Samples

Breach Point Castle   script excerpt  

Clara Tuffney is a college senior who's just arrived in the quiet seaside town of Breach Point to work a semester-long Environmental Engineering internship. She moves in with her Aunt Maureen and, in exploring the area, learns of a haunted attraction – Breach Point Castle – that made the town famous a quarter century ago. Clara heads to the beach in search of the castle's remains...

EXT. PILINGS - DAY

Clara walks out toward a group of wooden pilings poking out from the sand. Behind her, a SHADOWED FIGURE stands, previously hidden by a patch of tall weeds.

Clara aims her camera at the image of the ruined pier.

SHADOWED FIGURE (O.S.)

Looking for the castle?

Clara turns, surprised. Her camera falls into the sand.

She sees the figure clearly. NICHOLAS, in the throes of a half-hearted attempt at teenage punkness, looks harmless despite his purple-tipped hair. He carries a sketchbook.

NICHOLAS

Sorry - I wasn’t trying to scare you.

CLARA

It's okay, really. I just didn't see you sitting there.

She notices Nicholas’s sketchbook.

CLARA

I’m Clara. And yes, I was looking for the castle, actually.

NICHOLAS

Nicholas. And sorry, but you’re like, twenty-five years too late.

CLARA

I knew I should have left earlier.

Nicholas laughs with restraint. He picks up the camera, shakes off the sand, and hands it back to Clara.

CLARA

So am I correct in assuming you’re an artist?

NICHOLAS

Sketchbook tipped you off, huh?

CLARA

Dead giveaway.

NICHOLAS

Actually if you want to see Breach Point Castle, this is about as close as you’ll ever get.

Nicholas opens the photo album and hands it to Clara.

She flips through pages with taped-down Polaroids and newspaper clippings of the haunted attraction and its ghoulish cast members in and out of costume.

NICHOLAS

Biggest haunted attraction in the country, back before I was born.

CLARA

I believe it. It looks like a fun place to spend a warm summer night.

Clara flips a page and comes across an elegant pen and ink drawing of the castle.

CLARA

This is yours?

Nicholas nods, shyly.

NICHOLAS

Figured I looked at enough photos of that place that I had to give it a shot.

CLARA

It’s lovely, really. I’m in school for Environmental Engineering, so I’ve taken quite a few art classes, but I’m terrible at crosshatching. Do you have any secrets?

NICHOLAS

Yeah - don’t draw castles. They’re way too complicated.

Clara chuckles.

CLARA

And I thought you were going to educate me about that place.

Nicholas looks off thoughtfully.

NICHOLAS

You know what? If you’re really interested in it... are you hungry?

They head to a nearby restaurant where Clara is introduced to Nicholas' Uncle Kevin and a group of his friends –  all former employees of Breach Point Castle. Clara begins to learn more about the attraction's history, but when she digs up information about the mysterious fire that destroyed the castle –  and a boy who supposedly died in the fire – Kevin and his friends warn her that some things are better left buried.

 

Attract Mode   script excerpt  

A single guy in his mid-30's, Joel Murchek works a boring job as a package delivery driver. All of his free time and money are devoted to his hobby: classic video games. He and his friend Six-Forty – a technician at a video game repair shop – constantly hunt for ways they can revive the glorious arcade era of the early 1980's. At his nephew's 7th birthday party, Joel follows Six-Forty's advice and finally makes a move on his sister's friend Cassie... only to be rejected. He's still fuming when his sister Gayle approaches...

Gayle walks over, just missing Joel’s move. Joel spins away, clearly embarrassed. Cassie regains her composure.

GAYLE

Hey Joel, I meant to tell you that you can practice your game here if you’d like. I pulled your old system out for the kids last week.

Joel turns from Cassie and Gayle and walks toward the kids.

JOEL

Oh yeah?!

(to the kids)

You guys were playing my old games?

Andrew laughs.

ANDREW

Yeah! And they’re all stupid!

JOEL

What?! Which ones did you play?!

Joel walks closer to the kids. Behind him, Gayle and Cassie collect empty cups and head back toward the kitchen.

NADIA

That one with the guy who jumps over rocks and holes and things.

Joel looks more serious now.

JOEL

Lunge Man? That game is a classic!

ANDREW

It sucks! The music is all like “boop beep boop” and the guy is just, like... made of big dots!

NADIA

Yeah! All the dots are humongous!

The other kids launch into fits of laughter.

A stern look crosses Joel’s face. He folds his arms and looks directly at the children.

JOEL

“Big dots”.

The kids look confused. They don’t respond.

JOEL

“Big dots”, huh? Oh, okay. I get it. You guys play these kinds of “modern” video games.

He points to the video game on the television.

JOEL

These games that are all 3-D, where everything looks so real that you feel like you’re watching a movie - is that cool?

Joel stalks the room slowly. As his volume increases, Gayle and Cassie walk in.

JOEL

And the music? It’s a full friggin’ soundtrack!

Some of the kids look as if they’re ready to cry.

GAYLE

Joel, maybe--

JOEL

You’re spoiled, kids - so spoiled that you don’t even know it! You think the dots - they’re called “pixels”, by the way - were big in classic games, huh? Well you’re right! They were!

He casually picks up a game case from the floor.

JOEL

When I was your age, those were the only games we had! Sure, they look crude to your younthful eyes. And no, eight people can’t play at once! But these classic games had something modern games don’t have. Something they can never have.

Joel holds up the game case and inspects it scornfully.

JOEL

Heart, kids. They had heart. Because to make those big pixels and that goofy “beep-boop” music live and breathe, you had to put something of yourself into them!

The children cower beneath Joel.

JOEL

You had to bring it alive with your imagination. Just try that with this... this soulless tripe!

He flips the game case to the floor. Silence. Gayle and Cassie look terrified.

GAYLE

Joel... really...

One of the weaker boys breaks into tears, his lips trembling. Two more slowly back away from Joel, terror on their faces.

Joel’s expression quickly changes from anger to regret.

JOEL

Uh... but it’s all cool. Yeah...

Cassie and Gayle corral the kids. Joel steps toward the door.

CASSIE

Okay... who wants cake?

Cassie looks at Joel with a disappointed gaze. She follows Gayle and the kids into the kitchen.

JOEL

So, maybe... I need to go now. Yeah, I think that would be good.

He is ignored, and left alone in the living room.

Joel leaves the party and gets a call from Six-Forty saying he's discovered a package from a long-defunct video game manufacturer, containing the components for a never-released game that was decades ahead of its time. Joel and Six-Forty meet to formulate a plan on how they can resurrect that game – Devastar – and use it to bring about a worldwide arcade revolution.