The Priest, the Witch & the Poltergeist
Logline
In 1850 a priest in a rural French village blames a male witch for the poltergeist haunting his parsonage. Half-crazed by noise, the priest beats the witch terribly, but he survives and sues the priest for assault. The only known trial in history with a witch as plaintiff follows. A true story.
Genre
Horror,Suspense/Thriller,Mystery,Drama
Short Summary
Father Lariat has jailed his coven leader for naturopathy, so outsider Felix Thorel frightens the priest's two parsonage students with a 'hex' of strange words and electrostatic charges. The priest forces Thorel to apologize to the boys. Soon horrible noises erupt inside the parsonage walls.
Witnesses at trial (from true accounts) describe the poltergeist and how Thorel boasted of his power over the priest Jean Lariat. Lariat is found not guilty. Thorel escapes for Paris. Lariat's students are taken from the parsonage and that day, the poltergeist noises stop.
Setting
Story and trial: Normandy, 1850 and 1851. Prologue and epilogue: Paris, 1870.
Based on a True Story
Yes
Plot - Premise
Overcoming Monster/Villain,Rebellion Against 'The One',Other,Internal Journey/Rebirth
Plot - Other Elements
Philosophical Questions,Twist,Meaningful Message
Mature Audience Themes
Information not completed
Main Character Details
Name: Thorel Felix
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Role: Antagonist
Key Traits: Underdog,Masculine,Uneducated,Romantic,Secretive,Lone Wolf,Unapologetic,Adventurous,Clumsy,Complex,Heroic,Blunt,Badass
Additional Character Details
Name: Father Jean Lariat
Age: 55
Gender: Male
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Crazy,Desperate,Religious,Educated,Insecure,Narcisstic,Power Hungry,Manipulative,Leader,Confident
Additional Character Details
Name: Eve Therigny
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Role: emotional
Key Traits: Aspiring,Badass,Criminal,Empathetic,Flexible,Underdog,Uneducated,Sexy,Selfless,Skillful,Outspoken,Romantic,Unapologetic
Additional Character Details
Name: Robert de Saint Victor
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Role: logical
Key Traits: Confident,Decisive,Gracious,Educated,Honorable,Leader,Masculine,Skillful,Visionary,Sophisticated
Development Pitch
The Return of Martin Guerre meets The Haunting of Hill House. The Priest, the Witch & the Poltergeist is unbelievable but true: an epic battle between opposites set against the backdrop of a poltergeist (historically the loudest on record) and the building of the French railway. For the audiobook the poltergeist roars the ever-growing, invasive noises of technology from then until modern times. A lonely mysterious male witch has the guts to take on the village's most revered leader after being beaten nearly to death. A young woman who works for the local scientist-seigneur discovers the dying witch near his cottage and, in nursing him back to health, falls in love with him and takes up his cause. A self-important priest regretting he was not chosen to work in Paris goes mad from noises that tear his household apart: one boy seems to become disturbed and the other joins the village gang. (This is not, by the way, a priest-abuse story.) The priest tries an exorcism. A Parisian marquis tries a seance. A dubious scientist-seigneur experiments and wonders about the paranormal. The priest becomes increasingly unhinged from the noise until beating the witch makes sense to him. There are great twists to the story: upon orders of the marquis the village men nail the walls of the parsonage to kill the poltergeist; the witch's legal revolt against the priest (the most modern of hexes), and finally, the disappearance of the poltergeist upon the boys' departure.