House at the End of the Street Story Skeleton Part 1 of 2

House Aat the End of the Street

Here is the basic skeleton of  the movie The House at the End of the Street.

***  SPOILER ALERT ***

If you haven't seen the movie, and want to, don't keep reading.

Synopsis: An American psychological thriller film directed by Mark Tonderai. A teenage girl and her mother move to a new neighborhood and find the house was cheap because there was a gruesome murder in the house at the end of the street. The girl becomes friends with the guy who lives there.

Genre: Psychological Thriller

1. Prologue/Alternative version: Backstory of family murder. It looks like the sister did it.

2. Inciting incident: Four years later. Protagonist leaves city for the country. Thanks to double murder, the house is affordable.

3. Clue 1:  Protagonist goes into the spooky woods. Sees evidence someone has been sleeping in the woods.

4. Backstory Revealed/Story Problem: Conversation reveals protagonist’s backstory.

5. The Game is Afoot: Secondary Character sees a light in woods.

6. Normal World Flawed:  Protagonist encounter with normal world. Gossip about murders. Urban legend: sister isn’t dead. Lives in the woods.

7. Protagonist Warned:  Stay away from antagonist. Sees dark side of “normal world.”

8. Hint at truth: Introduce antagonist who seems harmless. Invoke sympathy. Clue: He makes up stories.

9. Protagonist Warned Again: Mom tells her to stay away from antagonist.

10. Secret revealed: Antagonist has crazy sister locked in basement to protect her. Invoke sympathy for him.

11. Allay fears: Protagonist has positive encounter with normal world.

12. Antagonist’s Ally: Mom talks to policeman who tells her the antagonist is innocent/misjudged.

13. Disarm: Protagonist has positive encounter with Antagonist. He feels guilty for damage done to his sister that led to her horrific act.

14. Device 1 Planted: Antagonist keeps his sister locked in the basement. Keeps her drugged. Keeps key on top of door jamb which allows her to get out later.

15. Character Flaw/Theme Stated: Protagonist conversation with Mom, you can’t save him. Sometimes people can’t be fixed (Theme).

16. Device 1 Used: Girl escapes and reaches Protagonist’s house. Antagonist keeps her from contact.

17. Antagonist Sympathy Conditional: Protagonist encounter between Mom, protagonist, and antagonist. Further sympathy for him. Warns them to not be alone together.

18. Antagonist Ally Reinforced. Mom talks to cop. Further reassurance antagonist is harmless. Protagonist makes people into projects (character flaw that draws her into the story problem).

Next week, we finish the analysis of The House at the End of the Street.

For more about how to craft plots using conflict check out, Story Building Blocks: The Four Layers of Conflict available in print and e-book and check out the free tools and information about the series on my website.