Title comes from last night’s Pig Pile! This is not going to be told in a linear fashion. Hope it makes sense. Warning: This turned out a) dark b) long.
The Great Barn
Movie opens with a huge barn on fire. It’s really going, like 100% on fire. It’s nighttime and we see cars parked near it. We see some decorations blowing in the wind.
Cut to a party in the barn. Curtis, a handsome young 20-something man moves through the crowd. He seems very popular as people stop him to say hi. He makes his way over to the bar where a guy his age, Steve, is serving. He thanks Steve for all his help. He really gets serious. He thanks him for more than just working the bar and supplying kegs. Steve says no problem and also look serious. Curtis looks around a bit nervous, and Steve says don’t worry, she’s not here.
We cut to Steve answering his door. He finds Carol, wet from the rain and tears. He asks her what is wrong and she blows past him and heads inside. He tries to get close to her and she recoils.
We cut to the party and we see an older couple talking with some neighbors. They seem jovial. Some people ask about Carol. They say she is taking it easy at home. It’s been a whirlwind month for her and she just needs time to get herself together. One of the neighbors mentions some rumors they heard and the couple brushes it off and says it was nothing.
We cut to Steve taking Carol home to her folks, the couple we just met. He explains to them that Carol needs to go to the police. That they should bring her now before too much time has gone by. They both seem distraught but load her into the car.
At the party the sheriff is chatting with an older man. We get the sense that this older man is the real power in town. He owns a factory or something that employs a great deal of them. This is also his barn where they have the yearly party. The older man thanks the Sheriff for his help as Curtis comes up and we realize they are father and son. Sheriff tells him it was what was best for the town.
At the police station Carol is being questioned. She doesn’t respond well and seems very skittish. The police obviously aren’t handling this well and her parents are talking to the sheriff. He tells them that obviously something happened but if she doesn’t speak up there is nothing they can do. She shouts out Curtis’ name. That it was him. He picked her up and took her to the barn. Everyone looks a bit stunned.
We are back at the party and Curtis talks to his father. He tells his son that he needs to be more careful. That he really needs to appreciate the amount of work that goes into this party, keeping the town happy, and keeping them on top. Curtis seems to not be exactly dialed in.
We cut to the sheriff arriving at Curtis’ house where his father and lawyers already are. They talk and his father tells them that this would not be good for the town. That this kind of news would ruin a great deal of lives, not just his son who has a bright future ahead of him. The sheriff seems to agree and even gets a call from the mayor telling him to find a way to deal with it.
At the party The mayor is giving a speech about the importance of community and looking out for one another. He tells them that the strength of the town relies on everyone working towards a common goal.
We cut back to the sheriff talking to Carol’s family, who then talk to Carol. They try and get her to let it go and convince her it wasn’t what she thinks it was. They try and talk to her about what this would do and what this would mean. They then bring and Steve and get him to also try and talk her into this. He tells her there is a better way.
We cut back to the party where everyone is toasting after the mayor’s speech and Curtis and his dad are heading onstage. Everyone is jubilant and excited. Curtis pops a bottle of champagne that spills about and everyone laughs until a snap is heard and the audience gasps. Behind them is a big banner that says “rapist.” Everyone is uneasy.
We cut to Steve earlier on in the party during the mayor’s speech moving kegs. There is one that he keeps to the side and actually starts to carry around the barn as it leaks. He then heads towards a door and locks it. Outside he finds Carol. She lights a fire that quickly spreads and is ignited by what he was spilling, obviously some sort of accelerant. The people inside start screaming in pain and terror. The doors are all barricaded and they are stuck inside as the fire burns. Carol and Steve head out. Carol stops and hammers a sign into the ground facing the road next to a sign that says the great barn.
It reads “They lived in silence. They died screaming.”