Movies Magazine
SEASIDE SPLATTER
1. EXT. BRAY BEACH, DULL AFTERNOON, PRESENT-DAY
We see a dull wintry morning at the stony BRAY BEACH. The waters are rough and constantly using its waves to erode and abuse the BEACH. We see a family of POLISH IMMIGRANTS, a tracksuited 20-something dad, his glamorous mini-skirted wife, MUM and their pigtailed brown-haired, ear-pierced DAUGHTER dressed in pink. She is licking an ice cream and Flake '99. Suddenly, as the family relax, a beardy MIDDLE-AGED FISHERMAN in overalls, denim jacket and woolly hat walks out of the sea. At first, the POLISH IMMIGRANTS laugh. The man is covered in netting and seaweed. He comes over towards the DAUGHTER, leering. One of his eyes drops out and falls into her ice cream, breaking the chocolate Flake in two. The GIRL eats it without knowing it's an eye. She suddenly vomits a string of seaweed. THE FATHER pushes away the FISHERMAN onto the road, who gets instantly splattered by a VAN for "BRAY CONFECTIONS", delivering candy rock to tourist shops on the seafront.
2. INT. PRIVATE ROOM, HOSPITAL, DAY-TO-NIGHT, PRESENT DAY
In a bland, white, clinical PRIVATE BEDROOM, a camp bed opposite a lamp, a FIRE EXTINGUISHER in a class cabinet, we see a fussy, black-haired MIDDLE-AGED SURGEON studying the POLISH DAUGHTER, who is in a bed. She is engulfed in seaweed, green strands in her hair, which seems to be growing into the bed.
SURGEON (posh)
It seems your body has become infected with (awkward pause) seaweed.
THE DAUGHTER sprays SEAWEED onto the SURGEON, in a kind of SPIDER-MAN web-spray-esque manner.
LAP-DISSOLVE, we see that the DAUGHTER and SURGEON are still stuck in their poses, but are now fully-coated in seaweed, in sort of cocoons. THE FATHER and MOTHER rush in, frenzied, panicking, screaming. THE FATHER breaks the FIRE EXTINGUISHER and sprays it at the cocoons, then throws the EXTINGUSIHER at the cocoon, breaking the solid seaweed. THE DAUGHTER comes out, slightly frozen.
DAUGHTER (blandly, emotionless, hugs FATHER)
Daddy!
THE SURGEON punches out of his cocoon, and yet he looks slightly sleepy, almost sedated.
3. EXT. BRAY BEACH, LATE AFTERNOON
We see the FISHERMAN, still in weed, looking lost being syringed by AMBULANCEMEN as an AMBULANCE arrives.
3.. EXT. BACK ALLEY, LATE AFTERNOON
We see the BRAY CONFECTIONS van going up a hill. Suddenly, the seaweed coating the VAN falls off, as the VAN heads towards a bridge, tossing the weed into the RIVER DARGLE. We see this trail of weed beng caught in a vent of a large white factory building, a sign telling us that this BUILDING is "BRAY CONFECTIONS, MAKERS OF BRAY ROCK". We see the seaweed being sucked into the vent.
4. INT. BRAY CONFECTIONS FACTORY
We see large industrial machinery, clinical walls, white-suited GOONS in hairnets looking over huge vats of boiled chunks of rock candy, yet to be solidified. Suddenly, the seaweed falls in, and is coated in the rock. No one seems to notice. They are transfixed. One of the GOONS turns around. A piece of seaweed is lodged, wrapped at the back of his neck. The GOON turns to the bespectacled, HARD-HELMETED SUPERVISOR.
GOON (to HARD-HELMETED SUPERVISOR in emotionless, sinister tone)
All is good. The perfect secret ingedient.
5. EXT. BRAY BEACH, MORNING
A few days later, we see a banner over a SHOP WINDOW - reading "Bray Rock - new and improved recipe - with natural ingredients." PEOPLE are in a queue stretching to outside of the shop, while OTHERS exit, mysteriously shivering as they eat mysteriously green rock. Bits of seaweed are in their ears are on their hands. We see a middle-aged FATHER and his young SON eating.
MAN (points at SON)
Where did you get that seaweed?
SON (confused)
What seaweed? (Raises his hands to see bits of seaweed hanging off) That's weird! (Turns emotionless) Have some.
MAN (suddenly emotionless)
I already have.
The CAMERA pulls out to reveal piles of SEAWEED COCOONS on BRAY BEACH.
We see an IRISH NEWSCASTER, DANNY MCCLAFFERTY, black-haired, greasy, rotund, in his early thirties. He is eating a pile of weed off a stick.
DANNY MCCLAFFERTY (enthusiastic)
This suddenly increased popularity in weed-flavoured rock has caused a loss in character, but an increase in good health. (Munches on the weed) And raw weed is just as nice. (Turns emotionless). I know product placement is allowed, so all I say is buy it! Danny McClafferty, Telenews Eireann.