God's Work: Devil's in the Details

A lot of people talk about evil, they're doing something about it... Jake Tiernan, a big city cop, arrives back in his downtrodden hometown to find troubling signs. Graffiti and mutilated animal corpses by the roadside have he and his family worried, as they drive to his mother's old farmhouse in the country to tie up loose ends.   While wife and daughter paint the house, Jake's off to meet up with his old high school chums, Cooper and Sam, at a remote cabin. Sam, now the richest man in town and most successful of the bunch, soon reveals himself to be a thoroughly detestable sort, bragging of his excessive wealth, accomplishment, and sexual conquests. As poker night unfolds, it seems Jake and Cooper are none too interested in the game, merely biding their time, waiting for something to happen. Their card game is then interrupted by the sudden appearance of the mysterious Father Malachi, once a legendary Roman Catholic Exorcist. Father Malachi's presence seems to trouble Sam to no end. The respected clergyman continues to set an eerie mood, lighting candles to go with the religious pictures that Cooper had previously put on display. As the game proceeds, Father Malachi steps out. The drowsy Sam gets drunker, and sleepier, finally passing out. When Sam awakens, he is tied to a chair and the men are all gathered around to perform an apparent exorcism on him.   Sam freaks out, ranting and raving, and what follows is a tense poker game of another sort, full of tells and bluffs that may mean life or death. Sam, who seems to know damning secrets about each of them, begins upping the ante with each round of show and tell, meeting Father Malachi's fire and brimstone rhetoric with some startling revelations, all the while making a firm doubt take hold in Jake's mind. As more secrets come out, and a group of mysterious hooded figures gather in the woods around them, Father Malachi brings forth a secret weapon in the battle against evil: A plasmid serum he contends is cloned from the blood of Christ. But when Sam claims it's poison and screams bloody murder, Jake intervenes. In a brutal struggle, the conflicted lawman is forced to subdue both Cooper and Father Malachi while freeing Sam. With Father Malachi tied up, and Cooper injured, Jake mulls his next move. Sam fixes his rage upon Father Malachi and seeks to continue the exorcism on the pious priest himself now, if only in mock fashion. But things quickly escalate, Sam wanting penance for Father Malachi's past sins which, according to him, include a long covered up history of child abuse. It's up to Jake to decide, who is telling the truth and who's clouding their minds.  But as always, the devil's in the details. God's Work: Devil's in the Details To disbelieve is to be disarmed. *****The REVIEWS are in on GOD'S WORK: DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS***** "I read the script and I liked it. I think it has potential... " (- Production Executive, Gold Circle Films) ****************** "...an easy read. The story is engaging. The idea of the devil being in a small town is unique and there are some twists in the plot to keep us interested... in the realm of independent production this may well do quite nicely." ****************** "Quality of Writing: very good. Great tension and suspense! I like the way you describe your characters... all distinctly unique... Great atmosphere! I like how you keep putting doubt in the reader's mind. I was never really sure what was coming next, and I liked the suspense of it. You did an amazing job of casting doubt in the readers' mind. Great, satisfying ending. Overall, I thought it was a good story, very tense/suspenseful, action filled, and beautifully described. Well done!" ****************** "Cinematic Quality: very good. This was by far the best script I read here... There isn't much to say but great job on this one. I've been reading Oscar winning scripts at simplyscipts.com and I have to say your description is right on with the pros. Very concise but also detailed. I feel like I have imagined the scenes exactly the way you intended. You also have a great knack for dialogue. Every line was believable. I could really imagine your characters saying what they did." (- Zoetrope Virtual Studio) ****************** "The narrative is often clear and concise. The author has a good understanding of the short punchy sentences that should make up proper script narrative. More importantly, and certainly more rarely seen, you have included some moments of informal and stylistic narrative. This keeps the script from becoming dry and adds an author's unique touch to the script. Well done... The script flows remarkably well, with enough time spent setting things up, followed by a rapid and tense Act II. This makes for a quick, enthralling read... The dialogue is written well and feels very natural. Sam's continued outrage could quickly fall flat, but instead varies in intensity and subject, making it always interesting to read... What background is given on the characters is handled well through Sam's outbursts about investigating his friends... Sam is a great character, and we get a good feel of that immediately upon meeting him. As the story progresses, he only becomes more interesting and layered... The story follows traditional structure rather closely, allowing appropriate timing for the important story beats to hit home... Act II is practically perfect. There is an intense amount of tension built up around whether or not Sam is evil, or if the Father is tricking them all. This back and forth continues as mysterious things begin to happen around the cabin, culminating in some very tense moments. This will pull the audience in, hearkening back to some of the better scares in The Blair Witch Project, along with some psychological thriller aspects as Sam and The Father host their battle of the wills... Demons, religion and exorcisms are oft-tread paths in the thriller territory, however there are a lot of original aspects to this story. Particularly impressive are the various exorcism details... Add to this the unconventional storytelling and early plot twist, and this is a memorable and interesting story... Sam is a very attractive role and could easily be a prime target for some talented up-and-coming actors. While religion isn't often a wide-market appeal, the dark and unusual tone of the movie will work in its favor. The one-room setting, and offbeat premise lend this more to a direct-to-dvd thriller market, but it could do very well as an independent feature." (- Script Savvy) ********************************