THE LONG SILENT NIGHT, original draft

Creator: Shane Berryhill
Age rating: Everyone
It's up to JACK FROST, a winter fairy and the NORTH POLE’s premiere private eye, to find his kidnapped adoptive father, SANTA CLAUS, so that the SPELL OF ETERNAL NIGHT can be lifted and time allowed to flow once more. This tale of holiday-noir is sure to thrill all ages!
Project collaboration: Open
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Synopsis: THE LONG SILENT NIGHT: A JACK FROST MYSTERY brings together the unlikely bedfellows of film noir and fantasy to create a surprising holiday thriller sure to be enjoyed by all ages!

It is up to JACK FROST, a winter fairy and the NORTH POLE’s premiere private eye, to find his kidnapped adoptive father, SANTA CLAUS, so that the SPELL OF ETERNAL NIGHT--the spell that makes Christmas Eve last until Santa has delivered all his presents--can be lifted and time allowed to flow once more.

At first, Jack suspects OLD MAN WINTER, the crime kingpin of the North Pole who also happens to be Jack’s biological father. However, when their encounter leaves Jack uncertain of Winter’s involvement, at the urging of his old friend DEE, a Halloween witch, Jack agrees to visit HOLIDAY TOWN (H-TOWN), the capital city of the HOLIDAY FOLK (Holiday Folk are all the anthropomorphic holiday characters: cupids, reindeer, ghosts, Pilgrims, etc.), to consult with the city mayor, FATHER TIME, about the case.

While there, Jack helps break up an assassination attempt on Father Time which ultimately leads Jack to the Halloween city of NECROPOLIS in search of Santa’s kidnapper. After a few skirmishes, the assassin/alleged kidnapper’s trail leads Jack to the Valentine’s Day city of LOVELAND.

A case of mistaken identity lands Jack behind bars. However, with a little help from EPIPHANY the Christmas Angel, Jack is able to escape and track the culprit to the St. Patrick’s Day-related EMERALD ISLE.

After a friendly bout of riddles and fisticuffs with a LEPRECHAUN, Jack journeys to EASTER VALLEY, where the rough-and-tumble bunny-gang, the COTTONTAILS, reign supreme. There, Jack finally confronts the would-be assassin and kidnapper, a WEREWOLF from Necropolis, only to learn they both have been played for fools.

Jack and the werewolf are taken back into custody by the H-Town Police and brought before Father Time. In private, Father Time confesses to Jack that it was actually he who had Santa Claus kidnapped in order to stay in power for all eternity.

To keep his secret safe and his rule intact, Father Time exiles Jack into prehistory. Jack finds that is where Father Time has been keeping Santa Claus captive all along. After a narrow escape from the jaws of a T-REX, Jack and Santa are able to make it back to the present. Jack foils Father Time’s plans and reveals the mayor’s evil schemes to the public, thus saving Christmas and reinstating the natural flow of time.

In a twist-reveal, Jack brings the last perpetrator into custody when he reveals to the police that the true mastermind behind Father Time’s plans was Jack’s old friend Dee, the Halloween witch from Necropolis. She had planned to use Father Time as the figurehead from which she could rule over the Holiday Folk for all eternity.

Combining the fun of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS with the grit of THE MALTESE FALCON, THE LONG SILENT NIGHT is a hard-boiled fantasy-mystery thrill ride for parents and children alike!

Latest Work

  • Script 1 - Shane's Original Draft
    11/17/10
    Creative Notes:
    In THE LONG SILENT NIGHT, it's up to JACK FROST, a winter fairy and the North Pole's premiere private eye, to find his kidnapped adoptive father, SANTA CLAUS, so that the SPELL OF ETERNAL NIGHT may be lifted and time allowed to flow once more. TLSN is a tale of holiday-noir full of twists and turns sure to thrill all ages!
    RTF