THE STAGE 32 LOGLINES

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HAUNTING VOCALS
By Gloria Katch

GENRE: Horror
LOGLINE:

Melody, a starry-eyed, up and coming singer is manipulated and nearly possessed by the evil ghost of a famous recording artist named Gabriella, in order to gain a sure-fire shot at fame.  However,  Gabriella's unrecorded songs and mentoring eventually come at a price -  she must seek revenge on Gabriella’s killer. Tragically, Melody's not prepared for the carnage that ensues that threatens to rob her of her sanity and soul in Haunting Vocals.

SYNOPSIS:

Sometimes grave errors are just that -- mistakes we take to our graves. For Melody, the price of saving her father’s company and a shot at a singing career nearly cost her, her sanity and soul.

Melody or Mel for short, is the supervisor and daughter of the owner of Superior Renovations and Design. Heading a construction team, she is hired to renovate a remote ski chalet in the mountains. Unfortunately, the once famous resort-to-the-stars is haunted by the ghost of a celebrity recording artist, named Gabriella, who is murdered while vacationing there several years earlier. However, her death was reported as an accident.

While renovating, Melody discovers Gabriella’s diary in an old locker, which allows her to share in Gabriella’s innermost secrets, including her clandestine affair with a married actor and producer.

Melody and Gabriella already share a love of music, and it’s not long after arriving at the chalet that Gabriella begins to appear in Melody’s dreams, and then in her daily life. While their relationship is tense, their psychological bond grows. They have a cosmic connection, and Gabriella can appear and disappear at will. Gabriella convinces Mel, who has always wanted to be famous, that she will make her a star. She mentors Melody on how to sing professionally, and promises to introduce her to the music she was scheduled to record before her life came to its unexpected and violent end. Gabriella wants her music to live-on, and the two become co-dependant, needing each other to succeed.

While Gabriella is a lost and betrayed soul, she possesses fierce supernatural powers, which she unleashes on all those she despises, especially men who lie or cheat, reminders of her former lover. This becomes a real problem for the crew, which is made-up of mostly males, who are away from their wives and girlfriends for several months.

Late one Friday night, two attractive female skiers slide off the road and are stuck in a deep ravine nearby. After the crew pull their car out and several hours of partying, the girls end up staying overnight and sleeping with two of the crew members, Tony and Sparks. Unbeknown to Melody, Gabriella’s ghost wreaks havoc in mysterious ways, often using the unsafe construction site as a guise for dangerous accidents to occur. Malfunctioning elevators, ski-lifts, and faulty structures makes anyone an easy target. In the aftermath, it was difficult to determine the real cause of deaths of her two crew members and friends. Unfortunately, this important project is under contract to be completed on time, so there is little room for mistakes, mishaps or dead bodies. Superior Design’s other debts, the weak economy and the possibility of losing this project takes its toll on Melody’s father, who has a heart attack back home.

At first, Mel doesn't believe Gabriella is responsible for the “accidents” that have occurred, but by the end of the project she is suspicious and pleads with her to co-operate in seeing the project through.

The hotel/chalet is finally refurbished to the beautiful authentic building it once was and an opening gala is set. Melody has come a long way in completing this project and in her aspirations for stardom, but Gabriella's request to help avenge her death is horrifying. But Gabriella reminds her that Brandon is a killer, a liar and manipulating bag of shit when it comes to women. So she agrees.

Brandon is invited to the chalet for this momentous V.I.P. party and he's told that Gabriella's diary was found with his name inside the cover. Naturally, Brandon wants to retrieve the diary to eliminate any possible evidence that could link him to Gabriella's death and agrees to attend.

Tragically, Melody is not prepared for the carnage that ensues when Brandon's pregnant wife unexpectedly shows up. The plan is for Melody to lure Brandon into the elevator for a guided tour of the new facility and Gabriella will do the rest, but she doesn't say she's going to possess Melody's body to seduce Brandon in the process. When Melody experiences the heinous attack, she uses all her strength and willpower to separate herself from this spirit and refuses to carry out the plan. Her cosmic connection is disorienting, but in that moment of freeing herself, a flashback. She is able to visualize all the carnage and accidents that occurred that were caused by Gabriella.

"Your dead." "Stay away!" Brandon's terrified screams brings Melody back to reality, who also freaks out refusing to continue with this plan. Suddenly, Melody is the target of Gabriella's venomous rage and must find a way to fend her off. Fortunately, timing and divine intervention are on Melody's side. When Brandon collapses and his heart stops beating, Gabriella's spirit dissipates through the wall like a released pressure cooker as she goes kicking and screaming all the way to hell.

Melody ties off Brandon's arm. Then she pounds on his chest and starts C.P.R. Finally, after a few minutes a faint heart beat. On the way to the hospital, she realizes her ambition and idolization contributed to the deaths of her two friends. It's not long after, Melody has a hit record. While fame is gratifying, she is haunted by her conscious and the fear that Gabriella may be waiting for her in the wings some day for that final encore.

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