The Keepers
GENRE
THRILLER
Core Theme
This is a horror story about the uncovering of secrets kept by more than 300 years in the apparently calm town of Titicut. Such secrets may bring to surface situations not even God is able to control.
TIME PERIOD
1980s & '90s
COMPARABLE TITLES
DARK (SERIES)
CHARACTER LIST
• Chief Elias Hicks, 40’s, villain;.
• Carl Jenkins, 60’s, Cam’s dad;
• Don Williams, 30s, reporter;
• Henry Moonshine James, 40’s, villain.
• Darrah Ryder, 17, female friend.
• Nicole, 17, female friend.
Logline
Some secrets are so grave, they are better left buried and forever undisturbed, but when city reporter, Don Williams, arrives in town to investigate a cold case surrounding the disappearance of three men, the keepers must meet to protect what it's been hiding for more than three centuries, or else.
Target Audiences
Age: 18-34,35-54,55+
Target Gender: Male Leaning
Setting
Fictional town of Titicut, Southeastern Massachusetts.
Based on a True Story
No
Publishing Details
Status: Yes: with a Publisher
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Year Published: 2022
Starting Description
The story begins with a historical backdrop of evil that occurred three hundred years ago, shaking the founding fathers to the core. They would sign a compact before God swearing never to speak of the horrors they witnessed, for if it ever got out, they feared it would unleash hell on earth.
Ending Description
A member of The Keepers agrees to break his sacred oath and turn state's evidence against their order. This leads to an FBI raid at police headquarters where all officers are arrested and all property seized, releasing some of the main characters from custody, just in time.
Group Specific
Information not completed
Hard Copy Available
Yes
ISBN
978-1684339525
Mature Audience Themes
Extreme Violence, Language/Profanity
Plot - Other Elements
Twist
Plot - Premise
Overcoming Monster/Villain,Other
Main Character Details
Name: Elias Hicks
Age: 40ish
Gender: Male
Role: Antagonist
Key Traits: Masculine,Religious,Confident,Decisive,Faithful,Leader,Unapologetic
Additional Character Details
Name: Cam Jenkins
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Adventurous,Underdog,Charming,Sarcastic,Confident,Naive
Additional Character Details
Name: Don Williams
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Role: protagonist
Key Traits: Outspoken,Engaging,Sophisticated,Honorable,Gracious,Empathetic
Additional Character Details
Name: Henry James (Moonshine)
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Role: antagonist
Key Traits: Obedient,Complex,Skillful,Criminal
Development Pitch
The Keepers is deeply atmospheric with an old-school Stephen King vibe and would be beautifully captured on screen. Think of Dark—the German science fiction thriller that streamed on Netflix—dripping with ambient tone that draws an audience into its insular world. The story is filled with intelligent dialogue, plot twists, jarring images, and action scenes that would be heart-pounding, anxiety inducing, and thrilling to watch on screen. The characters are compelling and provincial, oddly sinister, and teetering on the brink of lunacy like Henry James (Moonshine), or the defeated, world-weary specimens with a touch of low, animal cunning, such as Cam Jenkins and Darrah Ryder. Then there’s Don Williams, the ever-so-slightly naïve reporter and outsider who faces uncooperative and suspicious residents reluctant to talk. And Chief Elias Hicks, whose depiction is a masterclass in barely restrained malevolence, fury, and skin-crawling nastiness masquerading as righteousness. All portrayals, even the more homespun ones, like Barb Stevens, are heavy with pathos and an uneasy foreboding. The small-town setting and the mystery of the swamp are fertile ground for the unfolding horror, and would be the perfect binge on a Saturday night.
Genre
ACTION, SUSPENSE, THRILLER, DRAMA, RELIGION, FANTASY
Brief
Don Williams is a reporter that arrives in the city of Titicut to investigate the disappearance of 3 men in 1973. However, the mystery is much deeper than it seems, as secrets that date back to more than 300 need to be uncovered to solve it – and the outcome may even out of God’s control.
Overall Rating
EXCELLENT
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: EXCELLENT
Characterization: GOOD
Commerciality: GOOD
Franchise Potential: GOOD
Pace: EXCELLENT
Premise: EXCELLENT
Structure: GOOD
Theme: GOOD
Accuracy of Book Profile
Book profile is fairly complete.
Draw of Story
What drew me into it immediately is the setting of the calm city of Titicut and also the unusual turn of events that keep the story both relatable and completely otherworldly from the beginning.
Possible Drawbacks
Nothing made me want to put the book down.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
I would watch this movie because even though a thriller, author was able to add a more sophisticated atmosphere to it, be it in settings and also in the depth of feelings evoked by the plotline and characters.
Fanbase Potential
This could have a large fanbase if adapted mainly due to the specificities of characters and their capacity to create identification and from this point evoke feelings such as hate, love or urge for revenge, adding up more layers to the story than most common thrillers.
Awards Potential
It could have awards potential because period settings and overall plot would allow – and require – great art direction. Classy photography is also a must in order to match the depth of layers and existential and religious dilemmas involved in the secrets kept by the Keepers.
Envisioned Budget
LARGE BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
DARK (NETFLIX SERIES)
What’s New About the Story
What makes it special is the author’s capacity of creating a horror story that evokes more than fear, but a feeling of divine helplessness able to mess with the minds of even the most religious beings, along with some historical drama.
Lead Characters
Lead characters vary between naivety and malice, extremes that are delt by the author with ability and charisma, creating a dynamic of love and hate that is mutually fed.
Uniqueness of Story
It could be improved in terms of development and depth of female characters, who are only superficially described. The ending also leaves a few loose ends.
Possible Formats
Film: Studio, Indie, Streaming TV Series: Network, Cable, Limited Run / Mini-Series, Streaming
Analyst Recommendation
RECOMMEND
Justification
I recommend it because thrillers and horror stories may become interesting due to its fear inducing characters but what takes this one to the next level is its capacity to evoke more than superficial drama. Even though it requires more work on story arch, author creates an unusually rich universe.
Brief
Don Williams is a reporter that arrives in the city of Titicut in order to investigate the disappearance of 3 men in 1973. However, the mystery is much deeper than it seems, as secrets that date back to more than 300 need to be uncovered to solve it – and the outcome may be even out of God’s control.
What We Liked
Thrillers and horror stories may become interesting due to its fear inducing characters and plotlines, but what takes this one to the next level is its capacity to evoke more than superficial drama. Lead characters vary between naivety and malice, extremes that are delt by the author with ability and charisma, creating a dynamic of love and hate that is mutually fed. What makes it special is the author’s capacity of creating a horror story that evokes more than fear, but a feeling of divine helplessness able to mess with the minds of even the most religious beings.
Film: It would be a great adaptation for a film because this story brings a classy and unique atmosphere to its settings and overall feel; and a visual language that is both relatable and thrilling. Storyline has good pace and resolution leaves room for a sequence.
TV: It would be a great adaptation for TV due to the many layers of the plotline allowing the mystery to unfold through several episodes, with also a lot to explore about its main characters. The unfolding of the story also suggests a sequence, with would leave the story open for more seasons.
Key points: Period settings; Charismatic characters; Classy horror atmosphere; Unusually developed religious plot-line.
Synopsis
The story begins presenting the inhabitants of Titicut. Officer Stevens gets a call and when he arrives at the abandoned car, he finds Carl Jenkins in fetal position, crying and shaking. After they interrogate Carl, he says he was put there by a creature with blood in its teeth.
Then, the reader is introduced to Cam and Randy, troublemakers that robbed the lockers of the football team. Later on, the players’ truck gets drowned as they chased the two robbers. Cam and Randy are friends of Darrah and Niki, two young and girls that also help them keep the secret of the disappearance of the four players.
Chief Elias Hicks is monstrous men that is introduced to the audience while interrogating Jenkins and describing the violence he practiced against his young boy and is also violent against Carl in order to keep him quiet, using God as an excuse. The reader later finds out that he is the head of The Keepers.
Don Williams is a journalist, and arrives in town to investigate the story of three men that disappeared in a swamp in 1973 – John Hooke, Paul Andrews and Mark Fuller. Carl Jenkins was the lone survivor. Don is not welcomed by Sergeant Guthrie, who is Nikki’s dad.
Don stays at an Inn managed by Henry Moonshine James. Henry tells Don about the history of the town and the war that happened there in 1675. Many mysterious events follow - it is the first time since 1675, during King Philip’s War, that reliable registries of the appearance of “the creature” emerged - and officer Stevens is killed. All the story behind the deaths of native inhabitants of the land emerge.
Don tries to figure out if the creature really exists - part Condor, part man, part reptile.
As confusion follows, Don partners with Cam in order to save themselves and understand what really is happening in the real and the underworld. The creature emerges from the swamp. The city is in lockdown. Overall confusion and deaths. Some people manage to escape, others disappear. Sergeant Guthrie understands that it would all be covered up by The Keepers, but with his help, FBI agents uncover Hicks and will finally put an end to centuries of wrongdoings.