Lesson 9

[Timothy Barley]

Tim Barley’s Horror Outline Version #1

What I learned is that, again, writing from an outline into basic scenes is better than going from outline to full writing.

(very basic and first pass of the) Outline for “Reflected”

Prologue: Vivian’s Origin
INT. VIVIAN’S STUDIO – NIGHT
Vivian, a famous style maker, examines herself in a large mirror, obsessing over her appearance. Her reflection suddenly smiles back at her—a twisted, distorted version of her face. Her reflection reaches through the glass, dragging Vivian into the mirror. Her doppelgänger steps out, smiling cruelly. The original Vivian pounds on the other side of the glass before disappearing into darkness. The new Vivian, unchanged and ageless, adjusts her appearance and steps into the world.
ACT 1: Welcome to the Retreat
EXT. SECLUDED BEACH HOUSE – DAY
The remote beach house sits under overcast skies. A storm brews on the horizon as influencers arrive in luxury cars, excited for the exclusive retreat. The ocean crashes against the rocks, creating an ominous backdrop.
INT. BEACH HOUSE FOYER – DAY
Vivian greets the influencers, her charm unsettling yet magnetic. Tyler is visibly suspicious of her, while the others are too captivated by the luxurious surroundings to notice. She offers a cryptic toast to “transformation.”
INT. BEACH HOUSE – NIGHT
The storm hits hard, cutting off all communication and trapping the group inside. The influencers notice subtle oddities in the mirrors—reflections that move too fast or hold unsettling smiles. They laugh it off, chalking it up to nerves or the strange energy of the house.
INT. BEACH HOUSE – VARIOUS ROOMS – NIGHT
Conrad, the cryptic groundskeeper, warns them about the mirrors, calling Vivian “the ghost of the airwaves.” His words are met with laughter, but Tyler pays close attention. The group jokes and continues exploring the house.
ACT 2: Unraveling Horror
INT. BROOKE’S ROOM – NIGHT
Brooke sets up her phone to record a vlog in front of an antique mirror. Her reflection lags behind her movements before grabbing her by the throat. She struggles, but it pulls her into the mirror, leaving bloody streaks behind. Her doppelgänger steps out, adjusting its smile.
INT. LIVING ROOM – NIGHT
The group searches for Brooke, annoyed by what they think is a prank. Tyler notices the blood on the mirror but keeps his thoughts to himself. Jonah dismisses Tyler’s concerns, calling them superstitions. Tension rises between them.
EXT. POOL AREA – NIGHT
Jonah washes his face in the pool, staring into his reflection. The water distorts his face before it reaches up and yanks him under. He thrashes beneath the water as his doppelgänger holds him down. The group finds his dry doppelgänger wandering back into the house, convinced he’s fine.
INT. DINING ROOM – NIGHT
Panic sets in as the group realizes that Jonah and Brooke are acting strangely. Tyler shares his theory about Vivian’s myth and the mirror world. The others mock him, but Lily listens closely. They start covering the mirrors with sheets, desperate to prevent further attacks.
INT. SOPHIA’S ROOM – NIGHT
Sophia, drawn to a mirror, sees a more perfect version of herself. She touches the glass, and her reflection pulls her in, snapping her bones as it does. Her doppelgänger steps out, flawless and chillingly calm.
INT. BATHROOM – NIGHT
Cassidy, frantic and desperate to maintain her appearance, leans into a cracked mirror to fix her makeup. The glass shatters outward, slicing her face and body to pieces. Her doppelgänger emerges, looking down at her mangled body with a detached smile.
INT. HALLWAY – NIGHT
Riley hears what he thinks is Brooke’s voice calling for help behind a mirror. He reaches in, and his reflection crushes him inside the glass. His doppelgänger steps through, twisting his head unnaturally to match the smile.
ACT 3: Desperate Measures
INT. DARKROOM – NIGHT
Zara isolates herself, hiding in the shadows of the darkroom. Her reflection looms behind her in a window, pulling her head against the glass until it crushes her skull. Her doppelgänger steps out, smoothing her hair with a smile.
INT. BASEMENT – NIGHT
Mason tries to destroy the mirrors, but a large mirror wall shatters, sending shards flying into him. Pinned against the wall, he bleeds out as his doppelgänger steps through the broken glass, mirroring his last pained expression.
INT. STUDY – NIGHT
Tyler and Lily find notes about Vivian’s history and the mirror world. Tyler realizes that sunlight can weaken the doppelgängers. The first light of dawn offers them a glimmer of hope.
EXT. BEACH HOUSE – DAWN
Tyler and Lily use the rising sun’s light reflected off the ocean to confront their doppelgängers. Tyler’s double lunges at him, but he traps it in a shattered mirror, using sunlight to weaken it.
Final Confrontation & Resolution
INT. BEACH HOUSE FOYER – DAWN
As Tyler catches his breath, he spots Zara’s reflection in a window, grinning back at him. Vivian appears briefly in a distant mirror, offering a final, cryptic smile before fading away. Lily and Tyler realize the battle is not truly over, and the mirror world’s grip may return.
EXT. SECLUDED BEACH HOUSE – DAWN
Tyler and Lily stand at the edge of the property, looking out over the stormy ocean. As they stare at their own reflections in the water, Tyler’s reflection smirks back before disappearing beneath the waves. They walk away, haunted by the knowledge that the danger lingers.

• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  Timothy Barley.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  Timothy Barley.

[Dean Burkey]

Dean’s Horror Outline Version 1
What I learned is a better way to envision the story and plot out the events.
ACT 1: The Arrival of the Myst
EXT. SEASIDE TOWN – SUNRISE
A MYSTerious MYST moves through a seaside town that teems with new red antennas all around. Tortured screams abound.
EXT. CITY HALL – DAY
The Myst leaves silently. Five women lie dead, each with a bullet in her forehead. No one else is to be found in this once thriving town.
EXT. GOVERNOR’S OFFICE – DAY
Rich. Regal. Exudes power and authority.
INT. GOVERNOR’S OFFICE – DAY
When informed, the GOVERNOR orders that that tragedy be kept out of the news. Wealthy elite HARGROVE agrees to keep everything quiet.
EXT. ELDERGROVE – DAY
Welcome to the seaside town of Eldergrove, which seems like an ideal town, with lots of community events and everyone getting along.
Just the sort of out of the way town to get selected by Hargrove Communications to become beta testers for a new Internet / TV service to “connect” them with the real world.
Red antennas pop up all over town.
Less and less people attend the community events.
INT. ELDERGROVE – SUNSET
Six weeks after become beta-testers, that same mysterious Myst visits. Some citizens disappear.
The others assume they left town for personal reasons.
More people disappear in the Myst. – Disappear permanently!
Sarah runs from the Myst, but gets cornered and can’t run anymore.
People become more aware of the Myst making people disappear.
After Sarah disappears, people begin to consider the real dangers of the Myst.
ACT 2: Fear and Paranoia
EXT. ELDERGROVE – DAY
George uses an electric leaf-blower to stave off the Myst. But then the power goes out; and he gets engulfed.
Marcus uses a gas-powered leaf-blower, but it bursts into flames.
INT. HOUSE – DAY
The others stay locked inside.
The Myst defends itself in order to accomplish its goal: The annihilation of everyone in town.
EXT. ELDERGROVE – NIGHT
As night falls, the Myst takes on shadowy forms and appears to be alive, stalking the villagers, creating fear and paranoia.
INT. CITY HALL – NIGHT
Survivors, including Anna, Marcus, Claire, Daniel, and Dr. Evelyn Hart, stay in the village hall, trying to find safety in numbers.
The Myst uses the villagers’ fears against them, making them suspicious of one another. Marcus hears the voice of his late wife and steps into the Myst.
Claire becomes more withdrawn.
The Myst knows things about each person, so it’s more than just some Abracadabra fog making people disappear; its a MYSTerious entity instigating and thriving upon people’s fears.
ACT 3: Resolution?
INT. CITY HALL – DAY
Dr. Evelyn Hart deduces that the Myst feeds on despair and isolation. She tries to keep the group together emotionally, but her warnings are ignored as paranoia grows stronger.
She figures out that the Myst has something to do with the beta-test program for Hargrove Communications. The individualized programming separated people, making them more vulnerable and more “attractive” to the Myst.
Survivors start blaming each other for attracting the Myst.
EXT. ELDERGROVE – DAY
The Myst drives people apart. This division causes Marcus to step into the Myst, leading to his disappearance, and
Claire isolates herself further.
INT. CITY HALL – DAY
Anna tries to connect with Daniel, urging him to stay strong to fight the Myst.
Daniel, burdened by guilt and despair, begins to break down, but agrees to help however he can.
They manage to find a glimmer of hope by holding hands and sharing their fears, seemingly weakening the Myst temporarily.
Dr. Evelyn Hart pleads for everyone to stay together and to work together to destroy the signal from the red antennas.
EXT. ELDERGROVE – DAY
Daniel and Claire start knocking down the red antennas. The Myst grows weaker with each newly destroyed red antenna. So the Myst comes at Daniel and Claire full force, Daniel jumps off the roof, but Claire’s too afraid to jump and becomes engulfed by the Myst. Claire gets taken by the Myst.
INT. CITY HALL – DAY
Dr. Hart, Anna, her son, and Daniel clutch each other inside a the town hall.
The Myst seeps full force through cracks and under the doors to envelope them. Dr. Hart tells them to stay strong and keep their eyes closed.
Anna’s son becomes curious and peeks. The Myst takes him away.
Afraid Anna will open her eyes, Daniel opens his, so he can see to cover Anna’s eyes with his hands, pleading for her to keep them closed.
Daniel disappears.
Dr. Hart and Anna clutch each other with their eyes clenched closed, tears streaming down their faces. The Myst recedes, leaving Dr. Hart and Anna all alone. Eldergrove Population: Two.
EXT. CITY HALL – DAY
Seeing that the Myst receded, Dr. Hart and Anna run outside, sad everyone else died, but happy that they survived. They smile and hug and jump for joy. Kablam! Kablam! Bullets fired from a sniper hit them in their forehead. Eldergrove Population: Zero.
EXT. BASE CAMP – DAY
The sniper is Scientist 1: “Two survived this time. The Myst is getting better.”
Scientist 2: “Weird though. How the survivors never men.”
Scientist 1 calls Hargrove to inform him that the town has been “evacuated”.
EXT. ELDERGROVE – SUNSET
The scientists quickly remove and dispose of Dr. Hart and Claire’s bodies.
A government team arrives to investigate the disappearance of everyone, along with Mr. Hargrove, who quickly buys the village under the guise of helping, hinting at further sinister plans. Hargrove agrees to keep everything quiet, so he won’t ruin the governor’s chances of re-election. He also agrees to have his top scientists figure what could be causing such a MYSTerious phenomena.
EXT. SEASIDE TOWN – DAY
The Myst rolls into a new, isolated town, teeming with new red antennas.
EXT. BASE CAMP – DAY
Two scientists oversee the operation from a distance, hinting that Mr. Hargrove has a bigger plan; and the cycle is far from over. So the Myst isn’t so MYSTerious after all, for as long as there is greed and despair, the Myst will be there.

[David Wetzel]

Dave Wetzel’s Horror Outline Version 1

What I learned doing this assignment is if you follow the rough outline that you’ve already laid out, you can get good idea of where your story works and what needs to be refined.

INT – DARK PASSAGEWAY – NIGHT

A terrified student runs along a dark passage, growls can be heard close behind. The student pulls on an old metal door, but he can’t open it.

EXT – SCHOOL GROUNDS – NIGHT

The student finally opens the door and tries to escape; a huge claw spins him around and he screams in horror.

The student is torn to pieces and left on the snowy school grounds.

INT – SCHOOL LIBRARY – DAY

The school is buzzing with the news of the attack. There’s a rumor going around that a similar string of attacks happened at the school every twenty years ago.

The gang discreetly discusses the grisly murder during study hall, the janitor, “Nearest,” overhears them.

INT – SCHOOL OFFICE – DAY

Jennifer and Nearest are friends and are having lunch together, Nearest tells Jennifer about the gang’s interest in the killing.

Nearest tells Jennifer that the gang is known for solving small time mysteries around school like stolen property etc.

INT – SCHOOL AUDITORIUM – DAY

The dean of the school and a visiting priest, Deacon Malum [David Dastmalchian], tell the students the student must have been killed by a wild animal and not to spread crazy rumors.

INT – SCHOOL LIBRARY – DAY

Jennifer and Nearest tell the gang not to get involved in the school investigation since it could be dangerous.

Discreetly, the gang plan to ignore the warnings and continue their own investigation.

EXT – SCHOOL GROUNDS – NIGHT

That night, a violent snowstorm hit the area, the whole student body is socked in on the school grounds.

INT – LOCKER ROOM – NIGHT

During the violent storm, a student is brutally murdered inside the locker room and the body is taken down a secret passageway.

Nearest finds the blood in the locker room and alerts the dean, Deacon Malum is on the scene too.

INT – SCHOOL LIBRARY – NIGHT

One of the gang overhears the conversation and tells the others, they’re sure something evil is afoot.

INT – DORM ROOM – NIGHT

Another student is attacked inside his dorm room by the demon which entered through a secret passageway inside the dorms.

The student’s body is dragged away from the scene of the attack and down the passageway.

INT – SCHOOL AUDITORIUM – DAY

The dean and Deacon Malum assert that the student had a history of mental health issues and was a three-time run away before this disappearance.

The gang are not buying the story and want to investigate the case.

They piece together that both the students share a first name with an apostle.

INT – SCHOOL OFFICE – DAY

Jennifer and Nearest are sure that evil is afoot and begin to research the school’s dark history.

Jennifer confides in Nearest that she feels lost in life and she doesn’t know what her true path in life is supposed to be.

She tells Nearest that if she ever figures out what that is she’d buy a cool car like Nearest’s red 1969 Camero RS Coupe (nicknamed Lucille) and never look back.

Nearest tells Jennifer to put her faith in God and to “listen for the whispers,” and God will eventually show her the way.

EXT – SCHOOL GROUNDS – NIGHT

That night, another violent snowstorm knocks out the only bridge that connects the school to the main road, everyone is trapped on the school grounds for a while at least.

INT – SCHOOL LIBRARY – NIGHT

Jennifer confides in Nearest about her synesthesia abilities and says she senses an evil red aura around Deacon Malum.

Jennifer is embarrassed because she’s not sure of what she sees as real or a hallucination from her former days as an opioid addict.

Nearest confides in his loss of faith and that he’s familiar with addiction as a recovering alcoholic and tells her to trust her instincts.

Their research uncovers the similarities of the attacks that occurred twenty years ago.

The gang overhears Jennifer and Nearest conversation and tells them they want to help, Jennifer and Nearest are reluctant but relent.

Tom has them all gather together to take a picture and capture the moment of the addition of the two newest members of their mystery solvers club.

INT – SCHOOL CHAPEL – NIGHT

Jennifer is in the chapel praying; she notices the painting behind the statue of Saint Micheal of archangels fighting demons from hell.

She notices one of the demons, Yog-Formido, resembles what a student described earlier.

The dean arrives and tries to lend some comfort.

Suddenly, the dean has two huge black claws impale him in his chest from behind!

Jennifer screams, the gang are nearby hear her and come running.

The demon kills another student with its claws as it escapes the chapel.

Jennifer and the gang see a long, tall dark demon running behind an old statue of a gargoyle in the chapel.

INT – DARK PASSAGEWAY – NIGHT

The gang and Jennifer follow the demon down the passageway, another student follows along.

INT – PORTAL TO HELL – NIGHT

Jennifer and the gang observe the demon come upon and bright yellow / orange portal to hell.

Renny tries to tackle the demon but is thrown off, the demon rips the head off the student that tagged along.

Tom has his stomach slashed open by the demon’s claws before it disappears with the dead student into the portal to hell.

INT – DARK PASSAGEWAY – NIGHT

The gang helps carry Tom back up the passageway, at the top is Deacon Malum.

Jennifer sees the red aura around the deacon and is sure he’s evil.

INT – SCHOOL INFERMARY – NIGHT

The gang get Tom cared for, Nearest arrives Jennifer tells him about the demon and the attack and her suspicions about Deacon Malum.

INT – PORTAL TO HELL – NIGHT

Deacon Malum summons the demon back and orders it kill Jennifer, Nearest and the gang.

INT – NEAREST’S BEDROOM – NIGHT

Nearest digs out his army old service revolver from his footlocker and makes sure he has bullets.

INT – DORM ROOM – NIGHT

Another student is killed inside their dorm room by the taking the shape of the student’s roommate.

INT – SCHOOL CHAPEL – NIGHT

The gang with Jennifer and Nearest regroup in the school chapel.

INT – PORTAL TO HELL – NIGHT

The gang confront Deacon Malum at the portal to hell, the gang try to fight the demon but he’s too strong.

Nearest shoots the demon but his bullets don’t hurt it.

One bullet ricochets off the demon and seems to kill Deacon Malum who falls into the portal to hell.

The demon follows the deacon into hell and gang all escape.

INT – JENNIFER’S BEDROOM – NIGHT

Jennifer tries to recover from the horrible events, the demon appears in the shape of a troubled student and is about to attack.

Jennifer sees the red aura around the student and hurts the demon with an ampule of holy water, and it assumes its true shape and escapes by using a secret passage that leads to her room.

INT – SCHOOL LIBRARY – DAY

Jennifer and the gang begin to look for clues about the demon and what it wants.

They learn that the demon comes out every twenty and must kill twelve students with the same first name of the apostles to escape the school grounds.

They learn that the demon can be harmed by holy objects and a sword gifted by a saint can pierce its skin.

He tells the gang the additional research with Marley and Johnny has revealed that the demon is not alone and there are four other demons in portals to hell under other Catholic schools with a dark history

The demon and take and shape of any living human / animal but its true appearance is revealed in the reflection of a holy object.

Nearest is nearby and can hear the story but leaves the kids alone to bond.

INT – SCHOOL CHAPEL – NIGHT

Nearest is alone in the chapel and rediscovers his faith in God, the statue of Saint Michael seems to come alive and gifts Nearest with the sword of Saint Michael.

The gang arrives and catch the demon about to attack Nearest.

The demon sees that Nearest now wields the sword of Saint Micheal and flees down the passageway back to the portal to hell.

INT – PORTAL TO HELL – NIGHT

Renny and the gang are all armed with various holy objects that take turns hurting the demon.

It tries to escape to hell but Nearest blocks its path, they battle and Nearest stabs the demon in the chest with the sword.

As the demon is dying and falling into hell, it pulls Nearest along with it!

Nearest smiles at Jennifer and hands her the sword of Saint Micheal and she sees the aura of a bright white halo over Nearest’s head.

Nearest yells at Jennifer to look deep inside his footlocker in his room as he falls into the pits of hell.

EXT – SCHOOL GROUNDS – DAY

The snowstorm breaks and the bridge to school is repaired, the authorities arrive, the school is safe, for now.

INT – SCHOOL INFERMARY – DAY

Jennifer and the gang visit Tom who is still recovering from the wounds.

Tom tells Jennifer that the old scroll they all discovered relates that anyone who has been gifted the sword of a saint by a saint or an angel must find the other four demons and destroy them.

INT – SCHOOL LIBRARY – NIGHT

Jennifer and the gang talk about their adventure and examine the newly gifted sword of Saint Michael, Jennifer tells them that she’s leaving school, she has found her purpose in life.

Jennifer tells the gang that they’re all going to turn out great if they take care of each other and there’s a big group hug.

INT – NEAREST’S BEDROOM – NIGHT

Jennifer enters Nearest’s bedroom and finds his old army footlocker.

She looks over old army memorabilia and old family photos.

Next to family photos and a crucifix is the new picture of Nearest with Jennifer and the gang that Tom took earlier.

Jennifer smiles and pockets the picture and continues to look in the footlocker.

Jennifer discovers a "false bottom" in the locker and pulls out the bottom to reveal a cache of hundreds of thousands of dollars wrapped in neatly packed bundles.

There’s a note on top of the money from Nearest, he tells her he thinks that she’s found her purpose in life and to take the money and hunt down those four other demons and finish God’s work.

Nearest goes on to tell Jennifer to take good care of Lucille and that she gets a little skittish at anything over 120mph.

Jennifer empties the envelope and the keys to Lucille and his dog tags and a silver crucifix both on a metal chain fall into her palm, Jennifer smiles and pockets them both.

INT – SCHOOL CHAPEL – NIGHT

Jennifer sits alone and prays for the strength to complete her noble quest.

The camera pulls back to reveal the gang just behind her, giving her space to be alone.

Soon they all hug and promise to stay in touch with each other.

Marley gifts Jennifer with a newly fashioned sturdy but ornately designed grey metal storage case made by Renny to store and take care of the sword of Saint Michael.

The image of Saint Michael is embossed on the cover of the case.

Jennifer tells that gang that as long as they stay true to themselves and take care of each other they are going to turn out great.

They all wander back over to the painting behind the statue of Saint Michael.

They’re all astonished to see what appears to be Nearest in the painting, battling Yog-Formido in the pits of hell alongside other heavenly archangels.

EXT – TRAIN CROSSING – DAY

Jennifer sits in silence in Lucille at a red traffic signal, waiting for the train to pass.

Her signal blinkers are flashing to her intention to turn right.

She glances over at the grey metal storage case in the passenger seat and lovingly pats it.

As the train flies by, it’s travelling right to left, Jennifer spots a familiar face riding onboard.

Time seems to slow to a crawl for a moment.

A red aura surrounds Deacon Malum [David Dastmalchian], their eyes meet.

Deacon Malum has a devilish grin as he gazes at Jennifer and slowly pulls the shade down.

Time speeds back up to the present, when the train passes, the gates go up, and the signal turns green.

Jennifer smiles to herself, then pats the grey metal case again as she changes her turn signal to left.

Jennifer pulls onto the road and turns the car left in the direction the train is rolling, then she revs the engine on the bright red hot rod for a moment.

Lucille sounds like a ferocious beast, ready to be unleashed on the world.

Jennifer pulls out Nearest’s dog tags and the crucifix that she now wears around her neck and kisses both keepsakes before tucking them back under her shirt.

Jennifer brings up her Spotify on the high tech stereo system and dials up “Lucille” by Little Richard.

Jennifer puts her Ray Ban Aviators on, cranks the volume up to ten and punches the gas, Lucille roars to life and fish tails down the road towards the speeding train, on a mission from God.

• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  David Wetzel.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  David Wetzel.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  David Wetzel.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  David Wetzel.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  David Wetzel.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  David Wetzel.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  David Wetzel.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  David Wetzel.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  David Wetzel.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  David Wetzel.

[Allie Theiss]

Alison’s Horror Outline Version 1

What I learned doing this assignment is that it is all coming together.

ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR

INT. PREVIOUS MUSEUM — NIGHT

A dark and unsettling atmosphere fills the museum. An unseen person is drawn into a painting, vanishing as they’re pulled in, leaving only a faint outline. Witnesses stare in paralyzed horror, unable to comprehend what they’ve just seen. As the scene ends, workers carefully pack the cursed painting into a shipping box, preparing it to be sent to a new location.

EXT. NEW MUSEUM — NIGHT

The new museum hosts a group of college students and their art history professor, Dr. Harrison. They include Claire, Derek, Emily, Max, Sarah, and Jake, each with distinct personalities and motivations. Emily, who has poor eyesight, wears thick lenses and is quiet but observant. Claire, ambitious and confident, sees this as an opportunity for her studies. Derek, bold and protective, is Claire’s boyfriend, ready to take on any challenge. Max, the curious mystery-seeker, is immediately intrigued by the eerie history of the painting. Sarah is compassionate and acts as the group’s moral anchor, while Jake, sarcastic and pessimistic, constantly complains. Dr. Harrison, their skeptical professor, dismisses any supernatural elements.

INT. NEW MUSEUM — NIGHT

The night guard, who seems unusually invested in the group’s presence, gives them a strange warning: “Whatever you do, don’t turn around if you hear footsteps.” He chuckles, but something in his eyes tells them he’s serious. The students laugh, thinking it’s an inside joke, while Dr. Harrison brushes it off as nonsense. Emily, however, feels a chill but says nothing.

INT. NEW MUSEUM — MAIN HALL — NIGHT

As the clock strikes 8 PM, the museum locks its doors. The lights begin to flicker, casting ominous shadows across the artwork. The group tries to shrug it off, but they sense something unsettling as strange sounds echo through the halls. Despite their unease, they continue to joke about the “haunted” painting. Dr. Harrison insists there’s a logical explanation for everything. Jake makes sarcastic comments, while Claire and Derek try to keep everyone calm.

INT. MUSEUM — EXHIBIT ROOM — NIGHT

The old guard reappears in mirrors and reflections, blending into the shadows, his presence barely noticed. The group feels the chill deepening, but only Emily catches fleeting glimpses of him in the glass, a figure watching them from afar.

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN

INT. MUSEUM — VARIOUS ROOMS — NIGHT

As they continue exploring, the students find themselves disoriented; no matter where they turn, they end up back in front of the cursed painting. Panic starts to set in, and they realize that their phones have no signal, and their flashlights are the only source of light as the museum’s power flickers ominously.

NT. MUSEUM — HALLWAY NEAR PAINTING — NIGHT

Max, drawn to the painting’s allure, approaches it too closely, his curiosity getting the better of him. Suddenly, the painting absorbs him, and he becomes a faint dot on its surface. The others stare in horror, struggling to comprehend what just happened. Claire tries to calm the group, but Dr. Harrison dismisses Max’s disappearance as a prank, unwilling to acknowledge anything supernatural.

INT. MUSEUM — LABYRINTHINE HALLWAYS — NIGHT

The old guard intensifies his pursuit, directing the group toward the cursed painting. Jake, increasingly paranoid, breaks away from the group, determined to escape on his own. In his panic, he backs into the painting, screaming as it absorbs him, leaving another dot on the canvas.

MIDPOINT — THE MONSTER IS WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT

INT. MUSEUM — EXHIBIT ROOM — NIGHT

The old guard now fully stalks the group, his sinister intentions clear. The students, realizing they’re being hunted, try to avoid him, but he appears at every turn, blocking their way. They hear strange whispers and laughter coming from empty rooms, and every attempt to escape brings them closer to the cursed painting. Tensions flare as Jake’s recent disappearance leaves them even more paranoid.

INT. MUSEUM — EXHIBIT ROOM — NIGHT

The students argue, fear getting the best of them. Sarah tries to keep everyone together, but Claire and Derek are at odds with Dr. Harrison, who insists this is all an elaborate prank. Emily, the most observant, starts piecing together that the painting might be the source of the curse. However, her warnings are largely ignored by the others.

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR

INT. MUSEUM — NEAR THE PAINTING — NIGHT

Desperate, Derek decides to fight back. He grabs a display case and smashes it, using the shards as makeshift weapons. He attempts to attack the guard, hoping to buy time for Claire and the others. But the guard, appearing both spectral and invulnerable, overpowers Derek, dragging him into the painting. Claire, horrified, watches her boyfriend disappear as she realizes her attempts to destroy the painting with physical force are futile.

INT. MUSEUM — EXHIBIT ROOM — NIGHT

With her courage fading, Claire tries one last time to save the group by confronting the painting directly. She smashes the glass protecting it, but instead of damaging the painting, it consumes her, pulling her into its twisted, haunting world. Her screams echo, leaving the others frozen in terror.

INT. MUSEUM — DARK CORNER — NIGHT

In a final act of bravery, Sarah tells Emily to hide and charges at the painting, hoping to destroy it from within. She lunges, but the painting swallows her whole, adding another trapped soul to its growing collection. Emily, her vision now severely impaired due to her broken glasses, relies on her other senses as she navigates the museum alone, guided by her heightened intuition.

INT. MUSEUM — HALLWAY / EXIT DOORS — DAWN

Emily, using every ounce of strength and intuition, finally reaches the exit as dawn breaks and the museum doors unlock. She stumbles outside, traumatized and in disbelief, but alive. Her friends’ faces haunt her mind, now a part of the painting, a reminder of the horrors she barely survived.

EXT. MUSEUM — DAWN

Emily looks back at the museum, and the cursed painting now hangs prominently in the main entrance. The old guard’s shadow looms nearby as his footsteps echo, a chilling reminder that the curse remains unbroken, awaiting its next victims.

[Diane Keranen]

Diane’s Horror Outline Version 1

What I learned is to find the backbone of the story for a summary like this. The details can be woven in once the whole plot summary is complete.

INT. UNDERGROUND CAVERN – NIGHT (FLASHBACK-1963)

Sounds of rushing water and running accompanied by yells and screams to “go faster,” “it’s getting closer,” and “aaaahhhh” are escaping from a cave leading to a rocky cavern with a pond in it. The runners reach the cavern. They are Clarence Anglin, John Anglin, Frank Morris, and Allen West just as a blast of water exits the cave and throws the men against the rocks killing them. The water swirls in one big turn seeming to check each body for life. When the last one alive takes his last breath, the water settles and the cavern grows silent.

EXT. ALCATRAZ ISLAND – DAY – PRESENT DAY

A tour guide speaks to a large group of tourists. Among them, a smaller group of pre-planned visitors to the island are hobbyists of prisons and introduce themselves. The group drops back from the tour and goes unnoticed.

Now out of view of the tour, the group goes off tour into a cave discovered earlier by Frankie who arranged this meet-up.

INT. ALCATRAZ ISLAND UPPER CAVE — FLASHLIGHT LIGHTING

Inside the cave, there’s a stone door that leads to a hallway. The group enters the hallway. The door closes behind them as water, which was not there when the group passed through it, runs silently over it.

They explore the hallway, but it goes nowhere so they turn back. They can’t find the door. Blake, the know-it-all explains to those near him how rocks can shift and move sometimes. He’s clearly full of it. Then the water begins to rise rapidly. Blake loses his footing goes under and the water goes away. Blake is gone. Just gone. Only the person he was talking to knows he’s gone. The others don’t believe he was ever part of the group.

Recommitting to finding the door they find an opening that is not the door but is an entrance to a more rustic system of hallways.

INT. ALCATRAZ ISLAND CATACOMBS — FLASHLIGHT LIGHTING

They’ve stumbled upon the rumored catacombs. Another wave of water rushes through this older hallway. When is subsides, Frankie is missing. They now believe Frankie is a prankster and is giving them a scare.

Some of the group wants to go back. They don’t like the pranking. The others want to continue this once-in-lifetime adventure. They continue down, deeper into the catacombs. Vincent sees someone peering into a crack in the wall and wonders who got ahead of the group. He reaches them and finds it’s a dead Frankie. Vincent, surprised, jumps back and slips and falls into a deep puddle along the step-stone path.

The water swirls up and around. Vincent screams, but the water takes the shape of a hand and covers his mouth. The group, stunned, watches as the water takes Vincent away. They don’t believe it’s a prank anymore. Someone, or something, brought them here to kill them.

Knowing they can’t go back, they decide to rush forward to find a way out as quickly as they can. They hurry down a relatively dry hallway. Then they hear the water in front of them. They can’t believe their eyes. It’s a wall of water coming toward them. They flee back away from it but it pursues them. Water in the shape of arms and legs pulls the wall of water after them. When it catches up, Chester is grabbed and pulled into the wall of water. The water holds him in view of the others. Chester’s arms reach out for help but soon appear bound by something and soon Chester goes limp. The water recedes and takes the body of Chester with it.

They hurry through several passages going deeper and deeper into the catacombs.

INT. ALCATRAZ ISLAND DEEP CAVES — FLASHLIGHT LIGHTING

Before long they are in natural caves without any manmade structures.

INT. ALCATRAZ ISLAND DEEP CAVERN — FLASHLIGHT LIGHTING

The remaining groups arrives at the cavern with the pond. When they peer into it, they see some light. “This might be the way out!” No sooner than Ghoulie shouts those words, the water riles up. Everyone seeks a place among the boulders to hide from the whipping rain and water bursts. Finding no one, the water settles.

But now they know they can hide and as they look around in the cavern they find the bodies of Blake, Frankie, and Vincent. They are lined up with four bodies in tattered prison uniforms and a row of bones mixes with leather belts and scabbards, pirate styles that hold swords and knives. They pick up weapons just as the water begins to stir up again. Ghoulie slashes at the water and it breaks apart.

He turns and yells to the others, “Keep fighting the water, I’ll swim for it!” At the yelling, the water kicks up with a fury. The group fights with any weapon they can find. They brace themselves between big rocks and fight for their lives. Ghoulie jumps in the pools and swims under. They keep fighting. The water stops its fight, turns and dashes back into the pool. It’s after Ghoulie.

The group tries to get its attention back by yelling and screaming and slamming against the water. All but one of them: Isabel. She the one who tagged along on their adventure. She collected two femurs and a skull. She’s arranged them on a flat rock in the shape of the Jolly Roger image. She’s chanting.

The water rushes out of the pool. Perched at the front of the water is Ghoulie who is thrown against the top of the cavern, hard. His broken, dead body falls onto the rocks in front of the stunned group.

Isabel’s chant’s grow louder, the water turns toward her and thrusts itself back like a whip. The group is helpless and look for places to hide. Then loudly, “…back to the depths from where you long ago rose up.” The water whip begins is strike straight for Isabel. She shouts, “Ghyllana, go back to the depths from where you long ago rose up!” The water, inches from Isabel, falls silent.

The remaining members of the group stand in stunned silence. They look at the bodies, the water, around the cavern, and make their way nearer to Isabel.

A lone voice asks, “What was that?”

Isabel’s only reply; “We can go now.”

• This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by  Diane Keranen.
• This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by  Diane Keranen.