Private Project

MERCY: A Rhode Island Legend

LOGLINE: In 1894, after escaping forced marriage, a resilient young farm girl and her family become the subjects of horrific supernatural nighttime attacks, sparking a ‘vampire panic’ in rural Rhode Island.

SYNOPSIS:

Mercy is a folk-horror feature based on the chilling true events of the forgotten town of Exeter, Rhode Island. When mysterious deaths plague the community, instilling fear and superstition in the residents, the desperate townspeople, attribute the deaths to the influence of a VAMPYRE.

In 1894, MERCY TILLINGHAST, a spirited and intelligent girl, longs to escape the isolation of her family’s struggling apple orchard, and build an independent new life for herself in the city, but a nightmarish web of familial obligations traps her. Exploiting the family’s financial need, a wealthy, ghoulish, octogenarian, offers to BUY Mercy in marriage. Mercy begs not to be sent to the man, but her FATHER chooses to sacrifice one child for the rest the family.

Ensconced in her new prison-home, Mercy cooks and cleans and cares for the old man by day, and endures horrific night terrors all evening. Terrified, and unsure whether the attacks are real, a nightmare, or SUPERNATURAL, she escapes into the dark woods. Enraged by her absence, the old man, who grows stronger and more vital, threatens the Tillinghast family if she does not return.

However, when the family discovers Mercy cowering in the cold mausoleum with her mother’s corpse, they are horrified to see how the experience with the old man has changed her! No longer the vibrant girl, they see her pale skin, skittish eyes, and wasted frame, suspecting illness, they take her home to convalesce. Unable to speak the true cause of her torment, a local doctor and his young and apprentice, diagnose consumption. They subject Mercy to a new round of horror with arcane medical treatments: bloodletting and leeches.

Furious, the old man turns his attacks on her siblings. Finally, suspecting vampirism, the doctors exhume Mercy’s mother’s corpse, cut out her heart, and force-feed it to a crying and protesting Mercy! Disgusted, and disempowered again, Mercy plans her escape. But the foul old man loses interest in the sickly Mercy, and turns his creepy attentions to her young sister ROSE. Realizing that her ordeal will be for naught if she doesn’t save her own sister, Mercy makes the ultimate SACRIFICE. She transforms into a monster herself, and faces the old man in battle, before he can harm little Rose.

Mercy weaves together the haunting elements of Exeter’s forgotten history, Mercy’s struggle for survival, and my own deeply personal story of confronting my own child abuser, through the powerful metaphor of story. The film invites audiences into Mercy’s journey, exploring the horror that simply being female in the world is, and strength of spirit and acts of goodness, in the face of that horror. In this way, Mercy transforms the ubiquitous male gaze European vampire myth, to a feminist perspective. The script delves into Mercy’s emotional journey, examining her relationship with her own body, her struggle for sexual autonomy, and her ultimate objectification as the ‘grotesque other.’

  • Bonnie Discepolo
    Writer
    Neo Dome, GraceLand, Real.Live.Girl
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay
  • Genres:
    Horror, Period, Drama, Women
  • Number of Pages:
    100
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Writer Biography - Bonnie Discepolo

Bonnie Discepolo (she/they) is a writer, director and actor who was raised in New England. Discepolo is the first American artist descended from a family of Argentine-Italian playwrights, directors, actors, and composers, credited with originating the Latin American dramatic style “El Criollo Grotesco,” which is a mixture of tragicomic satire and domestic discord.

In line with her family heritage, Bonnie Discepolo writes and directs films that tackle socio-political issues - like abortion, trans kids, and sex work. Bonnie’s films have played many film festivals domestically, and internationally to great acclaim, including Tribeca, SXSW, SCAD, Nantucket, Bentonville, Fantastic Fest, Overlook Film Festival and the Cannes International Film Market.

Additionally, Bonnie can be seen on Robert Rodriguez’s “Rebel Without a Crew the Series.” Where she directed an ‘El Mariachi’ style feature film in two weeks for seven thousand dollars under Mr. Rodriguez’s mentorship.

Discepolo is an alumna of the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia, Boston University’s School of Theatre Arts, and the Atlantic Theatre Company.

In addition to filmmaking, Discepolo is a professional actor who’s work can currently be seen in theatres around the world in, Guardian’s of the Galaxy Volume 3, Shazam: Fury of The Gods, Hypnotic, and as a lead guest star on season 8 of Chicago Med.

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Writer Statement

The legend of Mercy itself is ripe for fiction, but it is my deeply personal connection that got me hooked. My films explore themes of bodily autonomy and power/powerlessness. I am deeply fascinated by the relationship between human beings and their bodies, probably, because I myself am survivor of childhood sexual abuse. In one way or another all of my characters are demanding the question, “who is in charge of my body?”

I became intrigued by Mercy’s story when I read a Smithsonian magazine article about the ‘New England vampire panic.’ Despite growing up only a few towns away from the scenes of the gruesome events, I had never heard of this dark chapter in history. At the time, I didn’t know that this would be my first feature outing. But I simply continued to follow my curiosity. The journey from curiosity, to research, and research to draft has taken many years. Prior to writing, I studied the historical facts by reading books, articles, primary sources, and visiting Mercy’s grave, and touring the Chicago Surgical History Museum, to ensure medical accuracy.

During the research process, I realized that Mercy would be my first feature film. I began drafting in September of 2022. Mercy” features a passive young, female protagonist who exists in a world without personal agency. As a character she is not permitted wants or desires or goals, instead she pivots, adapts, adjusts, and endures harsh New England life in the face of escalating mistreatment. First she is a subject of her family, then of her elderly husband, and finally to the gruesome blood-letting medical practices of the time. In each act of the film, the growing horror is rooted in the existential terror that is Mercy’s POWERLESSNESS. That is what I want the audience to feel: the creeping dread of being preyed simply upon because you exist. Here Pulmonary Tuberculosis serves as a metaphor for the societal forces that act upon a young girl entering womanhood without autonomy.
“Mercy” is going to be a smart, elevated, auteur-driven, feminist entry into the horror genre. The film is rooted in historical and scientific authenticity, but it is the wrenching emotional honesty that will drive the story. Accordingly, I have consulted with, and attached acclaimed cinematographer Matthew Jensen, (Wonder Woman/Chronicle) to help me realize a top flight picture with a reasonable budget. Cinematically, I am inspired by the New England landscape, much of which remains unchanged in the last 150 years. Jensen and I are currently discussing Robert Eggers “The Witch” and “It Comes At Night” as visual inspiration.

Growing up, I spent all my summers on the beach in Misquamicut, Rhode Island. As a filmmaker, I've longed to return to the ocean state and make a project that is deeply personal and local.

The tragic myth of Mercy Brown has haunted me for years. I've visited her grave and the town of Exeter. The story of industrialization, New England resilience and complex gender politics fascinate me. At its core, "Mercy" is a folk horror. To that end, the photography will leverage natural light, vintage cameras, and rely heavily on the actors' performances. Given that Tuberculosis is invisible, the terror of the unseen "bacteria with fangs" emerges from the fact that this scourge is both invisible and enigmatic. As you will see from my screenwriting, I am a director who thinks in pictures. The world, tone, set, and setting are swampy, gothic, and crumbling. It will be visually stunning, and unsettling. But because I am a trained professional actor and acting coach, I believe it will be the vulnerable, and emotionally raw actor performances that highlight the true horrors of “exhumation” practices.
I believe that helming a science-based, historical horror as a female writer/director is a radical political act. I intend to make a film that is unflinchingly truthful, complex and honest. The swamps, cemeteries, churches, and winding New England roads that Mercy inhabits are the backdrop of my own most formative memories. Although a few generations have passed, in many ways, the culture here has changed very little. And if I am totally truthful, I am passionate about midwifing the story of Mercy into film before some dude does it. That is why I must make this film.

Thank you for considering Mercy! I am revising and improving the script every day. And I intend to shoot it here in Rhode Island in 2024.