FIENDS
Eat your friends, Sleep, Rave, Repeat
A female DJ goes to her first underground rave, where a bad batch of pills turns the ravers into cannibals, and she must fight to escape.
SYNOPSIS
ZOE BARLOW, a naïve but determined 19 year old, goes to her first warehouse rave, with a group of her eclectic friends. The only problem is a new drug is turning all the ravers into cannibalistic Fiends, who only care about banging tunes and human flesh. Zoe and her friends have to battle their way out of the warehouse, whilst dealing with both the drugs in their system and the druggies trying to eat them. Along the way their personal issues fracture the group and they have to face the real reasons they were taking drugs in the first place – for better and for worse.
Fiends is a thrill-seeking horror-comedy, which pushes you headfirst into the rave-world, full of music, thrills and gore. It’s Skins meets Dawn of the Dead, with an extra few grams of hilarity.
Fiends can be made for a budget of under £1 million, is primarily in one location (an unused warehouse), has only 5 major speaking parts; and also hits the holy trinity of marketing: young, sexy and scary.
CHARACTERS
ZOE
Zoe is a naïve, unconfident 19 year old girl, desperate to make friends and prove that she can be part of the adult crowd, even if her awkwardness and self-doubt holds her back. Her deepest desire is to be a house music producer, but she has never had the confidence to show anyone her music or even attend a rave because she is so scared of rejection. After making friends with Shaman, she is invited to her first rave; but if she is to survive the night she has to stand up for herself, put her skills and life on the line and become the confident woman she wants to be.
VANCE
When someone says “hey, I know a guy”, that guy is Vance. The man on everyone’s lips and in everyone’s phonebook, he’s a source of fun, laughter, good times and, of course, drugs. On the outside he seems like a cool, street-wise, fresh London lad, but that’s just the façade he puts on. Desperate to be the big-man, he often screws over his friends and avoids his true feelings: sleeping with girls he has no interest in, dealing pills when he doesn’t need the money, and talking like he’s from Brixton when he really grew up Guildford. During the rave, Vance’s selfishness, rivalries and betrayals cost the group as they try to deal with internal strife as well as the onslaught of the fiends.
RED
Red, 20, is a walking ball of chemicals, having grown up with absent parents, by 17 he has tried and enjoyed nearly every drug imaginable. His only goal for the night is to push the limits of narcotic bliss and drive himself into oblivion. Though hilarious at times, his habits also make him a source of frustration, particularly for his girlfriend, 18, who thinks he cares more about drugs than her. He has a long-standing rivalry with Vance and over the course of the night, Red has to deal with his narcotic obsessions and his interpersonal issues.
SHAMAN
Shaman, 22, is Red’s older brother; he dropped out of school at 16 to take a trip around India, where he learnt a love of mediation, rituals and psychedelics. He takes drugs carefully and his only goal is to expand his mind. He acts as the steady hand of the group and a mentor to Zoe on her first drug experience. He is frequently on a different plane of existence, and so is not much use in the fight against the Fiends, except as a spiritual guide.
18
18 is a hard-drinking, Ibizia-warrior, having earned her nickname by constantly telling everyone she meets that she is 18, ever since she turned 13. She desperately loves Red, but is terrified that he won’t love her unless she can stay on his narcotic level. She is willing to do anything for his attention, whether it is taking way too many drugs or fucking Vance – this, of course, has severe consequences across the night. 18 is forced to look at why she is taking drugs in the first place and if her relationship with Red is really healthy and if so, can they make it work?
