# what do you think of my synopsis for Nightmare Circus?



## mockingbird (Mar 22, 2011)

For 100 years, the Ringmaster has sought revenge on the outback town of Dunbar. His Circus of Marvels was destroyed by the town’s ancestors for the rape and murder of the most beautiful girl in Dunbar. 

The entire town welcomes Henry Victor’s circus during a long hot summer in 1912. Everyone is excited and enthralled by the exotic performers, especially Megan. She decides to join the circus and be rid of the town.

Megan’s body is found at the bottom of a ravine, raped and strangled. Stewart Dunbar, the town’s founder organises a gang.  The gang murders the entire circus. They leave Henry Victor, aka The Ringmaster, for last. With his dying breath he places a curse on all those responsible, for he is innocent. A bullet between the eyes finishes him off. As the flames devour the circus, a mysterious and terrifying black storm appears and swallows all evidence of the crime.

100 years later, Craig Dunbar is playing Nightmare Circus on his computer. The deranged Ringmaster tries to prevent the teenage hero from saving the damsel in distress with her tattered clothing revealing far too much skin. The hero goes through agonizing trials of torture to defeat the Ringmaster. The hero fights the evil clowns, killing them one by one with his bare hands. Craig’s father, Adam, interrupts the game by tapping his wristwatch. Craig heaves a sigh.

Craig and Adam walk towards the town library. A gang of youths taunt Craig with geek and nerd jibes. Tanya, 2 years older and therefore unavailable, walks past. There are wolf whistles from the gang. Craig sees Tanya as the damsel in distress, baring skin, voluptuous skin.  Adam prompts Craig to talk to her, but Craig is embarrassed. He rushes into the library as the gang tease him with cruel taunting. At the library computer, Adam and Craig delve into Dunbar’s morbid history of disappearances. Adam is especially interested as his wife was one of the victims. A circus vanished 100 years ago. Father and son decide on a plane trip to Alice Springs to find out what happened to the vanishing circus. Craig is strangely apprehensive but goes along. They never get there. A sudden rush of screaming darkness envelops the plane.

All is dark and eerily silent. Terrified voices call out. A flash of flames reveals the Ringmaster, dressed head to toe in black. Craig smells scorched flesh. Adam asks where the hell they are. “_You are all where I want_ _you to be_.” The Ringmaster laughs maniacally. Screaming flames dance around him. The Newcomers – Tanya, Greg her abusive boyfriend, Stu and Mike, jackaroos from Adam’s sheep station and Kyle the ace reporter, jump back in shock, fright and confusion. A ring of screaming flames shows a circus arena and benches. Craig thinks of the computer game, but this can’t be. He and Adam decide to leave, but a clutch of scary looking Clowns leap at them. They jump back with fright. Kyle tries to run away, but is attacked by more clowns, using screeching fire whips to herd everyone to the benches.

The Ringmaster chooses Greg and Tanya for the first performance. It takes several menacing clowns to drag them into the arena. The Ringmaster taunts and teases them with cruel abandon. After a few flaming acts, Greg is plunged into a cannon. Tanya fires the cannon, turning Greg into a human fireball. Greg vanishes with a terrible scream, only to land back in his van in the real world. He hits a boulder and van explodes.

The Ringmaster cheerfully declares that the curse placed on Greg’s family has ended with him. “What curse,” asks Craig. Screams of laughter. Who’s next! Tanya instinctively runs to Craig for comfort. Adam leads the Newcomers in an attempt to escape but are brutally attacked by clowns. Ringmaster sends them down into a pit of hell where terrifying Freaks and vicious animals snarl at them from cages. They see a horrific torture chamber, dripping with blood, a room full of countless photos, some sepia with age, stuck to walls. Craig frowns at photos, they seem familiar. Fire whip clowns herd newcomers into a filthy cage. A man is slumped in a dark corner. He tells them the Ringmaster has chosen them for a reason and if they can solve his puzzle of life and death then they will be set free.  The Newcomers collapse as one, and dream of their ancestors, all of whom died in the circus and were unable to solve the Ringmaster’s puzzle. 

The Newcomers wake up on the benches. They look to see the roof of the tent is now a glowing mass of flames. Craig tries to rally his father, but Adam is in another world where he has rejoined his wife. Craig is all alone. He summons all his strength of will and uses his gaming skills to outwit the Ringmaster and his evil clowns. Time and again he saves the beautiful Tanya from fire, panthers, highwire, until he riles the Ringmaster too much.  

The Ringmaster erupts into a frenzy of rage. The clowns back away from him in terror. Ringmaster screams his orders. Tanya is attacked by clowns. Craig uses this moment to attack the clowns. Stu and Mike join in, leaving several clowns dead in the arena. They burst into flames.  The Ringmaster bursts into flames. He steps through the flames and sends the fire to engulf all the performers sending them to a terrifyingly dark place, full of wailing and sickening sounds of death. They are all plunged into a nightmare to face their worst fears.

The Ringmaster becomes bored. The terrified newcomers return to perform or die. Craig fancies his chances as distant memories, not his own, flash across his mind. He has to push the Ringmaster to the limit and beyond, perhaps that will solve the puzzle? With each act, Craig becomes more attached to Tanya. The Ringmaster uses this to his own advantage with obvious relish.

Craig attacks the Ringmaster with a fire whip. This causes the clowns to become confused, it also pulls Adam back into this world. Adam stares forlornly into his son’s eyes. They hug as if for the last time. Adam knows what he must do to save his son - die. Darkness sends everyone back to the cage where Henry Victor introduces them to the Ringmaster’s curse – their ancestors murdered him and the entire circus 100 years before and so they must die or solve the puzzle. Adam is incredulous. The others are sent into despair, disbelief or sheer mind-numbing terror.

The Ringmaster sits admiring his reflection in a charred mirror. Henry smiles back at him. The Ringmaster and Henry agree it is time. 

Newcomers, including Henry appear on the benches. Stu and Mike are eliminated, quickly followed by Kyle.  The Ringmaster confirms to all that he has let them go. Now there’s hope. But Craig smells a rat. More images tell Craig that he alone is responsible for all this, that only he can stop this. 

The final act unfolds as Adam and Craig fire a pistol in a duel, but the bullets kill the Ringmaster and Henry at the same time. All hell is let loose. Clowns erupt into flames. Ghostly images of the vengeful gang shoot anything that moves. Adam, Craig and Tanya run, but the tent pole cracks and shatters Adam’s back. Craig falters, but drags Tanya from the flames and into the light.

Craig is back in the plane. Adam dies in plane crash. Craig rescues Tanya and trek across the outback only to be rescued by the Ringmaster. A final battle of wits leaves Craig the victor. His last duty to the Ringmaster is to tell the world what actually happened 100 years ago.

Alternate ending - Craig wakes up at his computer, the game has finished. Adam and Craig go on plane trip. Blackness engulfs them with Ringmaster’s hideous laugh. Craig screams and screams.


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## Lilly1 (Jun 9, 2011)

Isn't a synopsis a short summary? I don't mean to sound harsh, although I know it's going to come across that way. I think I'm thinking, is it what you find on the back of a book or in the front cover?


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## vangoghsear (Jun 16, 2011)

Lilly1 said:


> Isn't a synopsis a short summary?...I think I'm thinking, is it what you find on the back of a book or in the front cover?


I think that is what the movie industry calls a "premise."  Synopsis is a bit more detail.  I think this meets that.


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## BabaYaga (Jun 23, 2011)

As a bit of a horror movie addict, I think this sounds like a great  watch. I don't know much about synopsi (I'm guessing that's the plural  ;P) but I do feel like I would have liked a little more detail on what  feels like pretty big plot points- like the 'battle of wits ' at the  end, how exactly does Craig come out on top? Also, it would have been  cool to see the Ringmaster slowly infiltrate the real world before all  of his victims are abducted as more of a build up to the horrific place  that is the Nightmare Circus. Are you planning to post more on this?  Hope so


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