James B Brandt

WGA-WEST Registration # 1586339

 

Genre:  Thriller/Adventure/Horror/Paranormal

 

LOGLINE:  Two college students wander away from their field trip group and venture into an area marked as taboo by local tribal leaders, unwittingly waking up the shape-shifting Guardians... who are determined to keep the Secret of the Tablets hidden by ensuring that none of the kids return to civilization alive.

 

SYNOPSIS:  National Park Rangers ALLEN, JIM and GORDON search for the source of a body (DAVID) found floating in the Colorado River. Using the team's video camera, they document a discovery of another body (BECKY) and a hidden camera set to record any movement in the camp area. Along with some additional still photos and video footage, including a second camera found later, they edit together a story of Murder and Horror.

 

RANDY, DAVID and SHANNON, college Geology students, are joined by MARK, a student herpetologist, on a course-required independent field trip. MARK, who is wealthy, foots the bill and brings BECKY, a video student, to document the event. ED, a cameraman, and CONNIE, model/actress, come as a crew. Also along is AMBER, SHANNON'S precocious, video-enthusiastic 16-year-old sister.  BECKY, ED, and AMBER document the events.

 

A contingent of HOPI tribal members reluctantly agree to allow the students access to the area if they will avoid a taboo section of the Grand Canyon. The kids agree, but ED and CONNIE violate the agreement. AMBER tapes them as ED takes a series of suggestive photos of Connie near an Indian Shrine. They discover a mysterious substance and take it back to camp.

 

The group, upset over the violation, argues to return the find in the morning. But that night, strange noises surround the tents and, though closed from the inside, ED and CONNIE vanish.

 

The next morning, the group finds ED and CONNIE'S bodies in the Canyon. When they return to the campsite they discover their vehicles and supplies are trashed, forcing them to attempt an escape by floating down the Colorado River.

 

DAVID is immediately sucked into the sky, crushed to death, and his body left to float down river. Soon thereafter, SHANNON is sucked underwater and after a few minutes of being toyed with, is whisked away, never seen again.

 

At a campsite, ED is grabbed and pulled partly into the solid rock of the mountainside.  Abandoning fear of the water, they flee downriver, where BECKY is slammed into the side of a mountain. Her remains are discovered by the RANGERS.

 

Speculating that the attackers need time to recoup their energy and pull energy from the river, RANDY and AMBER climb out of the canyon and make a run for the closest town. But first AMBER rigs the camera in the clearing, making a short speech about the murders. She hides the still footage and video tapes in a tree. Taping the remaining camera to her head, she and RANDY attempt an escape... but how can they outrun the shape-shifting, dimension-walking Guardians? Those answers are found on a smashed camera where the memory card was spared destruction.