'Erin Penn' specializes in the mystery and suspense genres, giving it a thrilling and perhaps macabre bent due to her love for writers such sa Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft.
the soul of winter | 'introducing arthur good'
The first of the Arthur Good series, it is the first screenplay that Casey sent under the pseudonym that got picked up and why wouldn't it? It has all the makings of a classic film: A puzzling murder that happens to be tied to the theft of a priceless gem. A touch detective who was unwilling to let the bad guys win by using his dry wit and sharp intelligence. A sultry woman with a dangerous allure to her who seems to know about the case more than she lets on.
While the plot maybe typical, the characterization of the detective and the dame were lauded for being realistic yet fantastical and the dialogue allowing to show the tension between the two main characters. It helped 'Erin' decided to add one surprise twist to the story: That the gem wasn't stolen at all. Instead destroyed by the victim before they were killed by their own child who wanted the jewel for themselves.
the grotesque thing | 'don't look into its eyes!'
The second work of 'Erin', it drew a lot of inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft's story 'The Outsider' and it showed through the work. It was more of creeping horror than a whodunit film, as 'he' didn't want to hop on the noir genre since there was a lot of competition for it as it was. Not even when the producers were begging 'him' to make another Arthur Good work after this one was made.
The story is about a person emerging from their state of recluse so they may team up with a blind woman so they could investigate a series of deaths that are occurring there. People dying from what is described as 'pure' fright. The film, while tense and upsetting in some parts of it, builds up a lot of chemistry between the person (who we never see properly) and the blind woman. It is then revealed in the middle of the film during a climatic and memorable scene, involving with a group of hoodlums who were in the forest to fool around and a bonfire, that the main character is not a 'person' and is actually the cause of all those people's deaths. Their appearance so gruesome and terrifying that it kills them instantly. A problem since it has a bad habit of needing to go out and scrounge for food.
Rest of the film is the woman and the thing's attempts to hide but it fails in the end, with the thing killed by the police and the distraught woman being 'rescued from the monster' despite her hysteric claims that it is the contrary. The film, while ambitious, is noted for being quite a downer and being 'too depressing' in some people's eyes. It got excellent reviews thanks to the writing and the plotting but didn't make a killing in terms of money compared to what Arthur Good made.
something old, something new | 'time to play for the bride, arthur good'
When she saw that the reception for 'The Grotesque Thing' was lukewarm for the important people, Casey reluctantly wrote up another Arthur Good screenplay. It kept food on the table. The plot was that a bride is killed on her wedding day in a locked room and Arthur, a friend of the family, decides to snoop into the case when the police are unable to turn up everything.
The plot, again, is typical but the characterization and the decision to give Arthur a good-looking partner who acts as the foil to Arthur's roughness and brusque manner in a likable manner are applauded for.
The partner for Arthur Good in it, Ross Just, happens to be based a lot on Rose Monroe in terms of their character. In fact a lot of characters in this film is based on Rose and some other women Casey knew through her good friend but had to change all their characters to male in order to get approval. "Great," as the note said when she first submitted it through her middleman, "but it could use more testosterone."
So far no one knows what Erin Penn is planning next in terms of their screenplay. There sure are some rumors floating about. Some say it will be another Arthur Good work. Some say it will be another attempt to break into a genre. Some say Erin is going to quit writing altogether, not wanting to be a cog in the machine.
In honesty? Casey is kind of having writer's block. In between trying to hide her identity of who Erin Penn really is and trying to work hard in the restaurant she's a waitress in and other things, she hasn't been able to sit down and think of a good story. She knows she wants to do something more than just mysteries and deaths. Maybe a comedy romance? A feel good film? She's thinking a lot of things but there's a difference between 'thinking screenplays' and 'writing screenplays' in Hollywood. Especially when you're being pressured to crunch out something and soon.
