The story
So i've picked your brain?
This page presents key scenes from Zombie Festival as vivid, immersive excerpts. Not a screenplay, but a faster, more engaging way to experience the story’s tone, characters and atmosphere.
Where hallucinogenic dreams begin to bleed
A girl smiles softly as she gazes at the approaching horde of zombies. In her mind’s eye, the world transforms; a radiant field of wildflowers stretches before her, golden and endless. From the horizon, a herd of majestic horses gallops toward her, their manes catching the light like silk ribbons unraveling in the wind. Lost in the awe of her psychedelic state, she reaches out with serene grace to caress the face of one. But just as her fingers brush against imagined velvet… a jaw snaps shut and a zombie sinks its teeth into her outstretched hand.
The sacred pill
EXTERIOR FOOD AREA - NIGHT
The boys gather around a picnic bench outside a food truck labelled “SAFEHAVEN SANDWICHES,” looking deflated and disheartened by their inability to find any drugs to perk Tommy up.
TOMMY
I’m not... feeling too good.
MARCUS
Come on Tommy. There’s gotta be some somewhere. We don’t mind looking.
RILEY
Speak for yourself. At this rate, we won’t see any more music tonight.
ALEXANDER
We have another 2 days still.
MARCUS
It’s barely been an hour.
RILEY
What do you expect me to do?
MARCUS
Show a little care maybe?
TOMMY
It's alright, I'll see you tomorrow I guess...
MARCUS
It’s fine Tommy, we will come back with you.
RILEY
You're a hero Marcus... I’m going back to the stage though. Who is coming with?
Isaac and Kai join Riley on their way back to the stage. Marcus watches them leave, visibly annoyed. As he turns back to Tommy and Alexander, he sees a bald MAN in the distance, hunched over, talking to a couple fellow ravers in a small, dimly lit, red and white tent.
MARCUS
Oiiii. Look over there.
Tommy and Alexander both gaze in the same direction as Marcus.
ALEXANDER
Jackpot. Do you want me to go over?
MARCUS
Nah, I got this.
INTERIOR CIRCUS TENT - NIGHT
As Marcus gets closer, he notices a lone, flickering light cast an unsettling glow over the figure revealing a face that’s partially hidden in the shadows. The Man’s eyes are sharp, calculating.
MAN
Can I help you?
MARCUS (startled)
Depends on what you’ve got.
MAN
B-bye then.
The Man makes a ‘shooing’ gesture in the air before him, as though telling Marcus to shoo.
MARCUS
I just saw you with those two. I was hoping you had something to boost my friend up.
The Man chuckles, a low, unsettling sound that makes Marcus flinch. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small baggie, holding it up between his fingers.
MAN
You got a badge under that shirt?
The Man smirks and glances back at a peculiar group of acquaintances, each so oddly dressed they seem straight out of a circus.
MARCUS
What, me police? The last thing I'd want is to spend my night babysitting you.
MAN
I see. We've got a funny man over here. Let's see how much you got.
Marcus digs into his pocket, pulling out a few crumpled notes. Something about this feels wrong, but it’s too late to back out now. As Marcus hands over the money, the Man slips the baggie into his hand. Marcus pockets it quickly, glancing around nervously.
MAN (CONT’D)
Careful with that stuff. It’s stronger than you think.
With a nonchalant wave, the Man turns away into the darkness. He leaves Marcus suddenly feeling very alone. He walks back.
EXT. FESTIVAL FOOD AREA - NIGHT
ALEXANDER
Success?
MARCUS
I think so.
He pulls out the baggie and opens it with all eyes drawn to it, captivated by the same awe as opening a glowing treasure chest full of gold.
ALEXANDER
Holy moly...
TOMMY
...Guacamole.
ZOMBIE FRENZY MONTAGE
Inside the cramped tent, drenched in perfume and eyelashes, three girls sit cross legged, applying makeup like a ritual. The tent flap hangs slightly open. Outside, a shadow looms, a soft, ragged moan drifting in. “Sounds like Emma had a good night” one whispers. They giggle. For one girl, curiosity wins as she slowly pushes her head toward the tent flap. The moment her eyes meet the outside, a cold hand slams through the fabric, yanking her by the hair. Another arm rips the seam wide open. Screaming erupts. One girl’s fingers are bitten, blood spraying across the others like some cursed water sprinkler. They scramble, fighting back with whatever they can: a hairbrush, a can of dry shampoo, a broken mirror.
————
The smell of burning cheese and woodsmoke cuts through the air. At the pizza stand, a chef in a grease stained apron fights like it’s just another shift. He grits his teeth, wielding a pizza cutter like a blade. A zombie lunges. He sidesteps and shoves it backward straight into the mouth of a wood fired oven. The flames roar.
————
Elsewhere, another tent shelters a boy and girl, half naked and lost in lazy kisses. Outside, a shadow shifts closer, groaning. “What’s that creep doing?” the girl mutters. The boy shrugs it off. “Ignore him. Just… come here.” He pouts his lips, but she’s already pulling away.“No. Seriously.” She crawls toward the entrance. He sighs. “They’re probably just off their heads.” Unamused, she glares “Do you want to kiss me or not?.” He whimpers and unzips the tent. The moment it opens, teeth snap, then yelps of agony. A blur of gore. He vanishes under the weight of it. She screams, grabs a broken tent pole and slices the back of the tent open and bolts.
—————
At the festival entrance/exit, a security dog strains at its leash, teeth flashing, useless against the chaos. The girl from before tears past, blood streaking down her thighs, eyes wide, lungs burning. She doesn’t look back. She can’t.
Will you love me when i'm dead?
Marcus lets out a primal roar and charges the zombified security guards, hurling the car keys overhead. He grips the frying pan like a war hammer and slams it into a guard’s face. The skull caves in, brain matter spraying from its ears as it drops. The blow carries him forward, stumbling past a second zombie whose claws rake across his shirt.
The undead snap toward him. The diversion works. The others use the opening to slip through, but Zoe lingers at the rear. Grief anchors her to the ground. Angel’s scream. The blood. It loops in her mind like a curse. With the car park in sight, she ducks a lunging guard. Then stops. Frozen.
MARCUS
ZOE!
ZOE (soft, breaking)
Marcus…
One of the zombies seizes Zoe in a monstrous grip, its hands close around her with crushing force, as if her spine were a stick in a vice. Marcus moves forward, unaware of his own being, but Bing and Alexander hold him back. His scream dissolves into Zoe’s. The group watches, powerless, as Zoe is torn apart in a frenzy of teeth and blood. The infected dogs swarm in, their growls buried beneath her anguish. Then, silence. The undead, satisfied, turn away. But the next wave of the horde is approaching, an advancing wall of rotting flesh.
BING
We have to go. Now.
Alexander hauls Marcus away. His body limp, eyes locked on where Zoe had been. Something inside him cracks. Not a break, but a shattering. Bing grabs Jess, yanking her toward the car park as the survivors flee into the rising sun, followed by the echoes of Zoe's death.
Got an idea? Know someone who might want to help bring this project to life? Contact me directly at zombiefestivalofficial@gmail.com. Message me if you’d like more!