Somniphobia
A charismatic man blessed with confidence, good looks and a beautiful wife has just landed the perfect job. But unfamiliar flashbacks and unusually bizarre nightmares cause his perfect world to crumble.
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Synopsis:
Scott Taylor has just wowed the executives of a large New York marketing and advertising firm with a dynamic and charismatic interview. Hired on the spot, he and his beautiful wife are moving to New York.
His performance at his new job is nothing short of brilliant and it’s only a matter of months before he’s considered the firm’s “golden boy,” winning over new clients left and right with his charm, confidence and incredible marketing savvy.
At the top of his game, he suddenly becomes haunted by disturbing flashbacks of a life as a one-legged war veteran on the verge of committing suicide. Having never even been in the service, Scott’s confusion and disconcerted apprehension is justified. And as his flashbacks turn into horrific nightmares, he’s flooded with memories and visions of a life he’s never seen before. A tragic war, days and nights confined to a wheel chair, a bitter and estranged love, and worst of all, a loaded gun pointed directly at his head.
The dreams refuse to stop and soon Scott is afraid to fall asleep. Until one night he dreams about something interesting: A horse race. With a long-shot pick that finishes in first place the next day while he’s awake. And then a rising stock price. Deciding to test the accuracy of his strange visions, he purchases options on the stock and it pays off handsomely.
Convinced he now has the “dream job,” Scott decides to blow off work and sleep his way to fame and fortune. But then one day he dreams his wife is having an affair with his top client. And now certain he can dream the future, his life becomes filled with suspicion and paranoia. So much so that he sabotages everything he’s worked to accomplish.
The dreams are taking over. And Scott still has no idea whose life he’s dreaming about.
Coverage:
“The reader would take this final section to once again commend the writers on their great work. This is the kind of script that is so complex a second read is even more satisfying than the first.”
-Scriptapalooza“Somniphobia is an unusually successful psychological tale which juggles two different but slightly parallel lines with ease…Likewise, ‘Secret Windows’ sort of retread familiar ground, despite having a great pedigree in David Koepp’s writing and Johhny Depp’s acting. The Payoff in ‘Window’ simply wasn’t shocking enough. ‘Somniphobia’ avoids those two pitfalls. Its reveal isn’t so much a trick ending as a well-thought out premise utilized almost in reverse. It doesn’t undermine the audience’s trust.”
-Screenwriters Online