Treatment: Genre

A TREATMENT FOR A SHORT GENRE FILM

By

KEVIN MCCARTHY

Street corner.

Boston.

Day.

A MAN in a SHIRT AND TIE stands on the corner waiting to cross the street, walking home from work, a shadow moves across his face. Startled the man looks up to a see a flag blowing in the wind casting shadows blocking the sun.

Apartment.

Boston.

Day.

The same man enters his apartment, drops off his bag and keys, and begins to prepare a meal.

The clock in the living room reads 4:28 as the man begins to eat. In the kitchen he is eating in front of two large windows. A shadow begins to cross one of the windows. The shadow quickly slides across the man’s face and he turns to look out the window. There is nothing there.

The man washes his dishes and sits in the living room turning on the TV. As he watches he falls asleep, exhausted from work, the lights from the TV dancing on his face.

Apartment.

Boston.

Night.

The clock in the living room only reads 5:12 but the apartment is dark save the TV screen shining on the man’s face. A shadow creeps up the man toward his face and just as it covers his eyes they open and the shadow disappears. The man looks around, half asleep and blames it on the TV. He flips a light on and turns the TV off. He then changes for bed, turning the light on in his bedroom and then the hall light.

When he flips the switch to the bathroom light the bulb blows. Then the hall bulb blows, and lastly the living room bulb.

Light slips into the living room from the man’s bedroom. He cuts his foot on broken glass from the hall bulb and trips into his bedroom before kicking the door closed.

The man checks his foot for glass before wrapping it. He grabs a flashlight and looks into the living room from his doorway. Broken glass reflects on the floor. He notices the time, only 5:36. He checks his watch to confirm.

The man shines his flashlight out the windows. It’s solid black outside, his light reaching nothing. The man sits on his bed confused.

A shadow begins to creep into his room from the living room. Crawling up the wall and around until it is in front of him.

The man notices the shadow as it begins to descend the wall and slide on the ground towards him. He retreats further into his bed until his back is in a corner against the wall.

The shadow moves closer to him and light begins to leave the room. The man, terrified, tries shining the flashlight on the shadow to no avail.

The shadow almost touches him when the light leaves the room completely.

(Alternate ending)

The man fumbles with his flashlight and discover he is no longer in his bedroom, but in a dark cave. He screams.