Original Article: The world's only immortal animal By: Bryan Nelson, Mother Nature Network
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/guest_bloggers/26/the-world-s-only-immortal-animal.html
In Short: The article deals with a species of jellyfish which has the ability to turn from its venerable state to its natal state and thus virtually never ages. Due to this ‘immortal’ ability they are beginning to infest the seas.
The Pitch: Holy hell there are so many places to go with this one aren’t there for a horror movie? First off let’s look at the translucent beastie? No really look at it. I swear I’ve seen things like it in horror anime before that’s for damn sure. It was probably raping some poor heroine too. That’s not the point though. Right off the bat you have this distinctly foreign looking creature that has the ability to constantly rebirth and has been living in our seas for who knows how long! So one night of feverish scriptwriting later and before you can say Lovecraft – boom! You’ve got yourself a story of cosmic horror where it turns out these little things are intelligent and been around since the dawn of time with vast alien cities deep in the ocean where mankind has yet to penetrate. Unfortunatly a deep deep deep sea mining/archeology/ exploration/treasure hunting/volcanologist crew stumbles onto one of their fetid cities. They start killing off the human interlopers, or try to infect them, or mind control them, or turn eldritch technology on them and decide they have to wipe out humanity for their secret to be safe. Or they are just sick of mankind fucking with the seas with all the pollution and you slap on a heavy handed ecological message as their numbers are increasing to drive us back to the land where we belong.
That not quite your bag? Well let’s try the good ol’ science gone wrong angle! Mad scientist wants to live forever or make a wealthy client/dying wife/dead kid live forever. Wacky experiments ensue turning the recipient into an inhuman monster with a lust for bloodshed and/or propagating its species! Give the beastie chest tentacles (not those kind Overfiend fanboy!) and any other jellyfish abilities you fancy from stingers to regeneration.
But what if it’s not schlock?: The Ancient Race angle can easily prey on the fears that there really is no God and that we humans are not at the top of the food chain. Cosmic horror works best when it puts into stark contrast how insignificant and transient mankind is in the universe.
The ecological angle describes itself for the most part. However this is way overdone these days and always feel like I’m a baby seal getting clubbed. Yes we get it already we’re custodians not gods.
The quest for immortality which leads to being a monster. This can easily be likened to plastic surgery and the health crazies to stave off death and aging these days. Hell the jellyfish person’s ‘face’ can be a mantle that looks like a botoxed and lifted star’s mug. Plus with the right angle it can really explore not only the (wo)man made beast’s fear of death but that of the scientist loved one who made them that way. After all the fear of losing a family member is sometimes far worse than that of losing one’s own life. Or what if the sick person has been on the edge of death in dementia and wants to die but is now cursed to be immortal in the sickest ‘life support machine’ ever. A fate worse than death where the plug can never be pulled.
-Crowbait
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