Boo

Flashback, 1926. A side-by-side brothel and speakeasy are the scene of a murder, when a pregnant prostitute is rejected by her jazz musician boyfriend, Antoine, and later found dead. Fast forward, 80 years, 2006. Our heroine, Abby Sample is a contractor in Austin, Texas, but when she tries to build a family, miscarriages, and infidelity shatter her marriage. Abandoned, Abby flees to New Orleans, a city reeling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. She sinks her savings into a blighted mansion with the intent to flip it. The building—rumored to have been a brothel—is a total dump that the locals lovingly refer to as Boo. Abby is unwelcome in the African American neighborhood to everyone except Jacob Edwards, a French Quarter pastry chef and single father. He offers to help Abby. She declines and sets forth, single-handedly nursing her house back to health. It is this act of maternal care that awakens something dormant for nearly a century. Hostile neighbors terrorize Abby’s renovations. The elderly Mr. Antoine stalks her. Her tires are slashed. The mansion is vandalized. Are the neighbors resisting gentrification or protecting something? A host of spirits engage Abby, wanting her attention. A coat hanger bends into a hook. Salt and pepper shakers animate, waltzing to Jazz. Children’s toys appear as offerings. Freaked out, Abby accepts the help of the charming Jacob. Their comedic banter shows undeniable chemistry as they complete the renovations, but when Abby tries to leave, she is assaulted by an apparition and fire damages the house. This lands Abby in the hospital where she learns that she is pregnant, however impossible. Someone wants something very specific from Abby… and with her history, the baby’s fate is uncertain. To make matters worse, Abby’s estranged husband finds her and orders demolition on Boo. With the clock ticking, Jacob and Abby must "hitch a ride with history,” returning to a night in 1926 that left a teenage girl dead and a jazz musician framed for her murder. Will this reveal the identity of Abby’s baby and uncover what the neighbors are protecting in time to save Boo? I wrote Boo to imagine a supernatural presence as a protective one and to bring humanity to the desperate acts of the disenfranchised. Ghost story fans will appreciate this bold new take on a classic genre intertwined with the haunted and heartfelt city of New Orleans. Lastly, Boo is a redemption tale with strong female and African American characters, lovable ghosts, and gentle humor. Themes include women’s rights, urban violence, gentrification, racism, parenthood, and PTSD. Recommended R-rating. Boo has the visual potential of Pan's Labyrinth and the heart and humor of Ghost.