Pitch | devildogs

Title: Devil Dogs of Kernville

Writer: David M. O’Neill

Format: Film / Script Complete

Genre: Twenty-Something, Broad Road-Trip Fantasy Comedy - Visual Style

Tone: Hangover meets Superbad meets Mad Max

Period: Current Day

Logline: A twenty-something cross-country road trip becomes unhinged when our heroes learn one-of-their own has made a deal with the devil and now it’s the rest of our heroes the devil wants!

Devil Dogs was inspired by the genre of films that simply make me laugh the most i.e., those kinds of films that have every day relatable characters, like my friends, others I know, (sometimes myself) in odd and unimaginable circumstances that do their best to push every boundary toward the “ridiculous”. As we’ve all been through, the first date, or the first kiss, the first, buddy-road-trip can be as perilous. As an homage to those ludicrous thresholds and often dangerous epochs we’ve all experienced, whether imaginary or real, the soul of Devil Dogs of Kernville was born – but, then, somehow sold again, but, yet ultimately recaptured by those remaining, life-long friends, willing to scrap, the most loyal - Devil Dogs of Kernville.

Graduating high-school and leaving the small-town comforts of Kernville California, five best friends known posthumously as the Devil Dogs of Kernville, circle around once again five-years since graduation and embark on a long-anticipated cross-country "road-trip" spanning America's heartland in the biggest, juiciest, red convertible they could find at the Kingfisher Midnight Auto lot!

Picking up the trip in Minneapolis St. Paul, the D-Dogs - Biltmore, David, Kamal, and slumlord, Von Patterson converge on the windy city, meet the last of their cadre, Curtis Blyleven at the airport, pick up the awaiting red convertible, and kick the trip off in grand-fashion by celebrating the last of the D-Dog’s career benchmark - that of Curtis receiving the Minneapolis-St. Paul, “Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award”. Five years since leaving the small town, all appears well for Curtis – he’s doing well, acknowledged in his city, looked on upon as philanthropic, very successful. Suddenly an old flame bursts into the banquet room carrying a 12-gauge Mossberg pump-action and confronts Curtis in front of all – a lover scorned, a short argument ensues - how Curtis had manipulated a young love only to relieve her of her inherited wealth.

As quickly as the trip begins, it now appears, as quickly, it’s over. Pow…

On a cold and dreary day, with endless questions abounding - our heroes bury their close friend. Nothing seems to add up – the few words uttered by the scorned assassin only adds to more confusion. We then learn, it may not be the happy after-life our heroes anticipate for Curtis. Rather, we catch up with the deceased Devil Dog in a cramped “Hellavator” carrying a one-way-ticket straight to perdition’s hell-fire gates of the condemned itself. Curtis Blyleven, Twin City “Citizen of the Year” going to hell? It appears so, and it also appears he may have even made the deal to it!

As the doors open, waiting for Curtis to sign the book of the ill-fated is Mr. Pickering – The Devil himself.

Always the friendly butt and target of the other four, this time ‘round, Curtis looked to elevate his status by hedging his bet by signing his soul over to the Dark One for a few, choice, enterprising earthly achievements, like the Twin City’s “Citizen of the Year” and, in return was given all he could stomach and furthermore… all that his friends would admire.

Notwithstanding, Curtis’ Faustian deal is about to experience a few wrinkles – a wrinkle that just may save him but will take the remaining four pull off. Von, distraught, avoids the wake and jumps in the hotel limo. Introduced to Percy the driver, he complains of heart burn as he rubs his chest. On the way to the gentlemen’s club, Percy tells the tale of how he got his name - Percival the Gaul, a Knight “so pure of heart and courage” was the one who had actually found The Holy Grail and saved the Kingdom. In a drunken, melancholy stupor, Von picks up the red caddy, heads straight to the cemetery, digs Curtis up out of the grave - which, unknowingly, throws off Pickering’s ability to collect. Now in the trunk, Curtis finds a momentary reprieve as his friends have no other choice but to take the trip, avoid the authorities and get Curtis re-buried back home again – in Kernville.

Now, unfortunately for our living heroes, they’re in real trouble as well. Mr. Pickering isn’t too happy. The Father of Lies wants Curtis now and is more than happy to make the lives of our D-Dogs as miserable as possible – and he does! Hunted and assaulted across the great divide by any number of demon spirits, we follow our live team of four, and one in the trunk - the D-Dogs of Kernville as they crisscross the American plains under the complete assault with all Pickering can throw at them, piecing together clues as to why their friend had made a deal with Mr. Pickering in the first place.

Curtis, now in a supernatural dimension, looks on helplessly to see his friends under a full battering. A young Girl Scout named Melinda paves the way for his return but only when Curtis is ready to sacrifice himself by returning and to once again assume the accountability of his original deal made with the dark forces.

With time running out, our heroes suffer a grand array of the devil’s cannons confronted by an Australian corpse-like zombie named Henshine who transforms into a 75-foot angry Laughlin cocktail waitress in the streets of the casino town. Bravely, our Devil Dogs fully engage with a wrath of their own; undeterred to get their friend properly re-buried.

Under demonic bombardment, along with the whipping heavens above, our heroes approach the prepared gravesite. Curtis plunges from his purgatorial cliffs and momentarily reappears back into his body to walk through the last sequence of his Faustian deal, to acknowledge his own shortcomings, and as to what his friends were willing to risk for him. As the coffin awaits, toward each, Curtis bestows priceless accolades shoring up the injuries endured by the heroic quest. He reaches inside Von’s chest and it’s there he retrieves the Grail of the Carpenter, hidden, in the most noble, yet unforeseen knight – one of courage and purity. “The greatness is in you! You've just forgotten it - like I did”. Von tells Curtis to keep it, “you never know, you might be able to use it where you’re going”. ‘Yeah”, Curtis smiles.

Climbing into the coffin, Curtis finds himself for the second time again hurling to hell to face Pickering and the book of fallen souls. Pickering’s hour-glass sands drip. In one fateful movement, Curtis then wheels back and throws the grail up high towards the infinite shelves of captured souls. It sails over the glass reliquaries and lands bouncing about the corridors of the condemned!! Eerie silence - a waiting - a supernatural force can be felt and heard. Suddenly, endless numbers of jars each begin to explode, powerfully releasing the souls of fallen DAMNED in a chain reaction! POW!! POW!! POW.

We catch up with our heroes who converge at the Kernville High Homecoming football game – now masters of two-worlds. Von takes notice of two familiar demons down on the field – looks like the might be just another adventure coming our way.

Print Pitch