Eve has lost her husband in Afghanistan. She takes her young son to a remote Suffolk beach house to grieve. But there's someone in the house grieving her loss from another war...

SYNOPSIS:

WIDOW'S WALK – SYNOPSIS

Eve's husband has been killed in Afghanistan. A fellow officer's wife suggests she stay in her beach house while Eve waits for her new house to be ready, so she takes her son, 10 year old Noah, to stay there in Bawdsey, Suffolk.

The house sits locked up in winter, on the edge of the North Sea. Flanked by a large, looming Martello Tower and the modest home of Myrtle, an old lady who's lived there since she was a child during WW2.

Eve is beset by grieve. Deeply depressed, she takes to her bed, leaving Noah to his own devices. He explores the beach, befriending a boy his own age. Trevor shows him strange and beautiful things from the past that the Suffolk landscape has kept to herself for over seventy years...

Myrtle makes friends but mistakes Eve for her glamorous and capricious Aunt Lydia who lived in the house during the war. She tells of how Lydia fell in love with an American pilot stationed there in 1944. Joe appears in a rain storm. He's a friendly neighbour who works in the forest with his dog, Nigel.

Strange things begin to appear in the house. A Victoria sponge. And an ice cold glass of milk left out on the kitchen table... After dreaming she is making love to her husband, Eve sees a strange and beautiful woman smoking a cigarette in her bedroom. The apparition reappears and Eve chases her to the top of the Martello Tower, losing her footing along the way and almost plummeting to her death.

Joe takes Noah and Eve to Orford one day, but the trip turns sour when a childish game reminds Eve that her husband will never come home. Noah is angry at Eve's mean behaviour towards Joe. They argue and she sends him to his room where he finds a perfect model train set laid out on the floor.

Strange things continue to happen as the spirit of Lydia takes hold of Eve. We realise that it is Noah Lydia wants. When Myrtle reveals the dreadful things that happened after Lydia’s American pilot was killed, Eve understands that she and Noah must leave the house at once. But Lydia's spirit is too strong and Eve must fight for her son in a dramatic and nail-biting climax. It is Joe who saves the boy from Lydia and the North sea.

Everyone in the story is grieving. Everyone is haunted and connected by their loss. Myrtle's memories keep Lydia's spirit in the house. She carries so much guilt for a terrible thing that happened that she believes she could have prevented. Lydia lost her American pilot who promised her of a life in California. When he died all her dreams died with him. Eve has lost her husband. She can't lose her son...

And what is Joe's secret? What is his connection to Lydia? The twist in the final frame will leave you gasping…

THE BLACK LIST REVIEW – October 2015 SCORE 8/10

The script is succinctly and beautifully written, shown not told and terrifically paced. Though the script is minimalist it never drags or has a dull moment and the story maintains a tension throughout. At the center of the story are EVE and her son NOAH; The inherent innocence of childhood contrasted with the slow, haunting horror in the film creates terrific suspense. The film is populated with mysterious characters: MYRTLE (80), JOE (30s) and TREVOR (11). These characters are expertly written and show up in the script at various moments which calls their motivations and corporeality into question. The setting of the film, on a somewhat remote beach, evokes an isolated atmosphere crucial to a thriller and does so without coming across as cliché or hokey. The end of the film has a twist that fits snugly into the story.

There is a market, though not especially large, for elegant dramas with strong emotional cores. It is possible, however, to make this film on a low budget. Such a small cast gives a chance to explore really special moments. Fortunately the roles in the film are well-drawn and should draw male and female talent looking to work on something small but meaningful. It’s definitely a candidate for consideration.

THE BLACK LIST REVIEW November 2015 - SCORE 6/10

Logline:

After the loss of her husband, a widow and her son move to a quiet beach home only to find that they may not be the only ones occupying the house.

The vast majority of what's on the page is working in a big way. The writing is strong and on point. Characters are well-executed, and the house and small town that they occupy almost acts as an additional character in the story. The theme of loss and war-time tragedy helps the script stand out in a marketplace flooded with by-the-books horror films. The moments where we visualize Eve's dead husband (pg 18) are some of the most emotional in the script and the feeling of loss they evoke sets this script apart from the normal horror fare. Perhaps one of the most intense moments in the story comes on page 37 when Eve and Noah are in separate parts of the house-- both hear footsteps and assume it's the other, but the audience knows there is another presence here. The script falls short of making a cogent statement about war itself-- which is actually a good thing, as instead it focuses on the inevitabilities of war and the mental state of those that must go on after losing someone they love. At the moments the narrative is working best the script is reminiscent of films like THE GIFT, THE BABADOOK, or THE OTHERS.

Prospects:

In a marketplace flooded with typical horror fare, this stands out. The script is lean in terms of it's budget and set pieces, but the story plays bigger than it's one location and small cast of characters. Compared to other pics in this genre which typically aren't cast-dependent, this could find an elevated talent pool considering it's bigger thematics and character tropes. The script as a whole has definite potential and could garner serious interest with some minor work.

WIDOW'S WALK

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