Bliss
A family struggles to survive a fast-spreading virus that transforms those infected into smiling, murderous maniacs.
What scares you most? Serial killers? Vampires? Ghosts? That trifecta; sure – of course. But some of the scariest situations and villains are simply those that seem somehow “off” – ones that contradict our fundamental view of reality, shaking us to our existential core.
Take murderous crowds of people who just CAN’T STOP SMILING, for instance. One look at that insane tableau would make anyone still sane run for the hills.
Such is the situation for twenty something Fiona Martin and her family - including Grandpa Artie, teen brother Billy and parents Laura and Mike.
As Jesson Kinder’s horror script Bliss opens, a bizarre virus has struck the land. No, not the stereotypical zombie plague, but rather a bug that turns people into rampaging killers… still very much alive, and grinning ear to ear as they rip their victims into shreds.
You think The Purge was chaotic? Picture this: a pack of smiling Nuns surround a Bad Ass Biker. He slashes one with a knife. Their response? The wounded nun dips her fingers in the blood, paints a smiley face in her palm – and waves. Outnumbered and kicked/scratched to shit, the Biker’s ultimately pinned down:
One of the Nuns picks up the Badass Biker’s knife, carves a permanent smile into his face. Batman's Joker himself would be proud!
That’s the maniacal nightmare the Martin family’s hiding from. Utter chaos: infectious insanity that rips society apart at the seams. Holed up in their apartment, the five attempt to while away time playing Pictionary, Monopoly – whatever old-school board game they can lose themselves in for hours. Every day, hoping against hope that the virus will someday just… what, hit herd immunity and disappear?
As head of the household, Mike’s got a better plan in mind: escape. As Artie – the sage voice of reason – adds, best that they pick someplace far, far away.
ARTIE
There's been a few rumblings of a safe haven across the sea.
LAURA
What good will that do if this virus is airborne?
ARTIE
It's better than nothing. I guess.
LAURA
Okay, so where?
ARTIE
Hawaii.
MIKE
Kids, pack your surf boards!
LAURA
You’re joking at a time like this?
Well, you know what they say – it’s better to laugh than cry.
Sometimes, it’s a lot better to fake a smile, too. Especially when the alternative is getting turned into a fleshy pinata by infected hordes.
But in a world where a contagious virus turns little kids into a sucessful execution squad even against armed cops… do the Martins really stand a chance? Read Bliss and find out.
A tasty twist on the zombie concept and an easy/affordable shoot, Bliss has a subtle satirical flavor that audiences are sure to tune into. Killer nuns, screaming Bikers and a society turned upside down? That’ll bring a smile to any horror lover or director’s face!