Brief

Footsteps in the Dark is a collection of eight supernatural/horror short stories with a Twilight Zone flavor, that highlight the eternal struggle between good and evil, brought on by the human condition and the actions we take to satisfy our desires.

What We Liked

Easy to read, interesting setups, positive message of good always wins against evil, interesting characters.

Film: Following a similar structure to the Argentinian success Wild Tales, Footsteps in the Dark would be a film made of short films with a theme in common: good vs evil. Each story has its own set of characters and unique situations that are self-sufficient to hold the audience's attention and attract a viewer interested in horror, crime, and thrillers.

TV: As a collection of horror/crime short stories, Footsteps in the dark would be easily well adapted to a TV series. Each episode would tell a story, and the connecting theme would be the war between good and evil. Because of its universal theme, the show would appeal to multiple audiences and the independence in each story would allow the show to work on multiple platforms.

Key points: Good message; Interesting characters; Unique setups; Right amount of fantasy/horror elements; Stories are short and to the point

Synopsis

In the first story, Jeremy Ward is a widower whose wife was brutally murdered by a serial killer he becomes obsessed with finding. One day, after following a murder, he meets the victims in a remote 1950s diner. By taking to the victims, Jeremy is able to catch the killer, but it costs him his life.

The second story is Mona Moore's tale of staying young. A Hollywood superstar finds a youth elixir and abuses it usage until she's cursed to become an old lady. But, she finds out that her Hollywood crush is in a similar position, and they get together to enjoy fame and youth forever.

The third is about a bigoted man named Sam Pinks who dreams of killing everyone he hates but ends up getting killed by his angry feelings.

Norman Bailey is a dying out-of-body experience expert who plans on stealing a 30-year-old man's body. But when he succeeds, he's killed by the man's mistress' husband.

Frank Scarpelli is a crook who can't get his life straight. When he screws up the opportunity his uncle offered him, he ends up caught by smarter criminals.

When Louisa is hired to change famous TV host Allison's show, she suggests they interview criminals. But her plan was to avenge her dead sister's rapist.

When Dr. Andrew Madison is accused of killing his patient's husband, he finds out his patient was dead all along and their supernatural therapy helped cure both of their wounds.

When narcissistic coin collector Marvin Thomas inherits the oldest coin from his rival, he finds out its cursed and it costs him his life.

About The Author

Carlo Armenise has written for TV, film, and short story concepts across a wide range of genres, from horror to comedy. With "Footsteps in the Dark" he presents a collection of eight short stories with a Twilight Zone flavor that is reminiscent of the storytelling style of H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe.