REVISIT: The Time I Wrote A Horror Movie About Being Lost At Sea And Stalked By A Seamonster.

 

I used this blog to write a short horror movie once, I say "short" because the script is less than 20 pages but I swear to god when I read it back it's a feature length film in my head.

It was a slow burning creepy sea monster movie, relying on the vulnerability and horror of being alone at sea for much of the terror. This is the story of poor Darcy who's beautiful husband Cade takes on a honeymoon sail around the world. It was meant to be their first adventure together, it was their last. Cade disappears at sea, leaving Darcy all alone. Stalked by something in the water.

"The disbelief hits her, it only took a few panicked seconds for her to search the small boat and he's nowhere to be found. She runs out onto the bow, her head spinning. He has to be in the water, he HAS to be in the water. She screams out again and again at the top of her lungs until her throat is coarse. 

Darcy

CAAAAAADE!

Silence. Darcy is frozen where she stands, silently begging Cade to show himself. She runs over to the radio; it's been destroyed by the storm. She goes back into the boat and tears it apart, looking for anything but finding nothing, no sign of where Cade went. She cries and screams until finally passing out from the stress."

http://tcqscripts.blogspot.com/2013/07/lurking-everything-right-up-until-post.html

Tom's Horror Script - -LURKING pt8-

-LURKING pt8-

The morning light is bright, it's incredibly strong and cuts a striking contrast against the previous night's blackness. Darcy's still in her corner though in the light of the day it doesn't provide her with any cover. She still hasn't slept, she's been up all night hiding and listening. It's been quiet for a long time, she's lost track. It's time to move. Darcy gets up and makes her way topside where she had the encounter with the creature, she rounds the corner carefully. She's armed, in fact in her state she looks almost as frightening as anything she could hope to find up there. It's a beautiful day. 

The scene she finds is horrible, the entire deck is a dark crimson red, blood red. Scattered all over are the remains of what appears to be a large shark, it's been torn apart and eaten. The violent scratches and damage to the boat indicate a frenzied, violent feeding. The slamming of the jib in the wind snaps her out of it, she looks at the sail contemplatively. It's time. Cade isn't coming back and she can't sit still waiting for the monster to come for her. The boat is a wreck but if she can get the ropes set and clear the deck of all the debris she reasons that she can raise the sails and get moving. Motivated for the first time to affect her own circumstances, Darcy starts the task of getting this boat ready to move. 

She spends the day going over the last of her supplies, repairing her sail and rigging and getting it ready to be hoisted up into the wind. It's hard work, it takes all morning and afternoon.

Later in the day the sun is starting to lower in the sky, it's getting cooler and later in the day. Darcy is playing with the broken radio. She's speaking into it, it doesn't work but it provides her some comfort and offers her a chance to vent.

Darcy

Hello?

Am I alone?

I don't care if you can't even hear me, I just want to hear someone's voice. I am alone. Cade. I think I am going to die soon, I think something is hunting me. I don't know, I don't trust my eyes anymore. I have to leave here now, please tell Cade I wanted to stay and find him. I wanted to wait for him to come back to me but I can't. I don't want this thing to eat me. Cade. Why did you go? I need you...

She's interrupted, off in the distance the unmistakable high pitched clicking of the creature can be heard. It's coming.

-Cont'd-

Tom's Still Writing A Sea Monster Horror - Lurking Part 7

I am still trucking through this horror script. Because there's so little dialogue in this story I am having trouble gauging at what point in the movie we're at. Anyway...

  

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

-Lurking p7-

INTERIOR - BELOW DECK - NIGHT

It's dark inside, the moonlit night casts a strong white glow through the window and into the room. Amongst the debris, hidden in a darkened corner sits a broken and terrified Darcy. She's holding a knife in one hand and the flare gun in the other. The ship is rocking. Darcy is mumbling to herself, the one constant in her ramblings is the name Cade. Panning in on her face; the effects of what she's been through are evident. She hasn't slept a second, her eyes are red, her hair is wild and her lips are dry. Behind the eyes is a mind at play; desperately trying to make sense of her situation. The shadows on the wall and the unearthly quiet of the ocean are pushing her fragile mind to it's breaking point. 

A sound in the water cuts through the small room, a tapping, a soft bump, a scraping. It sounds like something is going along the boat touching it, inspecting it. Something in that deep, powerful ocean has taken in interest in her small, lonely boat. The effect of the knocking sound is paralyzing. Darcy sits frozen, tremors of fear shake her body and chatter her teeth. The sound makes it's way to the front of the boat. At thud, a splash. A moment of silence. 

Movement again. It's on the boat! She grips her weapons tensely, her eyes wide, she's listening intently and trying nervously to stay absolutely quiet. She hears something slumping around on the deck, it's movements are without any discernible pattern. It sounds like it's throwing something around, there's a slamming and a hissing followed by the sounds of wet crunching.

Listening to all this noise; Darcy's addled mind is infected by a thought. The idea that Cade somehow managed to make his way back to her, that up on that deck hurt, crawling around trying to get back to her. 

Darcy

Cade?

Darcy stands up, stepping out of the shadows and into the moonlight, she slowly and cautiously makes her way up the stairs with her knife in hand. Darcy's mind is racing, her nerves are screaming at her to run away and hide but her compulsion for answers is too strong. She steps onto the deck, it's very dark but she can see movement. She makes her way towards it, whatever it is it's large. About the size of a grown man, it's movements are animalistic, amphibian. In the dark of the night she can't see anything for sure. She gets closer, softly she asks out loud.

Darcy

Cade?

The figure is startled, it snaps violently at her. She recoils, falling backwards. The figure looks right at her and then slumps off the boat. Darcy's eyes well up. It wasn't Cade, I was something horrible. Something inhuman, she saw scales, teeth, sharp fins and cold, killing eyes. Darcy runs back below deck to hide.

-cont'd-

Lurking Part 6 - In the Water With A Monster

LURKING

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

-Pt 6-

Darcy, stumbles backwards. The sound coming from the water sounds frenzied. Darcy is feeling panicked.

The wind slams the sail behind her getting her attention, the sail is still down but the wind is strong enough to slam the jib against the taut rope tying it down. Darcy knows she can't waste this chance, the wind is strong and this gives her an opportunity to get moving. She has no training but can gather that the first thing she needs to do is to untie the ropes holding the rig in place so that she can begin to raise the sail. It's not easy for her but she figures out how to get everything lose and untied. Once it's loose she runs over to the rope and starts to raise the sails slowly, she gets a quarter of the way up before the wind catches the sail moving the boat but slamming the whole rig back and forth.

Darcy rushes to solve the problem before the violent slamming causes the sail to break apart, something is loose that's supposed to hold the jib in place but she can't get a hold of it. The sails swings around and collides with her, sending her flying in into the water.

Darcy hits the water and sinks slowly before she comes to seconds later, the blow rattled her. The water is frothing and hard to see in, beneath her is dark blue water giving way to blackness. Darcy sees her boat and swims towards it, but doesn't seem to be getting any closer. She surfaces to see the boat moving away from her, though the sail isn't up the wind and movement of the water are carrying her boat, her only lifeline away from her. Darcy races forward, swimming after the boat as it quickly drifts away, the look on her face is one of terror. Her mind racing with the thought of being stranded in the water and certain doom. The boat is always just out of reach, she's wondering how long she can keep going.

As she races forward she sees something out of the side of her eye. Something moving even faster than her, it's coming upward from below. It's hard to see, just a shadow but she can definitely see that its something moving towards her. She screams underwater and pushes herself ever harder, the boat is once again JUST out of reach and the shadowy figure is getting closer. It's big. She reaches forward with all of her might and grabs hold of a lose rigging hanging just over the side. She pulls with every last ounce of strength she has and flings her exhausted body over the side. She leans over the side staring into the water, and sees a figure shoot past the boat. The way it moves is foreign to her, the creature has long fins, sharp edges; a violent look to it. It startles her and she falls back, she's too exhausted to move.

In the distance she sees a splash, a long thin fin breaks the surface. Darcy passes out.

-Cont'd-

Your Boat Is Being Stalked By A Sea Creature Who Thinks You're Food.

LURKING

 

Part 1 

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

-Pt 5-

Daytime - Below deck

The next morning's light fills the boat's small living space from above, amongst the mess all over the floor it's hard to see Darcy hidden in a darkened corner. She hasn't slept a wink, she's a nervous wreck. She's holding a knife close in hand. The sun comes right through her window and hits her in the face, the bright white light prompts her to move. Sh
e make her way above deck.

It's a nice day, there's a strong wind causing waves to bounce off her boat and rock it, she makes her way to the bow. Darcy's still holding onto hope that Cade will show up. That she'll turn around to see him standing there as if he'd never left. She survey's the boat. It's covered in a black slime, there are deep scratches all over the boat and the sails are a wreck. Darcy takes the time to scan the boat for supplies, she has plenty of food to last her a while, all sorts of tools, fishing equipment, first aid kits and a flare gun. Cade made sure to be well stocked, he took good care of her.   

Darcy is utterly lost. The gravity of the situation once again hits her and she starts to panic. She drops down in a ball with her head at her knees; burying her head in her arms. She closes her eyes and tries to get a grip on herself. She rocks back and forth, she cries, she thinks. Her head snaps back up, she remembers the radio. She runs over to it, the storm has done a number on it but it still turns on. The static is extremely heavy on every channel she tries. Through the static she can make out the faintest sense of people speaking.

DARCY

Help!

Her voice is meek and desperate. Darcy flips around the dial, calling out for help to anyone who might be able to hear her. There's no response, there's no break in the static. She's alone. Suddenly, ominously cutting through the noise of the radio is the familiar high pitched clicking sound, it sounds amphibian and it's coming from the water about 20 ft out. Darcy stands up and scans the water with her eyes. She sees a wild thrashing several yards out, then the chilling site of death. Blood. She sees the water surrounding the area where she heard the sound turning red with the blood of a fresh kill. 

-Cont'd-

Imaging Being In The Middle Of The Ocean and Coming Face To Face With A Messed Up Fish-Man? Seriously. Imagine That.

I am at the point in the script where I've already written out this scene, I rewrote a few things for pacing. I am actually making some pretty good progress on this thing, this blog works.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Day - Interior/Boat

Darcy wakes up to find herself alone again, the storm has stopped and the water has settled. There's a soft rocking and the sound of a calm ocean gently splashing against her boat. The door topside is open and gives frame to soft rays of sunlight as the day breaks. The sunlight outside is strong and gorgeous. It lifts Darcy's mood and she heads upstairs to find Cade.

When she gets to the top she can't see Cade, she looks around the small deck but doesn't see him, there are scrapes along the surface of the boat and the sails have be battered by the storm. The boat is in rough shape. Darcy races back down stairs to check for Cade, he's not there.

Now the panic is starting to hit her. She calls out of him.

Darcy

CADE!

Nothing but eery silence.

Darcy looks in the water, running around the boat looking for some sign of Cade. There's nothing. He's vanished.

The disbelief hits her, it only took a few panicked seconds for her to search the small boat and he's nowhere to be found. She runs out onto the bow, her head spinning. He has to be in the water, he HAS to be in the water. She screams out again and again at the top of her lungs until her throat is coarse.

Darcy
CAAAAAADE!

Silence. Darcy is frozen where she stands, silently begging Cade to show himself. She runs over the the radio; it's been destroyed by the storm. She goes back into the boat and tears it apart, looking for anything but finding nothing, no sign of where Cade went. She cries and screams until finally passing out from the stress.

Evening - Interior: Below Deck - It's getting dark

It's much later in the day, Darcy is curled up in a ball on the floor. She's wide awake and silently mouthing something inaudible. The room behind her is torn apart. She's broken, staring off into space trying to keep herself together.

A large splash is heard in the water near her boat, Darcy springs to life and runs to the bow of the ship; she calls out to Cade but there's still no response. The splashing came from about 20 ft away but it's too dark for her to see anything clearly. She frantically searches the boat until she finds a flashlight and races back to the bow to shine the light where she thinks she heard the splashing. She scans the water, her desperation and sense of panic is evidenced by the noticeable shaking of her light.

 

Darcy
CADE! PLEASE!

The light hangs on the water and catches a glimpse of something that disappears in an instant. It startles Darcy off her feet and she almost drops the light in the water, she steadies herself and shines the light back on the water. She refuses to believe what she saw, her mind races with possibilities; looking for an alternative explanation for what she thinks she saw. A face. A face of something in the water watching her, with large fish-like eyes and teeth.

In the distance she hears the strange sound of a high pitched clicking, the same sounds she heard on the first night only this time much, much closer.

-cont'd-

I Hope You Like Cade...He's Doomed.

I am still rolling on this horror script, my goal is to have a finished feature length horror script finished by the end of next month. Once again here's what I am working on:

Logline: Darcy's fiance is missing and she's left alone in the middle of the ocean with a strange creature stalking her broken boat.

 Lurking - Synopsis

Lurking - Part 1

Lurking - Part 2

INTERIOR - Below deck

The next morining Darcy wakes up alone in bed, the ship is rocking and there's a lot of movement up top. Darcy gets up to investigate, as she takes the small flight of stairs leaving to the deck she notices the clouds. It's early morning but there's the ominous darkness to the day, the clouds seem to be making their way downwards; bearing down on her. Cade is racing around the deck securing everything on the boat, he runs over to a radio and tweaks the dials until he hears someone on the other end. He gives his position to the person over the radio who tells him he's going to have to batten down the hatches and make it through the night on his own. This scares Darcy.

Cade races about, he ties down every line, brings supplies below deck and double checks every inch of their small two person sailboat. Finally he races back below deck and comes up with two life vests, he hands one to Darcy, the gesture cements the gravity of the situation in her eyes and it shows. Amongst the rain, the rocking of the boat and the frantic pace of the moment Cade stops to comfort his love.

Cade

I always knew we'd hit a storm Sweetheart, this was always part of the plan. We're ready.

Darcy

Cade, I am freaking out.

Cade

You don't have to. Sweetheart I've stared into the eye of a million storms out here. Do you trust me?

Darcy

Yes.

Cade

I've got this.

Darcy

What do we do?

The storm breaks and pounds down on the small boat.

Cade

I'll do what I always do when the ocean picks a fight with me, I fight back.

The ocean is in chaos around them, Cade stands his ground. He holds Darcy's hand.

Darcy

The sunshine tomorrow is going to be beautiful.

With that Cade takes the wheel of the boat, he ushers Darcy inside as the storm assaults him. Darcy sits back and watches her fiance fight for their boat. He shouts as the waves hit him and break apart on the side of their boat; he taunts daringly at the storm. Thunder shatters the sky, the whole scene is too much for Darcy. She covers her ears, puts her head between her knees and closes her eyes.

INTERIOR - Below deck

The camera immediately cuts to a shot of Darcy in bed, she's curled up into a ball laying motionless with her eyes open. The boat is rocking, the storm outside is still assaulting their boat. Cade is beside her, holding her tightly. It's a touching scene, he kisses her; holds her tightly and comforts her. Outside the storm rages on.

- Cont'd -

Imagine Being Stranded in the Ocean and Something Underwater is Stalking You.

So I am piecing this horror script called 'Lurking' together out of order, it's about a woman who finds herself stranded alone on a small boat in the middle of the ocean being stalked by a scary creature in the water.

- Thomas Holler

Day - Interior/Boat

Darcy wakes up to find herself alone again, the storm has stopped and the water has settled. There's a soft rocking and the sound of a calm ocean gently splashing against her boat. The door topside is open and gives frame to soft rays of sunlight as the day breaks, Darcy heads upstairs to find Cade.

When she gets to the top the disbelief hits her immediately, she can't see Cade. It only takes a few panicked seconds for her to search the small boat, he's nowhere to be found. She runs out onto the bow, her head spinning. He has to be in the water, he HAS to be in the water. She screams his name; again and again at the top of her lungs until her throat is coarse.

Darcy
CADE!

Silence. Darcy is frozen where she stands, silently begging Cade to show himself. She runs over the the radio; turning it on but failing to get a signal, she goes back into the boat and tears it apart, looking for anything but finding nothing, no sign of where Cade went. She cries and screams until finally passing out from the stress.

 

Evening - Interior/Boat - It's getting dark

It's much later in the day, Darcy is curled up in a ball on the floor. She's wide awake and silently mouthing something inaudible. The room behind her is torn apart. She's broken, staring off into space trying to keep herself together.

A large splash is heard in the water near her boat, Darcy springs to life and runs to the bow of the ship; she calls out to Cade but there's still no response. The splashing came from about 20 ft away but it's too dark for her to see anything clearly. She frantically searches the boat until she finds a flashlight and races back to the bow to shine the light where she thinks she heard the splashing. She scans the water, her desperation and sense of panic is evidenced by the noticeable shaking of her light.

Darcy
CADE! PLEASE!

The light hangs on the water and catches a glimpse of something that disappears in an instant. It startles Darcy off her feet and she almost drops the light in the water, she steadies herself and shines the light back on the water. She refuses to believe what she saw, her mind races with possibilities; looking for an alternative explanation for what she thinks she saw. A face. A face of something in the water watching her, with large fish-like eyes and teeth.

In the distance she hears the strange sound of a high pitched clicking, the same sounds she heard on the first night only this time much, much closer.

Imagine this coming at you and you're not Aquaman. Unfortunately.