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

Lets Finish this! - Tom finishes his horror movie, here's how it ends.

Sooooo...I have no idea how long this movie is. As a script it falls way short of what a typical movie script usually comes in at but there's so little dialogue that's it's hard to gauge. This thing is all action, slow moving tense build ups that play out much slower than they read. Anyway, I'd like to move on to something new so I am packing this thing up. I can always revisit this script and add more later but this is a good starting point that I can show to people to try to get this thing off the ground.

Ok, here's my ending.

You can read the whole script here: LURKING

EXTERIOR - BOAT DECK

As dawn starts to break Darcy is clinging to a what's left of her boat, it's completely dead in the water. The creature that's now circling her has completely destroyed it and for the first time seems to be aware of her presence on the boat. She can hear the excitement in it's sounds, she can sense it's trepidation as it takes it's time to inspect the stalled wreck. Darcy knows she's doomed, there's no more doubt in her mind. Even if the creature were to turn around and leave her, she's still stuck in the middle of the ocean on a boat that's barely held together. The monster's clicking call is frenzied, she freezes. She can hear it scraping against the boat, she can't hide so she stays still. She can hear the splash of something pulling itself out of the water onto the boat, it's dark and she can just make something out from where she's laying. She sees something slump it's way onto the boat, it has dark scaly skin, sharp spines all over it's fins and a large tooth filled mouth. It doesn't walk, it just slumps forward, making its way around the boat. Darcy sits in complete fear. She's defenseless, she lost her flare gun in the chaos from before.

She tries to press her body as firmly against the side of the boat as she can, terrified to make any movements. The creature slumps around the boat, until it comes fully into view. She can see it's eyes, they're black and staring in her direction. The creature isn't sure what it sees, it approaches cautiously, Darcy tries to remain perfectly still in hopes that she won't peak it's interest. The creature slumps closer and closer, it gets very close. The water and slime of the creature drips onto Darcy's skin. The creature looks her up and down, it seems almost as nervous as she is. Curious; it goes in closer, Darcy closes her eyes in fear. The creature takes an exploratory bite into Darcy's shoulder; causing her to jump up screaming. Startled; the monster throws her across the boat. She lands hard, several feet away. Her shoulder is bleeding badly, she's slow to get up and the creature is coming towards her. She gets to her feet just in time to be pulled right back down by the monster who's grabbed a hold of her leg. It pulls her towards it's mouth. Darcy fights with everything she has to free herself but she's no match, her foot inches closer and closer to the creatures giant teeth. Darcy screams out as the creature takes a bite of her foot, she finally pulls it free, losing a large chunk of it in the creature's teeth.

In absolute agony now; Darcy crawls away though the small boat doesn't offer much room to escape to. Darcy leaves a pool of blood behind her with every step forward that she takes, the monster behind her has a taste for blood. Darcy crawls over-top of the sail lying prone on the deck, the monster is steps behind her. She gets a hold of some broken rigging and swing it around, hitting the creature. It's hide is meant to withstand the pressures of the deep sea, it's thick and dense, the blow has no effect. Unfazed; the creature pulls her towards it once again. Darcy claws at the sail, pulling at it in a desperate attempt to escape. She pulls and pulls until she reveals her flare gun hidden underneath. The monster pulls her in close and goes to bite her again, once it's teeth sink into her leg she screams out in pain. This time she fights back; clawing at the creature's eyes and causing it to drop her. Darcy crawls as fast as she can to the flare gun with the hungry monster following behind her, she can barely lift the gun with her torn up shoulder. The creature bears down on her once more, she manages to press the gun to it's neck and pulls the trigger. The flare tears through the monster's neck, burning a cavity deeper and deeper into the monster's throat. It falls to the ground and violently convulses. Flopping it's way back into the water.

Darcy is left alone, completely alone. She's on a broken, slowly sinking boat in the middle of the ocean and she's bleeding out badly. This is it, these moment are her last. The boat slowly drifts on the slow moving water, Darcy starts to lose consciousness. She sees Cade at the wheel of the boat, he looks at her reassuringly. A tear trickles down her cheek, she smiles. She closes her eyes and loses consciousness. Darcy stay unconscious for days while her boat drifts deeper into the ocean.

Darcy's feels the boat bump something, softly at first but then the boat comes to a sudden violent stop. Darcy lifts her head up, gets to her feet and wobbles to the front of the boat, she can't believe her eyes. She's hit land. A tiny island no bigger than a football field hidden away in the middle of all this ocean, the boat is finally finished and taking on water. Darcy hops off the boat and makes her way onto the island. It's barren, almost void of vegetation. Darcy starts to explore, it's rocky and littered with bones. Darcy walks the island, she see's all manner of carcass littered across the rocky landscape. Darcy freezes in her tracks, her face twists into a horrified expression. She breaks down. In front of her is Cade's partially devoured corpse. Behind her she can hear the sounds of the creature, then the sound of others, coming from several different directions. She's on her knees, she doesn't even turn around,she's given up. A few of the creatures lurch onto the island out of the water and slump towards her. She doesn't turn to look, she has no more fight in her, she's resigned to her fate. She plays with her wedding ring as they get closer. The camera closes on a shot of her wedding ring moments before she's killed for sure.

-END-

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-

Darcy Wakes Up Alone and Stranded In The Middle Of the Sea With Something In The Water Stalking Her Boat

Yeah so; change of plans. I wanted to get to work on a romantic comedy but frankly I just wasn't feeling it. I still really want to write one but I haven't come up with something that feels quite right yet, I've been wrecking my brain trying actually. I've decided to stop.

In the meantime I want to actually get a script finished. ACTUALLY finished. Something I can try shopping around just to see what kind of feedback I get. I am going to write the horror movie that I've already conceived, start to finish.

Here's what I wrote previously for reference:

http://apeday.blogspot.ca/2013/03/horror-movie-idea-dont-steal-it.html
http://apeday.blogspot.ca/2013/03/imagine-being-stranded-in-ocean-and.html
http://apeday.blogspot.ca/2013/03/the-time-bully-had-me-cornered-in.html



Exterior - A dock

We open with a shot of Cade working on a small boat, the framing is such that the boat is in the lower left hand of the screen with the rest of the frame being the expansive ocean which goes on for unthinkable miles in all directions. Cade is going over a checklist, his boat is very well maintained. He has a bunch of supplies on the deck and he's meticulously maintaining a catalog of everything he brings aboard.

Cade is an avid sailor, his olive tan is a testament to how often he takes his boat out. Cade's practically lived on the water his whole life and he gives his lifestyle credit for his relaxed disposition and sense of calm. This trip mean more to Cade, there's a reason he's taking it so seriously. He's going over the numbers on paper, checking all his instruments and surveying weather patterns. Checking over his own work like and inspector. As he scribbles through the pages of his note book he looks away from the water towards a grassy hill which slopes beautifully along a charming dirt pathway towards the docks. Glimmering in the sun he see's something that changes his whole aura, in that moment everything slows down. In that moment as the sun shimmers off the beautiful blond hair of the petite little woman he called his fiance; in that moment he feel like he has all the time in the world and all he wants to do with it is watch her. He loves that girl.  She sees him looking her way and smiles, like always he gets butterflies in his stomach. The girl goes over the hill and down the pathway, for just a second she seems to lose control of the bike but regains her balance quickly. When she looks up again Cade is laughing to himself. She pulls up beside him and walks right into his arms.

Darcy

Oh my God I wasn't expecting the dirt to be so loose at the bottom

Cade

Darcy. Use your breaks, those things attached to your handles. 

Darcy

I hate my breaks.

Cade kisses Darcy on the forehead. 

Cade

I would have run over there and caught you at the last second y'know.

Darcy

Awww...I almost believe that.

Darcy looks around at all the work Cade's been putting in. 

Darcy

Cade, I didn't know you had so much to do. Let  me help you.

Cade

Sure. Help me change out this bilge pump and then re-furl the sails.

Darcy looks at him, defeated by her utter lack of understanding any of the terms Cade just threw at her. Cade smiles back at her.

Cade

Baby I got this. This was my idea, I've been waiting to take you on this trip since we started dating. I'll make sure I have everything covered, I don't want you to worry about anything. Baby. We're going to sail around the world together.

Darcy

We're going to be in the middle of the ocean and I've never sailed before. Cade...what happens if a storm hits?

Cade

Then we get wet and we keep floating. I've been through some incredible storms Darcy, you won't believe how beautiful the water is after one passes. We'll see rainbows for miles. 

Darcy

What if a shark attacks us? 

Cade

Our boat? Baby, sharks can't hurt our boat. Even if they could I wouldn't let them, I'd punch it to pieces the second he looked at you funny.

Darcy laughs and Cade wraps his arms around her.

Cade

Be happy Baby.

As the two lovers embrace the camera pulls back, slowly at first over the water. As the camera pulls away it speeds up and reveals more and more ocean. Soon Darcy and Cade and their little boat are just specks surrounded by water, the endless ocean their about to set sail into.

 -LURKING-

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.