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Ethan Marek
Author, Editor, and Screenwriter
THE PENALTY
HORROR SPORTS-DRAMA
"An ambitious hockey player wants to quit the sport because of his despotic coach, but when a member of the secretive Shadow Clan meets him, he discovers a power that will expose his abusers."
Click the icon above to read the updated screenplay (October 22, 2022).
Liam Lamper, an ambitious high school hockey player, funnels into a dark depression after a teammate's suicide. Liam blames his despotic coach and wants to turn him in, but Liam's teammates disagree.
With no team support, Liam debates quitting hockey.
But that night, Liam discovers a mysterious cloak beneath his hockey helmet. He throws it on, finds his mentor, and gains a power to expose his abusers.
He's invisible.
He can see metaphorical pain.
And he can see the uprise of the Shadows.
THE SHADOW CLAN
The Court of Shadows is a secretive group that hides in the dark, studying coaches and their athletic teams. The Shadows are like a group of scouts. They hide in the bleachers, watching the effects between the coaches and their players.
With the majestic cloak that turns them into invisible ghosts, the Shadows can scout the team's environment and determine whether or not its healthy for the players.
To become a Shadow, the ambitious individual must vow to a Shadow mentor. In this ritual, the mentor will have handed them a cloak, sliced their hands with a blade, and glued their hands with one-another for prayer.
"My blood is on your hands."
The Shadow Clan wants athletes to live in a safe environment.
Coaches must be held accountable for their actions.
KIELSTAD PARK
Kielstad Park takes riders into the aesthetic universe of The Penalty.
Liam Lamper's hometown is Kielstad, Minnesota. Him and his mother reside in the thick forest of pines.
When Liam gains his power in the Shadow's universe, he's confronted with horrific events which symbolizes hockey player's pain in a metaphorical fashion.
The redwater in the crevices of the hilly pines, and the fire erupting from the park's sign, could these be symbolizing someone's pain?
The first hybrid coaster, Slash, is made up of red-licorice tracks and black-licorice supports. Unpredicted inversions and cranked turns rattle the riders in an edge-of-the-seat suspense.
The second roller coaster, Frostbite, was built from the pine wood. Riders experience sudden moments of speed, whacky plot-point turns, and creepy slowdowns in order to take in the ambiance-- And let's not forget the redwater splash for a drowning sensation.
Will you survive the Shadow experience in Kielstad?
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