It Came in the Mail

Development Slate
Creator: Michael Rabb
Age rating: Everyone
12-year-old Joel orders an incredible monster through a comic book. It finally shows up... 20 years later.
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Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Joel is in love with Charlene (aka Charlie) the girl next door. Charlie and Joel are good friends and share a lot of the same interests, especially their love of monsters and monster movies. So when Charlie announces she's having a birthday party Joel knows exactly what he's getting her. He goes to the back of his favorite comic book and sends away for a life-like seven-foot Frankenstein Monster. It never comes.

20 years later we find out that Joel and Charlie got married and had a son Aaron (he's 10 now). But over the years Joel has paid more attention to building his career than his family and Charlie and Aaron are paying the price. Charlie sits Joel down and tells him that she's lonely and tired of him being on the road or on the phone or on the computer all the time. Aaron misses having his dad around as well. She's not saying she wants to end their marriage but she is letting him know she's not happy. Then the phone rings.

Joel's co-worker, Dante Anderson is calling with some exciting news. Joel's two biggest clients are coming together to form one huge corporation...and it's all because of Joel's hard work. The only catch is, Joel needs to be in New York in three days to sign the contracts with the two clients and close the deal. Joel tries to explain to Charlie how important this deal is and how he's been working for three years to make this merger happen. He has no choice. He has to go. But when he gets back, he promises to be the husband and father she wants. Charlie sees this as just more of the same from Joel.

Disappointed and unsure of their future, Charlie asks Joel to please be back in time for Aaron's birthday dinner. It's really important to Aaron. Joel says he will. Absolutely!

The next morning while Joel is rushing to get ready there's a knock on the door. It's a special delivery package for Joel. A huge wooden crate is being unloaded from a truck.

With no time to bother with "whatever this is" right now, Joel jumps into the airport shuttle that has just arrived and races off to the airport.

At the airport curbside check-in, Joel is surprised by the TSA when they tell him he cannot take "whatever that is" on an airplane. Joel looks in the back of the van and to his shock and surprise he sees the crate. Since it was near his bags, the van driver assumed it was going too. Every time the TSA agent touches the crate it shakes and makes a strange scratching sound. Joel has no idea what he's supposed to do. The TSA is ready to call in the bomb squad if he doesn't take his crate and drive away from the airport. Joel has no choice. He pays the van driver off so he can use the van himself and drive to New York.

On the road, Joel hears a terrible banging sound from the rear of the van. He pulls over, opens the rear doors and finds the Monster sitting up and smiling. After the initial shock and disbelief followed by some bizarre deliberation between Joel and the Monster, Joel agrees to let the Monster stay, only because he has to get to New York. But Joel's plan is to ditch the Monster the first chance he gets.

Several states later and after a few failed attempts, Joel realizes it's not so easy to get rid of a Monster. That's when Joel sees a brochure at a gas station for The Belvedere Castle in Central Park. Creepy, dark, and scary...it's the perfect place to dump a Monster.

As the road trip continues the Monster and Joel go through a lot together and eventually Joel and the Monster form a bond and become the unlikeliest of friends. Joel even begins to get in touch with his inner child. Something he lost a long time ago. But then they arrive in New York and Joel starts to focus on his job and how this merger is going to make his life so great. More money and more prestige. Joel follows through with his original plan and in the wee hours of the morning, Joel leaves the Monster at the Belvedere Castle in the center of Central Park. His feelings destroyed and his heart broken, the Monster disappears into the darkness.

Later on in Manhattan, Joel gets to his meeting and all the players are there. The contract is on the table and Joel just needs to sign it.

But just as he's about to sign, his boss can't help but get excited about how amazing this merger will be, especially for Joel. Moving to New York, flying around the world to manage this newly formed company; he envies Joel. That's when it hits Joel. He realizes he's made a HUGE mistake. Move to New York? Fly around the world? This isn't what he wants anymore. He wants his family...and his Monster. He drops his pen and races out of the meeting.

Joel races back to Central Park to try and find his friend. After a harrowing search across the park, Joel and the Monster are reunited. It's an awesome moment for both of them.

Meanwhile, at the birthday party, Aaron is just about to blow out the candles on his cake when the door bursts open. It's Joel. He kisses his wife and his son and tells them how sorry he is for being such a crappy father and husband. And that's when Aaron's jaw drops as he can't believe the awesome gift his father brought him. A Monster!
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Latest Work

  • Trailer 2 - horror comedy
    12/18/12
    Creative Notes:
    I added 4 shots and did some additional sound work. I think there's a lot more potential for fun with the story. The script needs more action and more situations to throw the monster into to create chaos. Comical conflict is badly needed. You also need to want to have a monster of your own by the end of the film.
  • Script 2 - Ralph's 1st Draft
    05/27/12
    Main1338138160._sx304_sy171_
    Creative Notes:
    Reworked/shortened some description, dialogue, headings, removed scene, characters, etc. Changed many non essential names. Basically some cleanup.
    PDF

All Work