Final Ideas: Film Narrative

Developed Ideas for the Narrative

Since I constructed the basic ideas for my plot, I have since then developed them. The basic proposal will remain, however I have introduced a few new and exciting ideas to my narrative.

Due to temporal complications, I have decided to set my narrative in a completely different time frame, in the 1940’s era, during the war. As part of my initial ideas, I was going to set the film in a modern decade, and use flashbacks to the 1970’s. However, the projected age of the killer would not fit the ideal narrative, as he would have been too old when confronted. Choosing to set the narrative in the 1940’s era was something I initially thought of, but I disregarded the concept due to everyone telling me that it would pose difficulties. Ever since I could remember I’ve had an admiration for the past and I am confident that I can achieve the old fashion 1940’s look.

I intend to create a supernatural horror that is set in the 1940’s, whilst remaining to use my original plot only with a few moderations.

The Background

The main character is a female in her late twenties who is unhappy with her life. Ever since experiencing abuse as a child, the relationships in her life have been affected. In order to do some soul-searching, she moves into a new home in the country where she can begin to start her ‘new life’. We learn about the characters background as the narrative progresses.

The house belongs to her uncle who is currently an Officer in the war; she moves in to look after it for him, but also to escape the danger of bombings in London at the time. As far as the main character is aware, the house used to be an orphanage which shut down during the early years of the war, due to money shortages.

The Plot

In the winter of 1943, the protagonist moves into an old Victorian house which is located in a quiet and isolated area in the country. As soon as she moves in, she begins to realise that she isn’t entirely alone. From hearing voices, to having horrific nightmares, the protagonist believes that she is being haunted by the spirit of a young woman; she learns that the spirit was brutally murdered in the house as the narrative progresses.

She decides to find out about more about history of the house and begins by exploring the attic; in there she finds a dusty old record book that contains photographs of lots of young children that were once living in the orphanage a few years ago. Among all of the photographs, one photo of a young girl stands out the most, the protagonist recognises the girl from having seen her in her nightmares.

The main character then visits her neighbour, a slightly crazed old lady who lives next door, to confirm her suspicion and find out more. The old lady tells the protagonist that she always knew there was something eerie about the orphanage, that she believes the children were being abused, but that no one believed her.

The main character becomes frightened and erratic, convinced that the ghost of this girl is evil as it continues to torment her, but as the film goes on, she realises that the spirit is trying to communicate something to her. Through this correspondence, the protagonist discovers how and why the girl was murdered. The gardener at the orphanage was strange, perverted man who often abused the children at the home.

One girl who lived there acknowledged what the gardener was doing and she threatened to tell the owner if he continued. Crazed and enraged, he attacked the young girl and brutally took away her life.

The main character then realises that she must track down this man in order to resolve peace for this poor restless soul. She discovers that he had enlisted to become a soldier during the war and so she takes a visit down to the barracks and asks for him. It turns out that he is on leave. Whilst there, a couple of soldiers start talking to her and invite her to the party there that night. She uses the opportunity to dress up, use her charm and seduce the antagonist back to her home. Here, she unveils the truth about his past and she attempts to kill him.

After a vicious game of ‘hide and seek’ between the protagonist and the killer, the ultimate death struggle begins. It will mirror the events of how the ghost of the girl had died, which provides the narrative with a poetic ending. Just as the antagonist attempts to murder the protagonist in the same way, she suddenly has a brutal vision in which she experiences the death of the poor girl so many years ago. She regains strength and it is the antagonist who suffers death. Justice is restored for the ghost of the girl and the protagonist feels as if she has defeated the demons of her past.

The Twist

The last scene will show the protagonist packing up her belongings as she is moving out of the home. She decides to say farewell to the old lady next door and thank her for her assistance. As she knocks on the door, a dog walker nearby hears the protagonist knocking on the door and calling the ladies name. She warily approaches the main character and asks her who she is looking for. The protagonist tells her that she is looking for the elderly woman who lives here. The dog-walker replies “I’m sorry but, the lady that lived here died many years ago...” And so the twist is that the donor character (crazy old lady) was in fact a ghost herself!