Film Promo Treatment
Chosen genre: Supernatural Horror
Title of film: TBD (To Be Discussed…)
Outline of Ideas
Detailed plot synopsis:
Female protagonist finds an old book while visiting the church grounds she used to frequent in her childhood.
Turnaround point after she opens the book. Sparked by her curiosity, she flicked through the pages without seeing the warning scratched on the inside of the hard cover.
She is possessed by a supernatural entity, and this force causes her to kill her friends. The killing goes on one by one until the female protagonist realises that she is the one being filled with malice to harm her friends (denotation: that she has been possessed by the unknown entity and is the one who has been killing her friends all along). Throughout, she goes through constant transformational change.
Basic plot synopsis:
Female protagonist finds a book. The supernatural force within the book possesses her. She is enticed to unconsciously commit acts of homicide, specifically targeting her group of friends. Will she eventually realise the other entity inside her? Why does this supernatural manifestation choose to kill the people closest to her? What is the next motive after this?
Multiple notes on plotting:
- Episode of blackout and hallucinations
- To do with witchcraft, curses
- History and background
- The book associates with the supernatural
- Something that possesses the female protagonist
- Mirror scenes
- Phrase quote (TBD)
Further plot thinking:
What triggers? The motive?
- Is it as simple as the supernatural just wanting to kill?
- Perhaps the supernatural possessing her understands the comforts of the female protagonist and seeks to destroy her feeling of ease (Her mentality crumbles as the result of this?)
- Targets what the female protagonist considers as comfort (e.g. her friends) therefore resulting to the supernatural possessing her to kill them (She is not aware of this - Witchcraft based reasoning?)
- To go against the host
The female protagonist would feel sad and angry knowing she has killed her friends. There could be twisted feelings of happiness – because she does not have to do anything but listen to the other being within her. If she chooses to give up, she would just need to ‘sit down and allow it’.
Changes and Transformations that could take place:
- The book causes writings or scars on her hand or arms, visible on skin
- Change in pupils; can use contact lenses to present this or aftereffects
- Pale skin (make up) later on in the trailer, with loss of colour to reflect internal mood/weight and effect of the supernatural entity she has come into contact with
- (Non-physical change) She becomes more demented, personality wise
Characters
● Female protagonist
➢ Main protagonist who is also ends up as the antagonist (possible route that can be incorporated)
- A curious character
- Slightly cautious?
- Uptight?
● The group of friends close to the protagonist
- They die end up dying
- One will survive (May be ambiguous in the trailer maybe? - To create a cliffhanger)
Horror conventions that will possibly be included…
- Jumpscares
- Montage (near the end, pacing of trailer gradually increases, possibly along with the music/sound)
➢ Scene example: Slow down, moment where protagonist feels completely absorbed, finds the book, picks it up
+ Calming music that feels uncomfortable/wrong
- Gore and blood
Trailer settings:
● St Dunstan
- In the east, church garden
- Book to be found here
● Bathroom (in a home scene)
- Drenched in blood
- Drastic hallucination in front of mirror
➢ Jump scare scene A: Someone (her dead friend) holds her, comes from behind, protagonist as a result of this sudden contact and imagery screams in horror
➢ Jump scare scene B: Her dead friend comes from behind, however the protagonist is not afraid, stares at the horrific figure emotionless
● Highgate station disused railway
- Abandoned theme/feeling
● Epping Forest
- Isolated location
Mise-en-scene:
- Use of special FX makeup
- Fake blood
- Maybe a blunt object as a weapon
- Book (Containing the entity), in Latin as it is a dead language
