The Green Hag

Our story begins in a small town where a group of children have decided to skip school in order to play hide-and-seek in the forest at the edge of town. Things quickly sour as one of their friends, CHRISTOPHER has found a hiding spot that is better than the rest. The children begin to panic as their cries echo through the forest, and their pleas for their friend go unmet. Finally, one of them stumbles across a large, seemingly ENDLESS PIT in the ground. As they all stare into it, a TEAL LIGHT shines on their faces. Before they even know what it is, something comes RUSHING at them… We are then introduced to the McDowell family. The first one that we meet is the matriarch : JULIE MCDOWELL. She works part-time at a small department store, and is taking stock of their Halloween inventory. Her manager is disappointed that barely any of the Halloween supplies has moved, and Julie is disappointed that neither of her children want to go trick-or-treating. Seventeen year old MARY McDowell is much too interested in her boyfriend than going out begging for candy, and thirteen year old DEREK (albeit a huge monster movie fan) is afraid of looking like a loser in front of his friends. Officer SCOTT McDowell and his partner MIKE RUSSO are two of the best officers on the police force, which really isn’t difficult when there is absolutely NOTHING going on in the town. Things are so dull that when we are introduced to them, they are chasing a kitten around an empty schoolyard. But then, a garbled message over the police radio announces that a handful of calls are coming in about a strange TEAL LIGHT coming from the forest near the edge of town. Mike makes the decision to drop Scott off at home, as he doesn’t feel that this is a situation that requires two officers. The next morning around the breakfast table, Scott and his family are planning their weekend, when it is interrupted by a phone call from the police station. Officer Mike Russo never checked back in last night. He is missing. Caught between his loyalties to his job, and his desire to bond with his children, Scott makes a compromise. Sure, he’ll go investigate, but he’s bringing his kids along for the ride! The family gets more than they bargained for as they come to find the abandoned POLICE CAR in the woods, along with the ENDLESS PIT. Nearby, Mary is shocked to discover a very wounded and unconscious Mike Russo. While in the hospital, Mike rambles and raves about a creature in the woods, but of course, none of the doctors believe him. The only one that has no reason not to trust him, would be his good friend and partner : Scott. On his way to investigate the endless pit for his friend, a strange man dressed in odd attire stops him, claiming that he was sent by the hospital to assist Mike. After conversing with the man, and even inviting him into the McDowell home, it becomes clear to the officer that the hospital never sent for him. The strange man is there on his own accord — but for what reason? The reason, as the man explains, is that he heard of the disappearing children, and the “bear attack” that almost took Mike Russo’s life, and knew that this was more than just a coincidence. The strange man informs the McDowell family of the history of the holiday of Halloween, and how long ago it was a way to signify the merging of the world of the living, and the world of the dead. A portal would open, and through that portal, creatures would emerge and cause mischief and violence. Light would repel the creatures, as a torch left in front of a home would signify to the beings that an alternative food source to children was provided. Sugary foods were commonly accepted, as they were as “sweet as children”. But why are they coming back this year? If no one is “doing Halloween”, then there is no one to leave out candy, ergo — the creatures once again have full reign over the world of the living, and boy do they have something horrific up their sleeve. Armed with this knowledge, it is up to the McDowell family to attempt to convince the townspeople to take action, and to participate in this year’s Halloween activities.. as it very well might be their LAST.