game preserve is disorienting, the road disappears and the gates are confusing.

Monster approaching: The campers are trapped by the gate.

No escape or route cut off: “The gate is supposed to be here,” but the gate has changed or won’t open

Face to Face with the monster: The campers are the first ones we see coming face-to-face with the monster.

Safety taken away: With the police chief refusing to take action, the developer decides to stay in a cabin already on the land near the insecure entrance gate and be his own security until he can get the gate fixed.

Monster: The real estate developer witnesses the true horror of the monster – I don’t know what this is yet. I think the wall and gate have contained the monster and kept it from town. I have to figure out some kind of supernatural, maybe energy field that actually keeps the monster inside – the lines of the fence were determined LATER, after some ancient previous civilization had marked them. That’s why the monsters are kept inside, not because of the fence itself. Just writing out loud here.

ACT 2 – THE POINT OF NO RETURN

Isolated / Trapped / Abducted: The real estate developer and his assistant venture into the preserve in an attempt to figure out what’s going on.

Walking into a trap: The assistant and the developer might be walking into the environmentalist’s trap – or is it really a monster?

Friends in danger: The developer’s assistant gets separated from the developer.

See another killed: the developer watches his assistant (and friend) fall, pushed off the cliff by some unseen force. The real estate developer suspects the environmentalist might really have killed him – he’s still in denial.

MIDPOINT – The monster is worse than we thought!

Terrorized: The monsters threaten to break out of the zone – something has been disturbed in the development and must be put back or “fixed.” A set of twins from town died from the monster, and that had never happened before. They had always stayed within the barrier.

Full pursuit by the killer: The protagonist is arrested for threatening the environmentalist (for his own safety – or so he thinks – actually, the environmentalist knows already), and he knows what’s going on by now, but he has to convince the chief to let him go so he can deal with the monsters. He comes up with a plan, then gets wind that the environmentalist was seen at the preserve. He goes to the preserve

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR

Fight to the death: The protagonist has to come up with a plan to fix the damage he has done, but there is no fixing it. The damage is permanent. He must now deal with the monsters. Worse, he is now lost inside the preserve. Going to think of some neat set pieces here inside the gates.

Forced into a dangerous environment: The police chief needs to track down the developer in the game preserve

Kidnapped: The developer could kidnap the environmentalist and shackle him inside the game preserve, where we first discover the environmentalist communicates with the monsters. The police chief finds out the environmentalist has been kidnapped and must go into the preserve.

Hysteria: I really don’t know what to do here. I think there will be some scenes where the environmentalist, who was supposed to be the “expert” realizes the monsters have changed from the development damage, and the protagonist witnesses this.

The thrilling escape from death: The protagonist figures out how to neutralize the monsters.

Resolution: Protagonist makes a phone call. “Seal it up. For good.”

[Selma Ahmed]

Selma’s Horror Situation Track
What have I learned…so much! This exercise was so difficult – situation and reaction made me think about the storyline in more depth..I certainly feel I have a long way to go yet something is coming together and it is a very exciting process.
(Mother is called Martha; daughter is Jenny)
ACT 1
Atmosphere of Evil established:
Connect with the characters: 90th birthday party of the grandmother where the wood is presented to the grandmother and she recounts the story.
The awakening of the witch – through a piece of wood from one of the hanging poles from the hanging of the Pendle witches in1612.
Horror situation
Environment changing around you
Reaction
A. Denial Richard plays a prank and disappears and this distracts from the sinister reality that is closing in on the group.
Horror situation
Forced into a dangerous environment
Reaction
A. Denial Richard reveals himself.
Denial of Horror: No idea of the horror to come even though strange things appear to happen. Richard disappears again. The group think it is another prank. But it isn’t. Martha feels that something is not right.
Horror situation
Lost; kidnapped
Reaction B. Try to solve it: Martha looks for Richard.
Safety taken away: a power cut, Julie is concerned but everyone is merry, drunk.
Horror situation
No escape or their escape route has been cut off

Reaction Panic from some, unconcern from others.
A. Denial – some of the group just don’t believe anything is wrong.
B. Try to solve it – Martha runs around, desperate.
Horror situation
Forces of nature Window opens, gust of wind blows everything about.
Reaction
Jenny can see something outside the window.
Horror situation
The only one who sees the monster.
Reaction
Jenny is terrified, doesn’t understand.
The characters are warned not to do it: the witch makes it clear that she wants the nine-year-old daughter and will let the others live. She tells the group. They don’t believe it – they think it is part of Richard’s prank. But Martha and grandmother who are alarmed.
Knock at the door.
Horror situation
Menacing Stranger at the door
Environment changing around you
Reaction
Monster – The nature of the beast: behind the stranger, Richard is hung from the gallows
Horror situation
See another killed
Richard is dead.
Reaction C. Hide D. Escape
The group are horrified, shocked
ACT 2
Isolated / Trapped / Abducted: door slams shut. The house surrounded by invisible forces. They have to figure out a way to destroy the monster.
Horror situation
Can not breathe
Reaction B. Try to solve it
They try to survive
Horror situation
Everyone is in danger
One of us killed: grandmother is killed, suffocated.
Horror situation
Reaction
See another killed
Reaction D. Escape
The group try to get away.
MIDPOINT
Full pursuit by the killer: The witch kills everyone apart from Martha and Jenny.
Horror situation
Face to face with the monster
Monster trying to get to you
Friends in danger
Attacked or chased
Reaction
C. Hide D. Escape
Terrorized: Martha tries to save herself and her daughter – and trying to figure out how she can destroy the witch.
Horror situation
Monster trying to get to you
Lured into the horror
Reaction C. Hide The witch finds them.
ACT 3
Full pursuit by the killer: The witch is after the Jenny, tries to kill Martha.
Reaction E. Fight
Fight to the death: They hide, looks like they will succeed – witch transports the child but the mother holds on and gets through too.
Horror situation
Lured into the horror
Martha is transformed into something else –she has witchlike powers
Horror situation
Out of the frying pan and into the fire
Reaction E. Fight The thrilling escape from death: they are alive in 1612.
Horror situation
Forced into a dangerous environment
Reaction E. Fight
Hysteria: The two mothers fight it out.

Horror situation
• Injured, wounded, or debilitated
• Reaction
• E. Fight
• Death returns to take one or more: the mother gets her daughter back into the present.
Horror situation
• Trapped
• Reaction E. Fight
Resolution: mother seems to kill the witch but has to die in the process.
In the end though, the witch has managed to survive…