Shipwreck'd
Submision Type
book
Logline
Brad Pattison is a retired widower with a story to tell. After losing his wife, Brad writes in his memoir about the reoccurring dreams of his father after they began resurfacing. From these dreams he finds inspiration to pick up an old hobby, and writes about the strangeness that surrounded him.
Genre
Horror
Short Summary
Brad Pattison begins his memoir which preludes the story in the Preface. He describes his feelings of delirium while in solitude, and begins to express the grief and despair that plagued him after his wife passed away. He recounts past events that took place. The story begins after the Preface.
Setting
British Columbia, Canada
Based on a True Story
No
Plot - Premise
Internal Journey/Rebirth,Tragedy
Plot - Other Elements
Meaningful Message,Philosophical Questions
Mature Audience Themes
Nudity, Language/Profanity,Substance Abuse
Main Character Details
Name: Brad Pattison
Age: Sixty-seven
Gender: Male
Role: Skeptic
Key Traits: Complex,Confident,Desperate,Empathetic,Engaging,Faithful,Leader,Honorable,Underdog,Lone Wolf,Strong Moral Code,Sophisticated,Skillful,Outspoken,Selfless,Modest,Masculine
Additional Character Details
Name: Irwin
Age: Seventy-five
Gender: Male
Role: Mentor
Key Traits: Aggressive,Charming,Complex,Empathetic,Engaging,Faithful,Religious,Educated,Unapologetic,Strong Moral Code,Sophisticated,Funny,Outspoken,Blunt,Underdog
Additional Character Details
Name: Phil
Age: Forty
Gender: Male
Role: antagonist
Key Traits: Charming,Confident,Villainous,Greedy,Secretive,Outspoken,Power Hungry,Lone Wolf
Additional Character Details
Name: Paul
Age: Seventy
Gender: Lgbt
Role: mentor
Key Traits: Charming,Clumsy,Complex,Modest,Religious,Selfless,Empathetic,Decisive,Faithful,Flexible,Gracious,Educated,Naive,Strong Moral Code,Sophisticated
Genre
THRILLER, MATURE AUDIENCE, RELIGION, FANTASY
Brief
A widower elder in pain faces a constant impression that there is an evil presence around him, while experiencing strange dreams with his deceased father. After going through a devilish ritual, he ends up in the hospital and finds out he has a brain tumor.
Overall Rating
GOOD
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: GOOD
Characterization: GOOD
Commerciality: FAIR
Franchise Potential: FAIR
Pace: GOOD
Premise: GOOD
Structure: GOOD
Theme: GOOD
Accuracy of Book Profile
Yes, it does, but the genre is more horror than memoir, especially because it is a fictional character's account of his memories, not the author's.
Draw of Story
The main character's inner struggles and the mystery surrounding some latest strange occurrences.
Possible Drawbacks
Maybe the fact that some events take too much time to happen. There could be some more action earlier in the story to keep the audience's attention.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
A horror story that develops intertwined with an elder's descent into loneliness and his fight against an unknown health condition.
Fanbase Potential
Not really. It might appeal to some horror fans and to people concerned about the challenges of getting old, but it will hardly get to a wider, mainstream audience.
Awards Potential
Potentially some specific horror and fantasy Awards.
Envisioned Budget
LOW BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
RELIC - A HORROR MOVIE ABOUT AN OLD WOMAN WHO LIVES ALONE AND SLOWLY DESCENDS INTO UNCONSCIOUSNESS AND MADNESS. THE VISIT - TWO YOUNG SIBLINGS HAVE TO DEAL WITH THEIR GRANDPARENTS' STRANGE, HORRIFYING BEHAVIOR.
What’s New About the Story
Using horror tropes to deal with the challenges posed by old age, grief and illness. To become more unique, it could have an even less open ending.
Lead Characters
The protagonist is a courageous, reflexive and overall a very relatable and respectable person, having to deal with a situation completely out of his control.
Uniqueness of Story
Not really. An extra polishing to the narrative and the inclusion of some action to the story as a whole would be much-needed additions.
Possible Formats
Film - Indie, Film - Streaming, TV Series - Streaming
Analyst Recommendation
CONSIDER
Justification
Because the story has an interesting concept and is led by an intriguing character, that goes beyond the clichés of the horror genre. The protagonist is relatable and his struggles (with himself, his own past and the people around him) should be painful to watch and at the same time recognizable to the audience. However, to be adapted, the narrative would require the inclusion of more action. That is, action that happens outside the protagonist's head. Since a lot of the story is told through his eyes and mind, some major adjustments would have to be made for it to work as a film, preferably avoiding the use of an intrusive voice-over narration. The conclusion is also a bit of a let-down, with the macabre closing events (that is, the devilish ritual with a shaman from hell) ending too quickly and leading too fast to the revelation of the protagonist's worrying health condition. There should be more horror, drama and further development of the whole situation for the ending to be actually satisfying.