This Way Out SYNOPSIS/TEASER

Or possibly a Trailer for my original movie.

INT. CRAZY TABLE ROOM - NIGHT

A man in his late 50’s, dressed in a very smart looking suit (too smart for the room) sits across from a female in her early 20’s dressed in sweats.

From a birds eye view the table they are at is empty apart from a gameboard and a mass amount of cupcakes which it looks like they are using for the game pieces.

As the view jumps back to normal we see the room is decorated rather over the top with tables large and small of every kind. It’s an Ikea/doll house fantasy. The room is also full of cupcakes and cupcake paraphernalia including large portraits of the man, woman celebrities and animals eating the cupcakes.

The room is so crazy it actually makes the pair look very regular. They easily stand out.

It appears the pair is playing Checkers. It’s intense and they move pretty fast with their banter.

ELIZABETH: 

Check!

The man looks down at the cupcake a little confused.

DAD: 

(matter of factly)

That’s a cupcake.

ELIZABETH:

Then where's the check?

DAD:

Weren't we playing Monopoly?

ELIZABETH:

(ignoring his comment)

Don't you check in Checkers?

DAD:

No Elizabeth, you check in Chess.

ELIZABETH:

Then what do you do in Checkers?

(mimicking his tone)

Dad.

DAD:

You become royalty and get crowned.

The Dad demonstrates a majestic bow and mimes putting a crown on.

It’s now becoming clear they are just as crazy as the room they are in.

After a slight pause, enough time to let this sink in Elizabeth's mind.

ELIZABETH:

Crown me then.

DAD:

King me!

ELIZABETH:

(annoyed)

It's my turn!

DAD:

(correcting)

No, that's what you say.

ELIZABETH:

Oh, King me then.

DAD: 

I can't.

ELIZABETH:

Why not?

DAD:

(matter of factly again)

That's a cupcake, and we're playing Monopoly.

Elizabeth’s turn to be confused.

ELIZABETH:

How do you play Monopoly with cupcakes?

DAD:

You don't. The game board is over there…

The Dad points to another table set up in the room to play Monopoly on. The version is cupcakes, so there are little cupcake game pieces, bakeries for properties, factories for train stations etc.

DAD CONT:

I was wondering what you were doing here with the cupcakes.

Elizabeth shrugs.

ELIZABETH:

Just preparing.

DAD:

For what?

ELIZABETH:

Guests.

DAD:

We're having company?

ELIZABETH:

Yes. 

(correcting)

NO. Not exactly. 

(serious)

You know, the house.

DAD:

Oh right, the house.

The Dad taps himself on the nose to say he understands but follows it with pointing to his eyes and then Elizabeth’s to say ‘he’s watching her’ and finishing it with a single thumbs up.

ELIZABETH:

The house.

Elizabeth nods to also understand but thinks her father is definitely weirder than her.

There is a pause as the Dad moves one of the cupcakes around as though he is actually making a game move.

DAD:

Is it that time already?

ELIZABETH:

Well, it's never really happened on a timed schedule before, 

(faster)

But if by that you meant are we about to trap innocent children inside the house, until it makes them forget they want to leave so the house can slowly feed off their imaginations forever…

(fake echoing)

And ever and ever and ever... 

then yes. 

(pause)

It's that time again.

Beat. 

Elizabeth makes a move.

There is an abrupt knocking on what sounds like a huge wooden door in a far off room. Elizabeth and her Dad stand upright suddenly at the table and look towards the noise. Towards the camera.

The Dad looks the wrong way at first and then releases it’s in the other direction.

DAD:

(very serious)

They're here.

The Dad randomly changes the subject as he looks back down at the cupcakes.

DAD CONT:

Are you gonna eat that?

Elizabeth talks without looking away from where the door knock came from. She’s half left the planet.

ELIZABETH:

That one in particular, no. I might eat that one... 

(points to another random cupcake)

...Later though. 

(looking back to her Dad)

I'm going to get the door.

Elizabeth begins to walk off.

DAD:

OK, have fun, make friends, and don't show them the way out.

Elizabeth turns around on her way out to complain at her Dad. They are both speaking as though it’s completely normal what they are about to do which makes it creepier.

ELIZABETH:

(whining)

Dad, I've done this a thousand times remember?

Elizabeth leaves the room and the Dad picks up a cupcake. He looks down at it and we can see it has the word 'Check' written in its icing. 

The Dad looks side to side suspiciously to make sure he is alone. He then looks straight down the camera and grins rather evilly.

DAD: 

King me!

The evil look had nothing to do with the children they were about to trap, he’s just nuts. 

The cupcake expands into a giant cake in the Dad’s hands; he chuckles and takes a disgusting face full of cake bite!

BLACKOUT.

Author's Note

Possibly comments on continuity, if it flowed in your mind as crazy as it does in mine? I'll be posting the full screenplay when it's edited, this section however is meant as a stand alone introduction/teaser.

Reviews

[Annie N.]

wow. just wow. i've only been exposed a little to the world of screenplay so i tend to find it crazy that everything that needs to be explained can be using only actions, dialogue, setting etc. but reading this was just, amazing. this is just pure genius. i love the sinister, wacky undertone to this whole thing and i've always dreamed of writing something with this style. thank you for sharing :)