SCREENPLAY:
HAIRY MAN CREEK
written by ROBERT BRUINEWOUD
GENRE: thriller/horror
LOGLINE:
A self-involved teen’s boring weekend away in the Australian bush with her embarrassing family, becomes interesting in the worst way, when her step-dad is abducted by a monstrous assailant.
INTRODUCING HAIRY MAN CREEK:
Hairy Man Creek is a horror thriller about 16yo Kiara, who reluctantly accompanies her “embarrassing” family on a long weekend in the Australian bush. Fixated on staying in contact with her friends back in the city, she inadvertently angers a local bully. Later, when their home is attacked, she suspects the bully is responsible, only to discover her mistake when a Yowie (Australia’s bigfoot) attacks them and abducts her stepdad. With no one to help, Kiara must lead her mum and little sister in a desperate attempt to save him.
Like Poltergeist, this story features an adorable family in extraordinary circumstances, except it’s set in rural Australia and instead of a ghost, they must fight for their lives against a vicious Yowie. Hairy Man Creek also swaps the around the roles, making the teenage daughter the hero, where that character was sidelined for most of Poltergeist.
Our story is set in the near future, where Australia’s “bushfire season” now lasts the entire year, and “ski season” is becoming a thing of the past. Against this sombre background our characters, and most of the surrounding community, continue to get on with their everyday lives – concerned, but undaunted. This speaks to the value of bonds within families, and beyond to the wider community.
Hairy Man Creek will leverage our contemporary, multi-racial family, to introduce Australia’s terrifying Yowies to international audiences, beyond the usual hardcore fans of bigfoot-like cryptids.
Screenplay and Pitch Deck for Hairy Man Creek are available to read at Script Revolution or you can request it directly from me via my contact form.