Red Medicine
Trust the science.
Logline
On Christmas Eve 1983, two scientists trapped in a research facility are terrorized by an unseen tormentor determined to make them pay for their past, while they uncover the horrifying truth behind the experiments they carried out.
Comps: The Thing, Severance, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and Censor.
The pitch deck is password-protected and includes the ending. No password? Email me and I’ll send it.
The story
Dr. Sarah Black and Dr. Neal Goldman have spent years developing YR-7, an experimental vaccine at Meridian Biologics, a defence research facility. Both are married, but have become lovers. Sarah is hiding something else: a dependence on antipsychotic medication.
On Christmas Eve, their elevator stops between floors and the building is sealed off from the outside world. An unseen security guard controls the cameras, the intercoms and every door. The guard knows about their affair, about the colleague they helped destroy, and about Sarah’s condition. As her withdrawal deepens, the pair are driven through Meridian’s labs and ducts toward the truth about what YR-7 really is.
The film
It’s a contained Cold War horror thriller with a distinctive look. The analogue era leaves the characters with no phones and no escape, and cassette tapes and black-and-white monitors become weapons. The set pieces rely on practical effects. The script ends with a devastating twist, which the pitch deck reveals.