THE HOUSE ON DRINKWATER ROAD

Genre: Psychological Drama / Thriller
Setting: Coastal New England
Tone: Atmospheric, unsettling, intimate
Status: Completed feature screenplay

LOGLINE

After a brilliant but emotionally detached high-school senior survives a violent accident under mysterious circumstances, a perceptive new girl begins uncovering his connection to an abandoned house tied to a local tragedy—forcing her to confront the danger of truly knowing who- and what he is.

SYNOPSIS

Bill Foley is intelligent, reserved, and deliberately distant—an observer of people rather than a participant in their lives. When Liza Lachance, a thoughtful writer new to town, forms an unexpected connection with him, Bill’s carefully controlled world begins to fracture.

Following a brutal incident that he survives against all odds, Bill disappears from the hospital, prompting Liza and their friend Mike to search for answers. Their search leads them to a forgotten property on Drinkwater Road—an isolated, run-down house whispered about in local legend, linked to a mother and son who both died there years apart.

As the truth surrounding the house emerges, Liza is forced to reckon with who Bill really is—and whether emotional distance, obsession with truth, and the refusal to belong can become something far more dangerous than violence.

THEMES

• Emotional isolation vs. connection

• Observation vs. participation

• Control, truth, and the cost of detachment

• The quiet danger of unresolved trauma

TONE & COMPARABLES

THE HOUSE ON DRINKWATER ROAD blends intimate coming-of-age drama with psychological unease, favoring atmosphere and character over spectacle. Comparable in tone to Donnie Darko and Stand By Me, with a restrained, unsettling thriller edge.

WHY THIS FILM

• Character-driven and elevated: Focused on psychology, not genre tropes

• Production-friendly: Limited locations, contained cast, grounded visuals

• Festival-ready: Strong appeal to audiences drawn to thoughtful, atmospheric storytelling

• Distinct voice: Philosophical without being pretentious, eerie without excess