ALL OF US MONSTERS
DECK
“Great art is like a disease, Naomi. It grows, it spreads, it burrows into your brain until you can’t ignore it.”
— Carrie
ALL OF US MONSTERS is a razor sharp, darkly funny psychological horror film that centers on two women who become fast friends after discovering that they share the same secret: they’re both serial killers. Naomi is an artist who has the ability to wish people out of the living world and into the portraits she paints of them. Jess is more traditional, killing with whatever weapon is available — sometimes even using her bare hands. They both act as judge and jury of their victims, making those they deem “bad” disappear. But as Naomi’s connection to Jess deepens, and the emotional wall she has built between her and her victims crumbles, she realizes that they’re bad people too. And bad people must get what they deserve, right?
NAOMI
Early 30s, our protagonist, a shy, talented artist who’s almost invisible to the world she inhabits. Her timid nature stems from an abusive mother who never believed in her ability to succeed and whose ghost now haunts her. Naomi struggles to make ends meet, surviving off of one or two commissioned portraits from high-wealth individuals a month, but she longs for her work to be showcased in the renowned CS Gallery, owned by powerhouse entrepreneur, Carrie Sullivan. Once you’re there, you can go anywhere, but Carrie won’t give her the time of day. The world beating down on her, coupled with her crippling loneliness, gives way to a rage that’s always simmering just beneath the surface, manifesting in Naomi’s other special talent... When she meets Jess, that talent gets utilized to an overwhelming degree that jeopardizes both their friendship and survival.
JESS
Early 30s, Naomi’s new next-door neighbor. Jess is cool, chic and confident. She’s the type of woman who walks into a room and everyone stops and stares not only because she’s beautiful and impeccably dressed, but because her personality literally draws them near. This attention and the people it comes with though, normally bore her, which is why Naomi is a breath of fresh air. She’s quiet and aloof, hard to read and extremely intriguing to Jess. When a girls night out goes terribly wrong, her fascination with Naomi only increases as Jess learns that they share the same type of rage. From then on, they become inextricably linked and tangled in a web filled with violence and wild times.
CHARACTERS
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Carrie
Late 40s; Owner of the most respected art gallery in the city; Impeccable, to-die-for style that matches her no-nonsense personality. Carrie is a force to be reckoned with, that is until she offends both Jess and Naomi.
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Damien
Late 40s, gay, a successful banker during the day but an art connoisseur at all times; A supporter and commissioner of Naomi’s work and a family friend of Carrie’s, whom he not so secretly loves to hate.
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Daphne
Late 20s; Carrie’s assistant who’s very good at her job despite her anxiety-inducing boss. Her efficiency though, and need to get to the bottom of everything, is what lands her and Steve in a bit of trouble.
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Steve
Late 20s, extremely charismatic; A moderately successful artist with a huge crush on Damien; Is good friends with Daphne and always down to go along with her ideas for better or worse.
Naomi
“They found blood on the carpet?!”
Jess
“Her blood. You should really watch the news, Naomi. There’s good stuff on there.”
The Style
Inspiration: Saint Maud meets Bound
This film has a bar scene, party sequence, an art gallery, and art galore, but it’s very contained overall. It has very few locations and characters. Most scenes take place inside an apartment building between Naomi and Jess so I want it to feel intimate like Saint Maud, but pulsating like Bound. I want the camera to move and create a heightened experience for the audience. We’re not watching two people in a room. We’re watching a world expand and we can’t take our eyes off of it.
The Tone
Inspiration: Bodies Bodies Bodies meets Thelma & Louise, but much darker
This film is a fun, bloody ride. Despite people being murdered and trapped in paintings, the levity that Jess and Naomi bring to every scene with their clever banter, no matter how horrific, will have you gasping and then laughing immediately after. They go on a journey of self-discovery and reflection, lined with corpses, art and hauntings so terrifying it’ll give you nightmares, so imagine the fun of Bodies Bodies Bodies meets the high stakes of Thelma & Louise turned up 10 more notches. This is the female buddy horror film you’ve been waiting for.
The Themes
Loneliness
Acceptance
Hypocrisy
Karma
Friendship
“We’re all monsters. You, me, Shane, Carrie. All of us. It’s just a matter of whether or not you want to be prey, or predator to someone else’s monster.”
— Jess
Director’s Vision
This film will be a visual and audible experience. I want to take bold, stylized swings, using a rich color palette to set the tone and intentional camera movements to keep the audience engaged. For example, when Carrie is dying, the pallet will be cooler and the camera will become more and more claustrophobic so the audience has to catch their breath just as she’s taking her last. I want to be detailed in the production design, giving purpose to every featured prop and using them to subtly foreshadow plot and tension. For example, I’ll use lots of circular objects – cups, jars, paint pallets, etc. – in reference to Karma, one of the central themes of the movie.
Lastly, I’ll use sound design to heighten the atmosphere and elevate the story. For example, when Naomi performs her first physical kill outside of painting, all sound will drop out and tinnitus will grow in our ears until the sharp sound of scissors (see script) pulls us back to the present.
We’ll also have a killer Soundtrack. Pun intended.
Director’s Statement
I wrote this story because I believe it’s very human to want the type of deep connection that Naomi and Jess have, but the form in which it takes can be scary. This is a story about acceptance, admiration, love and friendship that we’ve never seen before. Telling it through a genre lens makes it even more palpable, entertaining, and universal.
Are we all not fighting loneliness on a daily basis? Are we not looking for connection and acceptance? Are we not appalled by the ugliness we see in others? In ourselves? Can we ever escape our pasts, our demons? Are we capable of change if it meant losing a part of ourselves?
Read the Script
THANK YOU