During the last decade of the eighteenth century, a small town in Virginia was at war with the witches. They burned every young woman suspected of being a witch at the stake. The entire town believed that this was the only way to bring abundance and prosperity to the land. Though the prosecution of the witches was outlawed, the law did not always find its way to the lonely countryside, where residents often wrote the law themselves. In one remote village, George and his wife Jane are protecting their daughter Emeline, who was accused by the townsfolk of being a witch. They hide Emeline in a makeshift underground bunker to keep her safe. But when the angry mob kills the parents, Little Emeline is left to fend for herself. Two centuries later, Stella, the last living descendant of the family, gets news of her grandmother having left her an inheritance. Dealing with a messy divorce and a troubled life in New York City, she moves to the sleepy town of Beufort to claim her inheritance. This, she thought, would change her life. She meets the gentle townsfolk who help her settle down. But soon, she notices strange happenings in the house. There she meets Clayton, the owner of a resto-bar and strikes up a friendship. Things get weirder when we realize that the entire town is a cult that still upholds the idea of witches and awaits the opportunity to confine the last one to flames. Stella. When Stella realizes that the entire town is against her, it is too late to reach out for help.
‘Burial’ is a feature length screenplay by writer Brooke DeRosa. DeRosa crafts a story that spans across two centuries with an element of the supernatural running through its entire length. After a fiery introduction sequence that takes place centuries ago, the story makes a new beginning in the present with Stella, a regular lawyer, moving in to a small town. The screenplay introducing the audience to the element of the supernatural in the story much earlier than the characters realize it; is a well-crafted move. Though this strategy takes away from the sudden thrills, it prepares the ground for an intriguing play out that one eagerly looks forward to. DeRosa spins the entire drama around a handful of characters, keeping the protagonist at the centre of the action, without losing out on scale.
‘Burial’ is a telling plot that explores the consequences of a cult mentality holding on to ideas well past their time. But, just like persecutions of witches were always means towards an even more sinister end centuries ago, even today it is vested interests that are often behind how public opinion is shaped.
