10:29 p.m. - 2004-07-18
a ghost story
characters:
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A family of Four: Father, Mother,
Boy, Sister
father - pragmatic, just retrenched from high executive position in his company, trying to get himself re-employed.
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ghost - faceless, nameless (has a cute
nickname given by Sister), is never seen by the family or the audience, except maybe an old yellowed photograph?, operates mainly like a poltergeist, has unfinished business in this world to deal with?, unable to communicate with family�
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story:
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a ghost story about this haunted house, and this family that moves in to stay. Slowly, the family realises that there is something wrong about this house, taps/lights turn on/off by themselves, things go missing, orbs appear in family photographs, etc, family realises that their house is haunted by a mysterious spirit but they cannot move out; Father has just been retrenched, economy is down, selling the house (a fraction of its cost when they bought it) is not an option. Father is adamant that they stay on.
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Neighbours begin to know about the house through gossip and various happenings� word began to spread. The media turns up at their door. The world is intrigued. It�s like a carnival. Scientists debate the science of the incidents. Spiritual psychics, investigators, turn up to investigate. Father appears on talk-show interviews. Avid fans/tourists turn up at their door, camp outside. Everyone wants to know, about the Afterlife, about God, they want to share their own spiritual/ghostly experiences, everyone has their own theory, they want to be photographed with orbs at the house.
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Amidst this storm, each family member has to deal with their own lives that have been greatly affected by the ghostly incidents and the spiralling media madness.
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Then as fast as it started, the media hoohah dies down, probably because the economy has picked up, and news about quarrelling neighbour disputes are more interesting, or whatever, the media has moved on.
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Meanwhile, the ghostly incidents are not as frequent as before. Perhaps the ghost has sensed the amount of trouble/tension it has brought the family�
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Few months later, with the pickup of the economy, the family finally has the chance to move out of the house. Father has gotten another job (albeit not as lucrative as before, but allows him to spend more time with the family.) The price of the bungalow has also gone up to a reasonable rate�
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One day, estate agent brings new buyers to see the house. The new buyers make criticisms about the house�s d�cor, the arrangement of certain stuff (they were arranged there by the ghost, and the family has become accustomed to it.), the buyers find the place familiar, ah it�s the haunted family that was in the news few months ago! - estate agent tries to play down the incident, buyers laugh fakely and make some stupid joke about getting exorcists to come and clean up the place.
Throughout the conversation, the family has been listening in and getting more and more irritated by the lack of respect and high-falutyness of the buyers.
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Mother breaks down and lashes out, she makes a teary defence of the arrangement of certain things in the house, and about the ghost; unknowingly, the family has become used to her presence, and mother also speaks about respecting the ghost and trying to understand its feelings, perhaps it is feeling alone, and it only wishes to be accepted and loved (like each other family member in the film). (this is the jappy moment).
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Father and rest of family are inspired/awakened� father shouts out to the buyers, Get Lost!
Buyers are shocked but also try to say something back. A sudden gust of wind blows. Sweat trickles down buyer�s neck. They freak out and run out of the house.
Children shout out various other stuff and cheer, as buyers and agent scurry away.
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Happy ending. Family lives with the weirdness of having a ghost in the house.
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Basic Parts:
moving into house, slow ghost horror happenings, stoic family resolute, media hoohah comedic, escalating tension in family, discovery of photograph or artifact?, sudden lull in spiritual happenings in the house, then start again... family never gets why it happens� economy picks up, able to move away, new buyers come to check out the house, but at the key moment, decide to stay... becos, maybe the buyers make some crude comments about evil spirits and what
not.
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mood:
slow horror, escalating into comedy, then� sadness turning into happiness?
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artifact:�
The artifact is discovered early in the movie� tells us that it is the spirit of an orphan, or any wandering spirit, seeking warmth in a family.
Instead of being exorcised and driven away, it wishes to be loved. (very The Ring�) The family never realises the importance and meaning of the artifact (old photograph of little girl with her family?), only the mother vaguely senses that, but it is never openly known or stated.
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Additional stuff:
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Boy,
(the story is told through his perspective?) has girl friend, who is spooked by the ghosts, knows about it through the papers, is angry that he lied to her�later gets spooked and leaves him. Boy tries to cover up the incident of ghosts in the house all along. He gets angry and frustrated at the media hoohah and having to live in a weird house, that he loses his temper and shouts madly, stomping about the house. (Wardrobe for boy: wears the Ghostbusters t-shirt. Haha..)
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Sister,
wanting to be popular, brags to her schoolmates about the ghostly happenings in her house. They shriek and pester her, they want to see the ghost and experience the stuff� she brings them home, but nothing happens, stubbornly, they try to play the ouija board and nothing happens� girls try to guess the color of panties they wearing, who is going to be their future boyfriend, etc etc� but no-show from the ghost. Sister is embarrassed. (tries to get Father to help? to create their own ghostly incidents?)
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Father,
is trying to get himself re-employed, regards the ghost incident as a chance to show his steely resolve to the world, that he is manly and brave, and pragmatic enough, resolute in his decisions. An icon of strength during this economic crisis. But the whole media circus runs out of hand�he ends up being ridiculed. Father is also trying to prove himself to family, since his retrenchment has made him feel useless�
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Mother,
sensible, tries to protect the family�s privacy from the scientists, psychics, tourists who turn up to watch what�s happening, some people even camp outside, harass her daughter and son, asking them about the ghost etc� when mother senses the little girl, she decides the family should stay�she gives a teary japanese-inspired motivation speech!
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