Description
PETALS IN FORMALDEHYDE – LOVECRAFTIAN STYLE HORROR
In this Lovecraftian style horror , a gothic tale of romance and corruption, a young man named Alexander tries to break his family’s cult history and traditions when he falls in love with a woman named Helen.
It’s a lonely hamlet in the middle of rural Massachusetts. A spate of missing locals. A cult worshipping the tentacled god Cthulu demanding human blood sacrifice. At the centre of the cult, a small boy who had the misfortune of being born to parents like his – they formed and are the leaders of the cult. Although the locals have concerns that the cult lies at the roots of the disappeareance of local people from the community, they have never been able to prove anything and the cult is very closed mouthed, keeping to themselves.
Alexander’s parent’s started him out young, forcing him to perform ritual sacrifices from the tender age of nine years. He knows it’s wrong but seems there is little he can do to escape the cult’s clutches and he grows up knowing no other way. But then he meets Helen, a girl who is everything he isn’t, joyous, and full of life. He is convinced to leave his old ways behind and finally marry her so they can spend their lives together. But their joy is short lived. Helen falls ill and he becomes desperate to cure her. Desperate enough to turn back to the old ways…The old, evil ways. But is there ever an excise for evil – even if it’s to try save a life?
Author: Walter Andrew Rawl
Type: Two-act play
Genre: Lovecraftian style horror
Cast: 8M, 5F, 2N, ensemble cast
Ages of the actors: 1 child actor. The rest are adult
Suitable for: Adults only (violence)
Length: 60 minutes
Set: This play is chock full of references to the
H.P Lovecraft mythos, so by all means, decorate the background
with tentacle and sigil motifs. Flowers decorating the stage can
appear and slowly disappear throughout the events of the play,
correlating with Helen’s physical health and Alexander’s mental
health. The story takes place in the 1910s – early 40s.
Level of Difficulty: 6/10 – the sweetness of their love should always be overshadowed by the horror of what is to come.
Read a Sample of the Script
Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Petals in Formaldehyde
Copyright © January 2024 Walter Andrew Rawl
Like this play? Other plays like it:
Skinned – award winning horror screenplay
The Release of Theodore Marlow – gothic horror romance
God’s Madmen – Vampiric horror about the human condition
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