Last Call
A narcissistic man leaving his office on New Years Eve “nearly” slips and falls on icy steps enroute to a local dive bar. Once there, he sits and drinks with a stranger who shares his taste in all the finer things life has to offer. As the night progresses, it becomes evident our sophisticated gentleman is not where he thinks he is. And that this stranger has been waiting for him all his life.
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Joseph DiFrancescoWriterThe Mourning After, The Darkness Before Me
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Project Type:Short Script
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Genres:Horror, Thriller
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Number of Pages:15
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Country of Origin:United States
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Language:English
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First-time Screenwriter:No
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Student Project:No
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Independent Horror Movie AwardsVirtual
February 1, 2021
Official Selection -
Indie Short FestLos Angeles, CA
June 6, 2020
Official Selection -
Horror: Genre Lab - Presented by Global Lift-Off NetworkIver Heath, England
July 26, 2020
Official Selection -
Oregon Scream Weak Film FestivalPortland, OR
October 8, 2020
Official Selection -
Diabolical Horror Film FestivalVirtual
October 28, 2020
Official Selection -
13 Horror.com Film and Screenplay ContestVirtual
July 31, 2020
Finalist -
The Magic of HorrorRichmond, VA
September 20, 2020
Finalist -
The Indie Horror Film FestivalDekalb, IL
September 5, 2020
Finalist -
Nevada City Film FestivalNevada City, CA
August 28, 2020
Semi-Finalist -
Chicago Horror Film FestivalChicago, IL
September 26, 2020
Semi-Finalist
Born in Philadelphia, Joseph DiFrancesco is a screenwriter, director, novelist and sometimes actor. He has produced award winning films and music videos, and has several novels in publication. His first film and directorial debut,"The Mourning After," won for best featurette in the 2006 Delaware Valley Film Festival. The Paranormal Romance Guild nominated his novel, BOX 3014, for the Reviewer's Choice Awards 2016. His screenplay, "The Darkness Before Me," was nominated for best short screenplay in the 2018 NYC Independent Film Festival. His short animated script, “Change for the Better,” made quarterfinalist in the 2019 Atlanta Film Festival.
LAST CALL - Hidden Symbolisms
* Spoiler Alert
Clearly, Josh did not catch himself from falling but rather fell, died and went straight to Hell. (But turns out the Devil likes to have some fun with us first)
CS Lounge (C. S. Lewis, author of, “The Screwtape Letters.”
Door to bar covered in graffiti? (homage to Rodin’s “Gates of Hell”)
Dogs barking in the alley?
Cerberus. The three headed dog that guards the gates of Hell.
Virgil, the bartender, is named from a character found in “Dante’s Inferno.”
Lou (Lucifer) speaks of people long dead, as well as in languages long dead.
The onion skin that momentarily finds its way to Josh stems from Biblical lore where a woman condemned to Hell begs to be lifted out of it. She is offered an onion skin on which to grab.
Lou “never touches wine." Of course not, it’s the blood of Christ.
The bathroom, posh in appearance but stench-ridden, represents Josh’s soul. Also Josh’s inability to get his hands clean represents the idea that the opportunity to wash away dirty sins has passed.