Gardyloo by John McDermott

Short film       Horror
 

Logline:

An Edinburgh ghost tour guide, unknowingly flirting with death, must remain alert and professional on Halloween to save the souls on his tour from the gruesome ghosts that he can now interact with.
 

Summary

A STAG and his friends stumble out from a pub after a night of partying, and end up in the path of a moving car. The car honks, brakes squeal, and all goes black.

Elsewhere that night, Edinburgh is celebrating Halloween in style with ghost tours and haunted dungeons. Struggling tour guide SIMON is leading a group of Americans on a haunted tour. Parents MICK and BETH are eager for the experience, whereas their son JOSH is only there to get live stream views.

 

During the tour, Simon points out a death coach, but none of the tourists see it. When Simon takes the group into the underground vaults, they encounter a terrifying figure who sends them all running. The Americans return to the tour booth where Simon’s boss BEN informs them that Simon is at his stag party that night, not hosting tours.

 

Simon escapes to Greyfriars Graveyard, where he meets Scottish death omen Bean-Nighe. She shows him his body in the ambulance, half dead from being hit by a car. Simon’s body comes back to life, but he remembers everything from the ghost world. On his next ghost tour, he promises the group that he can show them ghosts are real.

 

Synopsis:

On Halloween, the sunlight starts to vanish. The full moon shines on gargoyles and angel statues adorning roofs on this spooky Halloween in Edinburgh.  TOURISTS admire the ACTORS dressed up as witches, maids, ghosts, and ghouls who promote their ghost tours or dungeon attractions.

 

TOURISTS get ready for the 7 pm ghost tour. MICK and his wife BETH study the ghost tour map and check their cameras are working. Their son JOSH is less than impressed and listens to music in the hope that this hell will be over soon.

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WILLIAM is dressed up as a 19th-century gentleman. He smiles at GRACE who pulls her hood over her head. He discusses the possibility of seeing Bloody Mackenzie at the Greyfriars Graveyard. Beth shakes with fear. SIMON the tour guide dressed in spooky make-up welcomes everyone and assures them any ghosts they see are real, no stooges on this ghost tour.

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A death coach with headless horses speeds by. This means death and destruction are close by. Simon presumes it is remote-controlled and part of the Edinburgh Castle Halloween celebrations. The next top is the Edinburgh vaults. The entrance is dank and dingy. The lights flicker before cutting out. Simon switches on his torch but the batteries fail. The group can’t move, they are frozen to the spot. The group all screams and runs to the door, but it is locked. They all see a tall dark FIGURE lurking in the shadows. Simon tries to open the door. Mick tries. At last, the door unlocks and they run outside. The tour decides to return back before completing the tour but Simon fears he could lose his job. He leaves them and walks to Greyfriars Graveyard.

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BEN, the tour manager welcomes them back. They all put paper money into the tip jar and thank Ben for the most authentic tour ever. Ben asks who took them out. They say, Simon. Ben explains that this is Simon’s stag night, so he couldn’t have taken them out. They laugh at the idea that a ghost took them on a ghost tour.  

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At the graveyard, Simon stares at BEAN-NIGHE, a female spirit in Scottish folklore and an omen of death. With her help, Simon remembers being on his stag do and being knocked down by a car. He is dead. He is a ghost. Bean-Nighe snaps her fingers and they transport to an ambulance taking Simon’s body to the hospital. All the ghosts Simon saw on the tour gather in the ambulance. Something isn’t right, Simon shouldn’t be dead. Ghost Simon starts to vanish as his body starts to come back to life. All the ghosts vanish as Simon regains consciousness.

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Simon has started up his own ghost tour business called “Gardyloo ghost tours.” He promises his full tour that he will show them real ghosts and his tour is the best in Edinburgh. He waves at William Burke’s ghost before commencing the tour.