A Taste of Evil: Diablo the (Fan) Movie

[Cantus]

I had a prophetic vision, possibly brought on by my usual combo of not enough sleep and too many stimulants...Scrolls may be a predominately Warcraft forum, but considering it already has a movie slated for release, we need to retell the Diablo trilogy in all its epic, horrifying glory.

Who's up for penning a script surrounding the life and times of our evil little friend? A horror movie to redefine the genre away from flickering light gags and gore fests, where there's actual plot and dialogue to be had?

[LinkX]

I've always felt that Diablo is mostly a hack-n-slash game really. Even as a mod for a Diablo forum, it feels to me like the game is made, then the lore is put in...

Idk, I may be wrong, and Diablo may have wonderous lore...just, doesn't seem like a lore-esque game to me...

[Cantus]

The core plot is beautiful in its simplicity, and the quests in-game are the potential guides for any such script, but the reason it requires multiple people to write such a thing is because it is essentially just a hack-n-slash.

Still, the chance to create a horror movie that has a real plot behind it, that isn't suffering from the incessant horror movie camera tricks, displaced limbs, and plot contrivances, is the proverbial fruit of knowledge in Eden. There's too much there not to chance a bite, maybe come out of it with nothing, maybe create a masterpiece that proves to people there is such a thing as well written horror.

[Lon-ami]

Not that hard, really.

For example:

Most of the Warhammer novels are just kill, kill and kill, but they have a lot of big plots behind.

We would just need to give the story a sense of... something bigger happening behind.

Something not so difficult considering we have a lot of "just mentioned over" things in the games.

[Rashid]

Diablo has excellent horror elements for anyone who is skilled enough to form into a frightening script. This is the LORD OF TERROR, guys!

[Mark_Romaneck]

so where is our script?

[Cantus]

No one took up the challenge so the thread died up until you res'd it today. I'd still love to try my hand at it, but considering how shallow my knowledge of the lore is it would still need a full on cadre of writers to create.

[Mark_Romaneck]

I always loved Diablo, but the horror genre? I dont know bout that

[Cantus]

I always loved Diablo, but the horror genre? I dont know bout that
It's got demons, zombies, and mutated beasts. If it doesn't fit into the action-horror genre I don't know what does.

[Mark_Romaneck]

Well something like Evil Dead yea, but thats not what comes to my mind when you say horror

[Rashid]

I would be interested to see something happen here, so I may think about taking initiative :P

Where would we want to start? The original Diablo story, albeit not written by Blizzard, is perhaps the easiest to start with and paints a genuinely frightening scene. The King's gone mad, people are disappearing in the abbey, and a creeping terror has worked its way into the hearts of Tristram's citizens. I think it's a perfect setting...

Of course, I'm 100% noob when it comes to script writing. If I had one to study, I could try my hand at getting the ball rolling at least.

[Cantus]

Well something like Evil Dead yea, but thats not what comes to my mind when you say horror
See that's what i'm trying to change. When people hear horror they think gore and teens having sex right before they die, and miraculous endings that aren't actually endings as the monster decides to shove his hand out of the dirt at the very last second.

Horror to me is something so psychologically unsettling you'll have nightmares for weeks, but only because it strikes close to home, not because it's so mind numbingly gory. Granted there's going to be gore, and horrific deaths, and etc., but that's not the horror part. Just as in Diablo, it's the horrors you'll do yourself in the name of stopping a supposedly greater evil. Basically, horror to me is "How much of your humanity can you keep when you're surrounded by hell on earth?"

Edit: I would be interested to see something happen here, so I may think about taking initiative :P

Where would we want to start? The original Diablo story, albeit not written by Blizzard, is perhaps the easiest to start with and paints a genuinely frightening scene. The King's gone mad, people are disappearing in the abbey, and a creeping terror has worked its way into the hearts of Tristram's citizens. I think it's a perfect setting...

Of course, I'm 100% noob when it comes to script writing. If I had one to study, I could try my hand at getting the ball rolling at least.

I've done a few amateur scripts (used to do a lot of acting way back in my youth too) and we have a lot of great writers around here. It wouldn't be too hard to create one. I'd say though that we need to do Diablo 1 from the start, and make it a group instead a single hero. The lone protagonist is a great idea if you can make the ancillary characters decent, but something tells me we need at least 3 people running around killing shit to be believable.

[Mark_Romaneck]

Well I would be up for a sideline story of sorts, besides we dont all have to hold hands and be the same merry band of heroic good doers.

Thats the wonderfull thing about writting and not say... RPing.

When you write you dont have to give a fuck about whose toes you are stepping, you can just go wilf because its YOU.

I would imagine, that part of the feeling of horror in general is vulnerability.

I mean Doom for example, was kind of horrorish until you got the plasma rifle and then you plasmaed at them until the ceiling fell...

Same goes for Diablo, I tend to get in character when playing and all my barbarian felt was Rage (lots on Arreath), wearyness (in dungeons and kurast most of) and the great feeling of unleashing violence.

Thus with power, comes little fear.

L4D had it right in that aspect, you were given just enough power to survive and nothing more and nothing less, I will do the same.

However most of us are amateur writters and scripts are... something out of my element really

[Dagren]

I've done a few amateur scripts (used to do a lot of acting way back in my youth too) and we have a lot of great writers around here. It wouldn't be too hard to create one. I'd say though that we need to do Diablo 1 from the start, and make it a group instead a single hero. The lone protagonist is a great idea if you can make the ancillary characters decent, but something tells me we need at least 3 people running around killing shit to be believable.

Well, in the lore, it's a lone warrior who defeated Diablo under Tristram.
But the lore also says many "adventurers" came to Tristram to seek glory or simply to plunder any Horadrim knowledge or artifacts that might be left in their old temple.
So the script could be focusing on one of these groups instead of the lone warrior guy.
Still, they could meet him at several points in the story, each time seeing him losing some of his sanity; like how he came to believe that he could contain Diablo.
In the end, they would witness the guy killing Diablo while they can't help but shit in their pants and flee in terror. They would also see him planting the soulstone in his forehead so they would try to warn Cain. The lone warrior would then slaughter them one by one, telling them that he is sorry but no one must know, that it is his burdain, and blahblahblah while we all know there's nothing left of his sanity.
That's how I see it however. I'm just trying to tie it to the main storyline.

[Rashid]

I was thinking something along the same lines, with several adventurers who came before but never emerged from the catacombs beneath the church.

Since the warrior is the one who slays Diablo and finally sacrifices himself to contain him, I felt that the story should follow him primarily. Perhaps in the opening scene have him coming into Tristram, where he meets the Rogue and Vizjerei Sorcerer.

Warrior - Somewhat of the strong silent type. Maybe the story can be "narrated" by his inner monologue, with flashbacks along the way of the stories he's heard about King Leoric, which sets up the present day scene.

Rogue - Doesn't like anyone, very confident in herself and the superiority of the Sisterhood in general. Comes to depend on the other two more and more as the horrors they come across become more sinister and more formidable.

Sorcerer - The treasure hunter and lore library among the group. He knows more than he reveals to the other two initially, and perhaps gets them to join him as mercenaries to begin with.

The one thing I would argue against in your idea, Dagren, is the sudden onset of the Warrior's insanity. He was supposed to have been driven mad over the next several days, so any witnesses to his act would have survived for a little while. In my version, I would kill off the Rogue and Sorcerer possibly while they battle Diablo himself, with any other mercenaries they brought with them dying horribly along the way.

[Wulfang]

In my version, I would kill off the Rogue and Sorcerer possibly while they battle Diablo himself, with any other mercenaries they brought with them dying horribly along the way.

Thing is, canonically, they both survived. The rogue went mad and joined Diablo (she's Blood Raven in Diablo 2's Act 1) while the sorcerer, troubled by what he'd witnessed, returned home, found the Summoner's Sanctum and took over it (The Summoner in Act 2).

[Rashid]

Thing is, canonically, they both survived. The rogue went mad and joined Diablo (she's Blood Raven in Diablo 2's Act 1) while the sorcerer, troubled by what he'd witnessed, returned home, found the Summoner's Sanctum and took over it (The Summoner in Act 2).

I was completely unaware of this. Is it revealed through the novels? I haven't gotten to any in the Diablo series.

That's fine though, no need to kill them off then. They can be driven mad/scared and go off on their own.

[Cantus]

Thing is, canonically, they both survived. The rogue went mad and joined Diablo (she's Blood Raven in Diablo 2's Act 1) while the sorcerer, troubled by what he'd witnessed, returned home, found the Summoner's Sanctum and took over it (The Summoner in Act 2).
I'm with Rashid on the mercenary side of things, but it would be interesting to have the Rogue and Sorcerer slowly going mad alongside the Warrior. We're already seeing the evolution of the Warrior as a future villain, so having the Rogue and Sorcerer be other examples of where madness can take you would be perfect.

The Rogue could slowly become paranoid of the shadows as they descend, especially with attacks even she can't predict; kind of a gnawing internal fear of what horror could produce something that she's not even ready for. Soon enough when some merc companion of hers gets ripped to shreds she starts to lose it and become more and more blood thirsty thinking that will make up for things. Eventually she just straight disappears in the midst of things chasing some imp down a hallway and after that the party slowly chases her trail of carnage until they reach her furiously trying to get into Diablo's sanctum (think of how a dog whines, growls, and paws at something they want, only put that in terms of pure blood lust and that's what she's become.)

The Sorcerer on the other hand, well he's already somewhat aware of what's going on, so maybe he starts finding scrolls of magic and demonic prophecies scratched out by other survivors gone mad that fill in the picture more and more. He delves so deeply into these that he starts to practice some of the more powerful Vizjerei magics in order to save the party at times, up to and including the forbidden magics of the scrolls. He basically falls prey to his belief in his own power to save people, and in the end his inability to save the Warrior has him deeply troubled and set off to the Summoner's Sanctum for answers (we'll say he finds clues to its location within the labyrinth.)

[Wulfang]

I was completely unaware of this. Is it revealed through the novels? I haven't gotten to any in the Diablo series.

That's fine though, no need to kill them off then. They can be driven mad/scared and go off on their own.

It's revealed in Diablo 2 itself. Blood Raven was formerly one of the Rogues and when you get the quest to kill her you're told that she ventured beneath Tristram and returned mad.

The Summoner, same thing. You get told he's not the real Summoner, but a Vizjerei sorcerer who went to Tristram and returned... different. He somehow found the way to the Sanctum, garbed himself in the Summoner's robes and took over the place.

[Timolas]

It's revealed in Diablo 2 itself. Blood Raven was formerly one of the Rogues and when you get the quest to kill her you're told that she ventured beneath Tristram and returned mad.
Hellen von Xie.


The Summoner, same thing. You get told he's not the real Summoner, but a Vizjerei sorcerer who went to Tristram and returned... different. He somehow found the way to the Sanctum, garbed himself in the Summoner's robes and took over the place.

Xieeee!

[Rashid]

It's revealed in Diablo 2 itself.
Must have been too long since I've played. I didn't recall the parts about them being in Tristram.

I do like your idea, Cantus, about all three of them slipping into the various stages of madness/corruption. It makes for good horror because rather than losing people directly to the agents of evil, you watch them fall inexorably toward a fate they can't come back from.

[Mark_Romaneck]

Its gona be kind of hard to writte something knowing everyone involved dies

[Cantus]

They remake movies all the time, and we know what happens (typically) to each individual. "It's not the destination, it's the ride," pretty much applies here.

In terms of planning for each stage of the trilogy (D1 - D3) though, the idea is that you're seeing the story evolve alongside the characters. The story is about Diablo, not about the characters fighting him, so you get to see the (de)evolution of humanity with each film, and in the second/third you see the end result of what the previous film's only hinted at.

Also, something I should've thought of before, we could have the merc party behind the Warrior have 1-3 survivors who are then the protagonists of the second film. They have to leave early to spirit an injured comrade away, and because of this they survive what would have otherwise been their doom. That way there's some cross over for the Sorcerer/Rogue storylines without it being too awkward (aka "how the fuck do they know each other?"). This also allows us to build up D2's backstory a bit more in terms of the areas people would visit instead of just magically journeying from unknown place to unknown place (a plus considering pulling off a LotR is pretty damn hard.)

[Dagren]

Its gona be kind of hard to writte something knowing everyone involved dies

What Cantus said, and in the first movie you can have the script end as the warrior emerge out of the church. One guy survived, even if that's the bad one.

I like your idea, Rashid. As for the rogue and sorcerer dying in Diablo 2, I don't think that's a problem. Even the class descriptions in the Diablo1 manual tell us there was more than one Rogue/Sorcerer/Warrior driven to Tristram.
Oh, and if I remember correctly, in Diablo 2 every corrupted rogues have lost their minds fighting Diablo and his minions. Someone at their camp (I think it's Charsi) says the ones who went to Tristram came back more powerful but were also the first to side with Andariel.

[Rashid]

Okay, I had another idea for an opening scene, but rather than tell you about it, I'd like to give a go with a script so we can get something going here. I've never done this before, so let me know what needs improvement.

1. Fade in on the high steeple of the cathedral against the night sky, panning down along the stained glass window. The flicker of torchlight is reflected in the ornate colors of the window as the view widens to show a crowd gathered at the entrance.

The large doors of the cathedral frame the body of a thin and man clad in long white robes. He is fair skinned with short light hair and a stern expression that looks as though it has been under great stress. He raises his hands to calm the murmurs of the crowd, which carries an assortment of rudimentary weapons and torches as they give their attention to the Archbishop. Lazarus raises his fist to his mouth to clear his throat, but his voice carries a grim tone anyway.

Lazarus:
My loyal congregation... it pleases me to see so many of you gathered here to undertake this most honorable task. Your courage in the face of the evil that grips this land gives me hope that we may finally restore order to to Khanduras by bringing the Prince's kidnapper to justice. The coward has been tracked to this very cathedral, and I implore you now, my beloved flock, to do what I was unable to. Rescue the heir to Leoric's crown and bring down the fiend that sought to cripple our kingdom in its most dire moments.

Lazarus steps aside, motioning into the soft glow of candlelight that emanates from within the cathedral. The mob's cries grow loud once again as they file in. Lazarus strolls in after them casually as the sound of the mob fades.

2. The pitch dark and eerie silence of the stairwell gives way to the the creaking of the door, and the zealous shouts of the mob grow quiet as one of them cautiously holds his torch out to examine the stairs. He cautiously steps forward and motions for the others to follow. They descend down the stairs one at time with the Archbishop still behind.

Villager:
Ugh, the stench of this place is awful. Does the kidnapper seek to deter his pursuers by defiling the caskets of the interred and letting their rot permeate this tomb?

3. The mob begins to fan out as they emerge from the stairwell into a large room. Those who are armed grip their weapons tighter, as though they anticipate an ambush. Lazarus steps out into the center with his own torch and looks around.

Lazarus:
Search every room. The kidnapper has eluded Lachdanan and his men thus far. Do not allow his craftiness to get the better of us, my people.

The villagers separate and spread out, cautiously venturing around corners and through darkened archways. A few of them sound doubtful and one a few of them make their way toward Lazarus

Victim #1: Archbishop, should we not have Lachdanan or a group of the royal guard here with us? I mean.. there are plenty of us here, but we have no idea how many accomplices this kidnapper has. What if they have set traps, or--

The man's question is cut short by the sound of his skull caving in from the force of a cleaver splitting his head in two. He barely managed to cry out as blood fell sloppily along with his body onto the stone floor. The villagers in the immediate area reeled back and the grotesque form of the Butcher steps into the light. They gather their resolve quickly and prepare to engage him, but are distracted by the cackles of imps in the darkness behind them, and the screams of their comrades. The Butcher lunges at one, swinging the cleaver wildly and manages to lacerate the man as he attempts to defend himself with a pitchfork.

Another torch bearing villager nearly stumbles as he witnesses imps descend upon his sword wielding friend. He struggles to get to his feet as he is noticed by more imps who begin to grab at his legs.

The entire room is a frenzy of chaotic screams and the clashing of weapons. One of the villagers runs toward the stairs, aided only by the light from the torch Lazarus is holding.

Panicked Villager: Archbishop! We are beset by demons... We must flee! Quickly!

Lazarus looks over his shoulder at the man and slowly grows a sinister grin. His eyes betray a maddened look as the villager stares at him with growing horror. Lazarus waves his hand over the lit torch and the flame abruptly fades out, taking with it the only light the survivors have for guidance. The sounds of terrified screams and the butcher's deep maniacal laughter echo through the chamber.

[Cantus]

Hmmm, where to start. Well I'd say we need to rename a few characters. Names like Lachdanan don't roll off the tongue too well, much less get through to American audiences, so we'd need to shorten it or find some way to make it slightly less "fantasy." Same goes for the general dialogue, it's too formal, especially for a peasant mob (and yeah, I would've done the same thing too).

The idea that we reveal Lazarus' betrayal this early seems a bit much. I do agree we need to find a way to show something's off about the entire place, including the Archbishop, just not quite so obvious. Maybe instead of following them down there, he locks them in to "keep the kidnappers from escaping behind the mob," or something along those lines.

In terms of having the peasants massacred so early, yeah it has to happen. It sets up zombies/skeletons perfectly, not to mention you can have random survivors who can be traps (insane or just naive) for the Heroes' party. I dont' think we should have the Butcher in the forefront of the fray though. Maybe placing him behind the imps and other demons, just a foreboding figure who's visage you can barely make out in the torch light, that way it's not about sudden massive weapons cleaving through people. That and I don't think the carnage should be in darkness. More that the camera recedes from the screaming and people being pulled back by chains and such and then we see Lazarus praying over the trap door before locking everything in place. It keeps the ambiguity of his allegiance up and let's things switch up from the cliche of "innocent victims die, fade to black."

Hmmm, getting agreement on everything will require a lot of actual storyboarding. How about this, I'll setup a Skype chat tommorrow evening and interested parties can hash things out in real time. That way this will progress faster than a post a day and less need for lengthy back and forths.

[Rashid]

Hmm, I see what you're saying about trying to avoid the cliches. We definitely need to have some storyboarding happen to get things moving and have a cohesive train of thought.

Given your other comments, I'll explain a little about why I went with this direction. I was aiming to keep events accurate, using this (http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Diablo_I_Manual#Librarius_Ex_Horadrim_-_Book_Two) as a reference. There's quite a bit of background with Leoric prior to the scene I wrote, but I figured all that could be retold at appropriate points in the story.

In the game, your first quest is given to you by a survivor of the archbishop's treachery. He tells you right from the get go that Lazarus has betrayed them and led them to the butcher's lair. Lazarus himself is gone at this point, which is why I had him go with the mob and stand by while they were killed. Game events don't have to flow exactly, but we should use them as a general guideline since that's all we really have.

I rather like the name Lachdanan, but I understand if you want to tweak the names to avoid confusing the audience, but we should keep doing that to a minimum since it's a little off-putting for fans who are familiar. The mob's formality does seem out of place when I read it over, so we should certainly change that.

Around when were you thinking to do the chat? I'm free generally after 8:30pm EST.

[Cantus]

Edit: Alright, 8:30 EST confirmed. My skype account is attached to the oft repeated (censored) so anyone who's interested/bored/willing should jump on and we'll get the storyboarding started up.

Edit2: In the meantime I've gotta cook dinner for los tropas. I'll see everyone here around 8:20.

Edit 3: Alright I'm pulling a once a month executive privilege...

bump

...come on people, you know you want to get online and talk about this. Otherwise Rashid and I are going to get all the nerd glory and hot bitches! (or was it the other way around?)

Edit4: Now Aldrius is in on it too...hurry before spots close up.