Proposed working title: ‘The Gift’
A psychotic man kidnaps a young woman.
The story is unique in its exploration of themes including religion and mental illness, and aims to captivate audiences with dialogue driven scenes in one fixed setting.
The initial premise focuses on a young woman who has been kidnapped and is being held hostage by a psychotic man.
Our target audience is adults aged 18 and upwards who are interested in psychological horror.
The narrative focuses on themes of religion and mental illness and how these can be mistreated and the consequences of it. We researched into the symptoms, causes and treatment for schizophrenia to inform our narrative. The character of Peter’s mental illness and religious beliefs plays an important role in driving the narrative forwards and conflicts with the character of Bethany.
Our message is to explore the idea of a worst possible outcome out of the special set of circumstances we are presenting, shown through the character of peter and his mental state.
Bethany (young female aged around 18)
Peter is mentally ill young adult male who is socially isolated and driven by extreme religious beliefs. In his own eyes he is a hero and is doing Bethany a favour. He isn’t evil, he’s just the victim of his own mental state who seeks identity through religious beliefs rather than medical assistance.
Bethany is a young innocent girl raised by a loving religious family, and has never wronged anyone in her life. She is the audiences window into the madness, as she becomes the victim of Peters religious sacrifice. She gives the audience someone to sympathise with.