Sanctuary (2010)
A horror/thriller short about a young girl who finds sanctuary from the
creature who is stalking her. Written, shot and edited in 48 hours.
Winner of four awards at the Dallas 48 Hour Film Contest including Best
Film.
IMDB Entry
IMDB Entry
Our 48 hour film edit
Sanctuary (2010)
by
Alan Tregoning & Jason Walter Vaile
EXT. CITY SCAPE-DAY
Images of a desolate city. Empty streets. Lonely buildings.
No greenery at all. It is a cold world to live in.
YOUNG GIRL (V.O.)
Our world has changed. They hunt
us even in daylight now. No where
is safe. Our numbers dwindle-soon
we will be extinct. But even in
the darkness the signs lead to
hope... lead to sanctuary.
A blood red cross is smeared on the outside of a door jamb in
a graffitied alley. The cross becomes the "t" in the title
card of Sanctuary.
Suddenly, A YOUNG WOMAN, Chloe, bolts in fear. Something
behind her follows silently. She runs down alleys,
staircases-the shape follows in shadows.
She spots the cross smeared on a door jamb. She ducks into
the into the passage way. She's out of breath. Behind her
in the shadows something stirs.
A hand slips from behind Chloe to pull her back into the
black. It covers her mouth. A WOMAN, Candice, appears from
the darkness. She signals to be silent. A CROSSBOW appears
and aims at the opening.
CANDICE
(Whispers)
How many?
Chloe holds up one finger. They hear something. It sounds
like a cross between a growl and heavy breathing.
Suddenly, across the doorway something moves really fast.
Candice keeps her crossbow trained-her hand trembles
slightly. Nothing returns. They back into the darkness
again. Her cross bow aimed at the door way the whole time.
INT. SPIRAL STAIRWAY - DAY
Candice, crossbow at the ready, leads Chloe down.
INT. LADDER - DAY
Candice looks out for trouble as Chloe descends the ladder.
Satisfied they are alone Candice swings the crossbow over her
shoulder and mounts the ladder.
INT. SANCTUARY DOORWAY - DAY
Candice pushes Chloe to the corner then bangs on the door.
The door cracks open.
Candice grabs the door and throws it open. A nervous guard,
SLACKMAN, weakly brandishes his shotgun.
SLACKMAN
Who's that?
Candice knocks the shotgun aside with her crossbow. She
grabs Chloe's arm and leads her into the door.
INT. SACTUARY - DAY
Candice drags Chloe down the dark staircase. Slackman
follows behind.
SLACKMAN
How do you know she's not one of
them?
They enter Sanctuary, a cross between a bunker and a dungeon.
Candlelight dances on the walls.
Candice shoves Chloe into the room.
CANDICE
Professor.
The Professor steps from the shadows, his kind demeanor
overshadowed by his paranoia.
He grabs Chloe's hair to hold her head still. He whips out a
small penlight and examines her eyes.
PROFESSOR
She's good.
SLACKMAN
(To Candace)
Well?
She shoves a battered wooden box into his chest. He opens it
quickly to reveal a BOTTLE OF WINE.
SLACKMAN
Yes!
A kind woman, MEREDITH, places a blanket over Chloe's
shoulder.
MEREDITH
Welcome.
Candice dumps out her satchel. A few bent up cans of food
clutter to the floor.
A labeless can rolls to a stop at Chloe's feet. Meredith
picks it up.
MEREDITH
You like cat food?
CHLOE
I've never tried it, but I hear
it's great.
LATER
Chloe greedily eats her cat food. She approaches the
Professor tinkering on the generator.
CHLOE
You're a professor?
PROFESSOR
Was.
He looks at her over his glasses.
PROFESSOR
Chris Miliaris.
CHLOE
Chloe Samuels.
He tweaks something on the generator and it kicks on. The
lights flicker to life.
They toast their cat food cans together.
Candice walks by the Professor and Chloe in a trance staring
at the ceiling. She shushes them.
Everyone goes dead silent. They all look overhead. Chloe
begins to shake. Candice signals for her to settle. Candice
moves slowly towards the stairs leading to the door.
BAM! Something hits the door hard! It hits again and again
and again.
SLACKMAN
It's not gonna hold.
CANDICE
Quiet!
Candice moves to the door. Slackman and the Professor seek
cover behind the propane tank. Meredith leads Chloe to a
back corner. The door stops banging suddenly, eerily.
Everyone gets nervous.
BANG! The lights go out. Someone screams.
CANDICE
I need those lights!
The Professor rushes to the generator. He works furiously by
candle light. Behind him something drops from the elevator
shaft. It casts a green glow on the ground. Kneeling, the
shadow slowly rises up. His face lifts to reveal a gas mask
hauntingly illuminated by a green glow.
The generator finally kicks in and the lights slowly fade on.
The Professor senses something behind him. He turns to face
the thing. Shots are fired. Blood splatters across the
generator.
CANDICE
They're inside!
There is panic in the sanctuary. The lights begin to flicker
in and out. People scramble. More shots are fired. People
scream. Finally, silence.
The lights are dim but steady. Bodies are scattered around
the room. In the corner. Across the propane tank. Candice
is bloody and scrambling for her gun.
A boot steps between her and the gun. She looks up to Lance
aiming his gun at her. He flashes a small light in her eyes.
From around the corner the gun flash ignites the room.
They are all dead. Save one. Sitting almost calmly among
the bodies is Chloe. Lance stands over her. He grabs her
face and forces it up. He shines his light in her face. Her
eyes remain closed.
LANCE
Show me your eyes!
She slowly opens them to reveal eyes as black as the abyss.
They reflect nothing. She is not human.
CHLOE
(Softly)
And you call us monsters?
He takes few steps back. From around the corner the flash of
gunfire pops in the room again. Silence.
Lance wheezes and growls up the stairs. His mask is
splattered with blood. He reaches a large door to the
exterior.
EXT. GARDEN SANCTUARY-DAY
Lance pries off his mask and takes a deep breath. He lifts
his walkie talkie.
LANCE
Section 48 clear.
The inside courtyard of the building is covered in green.
Vines climb up the walls and out windows. It is an oasis.
He lifts his face to the sunlight soaking it in.
We pull up through he trees to see the sun setting on the
city.
YOUNG WOMAN (V.O.)
There is no sanctuary so holy that
man cannot profane it. No fortress
so strong that man cannot take it
by storm. All hope is gone.
FADE TO BLACK.
