The Parker Cabin

When HOLLY WORDSWORTH (35) and COLYN ATWOOD (33) set off to a mountain cabin for a writing retreat, little do they realize the cabin they have rented is cursed by souls who met their demise while renting the cabin. Not only is it cursed, a demonic entity, perhaps the devil itself, lurks in the surrounding woods seeking a willing soul in a human body to which it can attach for purposes of mayhem. Holly and Colyn plan on eating fabulous food, drinking lots of fine wine and having an abundance of sex to inspire their creativity. Unbeknownst to both, the evil entity - a distinctive creature with one orange eye and one yellow eye - quickly discovers the energetic allure of their creative passion and their personal relationship. The entity pits the writers against one other. Instead of supporting the writing process of the other, the novelists commence mischievous tasks that disrupt the literary efforts of the other. This quickly evolves into gas lighting, sexual manipulation and physical abuse, despite the subtle cryptic cautions of a local psychic and cryptic warnings of those at the local general store. The local general store’s owners are MILDRED PARKER (64) and the resident sage and her life partner, BART (68). The couple shares their perspectives about goings on up on the mountain and the cabin’s mysterious history in the interest of informing Holly and Colyn what fate may lie ahead. Mildred’s disposition as a sour puss impedes free and full interaction with her, however, Bart does his best to wrangle Holly’s attention long enough to create a saving grace and trigger helpful cautions. It does not help. One day Holly discovers what she believes to be a grave near a lightning-struck tree adorned with bones. She shares the discovery with Colyn. Could this discovery constitute a truce between the partners? With a delivery from their store, Mildred and Bart show up at the cabin as Holly and Colyn return from investigating Holly’s discovery. Here there’s another cryptic exchange. As Mildred and Bart return to the store, we discover that years before, Bart courted Mildred at the time her parents died in a bear attack at the same time the demon killed Mildred’s sister. This sources the cabin’s haunted history and Mildred and Bart’s attention to the writers. Sadly, they agree that they do not hold much hope for the writers making it through the next days unscathed. That night, there is a bump on the cabin door. Furious with the interruption, Colyn casts open the door. There stands the demon. Quickly, the demon absorbs Colyn’s being, consumes his life and assumes his image. The demon/Colyn leaps on Holly, seeking to bond her soul to his. Holly manages to grab a poker from the fire place and beats the demon to it apparent death. As Holly beats the demon she swallows ectoplasm that spews from the demon - her fate is sealed. The demon leaves Colyn who lies beaten to death at Holly’s hand. Holly realizes there can be no return from the hard core fact she murdered her partner. She stages what appears to be an evidence scenario for self defense and plunges a knife into her solar plexus. The next morning Mildred leads the local SHERIFF to the cabin, barely in the nick of time to save Holly from bleeding out. It is here that we realize Mildred owns the cabin and holds an unwanted psychic connection to all goings on her property. Wounds treated, Holly drives down the mountain, she stops to give a hitchhiker a lift... a hitchhiker who possesses one orange and one yellow eye. As we arrive at denouement, in the condo once shared with Colyn, Holly writes on her laptop. Her eyes change to those of the demon itself... and now she writes like a fiend. And now the question arises: Without evil, can good exist in the world? Comps: COMPANION, THE AVIARY, WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE Production Notes: Low budget, semi-contained production requiring: A mountain cabin, a forest, general store, a psychic’s parlor, two cars and a police SUV. The location can be anywhere in the world. Characters: Holly, Colyn, the Demon, Mildred, Bart, psychic and sheriff. Can be cast for diversity. With a minor rewrite Colyn could become Colleen if the production sought a same sex relationship between the writers. Given the characters engage in sexual manipulation, an intimacy coordinator will be required for production. Not for the feint of heart.W