This is definately from a British writer, I felt a bit nostalgic reading this.  I agree the horror came too late and there was too much build up for a rather quick ending.  Not bad though.

I don't want to start an argument but I've read a few scripts now that don't include a festival at all and they were set in the US.  This, I agree with Niles, is what happens in England as far as Halloween goes.  Also I think that if all the scripts were set in the US it would be rather boring, isn't it interesting to read about different nationalities take on Halloween?

Yes, it is interesting to read about all sorts of different nationalities, and how they celebrate life itself, even.

BUT...whether or not a certain area of the world celebrates something or not, isn't the issue here.  There was nothing in the challenge that said the script had to be set anywhere in particular, but it did say that it was to invlove a Halloween festival, plain and simple.

If the OWC called for a script to set on a tiny uninhabited island in the South Pacific, and you write a script based in Jamaica, we'd have the same issue as we have with alot of these OWC entries...a script that does not meet the challenge and doesn't even try to.

Whether or not a script falls into family horror is a completely different situation, as we each seem to have our own definition of what it entails (or what it doesn't entail).

For instance, IMO, Goonies is a great example of family horror (yeah, a little light on the horror side, but I think you know what I mean).  Alot of people may not realize this, but there is a lot of swearing in Goonies.  Also, a bunch of mean spirited jokes, sexual references, and even sexual sight gags.  Yet, it's all done in a very family friendly way.

I've read alot of people saying that becuase a script has swearing in it, it disqualifies it from being family friendly, which just isn't the case.  In fact, I'm aware of several mainstream PG13 movies that include the word "fuck", even, which is shocking to me.

Quoted from dreamscale BUT...whether or not a certain area of the world celebrates something or not, isn't the issue here.  There was nothing in the challenge that said the script had to be set anywhere in particular, but it did say that it was to invlove a Halloween festival, plain and simple.

Then you have no problem with this script - as it does feature a Halloween festival - albeit one celebrated in the 1990s in an English way?

If you require a script to feature an American style Festival - whatever that entails - then you are either going to require non-American writers to either pretend that we celebrate it like you, or set it in America, with all the resultant problems that could bring.

And for that matter - is Halloween celebrated in the same way in all 50 states? Given that even the American writers seem to be shying away from using a specific Festival setting, it makes me wonder - do they have Festivals in Louisiana for example, or Oregon - and what about Utah?! What do you do in Arizona?




  

Just looked up festival in the encarta dictionary:

fes�ti�val
1.  time of celebration: a day or period of celebration, often one of religious significance  
2.  program of cultural events: a program or series of performances or other cultural events, usually held at regular intervals, often in one place  

According to this first definition, any script in this OWC that is set on the day is set during a festival.

Niles, it seems like you (or we) are splitting hairs now.  I'm sorry if I upset you with this review or any of the things I've said since.

As far as I'm concerned, a festival is an event, in which people come to partake in whatever it is the festival is celebrating.  I personally don't care what any dictionary gives for a definition.  It is very clear and obvious what a festival is.

Going trick or treating is not a festival.  Going to a haunted house is not a festival.  There could be a haunted house at a festival, but the haunted house itself is not a festival.

The festival does not have to be American, but since the requirement stated "Halloween festival", then that's what it needs to be, whether or not that is set in America doesn't matter.

Halloween is celebrated the same way all over the country, for the most part.  Each area will do things their own way and will include different events and the like, but again, that's not what's important.  You can have anything you want going on, as long as it's a Halloween festival.

I don't think this discussion and back and forth should be going on in this thread, you know?

Again, sorry to ruffle any feathers.  Not my intent at all.

I am not gonna have much time to read these this week, but wanted to try and at least get through a couple.

I must say I liked this a lot. It got the time and place down to a tee, a few years earlier and this could have been one of my Halloweens.

I love the turnip, lol - Jeff, think of a turnip as a poor mans Pumpkin, this family  are obviously hard-up and a turnip is what many of us used to carve our Jack'O'lanterns from. I thought it was a nice touch.

Overall the writing was great, a pretty decent story though the ending did fall very flat for me. It really could have done with something else to explain it all better. There are a few loose ends.

But for what it was it was decent, and did meet the guidelines very well.

For what it is worth, Jeff I have to agree with the others, a Festival is a time of year, a celebration - not an event.

OK, we agree to disagree, it seems, which is fine.  But I will try 1 last time...

Renaissance Festival - A festival (place - event) in which people come to take in the sights, sounds,and eats of the Renaissance.

Fall Festival - A festival (place- event) i which people come to celebrate Fall.

Fourth of July Festival - A festival (place - event) in which people come to celebrate July 4th (in America).

Greek Festival - A festival (place - event) in which people come to enjoy all things Greek.

These are all example of actual festivals that occur all over America.  They are all held in an actual spot, in which people come from miles away to attend, meaning they are an event, in a certain place, at a certain time.

Quoted from Dreamscale Fourth of July Festival - A festival (place - event) in which people come to celebrate July 4th (in America). These are all example of actual festivals that occur all over America.  They are all held in an actual spot, in which people come from miles away to attend, meaning they are an event, in a certain place, at a certain time.

Mmmm... Now I have been in the US for two 4th of July's, the first one we stayed at home and had a BBQ and fireworks.

The second one we were in a bar.

Did I miss out on the real 4th July?  In which city is the real 4th July held?


Jeff, it is no secret that America has bastardized the English language over the years and given English words new meanings. But you probably need to concede to the English when it comes down to the English language, no? We have a Greek Festival here too, you know instead of turning up to the tents and Greek dancing we could just stay at home and eat fried batter and drink Greek beer in the garden. Would we not still be celebrating the Greek festival? Of course we would.

Murph, here’s the deal…yes, first of all us Americans are bastards indeed!

But, using your example, check this out…

So, you get a call from your bros and they say, “Dude, meet us at the Greek Festival tonight.  We’re gonna get shitfaced drinking Ouzo, eat some great Greek food, and dance with hot Greek babes.  It’ll be a blast…tons of people will be there.”

So, if you go, you guys will be at the festival, right?

But, if you say, “Sounds good, guys, but I met this smokin’ hot Greek babe yesterday and she’s coming over to my place tonight with a bottle of Ouzo, and she’s gonna teach me how to dance. So, I’m out.”

Your friends would be at the festival, but you would not be, nor would your night have anything to do with said festival.  See what I’m saying?

BTW, nah, you didn’t miss anything on your 2 July 4ths here.  You can party or celebrate any way you want to.

What say you, now?

The ending happened too fast and with no explanation to make everyone shocked about it.  I assume the old man is a werewolf, and the boy was turning into one as well?  I'd like to see more of the back story on the old man, and more of the boy's driving the old man until he 'casts his spell' or whatever, which changes the boy.  At least that's what I assume is going on.  It was the seed/beginning of a story.

No Fall Festival
Family - yes.

Quoted from Dreamscale Murph, here’s the deal…yes, first of all us Americans are bastards indeed!

Yes of course, that is exactly what I said.

Nice to see you are still a silly twat Jeff.

As always, Murph.  Not afraid to admit that.

But what do you think about my example?

Quoted from Dreamscale As always, Murph.  Not afraid to admit that. But what do you think about my example?

Your example is incorrect.

You are referring to "The" festival which implies a particular event that the person you are talking too already has knowledge of i.e. "dude, meet us at the Greek Festival tonight" you are obviously speaking to someone who knows that there is a Greek Fesitval tonight and knows where it is being held. But that does not mean that that is the only use of the word, without the "The" it becomes something else.

Halloween however is a pagan festival, festival meaning in this case a time of year to celebrate a certain thing. As in Harvest Festival. Even Christmas could be described as a festival. In the UK and Ireland the word "holiday" is used to mean the same thing as your "vacation" i.e. I am going on holiday next week. You use the word holiday however to denote a particular celebration, we might often use festival instead.

You see Jeff the English language is a wonderful thing, words have different meanings Dependant on the context in which they are used. I think that most people seemed to have understood that a Halloween Festival is effectively the last day in October when kids dress up and go trick or treating, young adults get dressed up and get wasted and old people get their houses egged and cats set on fire.

From Wikipedia..

Quoted Text Halloween (also spelled Hallowe'en) is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Gaelic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. It is largely a secular celebration but some have expressed strong feelings about perceived religious overtones. Irish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America during Ireland's Great Famine of the 1840s.

We say Tomarto, you say Tomayto etc.. etc..

Sorry mate, you are wrong. Get over it and stop making such a big deal of it.

I'm not really all too comfortable trying to explain the ending of this...but it was interesting for it's slice of British life feel. I don't really get the impression that there is all that much of a story here but it does seem to meet the requirements.

I definitely think the Trick or Treating does qualify as part of the festival.

And I liked the Turnip (as long as I don't have to eat it).

Good job.

***OO

This was quite a strange read for me.

While the boys were nicely crafted, and I enjoyed the big brother / little brother conflict and tension, based on the criteria for this challenge, the story clearly swerved off the road and didn't get back on track until page 12. By then, I was uninvolved.

The pay-off: the kid is becoming a Werewolf, huh? Sorry, this one left me on the porch.