Lesson 8

[Renee Miller]

Renee’s Character Journey Track

What I learned doing this lesson is

Act 1 – Setup for Horror

Atmosphere of Evil Established

Young Edmund explores the abandoned building, following strange symbols etched into the walls. Shadows move unnaturally, whispers turn into screams. His lantern dies, plunging him into darkness.

Monster Reveal: The shadows move independently, and whispers echo through the darkness.

Horror Situation: Someone is trapped in a pitch-black room as the shadows seep in through the cracks.

Reaction: Edmund barely escapes, running to the top of the lighthouse where the light saves him.

Character Journey (Edmund): His experience leaves him paranoid, reclusive, and haunted.

Connect with the characters

The group is introduced: Stacy (leader), Jack (rebel), Eliza (innocent), Rebecca (teacher), Anthony (electrician), Chuck (ex-military), Patty (mysterious outsider), and Edmund (historian).

Monster Reveal: Stacy sees a shadow twist unnaturally in the stairwell but rationalizes it.

Horror Situation: Stacy freezes as a shadow morphs into her worst fear.

Reaction: She denies what she saw, blaming the storm.

First Temptation

Rebecca discovers an old ritual book in a storage closet. As she reads, she hears the voice of a lost loved one calling from the shadows.

Monster Reveal: The shadows mimic a loved one’s voice, nearly luring her into the darkness.

Horror Situation: Rebecca hesitates at the threshold.

Reaction: She denies it, rationalizing it as a trick of her mind.

THE CHARACTERS ARE WARNED NOT TO DO IT

Stacy confronts Edmund about the journal. He warns her not to dig further: "The darkness must not be disturbed."

Monster Reveal: Edmund cryptically alludes to something unnatural happening in the past.

Reaction: Stacy brushes him off as paranoid.

DENIAL OF HORROR

The storm rages outside. Lights flicker. Strange noises echo. A resident goes missing.

Reaction: The group rationalizes the odd occurrences as stress or coincidence.

SAFETY TAKEN AWAY

A power surge kills the generator, plunging the building into near-total darkness. Emergency lights flicker weakly.

Monster Reveal: Tracy hears her dead son’s voice calling to her.

Horror Situation: The shadows lure her into the dark.

Reaction: She embraces the monster.

FIRST CHARACTER DEATH
Tracy disappears into the shadows, lost in an endless hallway that doesn’t exist.

Character Death: Tracy

Cause of Death: Disoriented and lost, she dies of exhaustion, starvation, or insanity.

Effect on the Group: Shocks everyone. No longer just paranoia—something real is happening.

MONSTER TAKES ITS NEXT VICTIM

Chuck investigates Tracy’s disappearance, still denying the supernatural.

Monster Reveal: The shadows drag him into the walls, consuming him.

Horror Situation: The group sees Chuck disappear in front of them.

Reaction: Panic. Some try to flee; others freeze.

ACT 2 – THE POINT OF NO RETURN

MONSTER: THE NATURE OF THE BEAST

The group huddles under the emergency lighting, whispering arguments breaking out.

Monster Reveal: The shadows distort reflections, mimic voices, and manifest fears.

Horror Situation: Someone is shackled by shadowy tendrils, unable to move.

Reaction: The group fractures—some hide, others try to escape.

EDMUND'S FINAL STAND

Edmund, realizing the creatures are growing stronger, tries to explain their history.

Monster Reveal: The shadows grow darker, targeting Edmund directly.

Horror Situation: Tendrils strangle him as he sees visions of his past.

Character Death: Edmund

Effect on the Group: The historian, their last source of answers, is gone.

ONE OF US KILLED

Jack, still defiant, tries to run, but the shadows twist reality around him.

Monster Reveal: The shadows manifest Jack’s guilt and distort him into an unnatural form.

Character Death: Jack

Effect on the Group: No escape.

MIDPOINT: THE MONSTER IS WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT

Stacy uncovers that the shadows were born from a failed ritual, feeding on guilt and fear.

Monster Reveal: The shadows get stronger with every death.

ACT 3 – FULL OUT HORROR

BASEMENT TRAP

Anthony and Rebecca try to restart the generator but get trapped in a labyrinth.

Horror Situation: They are chased by shadows, unable to find the exit.

Reaction: They try to fight back, but Anthony sacrifices himself.

Character Death: Anthony

REBECCA'S BREAKDOWN

Rebecca watches Anthony die, frozen in fear.

Horror Situation: She collapses, overtaken by shadows.

Character Death: Rebecca

PATTY'S SACRIFICE

Patty, realizing she has a connection to the original ritual, steps forward.

Horror Situation: She chooses to sacrifice herself, hoping to end it.

Character Death: Patty

Effect on the Group: Hope shattered—the sacrifice strengthens the shadows.

FINAL ATTEMPT AT SURVIVAL

Stacy and Eliza attempt to restart the generator, temporarily flooding the building with light.

Monster Reveal: The shadows pretend to retreat, tricking them.

Horror Situation: The group steps out, thinking they won.

Character Death: Eliza

STACY'S FINAL FIGHT

Stacy realizes the ritual can only delay the shadows, not destroy them.

Horror Situation: Her flashlight dies as the shadows close in.

Reaction: She charges into action.

Apparent Character Death: Stacy

RESOLUTION

The town reopens. Searchers find the building abandoned, bodies grotesquely distorted.

Monster Reveal: The shadows are dormant—but waiting.

Final Reveal: Stacy is found alive, barely breathing.

[David Wickenden]

David Wickenden Assignment #8 Character Journey Track
What I learned by doing this assignment…?
I found that I had an easy reference of the characters and how they would react when outlining my story.
Character Info: Tyler – Scientist’s son – Father was the first scientist killed, right in front of his son.
Denial: Can’t believe his father is dead
Reaction at first horror: stunned – freezes
Relationship to group after first horror: pleads for protection
How they fight back: He doesn’t, although he does get angry with time
End point: He’s been one of the monsters from the start – possibly already dead and replicated by the monsters to have a secret weapon within the group.
What insights do their deaths or survival bring to audience: shock, disbelief.

Role: The innocent needing protection
Traits: Fearful, grieving
Fears: Being killed by monsters
Wants/Needs: someone to get him safe
Likability: Good kid
How they react under stress: terrified, then angry
Relationship to other characters: looking for help.

Character Info: Vincent – Corporate Scientist – He plans on going with the team as he is most familiar with the monsters.
Denial: He is the one that tells the team that they cannot win against the monsters without his help.
Reaction at first horror: He disappears
Relationship to group after first horror: They believe that he ran and left them to fend for themselves.
How they fight back: He wants to protect his creations.
End point: He is killed by his “children.”
What insights do their deaths or survival bring to audience: Serves him right.

Role: Guide
Traits: Know-it-all
Fears: That his creation will be destroyed
Wants/Needs: Protect his creations
Likability: Arrogant
How they react under stress: cools, decisive
Relationship to other characters: looks down on soldiers

Character Info: Webster – General’s son
Denial: has been told he does not deserves to be part of the group.
Reaction at first horror: Freezes
Relationship to group after first horror: proved that he can’t cut it.
How they fight back: runs
End point: Dies in a storage room he fled too.
What insights do their deaths or survival bring to audience: Told you so.

Role: weakest link
Traits: arrogant, spoilt
Fears: failing daddy
Wants/Needs: to prove himself with as little effort as possible
Likability: asshole
How they react under stress: panics
Relationship to other characters: despises him

Character Info: Mia – Hispanic
Denial: told by scientist that they have no hope
Reaction at first horror: holds and fights
Relationship to group after first horror: comrades
How they fight back: as trained
End point: dies from a bone splinter
What insights do their deaths or survival bring to the audience: her lover, Zuri goes ballistic, others sadden.

Role: soldier
Traits: Brave, tough
Fears: nothing
Wants/Needs: complete mission
Likability: everyone likes her.
How they react under stress: attacks
Relationship to other characters: Comrade to other soldiers, Love interest to Zuri

Character Info: Zuri – Black Female soldier
Denial: told by scientist that they have no hope
Reaction at first horror: holds and fights
Relationship to group after first horror: comrades
How they fight back: as trained
End point: Dies by grenade in retaliation of Mia’s death
What insights do their deaths or survival bring to audience: sadden

Role: soldier
Traits: tough and brave
Fears: nothing
Wants/Needs: finish the mission
Likability: everyone likes and respects her, except Barrett because he doesn’t want women in the army
How they react under stress: as trained
Relationship to other characters: comrades to other soldiers – love interest to Mia

Character Info: Barrett – Germanic Tank
Denial: Scientist said they would never survive monsters.
Reaction at first horror: attacks
Relationship to group after first horror: pissed off
How they fight back: aggressively
End point: Dies by impalement but kills the last of the monsters
What insights do their deaths or survival bring to audience: tough as nails

Role: solider
Traits: aggressive, sexist, killing machine
Fears: nothing
Wants/Needs: to win
Likability: grudgingly
How they react under stress: attacks
Relationship to other characters: mixed

Character Info: Archer – 2nd in command
Denial: scientist told him he could not overcome monsters
Reaction at first horror: attacks,
Relationship to group after first horror: saddened at leaders’ death, determined to protect him people.
How they fight back: as trained
End point: Dies at the hands of Tyler – who is a monster
What insights do their deaths or survival bring to audience: shock

Role: leader
Traits: brave, calm, protective
Fears: losing his people
Wants/Needs: to complete mission, keep people safe
Likability:
How they react under stress: as trained
Relationship to other characters: trusted

• This reply was modified 3 months ago by  David Wickenden.

[JD Oppen]

JD’s Character Journey Track

What I learned doing this assignment is how I could shape these profiles and journeys to fit the story. I found that much of what I added to my profiles and journey’s was already built into my outline through some of the action and the previous tracks, and now I am really looking forward to expanding the outline further and getting into writing the scenes as my outline is still very much in Tracks mode/point form.

1. Character Profiles/Character Journeys

Quarterback: Jeff

A. Character Profile

Role: Survivor, methodical, makes plans
Traits: self centred, overly confident/cocky
Fears: disbelief
Wants/Needs: Wants a relaxing break from football season, needs to stop the monster, he has a need to survive, just like breaking thru an opposing football team
Likability/Rooting factors: Rational, level-headed, willing to help others
How they react under stress: keeps his cool, takes charge
Relationship with other characters: distant, reserved, but willing to help them when the going gets tough

B. Character Journey

Character Intro: Organized, follows plan during football game and brings his team to championship win, always put on a pedestal.
Denial: Doesn’t think anything will happen to them when they visit the cabins, believes the family that was attacked by a bear there must have provoked it
Their reaction at first horror: Tries to figure out a solution to keep everyone safe, maps out ideas based on surroundings
Relation to group after first horror: Takes control, offers suggestions based on football plays
How they fight back: Kills the monster
End Point: Survives, and gets the other two survivors away from the monster
Insight from Death/Survival: Keeping your cool and thinking clearly will help you get out of a bad situation

Linebacker: Bull (Bobby)

A. Character Profile

Role: First to fight
Traits: Bully, obnoxious, loose canon
Fears: none
Wants/Needs: wants to impress Jeff, needs to kick butt
Likability/Rooting factors: ?
How they react under stress: reacts too quickly, irrationally
Relationship with other characters: not liked, in the way, only Jeff can tolerate him

B. Character Journey

Character Intro: follower always seeking Jeff’s approval or attention, follows Jeff’s lead(s), but usually still does what he wants
Denial: in denial about the man not being able to save his family from a bear attack, says he would have, we see he has no fear, but at the cost of flying off the handle
Their reaction at first horror: attacks the monster
Relation to group after first horror: argumentative and accuses the goth teens of not stepping up
How they fight back: fights the monster, irrationally trying to tackle it like the linebacker he is
End Point: Dies
Insight from Death/Survival: Does not intimidate monster, this rushing linebacker can’t break his stance and is no match for it

Head Cheerleader: Candace

A. Character Profile

Role: Survivor, Likes quarterback Jeff, similar to him, sticks by his side
Traits: Daddy’s rich, self centred, always on cell phone
Fears: afraid of dying a horrible death, equally afraid of her hair being messed up or her cell phone being destroyed
Wants/Needs: wants to be Jeff’s girlfriend, needs (demands) Jeff saves her – says he owes her
Likability/Rooting factors: that she does not fully comprehend how horrific the situation is
How they react under stress: she mostly worries about herself and her own safety
Relationship with other characters: always telling them how they could be better, look better, do things differently

B. Character Journey

Character Intro: On Jeff’s side about going to the cabins, long as there is running water and clean bathroom, so she doesn’t have to rough it
Denial: thinks the whole monster thing is ridiculous and wants Jeff to get her out of there
Their reaction at first horror: says she knows the trip was going to be like this and says never should have come
Relation to group after first horror: gets demanding, that others should be doing something more
How they fight back: works with Jeff to help outsmart it, some cheerleading moves come in handy
End Point: Survives, Jeff gets her to the car, along with Trace
Insight from Death/Survival: shows the monster has limitations by her planning with Jeff to defeat it

Cheerleader 2: Violet

A. Character Profile

Role: Dies, A Candace wanna-be, new cheerleader, Dina is her friend
Traits: Dies, Can’t make decisions, Stuck between acting like Candace and being nice like Dina
Fears: run
Wants/Needs: wants to hide, needs to stick with the group and help in some way
Likability/Rooting factors: not like Candace, shows non-shallow side in friendship with Dina
How they react under stress: freaks out, tries to hide from it
Relationship with other characters: becomes a pain because they need to save her from getting herself killed

B. Character Journey

Character Intro: Reluctant to go on the trip, wants to be a brave new cheerleader, follow Candace, but has a received side shown through her close friendship with Dina
Denial: in shock
Their reaction at first horror: breaks down, screams, runs
Relation to group after first horror: turns on everyone in fear, accuses them
How they fight back: doesn’t – tries to escape on her own
End Point: Dies, tries to escape, we think she is saved by Jazz, but gets attacked
Insight from Death/Survival: shows the monster is ruthless and that it does not take kindly to trying to escape its wrath

Love Interest (Friend of Cheerleader 2): Dina

A. Character Profile

Role: Dies 1st, female classmate who likes the main character/monster, she is friends with him and hangs out with him
Traits: affectionate, rational, likes Angelo, friendly
Fears: fears for Angelo, fears he will never know how she really feels
Wants/Needs: wants to save Angelo/monster, needs to know he is dangerous
Likability/Rooting factors: that she likes main character and knows what is happening, wants to save him
How they react under stress: will enter the face of danger if it means saving Angelo
Relationship with other characters: other characters don’t really care to have her come on the trip with them, but she’s a friend of a friend, she’s grounded and not really like the other girls

B. Character Journey

Character Intro: likes Angelo, knows some of what he is going through with the experimental meds
Denial: in denial that Angelo could be such a monster, tries to help him
Their reaction at first horror: apprehensive but wants to help Angelo stop being a monster
Relation to group after first horror: turns on the others for how they treat Angelo, she warns them
How they fight back: she fights back trying to calm the monster down, believes he will not hurt her
End Point: First to die, inadvertently killed by bear when monster has a fight with it
Insight from Death/Survival: Shows the monster fights with some compassion due to Angel being host for the monster, and shows how angry the monster gets when the bear kills her

Basketball Payer: Jazz (Jason)

A. Character Profile

Role: Dies, Basketball team captain, competes with Jeff to take charge
Traits: Competitive, yet humble
Fears: fears dying when he has his whole life and basketball career ahead of him
Wants/Needs: wants to help stop the monster, needs to save Violet
Likability/Rooting factors: cool, calm and collected, willing to help others, competitive with Jeff as they are both on different high school sports teams, but he is smooth about it
How they react under stress: jumps into fight mode, and to help find a solution
Relationship with other characters: they look at him to help, come up with answers/ideas

B. Character Journey

Character Intro: Remains calm as he argues about basketball being a better more competitive sport than football, talks about what he has done for teammates
Denial: knows what’s happening is unreal but turns to fight mode
Their reaction at first horror: helps to save Violet
Relation to group after first horror: looked at as a hero until he is killed
How they fight back: makes weapons
End Point: Dies after trying to save Violet
Insight from Death/Survival: shows the monster is a persistent, master stalker

Goth Male: Spike (Steven)

A. Character Profile

Role: Dies, likes to shock others, Trace’s boyfriend, not easily frightened
Traits: Eccentric, brave, not worried what others think, a protector
Fears: not much scares him but being visited by an entity in his dreams was frightening, yet he feels special
Wants/Needs: wants the group to fear him, needs to protect his girlfriend Trace
Likability/Rooting factors: Not a bully, really close to Trace, likes to shock others
How they react under stress: reacts fast when it comes Trace being in trouble
Relationship with other characters: others stand behind him because he takes charge but they are happy to sacrifice him before themselves, they think because he is goth he has some connection to the underworld and can do something to stop the monster

B. Character Journey

Character Intro: shocks classmates with piercings/implants, looked at as a looser, but he is a sceptic leader
Denial: does not deny the unreal, but is frightened by it, making him look weak to Trace
Their reaction at first horror: disbelief, attacks the monster when Trace is attacked
Relation to group after first horror: they think he knows more than he does about the underworld and stand behind him as a leader
How they fight back: attacks monster when the monster attacks Trace
End Point: Dies trying to save Trace
Insight from Death/Survival: Shows monster cannot die from being hurt, regenerates injury

Goth Female: Trace (Tracey)

A. Character Profile

Role: Survivor, likes to shock, Spike’s girlfriend, not easily frightened, likes bad boys, likes the monster
Traits: Eccentric, brave, not worried what others think
Fears: the dark, stems from childhood, turned goth to combat her fear
Wants/Needs: wants an adventure, needs the monster to like her
Likability/Rooting factors: nicer than she looks, wild but with an innocents
How they react under stress: does not realize the danger, attempts to help the monster
Relationship with other characters: on bad terms with Spike because she likes the monster, and she is jealous it visited him in his sleep

B. Character Journey

Character Intro: likes to shock, likes evil and scary things, long as the lights are on
Denial: denies the monster is incapable of love
Their reaction at first horror: screams, needs light
Relation to group after first horror: looked at as even stranger than she is because she does not want them to kill the monster
How they fight back: tries to save the monster, to stop a bear from attacking it
End Point: Survives, we think she is killed but she was not dead
Insight from Death/Survival: Monster only cared for Dina, has no regard for the lives it takes or casualties along the way

2. Updated Outline with Character Journeys (Purple)

ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR

Atmosphere of Evil established:

Group of classmates talks about going up to isolated cabin area that is closed to the public because a family was killed by a group of bears, all the while, the visuals are of the bear attack on the family, or just of the barren cabin location.

*Alternate Idea: News footage that is a one year anniversary after the family was killed talking about it, possibly a survivor, and discussing the fact the grounds remains closed to the public.

As well there is some chatter about bringing the main character, whose step brother and sister were mysteriously murdered in their sleep.

Horror Situation: Vicious bear attack
Reaction: News reel(s) of vicious bear attack

Horror Situation: Violent deaths of main character’s step brother & sister
Reaction: News reel(s) of their deaths

Horror Situation: Mother and doctor discuss Angelo’s experimental meds
Reaction: Glimpses into horrific side effects of main character’s reaction to experimental medication

Demand: Why do classmates not want Angelo to go to the cabins?
Monster Reveal: His siblings were mutilated in their sleep

Connect with the characters:

Champion football game ends. A group of jocks, cheerleaders and a few of their friends hang out in bleachers post-game. Candace on phone, Violet chats with Dina, Angelo is teased by Linebacker, Quarterback and basketball captain debate their sports. Topic turns t going away for the weekend as school is out in one more day. They discuss going to cabins a few hours away, but the area is closed due to a family being brutally attacked there by bears a week ago.

A goth couple, scary just to look at, are there making out. They overhear and decide to go to the same abandoned location for the weekend.

Horror Situation: Goth couple talk about violence, and what happened at the cabin location
Reaction: Characters are frightened, some reluctant to go on the trip

Demand: Why do Angel’s parents fight about him going. Father is fine with it. Why is his mother not?
Monster Reveal: Angelo’s mother and doctor discuss possible side effects or Angelo’s experimental meds

The characters are warned not to do it:

The more outsider characters, a friend of one of the cheerleaders, the main character, whose the cheerleader’s friend has a crush on, are all apprehensive about going to this place because of what happened. One of the cheerleaders is also apprehensive. The school basketball player agrees with the football players about how cool, fun and exciting the trip will be in the face of possible danger… bears. Again the main characters is teased/taunted. He really does not want to go, but is mostly talked into it by the friend of one of the cheerleaders.

The goth couple chime in about the dangers, then discuss amongst themselves how they should go just to scare the hell of the group of friends… then laugh about having to protect them. The goth female inquires about electricity. She’s afraid of the dark

Horror Situation: Glimpses into horrific side effects of main character’s reaction to experimental medication
Reaction: more of the brutal mutilation of his siblings

Denial of Horror:

The jocks are all tough guys, so they are not afraid and don’t think anything will happen. As well, one of the cheerleaders has a crush on the quarterback, so she goes along with what he says. Some of them laugh stating the only thing they have to fear is sleeping around the main character because of what happened to his siblings.

Horror Situation: Goth couple startles others, showing weird piercings & implants
Reaction: Characters are more uneasy, frightened about the trip

Safety taken away:

On the three hour drive, a couple of them fall asleep and appear to be visited by an entity while they sleep. As they get closer to the cabin area they are losing cell phone reception, it is intermittent. Even closer there are signs stating no trespassing, the area is closed to the public. The main characters is taunted again and the girl who likes him stands up for him.

The goth couple travel separately, they could care less about anything going wrong. They are not easily intimidated.

Horror Situation: Entity visits main characters while they sleep on the way to the cabin
Reaction: Those visited are intimidated by the entity, grow worrisome

Demand: Characters are visited in their sleep.
Monster Reveal: Monster can attack them in their dreams.

Monster: The nature of the beast:

The goth girl drives, her boyfriend falls asleep on the way and is visited by the entity. He wakes shaken and frightened, which is a little out of character for his look. His girlfriend laughs but is also a little excited about the entity her boyfriend dreamt of… maybe even a little jealous.

Horror Situation: Entity visits male goth character on the way to cabin
Reaction: While he is looked, his girlfriend is jealous, she is crazier than him

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN

Isolated / Trapped / Abducted:

As the main group gets closer their vehicle dies. They must make the rest of the trip on foot and sun is on it’s way down. Cell reception is pretty much non-existent. They reach the cabins at dusk, and there’s no turning back now.

It gets late and it’s time for everyone to sleep. Some of them are visited by the entity as they sleep. They wake in a frenzy. The football players tell them it’s nothing to worry about. Though reluctant to, they all go back to sleep.

Horror Situation: Weather takes a bad turn, wind, some rain
Reaction: starting to lose cell reception in an eerie place

Horror Situation: No trespassing/danger signs, warnings to keep out and weather turns to violent thunderstorm
Reaction: Main characters’ vehicle dies in eerie location from motor  getting wet – they must find cabins on foot in the storm

Horror Situation: All cell reception lost – relied on phones for navigation, cannot find the cabins, darkness falls
Reaction: Make lean-to with tarp(s), They must sleep outdoors and search in the morning

Horror Situation: Fear of noises,
Reaction: think it’s bears, they think they are being  hunted

Horror Situation: Goth couple do not see the broken down vehicle
Reaction: They plow into it

Horror Situation: Goth couple’s injuries look bad, they find the others and frighten them from their bloody injuries
Reaction: The others help them, take them in, clean them up

One of us killed:

Horror Situation: Through the night some sleeping characters are visited by the entity
Reaction: They need to wake up to search for the cabin

Horror Situation: Awake, They search the darkness for the cabins
Reaction: Again they think they are being hunted by bears

Reach the cabins and sleep. Dina tries to talk the monster down. Monster is attacked by a bear. Monster lunges at bear and it moves, monster kills Dina. When the others wake they realize this is really happening now, but no signs of anyone or anything entering the cabin.

Character Death 1: Dina
Why: Because she is the innocent one.
How: By accident by the monster lunging to kill a bear which moves out of the way, the monster and Dina had an affection for each other

Horror Situation: the entity attacks all victims in their sleep, they cannot wake, The characters who most taunted the main character suffer brutal deaths
Reaction: The linebacker attempts to fight the entity
Horror Situation: The character thought to be the toughest fights the monster
Reaction: Linebacker is mutilated

Demand: Angelo has night tremors.
Monster Reveal: His tremors happen when the monster attacks its victims

Character Death 2: Bull
Why: Escalates the horror as he is the first character to attack the monster
How: Charges blindly into action and is violently ripped to shreds

Horror Situation: The goth male takes control to make weapons, Got girl doesn’t like the idea because she is smitten with the  entity, and quarterback does not like him taking control and attempt to  stop him
Reaction: The quarterback and head cheerleader are attacked and barely escape; they survive  – for now

Demand: Intrigue… what is the monster, what does it look like?
Monster Reveal: The monster attacks with blazing speed and murders some of its victims virtually unseen

MIDPOINT: The monster is worse than we thought!

Full pursuit by the killer:

The monster is the main character. His experimental meds turn him into a psychotic killer who attacks his victims in their dreams. Now the group of them are all in the same dream and fighting to survive as they realize who it is that’s attacking them.

Horror Situation: The other cheerleader is hysterical – runs and hides outside,
Reaction: she is found by the basketball player, she is being attacked and almost dead

Horror Situation: The basketball player attempt to save her, drags her back to  cabin
Reaction They are both attacked in the attempt and the girl is dismembered in front of him

Character Death 1: Violet
Why: Because we think she escaped the monster by running, then saved by Jazz, brought to safety, so we think
How: Escape attempt takes her into it, and she is slaughtered by the monster

Horror Situation: Basketball player manages to escape back to cabin, pleads to  be let in
Reaction: They open the door and one of his arms is ripped off by the entity as he gets inside

Horror Situation: The girl who likes the main character is confronted and realizes who he is
Reaction: she warns the others

Demand: Why does the monster appear more violent when the bear attacks some of the monster’s victims
Monster Reveal: The monster demands it possesses its victims and needs to be the one who takes the life

Terrorized:

The killer wages a brutal assault on the classmates who had taunted him. They are hunted in their dreams while the others are terrorized but trying to stop it from happening. They cannot wake.

Horror Situation: They fight to wake
Reaction: They do, the quarterback wakes the main character and beats the hell out of him rendering him unconscious… They think they are safe

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR

Fight to the death:

The victims are being brutally attacked. They are horrified, but must find a way to unite.

Horror Situation: Now that the monster is unconscious he attacks again
Reaction: this time his victims are awake

Hysteria:

Pandemonium ensues as the victims are being slaughtered, one by one.

Horror Situation: The basketball waits frightened in a tree with a weapon he made
Reaction: monster follows the blood trail from his missing arm

Character Death 2: Jazz

Why: Monster has it out for him because he could not kill him on the first try, after Jazz’s bad decision, saving Violet from the monster’s attack, now he is in a tree with a weapon he made.
How: Attempts something that fails (saving violet AND making a weapon to kill the monster) Initially has an arm ripped off and has to deal with it for a while, but the monster follows his blood trail, sniffs the blood, knows he is in a tree and gets his revenge by further dismemberment.

Demand: Why is Angelo never around during the attacks?
Monster Reveal: The victims realize Angelo is behind the attacks

The thrilling escape from death:

The goth boyfriend helps to unite the group in their dreams. They must find a way to wake the main character so the killing stops. Finally the last few survivors are able to wake and wake up the main character. One of the survivors is the quarterback. He is furious with the main character. Though they appear to be safe now that they are all awake, the quarterback beats the main character, knocking him unconscious.

Demand: The characters must find a way to wake up.
Monster Reveal: They do and beat up Angelo until he is unconscious

Horror Situation: The survivors must devise a plan quickly to kill the main character
Reaction: The goth girl tries to save the main character

Death returns to take one or more:

Because the main character is unconscious, he can attack his victims again. But this time the victims are all awake! They work together, deciding to kill the main character while he sleeps so he cannot attack them anymore, but now the entity is protecting Angelo as he sleeps.

Demand: The characters are safe because Angelo is no longer sleeping
Monster Reveal: Angelo being unconscious makes the monster more violent and now he can attack them while they are awake

Horror Situation: Bear attacks monster and Goth Girl tries to help the monster
Reaction: She is inadvertently killed (so we think)

Character Death 5: Trace
Why: Trace is the apparent death. She is infatuated with the monster.
How: Sacrificed – she sacrifices herself to save the monster. Trace tries to stop the bear when he attacks the monster and is inadvertently killed, so we think.

Horror Situation: Goth male attacks the monster out of betrayal.
Reaction: Quarterback seizes the opportunity and kills the main character as he sleeps – it’s over

Character Death 6: Spike
Why: Because he attacks the monster for killing his girlfriend Trace, who we don’t know is not actually dead
How: Betrayed – because the monster killed his girlfriend (so he thinks). Suffers a brutal death as the monster does not stand for being attacked.

Resolution:

Demand: Characters must kill the monster
Monster Reveal: They do and the survivors escape, finding one of the vehicle and fleeing

The surviving victims succeed. They kill the main character and escape as the evil entity is sucked back into the dead main character’s lifeless body.

Demand: As the monster is sucked back into Angelo’s body, it wakes him from death.
Monster Reveal: Angelo wakes from death

As they run to the goth couples’ vehicle to leave this place the evil is all sucked back into the main character… As the survivors flee in the car… the main character OPENS HIS EYES!

Horror Situation: Quarterback, head cheerleader, and main character’s girlfriend run for their lives
Reaction: the entity is slowly sucked back into the the  dead body

Horror Situation: They make it back to their vehicle but can’t get it started
Reaction: The last of the entity seeps into the main character’s dead body and the car starts, they drive away

Horror Situation: The main character’s eyes open!
Reaction: JD writes sequel, LOL

[Nick Walsh]

LESSON #8
Nick’s Character Journey Track

What I learnt: This exercise revealed the distinct personality of each individual character. They are now living persons that I can plainly see and can have interact with each other in believable, conflicting ways. The exercise also brought out more story ideas, especially about the monster, which I also profiled.

1 Character Profile of Joe Evans
—Joe Evans (24): Works as a Vet Assistant. He’s the organizer of the group and feels responsible for their well-being. Character death #6, the last one to die.

Role:
Leader

Traits:
Caring, protective, organizer, naive

Fears:
Complete responsibility.

Wants/Needs:
Wants to blaze a new mountain bike trail in the wilderness. Needs to create a mapped course for investors.

Likability / Rooting factors:
Open to ideas from his fellow bikers.

How they react under stress:
Willing to concede leadership role to Frank when under pressure.

Relationship with other characters:
Friendly, accommodating.

Character Journey of Joe Evans
Character Intro:
He has a passion for mountain biking and gets away whenever he can. He’s got the latest bike and gear. He tells the guys that part of their journey they will be exploring is unmapped and jokingly says that there have been reports of Bigfoot sightings there.

Denial:
Doubts the legend of Bigfoot.

Their reaction at first horror:
Suspects the motorcycle gang.

Relation to group after first horror:
Makes fateful decision.

How they fight back:
Turn back and try to avoid the monster.

End Point:
He dies saving Manny, the ultimate survivor.

What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?
He gives his life to save another.

———————————————————————-

2 Character Profile of Gene Harms
—Gene Harms (20): An unpublished, but determined, spec screenwriter with writer’s block. Character death #5.

Role:
Rescuer

Traits:
Procrastinator, laid back, insecure, dreamer.

Fears:
Writer’s block.

Wants/Needs:
Wants to clear his mind.
Needs to loosen up; experience fun.

Likability / Rooting factors:
Pleasant.

How they react under stress:
Withdrawal.

Relationship with other characters:
Friendly teasing, likable.

Character Journey of Gene Harms
Character Intro:
Playing dice with the group.

Denial:
Rumors of Bigfoot exaggerated.

Their reaction at first horror:
He vomits.

Relation to group after first horror:
Has lost interest; wants to go back.

How they fight back:
Fend off and run.

End Point:
He steps on a swinging broad axe (obsidian) booby trap and gets decapitated.

What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?
They must now watch out for booby traps, as well.

———————————————————————-

3 Character Profile of Frank Gargano
—Frank Gargano (23): Unemployed veteran, looking for adventure. Character death #4.

Role:
Protector.

Traits:
Obsessive, paranoid, generous, loner.

Fears:
PTSD flaring up; flashbacks.

Wants/Needs:
Wants to be whole again.
Needs understanding; stimulus.

Likability / Rooting factors:
Respected.

How they react under stress:
Assesses the situation when all about him are losing it.

Relationship with other characters:
Friendly; contentious with Joe, the leader.

Character Journey of Frank Gargano
Character Intro:
Packed for anything, including a gun.

Denial:
That he has a lung disease from the war.

Their reaction at first horror:
Draws his gun.

Relation to group after first horror:
Distracted; paranoidal; ready for action.

How they fight back:
Shooting at the monster.

End Point:
Knife against teeth with the monster.

What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?
Shock and fear. Their protector is gone.

———————————————————————-

4 Character Profile of Lee Harris
—Lee Harris (21): Computer geek. Feels naked because he can’t use his cell phone in the wilderness. Character death #3.

Role:
Complainer

Traits:
Self-absorbed, dismissive, tight, insecure.

Fears:
Losing money.

Wants/Needs:
Wants to invest in Joe’s trail idea.
Needs to see the potential for himself.

Likability / Rooting factors:
Tolerated; less active than the others.

How they react under stress:
Becomes extremely agitated; panics.

Relationship with other characters:
Distant, but friendly.

Character Journey of Lee Harris
Character Intro:
Conversing with Joe about the potential money-making opportunity of the trail.

Denial:
That a killing will happen again—as long as they stay together.

Their reaction at first horror:
Disbelief; change of investing heart.

Relation to group after first horror:
Just wants to get back alive; fuck the rest.

How they fight back:
By running away in panic for his life.

End Point:
He is mistakenly shot and killed by Frank in the heavy fog.

What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?
Identify your target before you shoot at it.

———————————————————————-

5 Character Profile of Manny Gargano
—Manny Gargano (20): Frank’s little brother. He’s a hotshot, master of the mountain bike. Oblivious to life’s troubles. Character death #2.

Role:
Rebel / Rule Breaker.

Traits:
Reckless, stubborn, naive, cocky.

Fears:
Total darkness.

Wants/Needs:
Wants to have endless fun and stimulation.
Needs to grow up; slow down and reflect.

Likability / Rooting factors:
Fun to have around.

How they react under stress:
Agitated; panicky.

Relationship with other characters:
Best friends with Sammy. Always together, like brothers.

Character Journey of Manny Gargano
Character Intro:
Glued to his iPhone.

Denial:
That there is pure evil in the world.

Their reaction at first horror:
Turns away, pukes.

Relation to group after first horror:
Preoccupied, scared, sober; stays closer to Sammy. Doesn’t venture off alone anymore.

How they fight back:
Goes with the decision to go back, but is the next one killed.

End Point:
Shot by his older brother Frank to put him out of his misery.

What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?
If the monster don’t kill you, Frank will.

———————————————————————-

6 Character Profile of Sammy Mills
—Sammy Mills (18), best friend with Manny. They do everything together. One could get the impression that they are gay for one another. The sole character survivor.

Role:
Innocent.

Traits:
Naive, loyal, impressionable, insecure.

Fears:
Being alone.

Wants/Needs:
Wants to be an equal to the group.
Needs a father-type.

Likability / Rooting factors:
Everybody likes him.

How they react under stress:
Bewildered, oarless.

Relationship with other characters:
The lovable kid. Best friends with Manny.

Character Journey
Character Intro:
Glued to his iPhone.

Denial:
Can’t believe that Manny is dead.

Their reaction at first horror:
Stunned as reality smacks him in the face.

Relation to group after first horror:
Clinging, scared.

How they fight back:
He must abandon his savior, Joe, to the monster to survive.

End Point:
He leaps into the raging river grabs onto a tossing log and is carried away. He is found by the motorcycle gang the next morning passed out on a log jam on a calm river bend.

What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?
We only hope to be so lucky to survive such a ordeal.
—————————————————————————————

7 Character Profile of the Monster
The Monster (40s) is a man from a near-extinct, separately evolved branch of the human sapiens family tree with different values for living and survival.

Role:
The monster.

Traits:
Intelligent, crafty, deadly, loving.

Fears:
Discovery.

Wants/Needs:
Wants to be left alone and undiscovered, feed his family, etc., yet…
Needs human skin pelts and eyeballs as symbols of posterity and wealth.

Likability / Rooting factors:
None, not interactant.

How they react under stress:
Go into deadly action.

Relationship with other characters:
He hunts them.

Character Journey

Character Intro:
We see the result of his work: A skinned and eyeless body.

Denial:
His existence, by others.

Their reaction at first horror:
A good day for him; a horror for us.

Relation to group after first horror:
Vigilance.

How they fight back:
With crude snares and incisor teeth and uncommon brute strength.

End Point:
Back to normal.

What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?
There really is truth to myths.

xxx

[Barry Barry Durbin Durbin]

Barry’s Character Journey Track

What I learned is how to lay out your characters journey to make sense for the script. It helps to provide a blueprint or path to follow to create great characters and stay on point.

ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR
Atmosphere of Evil established: Native American guide with hikers crossing a stream on the outside of the forest tree line. They see movement and noises in the forest. An unseen creature lets out an extended, earth-shattering scream. Something is there and we don’t know what it is.

Monster Reveal. Opening: They hear the scream. They are frozen with fear. We see terror on their faces and just as they begin to scream, it stops. We see blood and maybe a piece of clothing floating in the water.

Connect with the characters: Characters are loading the vehicle for their trip and traveling to their destination.

Character Journey: Character Intro: Alex, the leader. He is loading backpacks into the vehicle. He tells Meghann about he and his dad spending time hiking in the woods. He demonstrates that he is very knowledgeable about the outdoors and is a capable leader. He teases Meghann, giving her a hard time.

Character Journey: Character Intro: Meghann is assisting Alex in loading the vehicle. She is sweet to him but shows her sassy and confident side by giving the hard time right back to Alex.
Horror Situation: Chad is hiding, jumping out at to surprise someone. Reaction: They scream, then laugh it off. Denial.

Character Journey: Character Intro: Chad is hiding under something. When Beth approaches, he jumps out and scares her. He lets the others know he doesn’t care what they think. He’s going to do his own thing.

Character Journey: Character Intro: Beth arrives carrying her backpack. She doesn’t see Meghann and starts flirting with Alex until Meghann pops up. She continues to put her backpack in the vehicle when Chad jumps out and scares her. She screams and punches him.

Character Journey: Bennie is the last one to arrive. The others are already aggravated with him. He makes excuses and blames his lateness on someone else. He makes a crude joke. Beth and Chad laugh, but Meghann and Alex are not amused.

Character Journey: Nashoba is outside helping his elderly Grandmother move items in her yard as the others pull up in the vehicle. He quietly greets the others. He is awkward with the others making it seem he’s not well acquainted with them.

The characters are warned not to do it: An elderly Native American woman warns them about the spirit of Shampe, Choctaw word for Bigfoot and cautions them not to go.
Monster Reveal: An elderly Native American woman warns the group about the Hairy Man. She gives Nashoba a spiritual item (maybe a necklace) and urges him to keep the item with him for protection.

Denial of Horror: Alex assures everyone that he is an expert woodsman, and they have nothing to worry about. Chad adds that the old lady is crazy. Nashoba warns him not to anger the spirits, but assures his Grandmother that he will respect the spirits and they will be okay. Chad scoffs at him. Meghann agrees with Alex and angrily tells Chad the woman and Nashoba aren’t crazy. She tells him to be quiet. He rolls his eyes.

Character Journey: Bennie tries to convince himself that there is nothing to worry about. He complains that he didn’t want to go on this trip in the first place.

Horror Situation: They get lost trying to find the cabin. They lose their sense of direction. Reaction: Solve it. The leader figures out the right way to go and calms everyone down.

Character Journey: Chad argues with Alex about the correct direction to proceed. Alex wins the argument.

Monster Reveal: There is unusual movement in the trees. They think they see something, but then it is gone.

Monster Reveal: They smell something with such a horrible stench it gags them. They blame it on Bennie (the complainer) and his gastrointestinal issues.

Safety taken away: The car becomes disabled, and they discover there is no cell service at their location.

Horror Situation: During the hike to the cabin, they discover an ancient Native American burial ground, which is overgrown and spooky. Reaction: One character disturbs one the graves and removes and ancient relic left behind, while the others are aghast by his actions.

Monster Reveal: After they leave the burial site, the ground begins to shake and the grave that has been disturbed, the earth begins to crack.

Monster: The nature of the beast: With the dead young creature inside the cabin, the adult creature is lurking outside. It’s found them!

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN
Isolated / Trapped / Abducted: Trapped inside the cabin with the creature outside. They don’t know what is outside or how to defend themselves.

Horror Situation: Only one character can see the creature. Reaction: The others are in denial and don’t believe them.

Character Journey: Beth denies the existence of the Hairy Man.

Monster Reveal: From the Monster’s POV, we see the cabin our victims are in. It’s watching them. We still don’t see the monster.

Horror Situation: They hear the creature outside. They aren’t sure what it is. Reaction: They hide inside and try to stay quiet.

Monster Reveal: They hear sounds of something big moving through the woods. They hear a large animal growl and what sounds like an attack that suddenly stops just after starting.

Horror Situation: The leader comes up with a plan to protect them. Reaction: The others disagree with his plan and causes an internal conflict.

Horror Situation: The light goes out causing them to be in the dark. Reaction: They search for a different light source.

Monster Reveal: They smell the same stench from earlier. They still wonder what the smell is.

Horror Situation: The creature goes silent. They think it’s gone, and the female character goes outside to look for her phone she dropped earlier. The Leader goes to protect her. The creature isn’t gone. The Leader tries to fight the creature. Reaction: The female frantically runs back to the cabin. The creature chases her, but she barely makes it back to safety.

Horror Situation: Those inside can hear horror happening outside the others. Reaction: They hide behind a barricade. They are almost hysterical.

One of us killed: The leader is killed.

Character Death 1 : Alex, the Leader. Why? Alex is the leader. Killing him first makes us fearful for the others. How? He is attempting to protect Beth as she goes outside to look for her phone she dropped earlier. She wants to call for help. He is blindsided and snatched. We don’t see the monster, but blood splashes on Beth’s face.

MIDPOINT: The monster is worse than we thought: They now realize that the creature is after them.

Horror Situation: The female makes it back into the cabin. She becomes hysterical trying to recall what she saw. Reaction: They try to come up with another plan to kill the monster.

Character Journey: Reaction to the first horror: Bennie screams, tries to hide and begins to panic. Beth is completely hysterical from the horror she witnessed. Nashoba is calm, withdraws, and looks at his spiritual item. Meghann screams and impatiently urges the others to calm down and help barricade the cabin. Chad screams obscenities at the others for being hysterical. He takes charge after Alex’s death.

Full pursuit by the killer: Creature tries to gain access to the cabin, and they come up with a new plan to stop it.

Horror Situation: The creature circles the cabin, pounding on the walls. Reaction: They try to solve it by finding the weak spots and putting out barricades.

Monster Reveal: We see more of the monster, but not the full monster. Maybe its sharp teeth or something else menacing.

Character Journey: Bennie refuses to cooperate with the others. He is continuously panicking and being loud to draw the monster’s attention against the wishes of the others.

Character Journey: Chad tries to convince the others that the only way to survive is to leave the cabin. He argues with the others. They want to stay.

Horror Situation: As the creature gets near them, the Native character says something in Choctaw and the creature backs off. Reaction: The others are paranoid that he is part of the terror.

Monster Reveal: Nashoba says something in his Choctaw language and holds the item the elderly woman gave him. The monster backs off.

Character Journey: The others realize that Nashoba is important to defeating the monster and they become closer to him.

Terrorized: As the creature becomes more aggressive, Chad goes to confront the creature. The weapon is of no use as he is killed

Character Death 2: Chad – the Obnoxious One. Why? Chad becomes abusive to the others. He tries to take control of the group and makes a bad decision that puts them in more danger. Maybe he decides to leave, and the others refuse to follow.
How? The monster stalks him. He can’t tell which direction the monster is coming from. He eventually walks backwards cautiously searching for the monster and back into it. He screams and we don’t see what happens.

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR
Fight to the death: The remaining victims come up with a new plan.

Hysteria: Creature crashes through the cabin wall and snatches another victim pulling them out and killing them.

Monster Reveal: They smell that horrible smell again; they realize now that it’s the monster that smells. Bennie sits against the wall and yells at the others that it’s not him that smells.

Character Death 3: Bennie – the Complainer/Endpoint
Why? By this time, we are sick to death of his complaining and are cheering for him to get killed! How? He is sitting next to the wall inside the cabin next to a window. The monster stealthily moves towards the window. Bennie seems relaxed inside when all of a sudden, the monster’s arm crashes through the window and pulls Bennie through the window. We hear him screaming.

Horror Situation: Character is sitting with their back to the wall. The creature sneaks up without being noticed. Just when the person inside is relaxed, the creature crashes its arm through the wall and snatches them. We assume they’re dead. We don’t see them again. Reaction: The others become hysterical and try to escape by running to a different room in the cabin.

Horror Situation: As the characters run from the horror, one-character falls through the floor and lands in a hidden room (they find something to help fight the creature, e.g. Weapons, explosives, etc.) Reaction: The others are in a panic. They look for a way to get the person out.

Character Journey: Meghann comes up with a plan to use the items found to defeat the monster. She rallies everyone to put her plan into place.

Horror Situation: The three remaining characters come face-to-face with the creature. They are forced to fight to the death. Reaction: They attempt to fight back with the weapons found in the hidden room.

Monster Reveal: We now see the full Monster.

The thrilling escape from death: Just three remain. The Native American male sacrifices his life thinking he will save Meghann. The creature destroys the cabin leaving Meghann apparently dead under a pile of debris. Beth is hurt and traumatized, but alive.

Character Death 4: Nashoba, the Sacrificial Lamb
Why? He sacrifices himself for the others.
How? The monster is going after Beth. Nashoba distracts the monster. The monster slams Meghann across the room. Nashoba throws his spiritual item toward Meghann. The monster stops and turn towards Nashoba. The monster tears him apart killing him.

Death returns to take one or more: We assume it’s over and the monster returns to kill Beth. There is movement in the pile of debris, Meghann is alive.

Character Aparant Death: Meghann, the Moral One
Why is Meghann saved? She is the one who always tries to do the right thing.

Character Journey: Beth takes the explosives(fire) and blows the monster up or sets the cabin on fire.

Character Death 5: Beth, the Rebel/Rule Breaker
Why? It seems that the monster has left. Beth screams obscenities in the direction the monster leaves and taunts the monster. How? Suddenly, the monster appears and knocks her head off. She dies because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut!

Resolution: The creature has survived, and we get a glimpse of its world, hidden from humans.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by  Barry Barry Durbin Durbin.

[Patricia Semler]

Pat’s Character Journey Track
What I learned doing this assignment – Even though these kids are the same age group they need to have enough differences for interesting, engaging action. Identifying how they relate to the group and what happens after their deaths adds depth to their plight.

Concept – A pair of teachers and their Gen Z students tackle a historic house restoration. When a witchy bundle is uncovered, the idea of a curse is mocked, but when the bundle is destroyed it releases the imprisoned witch to prey on the group.

Leader – Calvin Franklin, carpentry teacher. 50s, an accomplished builder, compassionate dedicated instructor. It’s his idea to push his students out of their preoccupation with their phones and into focus on life in general.
Role: Leader, carpentry teacher
Traits: Even tempered, deliberate, wary
Fears: very aware of color bias
Wants/Needs : wants to educate his students, needs to get this house rehabbed
Likability / Rooting factors: a cheer leader for these kids
How they react under stress: take charge, slow down to learn more
Relationship with other characters: friendly but not chummy
What is their Character Journey for this story?
Character Intro: He’s negotiating with Ivan over the parameters for the kids working on the house.
Denial: Flat out denies the existence of ghosts and witchcraft
Their reaction at first horror: this isn’t supernatural. Everyone be more careful
Relation to group after first horror: He worries that he can’t protect them.
How they fight back: Act like they’re fighting a physical foe.
End Point: Disbelief
What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Can’t save yourself with willful ignorance

Rescuer – Dahlia Stewart, history teacher, 40s, a true academic devoted to knowledge, a well of trivia and broad minded. She looks into the home’s history after the witchy bundle is found, does her best to protect the students.
What is their Character Profile?
Role: History teacher, mentor
Traits: Idealistic, stubborn, inquisitive
Fears:
Wants/Needs : wants a family, needs to protect these kids
Likability / Rooting factors: doesn’t talk down to the kids, willing to meet them on their own terms, but still promotes common sense strategies
How they react under stress: stifles fear to build a defense, looks for answers to questions she doesn’t know how to ask
Relationship with other characters: aloof but approachable, she’s not their BFF
What is their Character Journey for this story?
Character Intro: Dahlia lays out some historical facts about the family that built the house and the era
Denial: panic won’t help, so face facts and come up with a plan
Their reaction at first horror: This isn’t my fault. What is happening?
Relation to group after first horror: Becomes mother figure
How they fight back: use half-crocked superstition to delay until I can find something that will stick.
End Point: Sacrifices self to save the kids, binds the witch anew
What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?
Belief isn’t the cure, love is, giving up the self to save others. Maybe save the self.

The Carrier: Ivan Whitson, 30s, hot-shot developer, annoyed that he has to incorporate the house into his apartment complex. He never paid attention in school unless money was to be made.
What is their Character Profile?
Role: Land developer, businessman with a big problem with the house
Traits: Impatient, unimaginative, cost-cutting
Fears: Losing money, losing prestige
Wants/Needs : He wants these condos up. He needs a reasonable workaround.
Likability / Rooting factors: We kind’a want him to go first he’s such a prick.
How they react under stress: Gets angry, lays blame, refuses to listen to reason
Relationship with other characters: Irritant, fussy complainer
What is their Character Journey for this story?
Character Intro: Ivan’s house problem is about to be solved by Franklin’s school offer, but he still doesn’t like it.
Denial: No such thing as spooks. Destroys the witchy bundle.
Their reaction at first horror: Don’t put this on me. You kids are screwing around.
Relation to group after first horror: Reluctant ally, if he can get his vehicles running or open the back gate for them to escape. Untrustworthy.
How they fight back: He runs and hides.
End Point: Just desserts for being a jerk.
What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Poetic justice

Introvert/Loner – Mika Thompson, student, 17, an outsider in all school groups, not interested in sex with either sex, determined to be a master carpenter
What is their Character Profile?
Role: Carpentry student, possibly non-binary, maybe just making it up to keep people at a distance
Traits: Reserved, distrusting, cynical, a natural woodworker
Fears: Power tools and blood letting
Wants/Needs : She wants equal footing with the boys. Needs a boon companion/friend.
Likability / Rooting factors: Mika has a sharp tongue, a no BS attitude
How they react under stress: She gets bossy, strives to stay ahead of danger.
Relationship with other characters: Doesn’t go out of her way to be friendly, Be respectful and she’ll respect you back.
What is their Character Journey for this story?
Character Intro: In shop class she stands up to Nat finding fault with her calculations
Denial: She pretends not to care, keeps hurt feelings down deep
Their reaction at first horror: Are you sure we should stay here? No, really, something isn’t right. We should go before someone else gets hurt.
Relation to group after first horror: Takes a leadership role, keeping people from panicking.
How they fight back: Fight back with whatever’s at hand.
End Point: Held by the witch she doesn’t want to die, stunned by Dahlia’s sacrifice.
What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Even those that are deliberately different aren’t all that different, people can stand up for those they have issues with.

Out of control/Obnoxious: Ignatzio Romano, 17, new kid in town, Italian with a chip on his shoulder. Attacks first, worries later.
What is their Character Profile?
Role: Nat is the unofficial leader among the male students
Traits: Braggart, self-impressed, defensive
Fears: the new kid in town he’s terrified people will walk over him
Wants/Needs : He wants to go back to NY. He needs to assimilate here
Likability / Rooting factors: He’s gruff and overbearing, using physical threats to get his way. Has no clue how to deal with girls.
How they react under stress: Nat gets defensive, acts out in anger
Relationship with other characters: Assumes leadership to avoid exposing his insecurities.
What is their Character Journey for this story?
Character Intro: Nat challenges Mika and Arianna to assert his leadership, gets smacked down
Denial: He hides behind a brusque mask, afraid to allow anyone close.
Their reaction at first horror: Nearly pisses himself, covers with loud calls for retreat
Relation to group after first horror: He’s caught up in his lies, has to pretend to be confident and protect the group.
How they fight back: Argues every point, good or bad, seeks a consensus of thought before offering a strategy. Will throw anyone under the bus to save himself
End Point: Captured by the witch he’s challenged by Mika to show some courage, humiliated by his cowardice.
What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Escapes with the girls, growing into a new humility and humanity

Sacrificial Lamb: Johnny Ray Cobb, 17, a C student, he’s learning a trade to avoid working the family farm. A follower, hardly a brain but stubbornly religious.
What is their Character Profile?
Role: a born follower, Johnny’s working hard to be something other than a farmer
Traits: a dreamer, ambitious beyond his talents, easy going
Fears: Being stuck on the farm, poverty,
Wants/Needs : He wants a successful career. He needs to treat carpentry with respect for the dangers.
Likability / Rooting factors: Johnny’s a good-time Charlie, just trying to get through life
How they react under stress: Freaks out, crumbles under imagined disasters
Relationship with other characters: He’s the one usually overlooked in a group, but he’s pleasant, liable to help first without looking for payback.
What is their Character Journey for this story?
Character Intro: Johnny witnesses Nat’s argument with Mika, won’t take sides.
Denial: Scoffs at anything not concrete, dismissive.
Their reaction at first horror: physically sick, can’t handle the unknown.
Relation to group after first horror: Stay around me. I can’t be alone.
How they fight back: tries to run, throws anything he can to deter pursuit
End Point: Shock. Why me?
What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?

Red Herring – Ariana Rogers, 17, her talent for drawing got her into the carpentry class in preparation for an architectural degree. Her passion is to be an influencer in fashion design. Totally, so totally beyond superstition but then her cell phone dies.
What is their Character Profile?
Role: The class artist she defies Nat’s suggestions for design
Traits: Superficial, confident in her talents, dismissive, aloof
Fears: being left behind or losing contact, losing her phone
Wants/Needs : She wants a prestige job and money. She needs to grow up emotionally.
Likability / Rooting factors: Typical Gen Z wannabe, not really malicious just focused
How they react under stress: Falls apart. Can’t cope with critical thinking or strategy
Relationship with other characters: She courts friends as a means to an end, she doesn’t think deep so she really has nothing to offer.
What is their Character Journey for this story?
Character Intro: Arianna stands her ground when Nat questions her drawings
Denial: No, no, this isn’t on the internet so it can’t be real. None of this is real.
Their reaction at first horror: Grossed out, denies the portent of danger
Relation to group after first horror: Doesn’t know how to relate without her phone
How they fight back:
End Point:
What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?

Monster Bait – Rusty Collier, 17, the average kid, a worrier and easily freaked out by critters. The witchy whispers echoes his home life troubles in a rigid Christian home.
What is their Character Profile?
Role: Student, follower
Traits: Nervous, watchful, always on edge
Fears: making mistakes, authority figures, isolation
Wants/Needs : a good job to get away from home, needs release from childhood trauma
Likability / Rooting factors: a quiet kid always overlooked because he won’t draw attention to himself
How they react under stress: cowers, retreats to any corner to make himself invisible
Relationship with other characters: mostly ignored or dismissed as untrustworthy
What is their Character Journey for this story?
Character Intro: Nat’s shadow, not quite a suck up but definitely a weasel
Denial: ghosts have nothing on dad’s heavy hand you guys are so stupid
Their reaction at first horror: he’s blinded by a near miss with a nail gun, led by whispers away from the group and becomes the first victim.
Relation to group after first horror: where did he go? Should we bother to look?
How they fight back: crying won’t work, pleads for mercy weakly
End Point: his end is fairly quick
What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? What have we walked into and why can’t we get out?

Complainer – Bryan Stockholm, 17, the jock with minimal talent. He covers his lack of expertise and brains with complaints about every little thing. It’s always someone else’s fault or equipment failure.
What is their Character Profile?
Role: Student, athlete
Traits: selfish, patronizing, a player, ignorant
Fears: taking tests, failing to make the pros
Wants/Needs : a pro contract and easy money, needs – humility and a reality check
Likability / Rooting factors: bone-headed jock almost learns to be human
How they react under stress: seeks an easy way out, talks smack
Relationship with other characters: testy with the girls, a peacock with the guys
What is their Character Journey for this story?
Character Intro: regales the boys with details of his latest conquest
Denial: won’t admit he’s mediocre
Their reaction at first horror: grossed out, terrified at being a victim
Relation to group after first horror: seen as a poser, lost any respect
How they fight back: intimidates with words and presence, a bully
End Point: makes a move on Arianna that pulls Esperanza’s attention. The witch captures him, emasculates and rapes him with a broom
What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? This is a clue to defeating her, understanding her wrath. Dahlia has to find the right pages in the diaries for answers.

[Sophia Lee]

Sophia’s Character Journey Track (#8, 2/10/25)

What I learned during this assignment – continuing to build the story, layer by layer.

MAIN CHARACTERS: Eliza, Aracne, Xavril

All: Arcane, Eliza, Jonathan, Xavril, Lexan, Frank, George, Barry

A. What is their Character Profile?
1. Role: Eliza (the mistress who kills Arcane)
2. Traits: gorgeous/sexy. Fearless. Self-righteous.
3. Fears: getting old and being poor
4. Wants/Needs : everything to be on top
5. Likability / Rooting factors: she’s not likable.
6. How they react under stress: stresses out
7. Relationship with other characters: control freak
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
1. Character Intro: she has an affair with a her friend’s husband and kills her friend
2. Denial: she was hurrying up the process, but in doing so gets her lover killed
3. Their reaction at first horror: watching her lover die
4. Relation to group after first horror: everyone hates her
5. How they fight back: to survive they have to work together
6. End Point: they never work together
7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? She deserves what she get

A. What is their Character Profile?
8. Role: Xavril
9. Traits: mysterious, creepy, artistic, weird
10. Fears: no fears – she is in a state of acceptance
11. Wants/Needs : carry out ceremonies and performance art
12. Likability / Rooting factors: her weirdness – we ask is it real or not?
13. How they react under stress: art always comes first
14. Relationship with other characters: if it’s part of her journey, she gets along with anyone
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
8. Character Intro: as a performance artist she leads the ceremony, and orders Jonathan’s death by stabbing him and having everyone else follow
9. Denial: she doesn’t see anything wrong with her actions
10. Their reaction at first horror: it’s all part of her process
11. Relation to group after first horror: how to put it into a performance art piece
12. How they fight back: she doesn’t – she’s all about going with the flow and securing what’s hers
13. End Point: she’s the sole survivor
14. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? She’s part of a bigger picture than anyone will realize and is fine with it

A. What is their Character Profile?
15. Role: Arcane – wife of Jonathan, is thought to be killed, and is the killer
16. Traits: witty, intelligent, caring
17. Fears: losing her beauty and place in her circle
18. Wants/Needs: to be in control
19. Likability / Rooting factors: kills off those who messed with her
20. How they react under stress: we don’t see her alive again until the end
21. Relationship with other characters: everyone loves her
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
15. Character Intro: knows about her husband’s affair – Eliza sets her on fire leaving her for dead
16. Denial: we believe she is dead
17. Their reaction at first horror: helps another guest calm down
18. Relation to group after first horror: plots revenge = takes 3 years
19. How they fight back: gets everyone together
20. End Point: kills nearly everyone
21. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? She kills bad people, even though she is one of them.

[Ira Drower]

I Lewis Drower’s Character Journey Track – Lesson 8
What I learned doing this assignment is how defining the characters determines how they react to the terror and each other.
Character: Skeeter
A. What is their Character Profile?
1. Role: Provide knowledge about how plants respond to stimulus, survivor
2. Traits: knowledgeable, well-liked among the group, enables Becky’s drug addiction.
3. Fears: Of being deprived, of displaying his pain, of his failed relationships
4. Wants/Needs: a stable relationship, to find a way to destroy the attacking plants
5. Likability / Rooting factors: He truly cares about Becky, once adopted with little brother when he took the blame for a house fire his brother started.
6. How they react under stress: Inventive, creative in options for defense, manipulative, risky options harm some in group.
7. Relationship with other characters: a good friend to others, ex-boyfriend to Diane, Becky’s current squeeze.
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
1. Character Intro: works in a plant conservatory. Attend college studying botany.
2. Denial: He doesn’t buy into hype of rumors about campsite. Goes because it is a group event.
3. Their reaction at first horror: Shock. Becky is attacked by a plant while Skeeter is trapped by some trees trying to beat him with branches.
4. Relation to group after first horror: The group asks for his expertise regarding plants in general.
5. How they fight back: Devises a plan of attack with salt mixed with water. Sprays plants with a hose attached to a water tank.
6. End Point: Defeat plant creatures, saves himself and a few others.
7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? His survival shows his knowledge of plants and what can make them grow or die.

Character: Diane:
A. What is their Character Profile?
1. Role: To survive, Flamboyant, spoiled, but loyal to the group.
2. Traits: Prima Donna type, pretty and she knows it, achiever, goal oriented.
3. Fears: Of being worthless
4. Wants/Needs : Social status, acceptance by boyfriend who accepts her unconditionally.
5. Likability / Rooting factors: Root for her and Skeeter to reconnect, molested at a young age.
6. How they react under stress: being separated. She denies the horror then helps attack the
plants with an axe.
8. Relationship with other characters: They think she is spoiled and hooking up with Jack
because he is a star athlete and can get her into parties and sororities. She is still one of them.
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
1. Character Intro: Driving in Jack’s Camaro with top down. Feeling like a million bucks.
2. Denial: Rumors and failed memories are not socially acceptable, so she denies what she
Sees.
3. Their reaction at first horror: Numb to the violence, she remains in the cabin at first
believing the screams were laughter.
4. Relation to group after first horror: She sees the horror and grabs an axe to attack the
plants.
5. How they fight back: She works with the others to carry bags of salt from the shed to the
water tower.
6. End Point: Hoses down plants to kill them. Survives the night of the blood-red moon.
7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Privilege has its rank.

Character: Becky
A. What is their Character Profile?
1. Role: Nonconformist, Aloof, detached, heroin addict. 1st to Die
2. Traits: Loner, temperamental, sensual.
3. Fears: Being alone, losing identity, feeling inadequate
4. Wants/Needs : discovering herself, self-esteem
5. Likability / Rooting factors: sexy/group tries to help her with her struggles.
6. How they react under stress: goes for a swim
7. Relationship with other characters: Skeeter’s girlfriend
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
1. Character Intro: swim team member, best swimmer but kicked off team because wouldn’t
stop swimming at end of races.
2. Denial: thinks she can control her addiction. She can’t understand what is happening.
3. Their reaction at first horror: She is the one who remembers things but isn’t believed by the
group.
4. Relation to group after first horror: She is catatonic in a bunk with a tourniquet on her leg.
5. How they fight back: She tries to pull her leg free from attacking plant, screams for help.
6. End Point: Dies from blood loss after foot chopped off. She transforms into a water lily.
7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? The others start to
believe her wild tales of what happened to them when they were at the camp as kids.
Skeeter loses another girlfriend.

Character: Jack
A. What is their Character Profile?
1. Role: self-appoints himself as leader when attacked by plants.
2. Traits: Man’s man, hubris in that he thinks he can do anything since he is a football player.
3. Fears: not being in charge and the center of attention.
4. Wants/Needs : wants to be admired, needs empathy toward others.
5. Likability / Rooting factors: Disliked as a bully, but admired for guts standing up to plants.
6. How they react under stress: Attack terror head on.
7. Relationship with other characters: Diane’s boyfriend. Disliked by group but tolerated.
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
1. Character Intro: Driving his Camaro with Diane in passenger seat. Tells her his expectations
of their relationship.
2. Denial: Doesn’t believe any of the rumors or stories about Mystic Gardens.
3. Their reaction at first horror: Drives his Camaro directly into the bushes and plants
attacking other teens.
4. Relation to group after first horror: Let’s kill it. Grab some shears and start cutting.
5. How they fight back: attack plants, sneak into shed to pick up more weapons, captured by
the Caretaker, tied up. Injected by the Gardener Miss Marie and transforms into monstrous
plant.
6. End Point: Transforms into a carnivorous plant with vines for arms. Kills a cartel gang
member.
7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? This can happen to
any of them if the Gardener gets a hold of them.

Character: Grace
A. What is their Character Profile?
1. Role: provides the moral viewpoint of events. Questions everything, worrier.
2. Traits: Seeks truth, responsible, anxious, hates surprises.
3. Fears: being unloved.
4. Wants/Needs : to make a difference, to feel needed, to accept things at face value.
5. Likability / Rooting factors: she confronts her fears and runs toward the terror to battle it.
6. How they react under stress: screamer in the group, questions the plants motives.
7. Relationship with other characters: becomes outsider as she desires to save Miss Marie’s
Garden believing it has the power to affect the plants in the area.
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
1. Character Intro: Tutors math to a young boy, ward of the state.
2. Denial: no ghost stories please, just the facts, ma’am.
3. Their reaction at first horror: denial, she retreats inward at first.
4. Relation to group after first horror: adapts to fighting the plants but indecisive.
5. How they fight back: Uses boards from the cabin to attack the plants, then goes to shed
with Jack and Leah for weapons to fight the plant.
6. End Point: Survives the night but becomes possessed by the spirit of Miss Marie when she
enters the Mystic Gardens after battling the plants with Skeeter and Diane.
8. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Defines the 2 sides of
the Mystic Gardens which represent life and death.

Character: Rob
A. What is their Character Profile?
1. Role: Monster Candy
2. Traits: Fearful, fall guy, denies his anger. Kleptomaniac.
3. Fears: separation from the group, loss of support team.
4. Wants/Needs : to be needed by the group.
5. Likability / Rooting factors: sympathetic character. He can’t control his thievery.
6. How they react under stress: complacent, resigned to his fate.
7. Relationship with other characters: seeks support and reassurance.
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
1. Character Intro: Preps dinner for the group at group home, steals a watch from a
government official who checks in on them from Social Services.
2. Denial:
3. Their reaction at first horror: shattered human being, cannot function, wrings his hands
constantly asks, “what should we do?”
4. Relation to group after first horror: Anxious but accepts responsibility to help fight plants.
5. How they fight back: Saves Leah and Skeeter from the Caretaker and Gadener.
6. End Point: Consumed by a giant Venus Flytrap that ensnares and dissolves him.
7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Plants gotta eat.
Shows unpredictable nature of the plants at the camp.

Character: Leah
A. What is their Character Profile?
1. Role: sensible one
2. Traits: problem solver, reclusive, eccentric
3. Fears: being incompetent.
4. Wants/Needs : to be the smartest one in the room, to feel confidence.
5. Likability / Rooting factors: she is nice to the group and is a go-getter.
6. How they react under stress: perceptive but schizophrenic.
7. Relationship with other characters: they need her to help solve mystery
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
1. Character Intro: She is protesting at a college campus she doesn’t attend. She is a paid
protester.
2. Denial: doesn’t believe the rumors about Miss Marie’s death or Becky’s unreliable memory.
3. Their reaction at first horror: fends off 1st attack.
4. Relation to group after first horror: brings group together to try to discover an escape from
Mystic Gardens.
5. How they fight back: discovers hot water kills plants, then helps Skeeter load salt into water
Tower.
6. End Point: killed by a carnivorous plant inside the water tank as she cleared an obstruction .
7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Sometimes good people die too.

Character: Tony

A. What is their Character Profile?
1. Role: protector of the group, unofficial leader of group home.
2. Traits: extrovert, personable, skilled bike rider.
3. Fears: being controlled.
4. Wants/Needs : to save the group and forgive himself for being abandoned.
5. Likability / Rooting factors: nice guy, caring, wants to protect group from harm.
6. How they react under stress: Tries to bring group together to resolve crisis. Rides off for
help.
7. Relationship with other characters: Respected and well-liked by everyone except Jack.
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
1. Character Intro: Riding his bike in/out of traffic to bring spice back to group home for dinner.
2. Denial: ambivalent to rumors.
3. Their reaction at first horror: Takes terror at face value, not in denial, just shock.
4. Relation to group after first horror: Hero of the group, to ride for help.
5. How they fight back: Returns to cabin after confronting Cartel search party to warn others.
6. End Point: Dies from bullet wound, picks up Becky and takes her to lake where she turns
Into a water lily and he transforms into a mighty tree.
7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Becky’s memory of
injections when they attended camp as kids means they may all transform at some time.

Character: Caretaker
A. What is their Character Profile?
1. Role: monster enabler. He takes care of the camp.
2. Traits: Manipulative, vengeful
3. Fears: afraid to enter Miss Marie’s special garden.
4. Wants/Needs : overrun Miss Marie’s garden with monstrous plants, to go home.
5. Likability / Rooting factors: None. He is a monster maker.
6. How they react under stress: He kidnaps up teens to keep them safe.
7. Relationship with other characters: He is the Caretaker of the camp. He knows them even if
They can’t remember him.
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
1. Character Intro: Has monster plant in lake attack pot growers.
2. Denial: denies he is evil. He wants his rightful place in Mystic Gardens.
3. Their reaction at first horror: more, more, more
4. Relation to group after first horror: They think he is evil and creating the terrors.
5. How they fight back: he kidnaps the teens in his shed, unaware that Miss Marie is
Moving through the ground.
6. End Point: He returns to the woods after daybreak. Not to be seen again until the sequel.
7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Caretaker considers
himself to be the good guy.

Character: Master Gardener Miss Marie
A. What is their Character Profile?
1. Role: Mystic Camp Master Gardener
2. Traits: creator, a people-pleaser, possessive
3. Fears: fear of being evil.
4. Wants/Needs : Keep Garden Pristine, make more plants from people for garden.
5. Likability / Rooting factors: Hidden most of the story, appears as a shadow. The real
monster behind the monsters.
6. How they react under stress: Inject kids with a time-release substance that will change
Them into a plant for her garden.
7. Relationship with other characters: She was the gardening instructor when they attended
A state sponsored camping trip for underprivileged wards of the state.
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
1. Character Intro: Story and flashback of Caretaker cutting off her legs and Miss Marie diving
Into her garden to escape.
2. Denial: None
3. Their reaction at first horror: she doesn’t think it’s horror but a solution to unwanted kids.
4. Relation to group after first horror: They fear her.
5. How they fight back: she uses the ground to move within the campsite and injects fast acting solution into the cartel gang and Jack who she considers intruders.
6. End Point: She transfers her spirit into Grace so she can restart the camp.
7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? It’s still her garden and she is still in control within the confines of the camp grounds.

[Deborah Daughetee]

Debbie’s Character Journey

I learned how the journeys weave in and out of each others and how they generate the plot of the story.

Character Journey – Lillith
Character Intro
Lillith and her girls arrive at the Riverboat. Cassius welcomes them. Quinn ogles them and Lillith puts him in his place.
Denial
Lilith has a growing sense of unease when she sees Cassius and the men evaluating the girls like property. She passes it off as the misogyny of the times.
Reaction to the first horror
When the room of dead men is found, Lillith knows that something supernatural is happening. She investigates the room looking for magical clues. She then does a ritual of protection for her and the girls.
Relation to group after the horror
She takes charge and begins to investigate. She draws Quinn in against his will at first. She is able to get people to do things they would rather not do.
They fight back
She uses a spell to force the monster to reveal itself. After the monster appears to her and reveals her face, Lilith realizes it is her grandmother and doesn’t want to kill it. But she saw the aversion to salt and arms Quinn and herself for another encounter. The idea is to make it flee rather than to kill it.
End Point
She survives with the knowledge of what happened to her grandmother and the other women on the riverboat. It almost happened to her. She joins forces with Quinn and Samson to prevent anyone else from trying to traffic women. They are now a little family unit.
What Insight des her survive bring to her and the audience
• Power is an illusion if you don’t recognize the danger.
• Monsters are just supernatural, human monsters can be worse
• You can’t ignore your instincts – they are you best protection
• Some cycles are meant to be broken
Character Journey – Quinn
Character Intro:
• Quinn is already aboard the riverboat when the women arrive.
• He is a gambler, drifter, and opportunist—a man who thrives in places where rules are loose and stakes are high.
• When the dancers step onto the boat, he ogles them, flashing his usual cocky smirk.
• Lilith shuts him down immediately, putting him in his place with a sharp remark or humiliating him in front of others.
• He laughs it off, but there’s a flicker of respect beneath the surface.
Denial:
• Quinn believes in luck and strategy, not curses or monsters.
• When strange things start happening, he dismisses them:
o “It’s just a run of bad luck.”
o “Somebody must have made the wrong man angry.”
o “Ghosts don’t kill people. People kill people.”
• His real denial is about his own nature—he sees himself as a survivor, not a hero.
• He doesn’t want to get involved. The world is cruel, and he’s learned to look out for himself.
Their Reaction at First Horror:
• When the first real horror strikes (maybe the men are found dead in a locked room), Quinn’s bravado cracks—but only for a moment.
• His instinct is to get out:
o “I don’t know what’s going on, but I do know when it’s time to fold.”
Relation to Group After First Horror:
• Quinn shifts from charming rogue to reluctant ally.
• Lilith doesn’t trust him at first—she sees him as a man who looks out for himself.
• The Black crewman and others see him as unreliable, someone who will jump ship when things get tough.
• He starts watching Cassius more closely, realizing there’s more happening on this boat than just a haunting.
How They Fight Back:
• Quinn uses his wit, manipulation, and sleight of hand to gain access places he shouldn’t be..
• He eavesdrops, steals, and lies when necessary.
• He is quick with a gun and agile in a fight.
• When he discovers Cassius’ ledger, it’s the moment where he fully commits to the fight.
o “This isn’t just business. This is slavery.”
• He helps Lilith break into the locked cargo hold to rescue the women.
• In the final act, he stands with her, proving he’s not just here for himself anymore.
End Point:
• Quinn survives, but he isn’t the same man who boarded the boat.
• He started out thinking this was just another game, but he leaves knowing he was part of something bigger than himself.
• He may still be a gambler, but now he’s willing to bet on more than just himself.
• He will go with Lilith and the girls and Samson and they will form a unit that is beneficial to them all.
What Insight Does His Survival Bring to Others/The Audience?
• A man can change if he chooses to.
• You don’t have to start as a hero to do the right thing.
• Survival isn’t just about saving yourself—it’s about who you fight for.
• Sometimes, the biggest gamble is standing for something.

Cassius’ Character Journey
Character Intro:
• Cassius is wealthy, well-dressed, and completely in control. He owns the riverboat, and with it, the fate of everyone aboard.
• He is a charming host, welcoming the women on board and personally showing them to their rooms.
Denial:
• Cassius doesn’t believe in ghosts, curses, or vengeance from beyond the grave.
o “Dead men don’t come back. The past is just the past.”
• Even as the deaths begin, he remains calm, dismissive.
• His real denial?
o He refuses to believe that he can be touched.
o He sees himself as untouchable, above consequence.
• He tells himself:
o “This is just business. Nothing personal.”
o “Wealth buys protection. Wealth buys silence.”
o “No one is coming for me. No one ever does.”
Their Reaction at First Horror:
• When the room of men die, Cassius is shocked, but doesn’t happen. He looks at the captain – Guess we have to find some new buyers. He says to get the girls and lock them up until they find those buyers.
Relation to Group After First Horror:
• His charm begins to crack—the cold-blooded businessman emerges. When the girls disappear, he tells Lilith that a row boat is missing. They must and made a run for it. Lilith knows that isn’t true. He much more curt and there is fear lurking underneath that he is losing control, not to mention he has no idea what happened to the men.
How They Fight Back:
• Cassius uses fear and intimidation.
• He orders Jonas to deal with Lilith and Quinn.
• He bribes or threatens crew members into staying silent.
• When he realizes the monster only kills men involved in the trafficking, he tries to offer it someone else in his place.
o First, he lets Jonas die.
o Then, in desperation, he tries to sacrifice Lilith.
End Point:
• By the time Cassius realizes he is doomed, it’s too late.
• He has one last move—he grabs a gun and tries to kill Lilith, Quinn, or anyone who might expose him.
• But the river does not forget.
• The Revenant Queen rises again.
• His death is slow, humiliating, and final.
• The man who thought he was untouchable is dragged down, screaming.
What Insight Does His Death Bring to Others/The Audience?
• No one is above judgment.
• The past will catch up with you.
• Wealth can buy silence, but it cannot buy mercy.
• He thought this was business. The river made it personal.
• Sins of the father (grandfather) are visited upon the son (grandson)

Captain Harlan Graves’ Character Journey
Character Intro:
• Captain Harlan Graves is a bitter, entitled, and obnoxious man. He watches the passengers board, and has a hostile reaction to the women. He watches the rich men and the longing is clear.
Denial:
• Graves resents the women aboard, but he doesn’t fully understand what’s happening to them.
• When bad luck starts—the snag in the water, the unnatural stillness, the whispers in the fog—he shrugs it off.
o “The river’s always been cruel.”
o “Men drown every day. Nothing new about that.”
His Reaction at First Horror (Room Full of Dead Men):
• For the first time, the river has truly unsettled him.
• He decides to turn the boat around and return to port. Then they hit the snag and the fog, and he knows that the river itself is working against them and he is terrified. He locks himself in his cabin with his whiskey.
Relation to Group After First Horror:
• He becomes more irritable, more paranoid.
• He stops sleeping, pacing the deck, drinking more. He avoids people and when Cassius finds him, ignores him and heads back to his cabin
How They Fight Back:
• Graves doesn’t fight back—First he hides in a bottle, then he flees.
End Point:
• Graves lowers a hidden rowboat into the water. He rows away, panting, looking back at the cursed boat, thinking he’s finally free. The river eats him.
• Harlan Graves never learns, never changes, never grows. He dies exactly as he lived—selfish, bitter, and alone. The river does not forgive, and it takes him the way it took his grandfather.
What Insight Does His Death Bring to Others/The Audience?
• Cowards don’t escape fate.
• You can’t outrun the past—it will drag you under.
• Complicity is guilt.
• He could have done the right thing. He never even tried.
• His entire life was spent waiting for something better—he died with nothing.
Samson’s Character Journey
Character Intro:
• Samson is a crewman, strong, quiet, and deeply tied to the river. He goes to check on the crewman who was freeing the paddle wheel from the weird seaweed, and finds nothing but a muddy deck. The paddle wheel is clean. Samson is annoyed that he has to clean up the mess. He doesn’t see the crewman’s hat in the water, but has a bad feeling about this.
Denial:
• Samson is a man of instinct. He feels when something is off, and this boat is wrong. The river doesn’t feel right.
• But he tells himself:
o “Just the water playing tricks.”
o “I seen strange things before. Ain’t my fight.”
His Reaction at First Horror (Room Full of Dead Men):
• Samson steps into the room, expecting another mess to clean up.
• Instead, he finds bodies and a room full of mud and water.
• He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t panic. He says in a quiet voice: “The river’s angry.”
Relation to Group After First Horror:
• Samson tells Lilith to keep a close eye on the girls as they return to port. But then they hit the snag. He says to Lilith, I don’t think the river is going to let us go just yet.
How He fights back
• The boat is stuck on a massive snag.
• Samson goes into the water to free it and is attacked by two giant catfish.
• Quinn tries to pull him out, but he’s pulled back in and disappears beneath the muddy water.
• Later, when Samson climbs back on board, he uses a lantern to “kill” the Revenant Queen.
End Point: A Place Where He Belongs
• He understands who the Revenant Queen was and her relationlship to Lilith. Agrees to work for Lillith as they go to other riverboats.
What Insight Does His Survival Bring to Others/The Audience?
Samson starts as a man who only looks out for himself. By the end, he’s found something worth fighting for, worth staying for. He isn’t just surviving anymore—he’s living.

Bonnie Lou Grayson’s Character Journey
Character Intro:
• Bonnie Lou is the life of the party—loud, funny, and a dazzling dancer.
• She thrives in attention and admiration, always performing, always shining.
• So when they arrive at the riverboat, she’s a smiling flirt finding an adamant admirer in Quinn and all the men.
• Lillith grabs her arm and ushers her inside the riverboat.
Denial:
o That having a man in her bed offers her security and safety.
o That betraying the women who saved her makes her worse than the men who would sell them.

Her Reaction at First Horror (Room Full of Dead Men):
• Bonnie Lou is terrified, not of the room per se, but what was going to happen now? Was her deal with Cassius still in place? Was she still going to get her money. Was he going to tell Lilith about her?
Relation to Group After First Horror:
• Bonnie Lou sticks closer to Lilith and the girls, acting as if she’s one of them.
• She comforts them, laughs, plays the fool—makes sure they never suspect her.
• She still meets with Cassius in secret.
• But now, she’s getting nervous.
• She asks Cassius:
o “You sure you got this under control?”
o “The others… they’re startin’ to ask questions.”
• Cassius reassures her, but she isn’t so sure anymore.
How She Fights Back
• She Pleases Cassius in bed.
• She keeps the ladies calm, keeps them distracted, keeps them from suspecting.
• When the monster shows up for her, she runs and hides, but not well enough.
• The water recedes. The hallway is empty.
What Insight Does Her Death Bring to Others/The Audience?
Bonnie Lou’s journey is one of survival gone wrong. She wanted security, wealth, a future, but she sold her soul to get it. Desperation makes monsters of us all.
Jonas Drake’s Character Journey
Character Intro:
• Jonas is the enforcer and jailer—Cassius’ most trusted thug. We meet him as he and Quinn watch the women and then the rich men come on board. Quinn asks him if he gambles. Not on cards. Too many cheats out there. I like horse races, fights, dice.
• He has a plan.
o Get paid.
o Take one of the women for himself.
o Head to the gold fields and make his fortune.
• He isn’t afraid of the law, the river, or God.
• He has no doubts, no hesitations. He is already counting his winnings.
Denial:
• Jonas doesn’t fear death because he doesn’t think it can touch him.
• When things start getting strange—bad luck, unnatural silence, whispers in the fog—he laughs it off.
o “The river’s always hungry. Ain’t nothing new.”
o “Ghost stories are for fools.”
• When the first man dies horribly, he smirks.
o “Looks like he owed someone more than he could pay.”
• His real denial?
o That he isn’t the one in control.
o That his fate was sealed the moment he stepped aboard this boat.
His Reaction at First Horror (Room Full of Dead Men):
• Jonas doesn’t react like the others.
• He leans against the doorframe, sipping from his flask.
• His eyes scan the bodies—mud-choked mouths, bloated skin, riverweed hanging from their hands.
• He takes another drink. Shrugs.
o “Looks like they had a bad night.”
• Then, he chuckles.
o “Guess that means more money for me.”
Relation to Group After First Horror:
• He keeps up the act—grinning, joking, acting like nothing is wrong.
• But he starts drinking more.
• His ruthlessness ramps up.
• He starts locking the women away tighter, doubling the chains.
• He wants to take control before someone else does.
What Insight Does His Death Bring to Others/The Audience?
• Nobody is untouchable.
• Evil deeds spawn terrible retribution
• No matter how tough a monster you may be, there’s always a bigger, badder monster out there.

[Pam Ewing]

Pam’s Character Journeys

What I Learned doing this assignment – that the monster and horror took first position but the connection character connections still needs to be there. I realized that I had some characters that are secondary and haven’t been put in the story outline yet.

Character Profile – The Groom – TOM

1. Role: The Leader
2. Traits: Controlling, smart but emotionally weak
3. Fears: being humiliated through work, at the altar, by all the doctors/professors looking down on him
4. Wants/Needs: respect/acclaim, to be in control
5. Likability/Rooting factors: he stood by the bride when she had cancer, he is smart
6. How they react under stress: He lashes out – can’t control himself
7. Relationship with other characters: controls the bride, has business relationship with Bride’s friend Maggie, is jealous of the Bride’s protective friend Gary, likes the curmudgeonly guy, Dale

TOM – Character Journey:

1. Tom – CJ – Character Intro: wants to control everything/he planned the trip/not participating in the group
2. Tom – CJ – Denial: he can’t believe he’s not perfect
3. Tom – CJ – Their reaction to the first horror: oblivious/denies what Annise sees-feels
4. Tom – CJ – Relation to the group after the first horror: forcing them to deny that it is more than coincidence
5. Tom – CJ – How they fight back: He always has his hackles up
6. Tom – CJ – End Point: keeps going to the end and willing to kill his love than accept rejection
7. Tom – CJ – What insights do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Right before his death he realizes that his control mechanism has a function that is killing him/he loses

Character Profile – The Bride – Annise

1. Role: The Innocent – Survivor
2. Traits: faithful, concerned for others even though she’s the one who had cancer
3. Fears: for her friends, her health, her groom
4. Wants/Needs: she wants life to be under control, calm, able to be anticipated and relied on
5. Likability/Rooting factors: She is put upon, we fear for her relationship with the groom, we want her to continue her health journey
6. How they react under stress: She’s often confused and slow to react but learns to test the fight in herself
7. Relationship with other characters: She trusts her friends Maggie, Susan, and the Groom, she likes Gary but the timing has never worked out, she respects Dale and sees him as funny

Annise – Character Journey:

1. Annise – CJ – Character Intro: She’s part of the group that everyone wants to help or be close to/she’s a bit delicate
2. Annise – CJ – Denial: She doesn’t trust what she’s seeing or experiencing
3. Annise – CJ – Their reaction to the first horror: actively shuts down the belief it is real
4. Annise – CJ – Relation to the group after the first horror: she’s scared but puts on a brave face for them and doesn’t tell them as it could kill the party buzz
5. Annise – CJ – How they fight back: she has to learn to fight back – belief/research/feign non-belief/run away/fights back/controls/accepts in order to save her life
6. Annise – CJ – End Point: she bonds with the monsters tools will a plan for a better result
7. Annise – CJ – What insights do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? She survived cancer so she didn’t think anything could be more challenging but this required more than a positive attitude and following a doctor’s protocol

Character Profile – The Bride’s Friend – Maggie

1. Role: Rescuer
2. Traits: Faithful friend, driven medical researcher to cure cancer, might have blinders on at times
3. Fears: fears for her friend and her research
4. Wants/Needs: She wants to be successful in an altruistic way to cure cancer
5. Likability/Rooting factors: She is a good friend, intelligent, maybe so focused that she is naive at times and we hope for her safety
6. How they react under stress: She just buckles down and gets down to work
7. Relationship with other characters: Loves Annise and Dale, has a professional respect for Gary, thinks she has a good relationship with Tom as has tried to include him for Annises’s sake

Maggie – Character Journey:

1. Maggie – CJ – Character Intro: Life of the party/everyone has to know she’s a social kingpin
2. Maggie – CJ – Denial: she comforts friend and takes in the details just in case there is something real
3. Maggie – CJ – Their reaction to the first horror: when she actually connects the dots she tries to warn Annise
4. Maggie – CJ – Relation to the group after the first horror: she’s dead
5. Maggie – CJ – How they fight back: she murmurs a clue with her dying breath
6. Maggie – CJ – End Point: relays important info and dies under the monster’s control
7. Maggie – CJ – What insights do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? At the very end of the movie she is proven smarter than the villain groom because her tech has a backdoor that attacks him

Character Profile – The supportive guy – Gary

1. Role: Moral One
2. Traits: He really is in love with Annise but hasn’t had a chance, despite this he is very protective of her and how she deserves to be treated
3. Fears: that something will harm Annise, that things don’t go as they should
4. Wants/Needs: wants everyone to be treated well, wants to resolutions
5. Likability/Rooting factors: he’s Annise’s protector, he stands up to Tom, he is intelligent and caring doctor
6. How they react under stress: he becomes selfless shield trying to protect others
7. Relationship with other characters: loves Annise, respects Maggie, suspicious/jealous of Tom, feels sorry for Dale, his date Susan is someone he like but the relationship lacks passion

Gary – Character Journey:

1. Gary – CJ – Character Intro: When he comes to Annise’s aide/asserts his superior role as a doctor
2. Gary – CJ – Denial: that Annise could really prefer a jerk like Tom
3. Gary – CJ – Their reaction to the first horror: when he fights Tom he feels supernatural strength but it just confuses him since he’s never been a physical fighter
4. Gary – CJ – Relation to the group after the first horror: it’s too late, he’s died
5. Gary – CJ – How they fight back: His death looks like natural causes but it gives Maggie a clue to follow and a caution for Annise
6. Gary – CJ – End Point: Early on because unknowing that there is a killer, he challenged that killer
7. Gary – CJ – What insights do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Whatever your credentials or intentions the killer can strike – the killer is in control until you can confront them

Character Profile – The frustrated failure – Dale

1. Role: Red Herring
2. Traits: curmudgeonly from failure and being overlooked for his work, however he has a droll sense of humor or a good drunk to help him through, because of his sullen attitude and lack of success he looks like a likely villain
3. Fears: that he could actually sink lower and be forgotten
4. Wants/Needs: he would like a win but is unsure if he will get another opportunity or will be able to succeed if he does
5. Likability/Rooting factors: we feel a bit sorry for him but appreciate his humor
6. How they react under stress: he drinks and avoids
7. Relationship with other characters: he loves and respects Maggie and Annise because of Maggie, The rest he endures or ignores

Dale – Character Journey:

1. Dale – CJ – Character Intro: Maggie’s sidekick with snide humor to her optimism
2. Dale – CJ – Denial: Sure there could e a killer but life kills us all and jobs are a contributing factor, let’s drink
3. Dale – CJ – Their reaction to the first horror: He knows something’s wrong but without a direct link he’s helpless to fight it
4. Dale – CJ – Relation to the group after the first horror: he helps save Susan’s life before he succumbs to the shark attack
5. Dale – CJ – How they fight back: helps other person
6. Dale – CJ – End Point: dies of what looks like a plausible natural situation
7. Dale – CJ – What insights do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Some things are more immediate, frightening, and lethal than the boogey man

Character Profile – Childhood Friend – Susan

1. Role: Complainer
2. Traits: She and Annise have been friends so long that it is just an old habit, she is bored and points out how everything is wrong and could be improved, tries to be in on the most exciting/new trends
3. Fears: she knows she’s not the most interesting person so she doesn’t want to be left out
4. Wants/Needs: to be included, to come off as smarter/better than she is
5. Likability/Rooting factors: she can be overly glam and out of step no matter how hard she tries makes her more likeable than the slick trendsetter she tries to be
6. How they react under stress: she falls apart in a way that draws all the attention to her
7. Relationship with other characters: she is Annise’s oldest friend, she like that Gary is with her rather than Annise, she doesn’t like Tom but she’s not marrying him, the rest are just part of the group she has

Susan – Character Journey:

1. Susan – CJ – Character Intro: at the airport she is more of an outsider just offering platitudes
2. Susan – CJ – Denial: She’s suspicious of the voodoo but otherwise she’s oblivious
3. Susan – CJ – Their reaction to the first horror: she doesn’t see the link between her inability to breathe and the monster
4. Susan – CJ – Relation to the group after the first horror: too late – she’s dead
5. Susan – CJ – How they fight back: she fights to breathe, needs and gets help
6. Susan – CJ – End Point: plausible health incident not related to monster
7. Susan – CJ – What insights do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Just another puzzle piece for others to figure out

Character Profile – Voodoo Priestess – Manbo

1. Role: Red Herring – Survivor
2. Traits: She’s all about the money so she pumps the voodoo as her business and knows just enough to be credible to the tourists, the voodoo connection makes her suspicious
3. Fears: real voodoo people but generally they view her as comic
4. Wants/Needs: wants to make the money and be in the know
5. Likability/Rooting factors: she’s more street smart and compassionate than we’d expect
6. How they react under stress: she steps up – to get the details and decide how to play it
7. Relationship with other characters: she plays them all with her fortune telling, Annise stands out because she asked interesting questions

Character Journey:

1. Manbo – CJ – Character Intro: at the Haiti airport she’s welcoming people with cautionary omens
2. Manbo – CJ – Denial: she has seen too much to deny it
3. Manbo – CJ – Their reaction to the first horror: to rescue Annise and help her escape
4. Manbo – CJ – Relation to the group after the first horror: really only Annise and the monster remain
5. Manbo – CJ – How they fight back: run, hide, differentiate between voodoo and real monster
6. Manbo – CJ – End Point: she continues after the monster has been killed
7. Manbo – CJ – What insights do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? She has a healthy skepticism of monsters and believes you can fight

Character Profile – Tattoo Artist – Big Cheddy

1. Role: Rebel/Rule Breaker
2. Traits: He is a jovial businessman and wants to be progressive with the tourist trade
3. Fears: only the competition
4. Wants/Needs: Wants to make a good buck, would be happy to be known for good work
5. Likability/Rooting factors: jovial, puts up with tourists
6. How they react under stress: laughs it off but takes action to protect
7. Relationship with other characters: he gives them all tattoos and glib advice

Character Journey:

1. Big Cheddy – CJ – Character Intro: At the tattoo shop where he is the center of attention
2. Big Cheddy – CJ – Denial: tries to help Annise but if the ink plays into the monster’s game, then he doesn’t want to be complicit so he calls the police
3. Big Cheddy – CJ – Their reaction to the first horror: when physically confronted by the grotesque form of Tom he fights and aides Annise
4. Big Cheddy – CJ – Relation to the group after the first horror: nope, they are dead
5. Big Cheddy – CJ – How they fight back: He has already called the police and he hopes they will show up before he loses the fight
6. Big Cheddy – CJ – End Point: killed at his tattoo shop by his equipment
7. Big Cheddy – CJ – What insights do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Even what we love can be used against us if a monster it behind it