WHEN THE SNOW MELTS
A community wakes on Christmas morning to discover their children have vanished.
Snow falls gracefully toward the ground on a cloudy, winter day. A SNOWMAN sits in the yard of a house, perfectly built with a carrot nose, rock eyes and mouth, and a scarf.
Before the snowman stands GRACIE (17), dressed in winter layers with a backpack on.
Gracie looks around the neighborhood. From afar sits another snowman in another yard.
She looks back at the snowman before her. Her face twists from solemn to angry.
She walks up to the snowman and PUNCHES the head off.
Christmas in Rolling Oaks; an unassuming suburbia of snow covered yards and community spirit. But what should be a time of joy and goodwill to all is about to descend into a season of tragedy and horror.
Christmas morning, 17-year-old Gracie and her family awake to a commotion in the street. Stepping outside, they’re greeted by the sight of frantic parents gathered in search of their children. House by house the terror spreads—none are to be spared. The children of Rolling Oaks are nowhere to be found.
All Gracie can do is watch from afar as a desperate community demands answers. Days turn to weeks and as the cold reach of winter recedes, so a grisly secret is revealed in its wake…
Sean Elwood’s When The Snow Melts delivers a subtle horror underpinned with a rising sense of dread that seeps into the bones like a midwestern winter. With its low page count, sparse dialogue and simple location, this is a fantastic project for a filmmaker looking to hone their craft. Sure, you’ll need the conditions to pull it off; but when the snow melts, you’ll be glad you did.
