Movie Plot Synopsis

My Movie Plot Synopsis:

I have watched a fair number of films over the holidays and I’ve found that I much prefer the horror genre. Horror films can leave the audience stunned or frightened. By doing so, the film maker has achieved his/her goal through fear. I have decided to aim my film at a age between 12-18 years old; acquiring a 15 rating. This will make the film available to an audience of teenagers, at a younger age, but also available to those of a older age – broadening my target audience. I intend to base my film on a paranormal / demonic / supernatural atmosphere, avoiding the cliché serial killer plot. Focusing mainly on a paranormal entity / being. I have chosen this particular category as I prefer to watch these types of horrors as they can be interesting as well as entertaining. For example; it could involve historical events or happenings – combining facts and fiction to produce a well designed film plot. I have decided to base my film on a firsthand experience – exaggerated. Brief overview: ‘Cloven’ focuses a group university students vacationing in an isolated remote woodland area in the Scottish Highlands. After they discover distinct clues that soon relate back to ancient ghastly events, they soon unleash the legacy of darkness that once lurked in the woods. (The name ‘Clootie’ comes from Cloot, meaning one division of a cleft hoof, or a Cloven hoof. Distinctively found on animals such as horses, goats, deer and other dry land mammals. (Def:Scottish legends say, Clootie is the Devil. He can take many disguises including an old man in a black suit but whatever disguise he takes, he's always giving himself away because of his cloven feet which cannot be hidden.) 

‘Cloven’ features a group of daring college students, (Hayley, Ben [Hayley’s boyfriend,] Marcus, Samantha [Sam], Vincent [Vinnie]) As they venture off into the Welsh Highlands, in search for Celtic Folklore first hand information from locals of the area. Hayley and Vinnie are also enthusiastic art students, hoping to get some great shots of the landscapes and improve their drawing skills. They set out to explore ‘The Brecon Beacons,’ a series of vast woodlands surrounded by mountains and hills. One of the mountains is formally known as ‘Clooties Croft’ – a very daring tourist attraction which is said to be once inhabited by Clootie; the urban legend, also referred to as the ‘Scottish Devil.’ There are still strange happenings occurring, linking back to his presence, to this very day. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their journey is long, so they designate drivers for every hour. Vinnie takes the wheel and half way through his shift, a blackbird hits the windscreen with force, leaving a slight crack in the window. He and Ben exit the vehicle and peer round the back of the vehicle to find the bird lead on it’s back. The boys question its presence, but without hesitation, they get back in the car a head on. They arrive at the woods; Park the car and trek down a path to soon come to the site. They set up camp under a shady group of oak trees. They chose a spot completely out of the way of anybody else as they may cause disturbances for the other tourists. Although they hadn’t seen one. Marcus sets up his tent quickly as possible so he can get the fire going and be the first to open a beer. Meanwhile Vincent is adamant to stay in Sam’s tent, as he has had a crush on her since freshman year. Sam is sick of Vinnie’s behaviour and storms off into the woods. Ben and Hayley are heard discussing problems about her moving away to Scotland after the summer term and Ben gets emotional. Their heartfelt conversation is soon put to an end when Vinnie is caught peering through the small gap in the tent. The shady figure of Vinnie’s movement is made to look like a monstrous being, creeping around the campsite. Sam soon returns to the site, frantically stumbling over a tree stump screaming. She says that she “something.” Marcus, being the ‘macho’ man of the group puts down his beer and runs to his tent. As the group create fuss over Sam’s mystery encounter, Marcus emerges from the tent with a rifle. They scream. Ben approaches Marcus and tries to snatch the gun from his grip, shouting “Don’t bring that anywhere near Hayley!” Marcus lashes out at Ben, but trips and falls to the ground. During Marcus’ and Ben’s confrontation Sam soon reveals that she saw a mountain goat. Then the group all laugh at her. They all then settle down and go to sleep. Marcus keeps quiet, and heads to bed after everyone else. Camera shows each individual as they slumber. (camera shows dead blackbird on floor.) 

The next morning, all looks well as the group venture off into the woods. Marcus, on the other hand stays behind. His male pride gets the best of him, after being confronted by Ben the night before. (The group is unaware of this. They daren’t approach Marcus as they seem to be on Ben’s side.) As the others head off, they encounter some beautiful breathtaking sceneries and landscapes; climbing mountains and exploring valleys. The group stumble upon a extinguished fire. The smoke still lingers as it rises above the tall trees. There happen to still be sleeping bags located n the area and tents, torn open and left there. The light is barricaded out by the trees, there are no sounds to be heard and the distinctive smell of smoke lingers in the musky air. On the floor, next to the fire, barbed wire and wooden planks can be seen. The wire is blood stained and pieces of hair can be found on the ground. It had been almost 8 hours since they had left camp, and without any phone signal, they began to worry about Marcus. After scavenging the hunting ground for a while, Ben finds a series of strange symbols engraved in the bark of the trees. Sam happened to have studied Celtic Mythology and Folklore at University and begins to decode the jargon. She takes a few photos as she recites the words, written in her work book. But she is shortly interrupted by a deafening shriek that shudders through the trees. Blackbirds squawks can be heard, but no birds to be seen. Sam falls to the ground and Vinnie rushes over to help her up. Her nose is bleeding heavily. She had become unconscious. 

They rush her back to camp to find a first aid kit. When they return back to the campsite, a scent of dead, rotten flesh lingers through the thin air. Questions are soon answered as Vinnie holds up a dead rabbit. There are a number of them, lead next to the fire. [Marcus had gone out and caught them for something to eat.] As Hayley approached Marcus’ tent, the stench still remained high. She noticed that his tent zip had been ripped open, from the outside. Hayley stopped in her tracks. She began hearing faint voices, whispering in her ears, Left to right. She screamed, and Ben rushes over to see her. [The group blame Ben for Marcus’ death. They kick up a fuss.] There, remained a gunshot hole in the side of the tent. And as they peered inside, lay Marcus, defaced by his own rifle. [Explain empty gun barrel] The gunshot is soon to be proved that it came from the inside of the tent, leaving Ben innocent and the group pitiful. 

 Meanwhile Sam awakens, possessed by a demonic entity. She lashes out at Vinnie ripping out his throat with her bare hands. She turns to face Hayley, and shouts at her. But Hayley can’t understand a word as she is speaking in an unknown language. As she approaches Hayley, Ben intervenes with a hit to the skull with the empty rifle. They wrap her up in the tent, constricted by the ropes, and peg her to the floor. Hayley cries in Ben’s arms and explains that Sam must be "purified" by burning, live burial, or dismemberment, which will end her possession and the demon's assault. With the lack of tools and equipment, they result into burying her. They hit her with the shovel and begin to dig. Hayley searches Sam’s bag for her Celtic Folklore book and finds the translated language that she had written on the side. The symbols must be read backwards [recite] in order to undo the curse and completely exorcise Sam. 

As she recites the curse, the ground begins to move where Sam lies. She emerges from the marshy pit and grabs Ben, dragging him into the mucky abyss. He soon surfaces, and all looks well. He explains that he chokes possessed Sam until she let go. They kiss and claim their love for each other as the rain pours down on them. She explains that she isn’t going to move to England, and that she was hoping they could get a flat together. Ben remains silent, and then opens his eyes, revealing his all black pupils. Then he grins at the camera.