No sound. No natural light. No human contact. Ever. A groundbreaking study with only one thing missing: a human guinea-pig.

Logline

No sound. No natural light. No human contact. Ever. A groundbreaking study with only one thing missing: a human guinea-pig.

Genre

Psychological Thriller/Horror.

Adapted Screenplay

Adapted from ‘The White Room’ novella by John Tomaino.

Plot Overview

Jodie Sykes is a young psychiatric researcher who voluntarily admits herself into a psychiatric institution to investigate breach-of-care allegations. Once inside, Jodie’s behaviours and actions are interpreted in a whole new light, leading to chilling consequences. She falls prey to a sinister experiment involving complete human isolation within a claustrophobic chamber called The White Room. Jodie struggles to maintain her sanity.

Description of Main Characters

JODIE SYKES: (25) Her long black hair frames her delicate features. She is bookish and prettier than she thinks. A recently graduated PhD researcher with a passion for reforming the system, Jodie’s career ambitions are in full flight. Her interest in psychology was sparked early when she was diagnosed with claustrophobia in her teens. Jodie has adopted a loner lifestyle, not by choice, but as a result of her singular devotion to her profession.

PROFESSOR BYRNE: A well-worn face, immaculately dressed, and a flawlessly groomed beard. Professor Byrne was once a distinguished psychiatrist, but fell into disrepute amid rumours of unethical conduct and a failed sensory deprivation experiment which saw him investigated by the Psychiatric Association. He is a deeply ambitious man, lured by barely concealed megalomaniac inclinations that see him seeking fame at all costs.

DR JENSEN: Professor Byrne’s protégé and forever in his shadow. He struggles with the increasingly indefensible and bizarre ambitions of Professor Byrne.

HANK: The control room operator. A morally weak man, Hank is a living advertisement to the adverse effects of turning the healthy food pyramid upside down. An asthmatic wheeze accompanies his every move as his plump fingers clumsily direct the CCTV cameras that monitor Jodie’s every movement. His susceptibility to temptation provides Jodie with her only avenue for escape.

MR WEBSTER: The corrupt nurse at the psychiatric institution. Mr Webster has lived a professional life characterised by abuses of power. He is complicit in Professor Byrne’s depraved scheme.

Synopsis

Jodie is a budding professional who recently completed a groundbreaking PhD study examining quality of care issues for psychiatric patients. Like every other graduate, she is keen to enter the workforce and apply her knowledge. Her drive to succeed has taken a toll on her social and personal life, however, and she is very much a loner.

On her graduation day, an eminent psychiatrist, Professor Byrne, approaches Jodie and expresses his admiration for her innovative study. He is a charming, charismatic person whose integrity seems beyond reproach. Professor Byrne invites Jodie to work for him. It would be no ordinary project, however. He and his colleague, Dr Jensen, have devised a daring and chilling human experiment.

Jodie is excited at the prospect of conducting research in her area of expertise, but it means moving to a remote town where the research will be based. Her only connection to home is her Grandmother and Jodie begins seriously contemplating the offer.

Professor Byrne informs Jodie about breach-of-care allegations made against a privately owned psychiatric wing of a remote hospital. He explains that her role would involve the unorthodox approach of voluntarily admitting herself into the psychiatric institution. Once inside, her only task would be to document any instances of abuse over several days, then report back upon discharge.

Professor Byrne explains that he and Dr Jensen would visit in the capacity of ‘family friends’, in order to keep updated on the progress of the research. The decision now for Jodie is far from straightforward. We learn that in the course of her PhD research project, she was violently assaulted by a psychiatric patient.

Jodie courageously agrees to voluntarily admit herself into the institution by telling the psychiatric staff about the (supposed) voices that she had been hearing in her head. She begins observing the day-to-day running of the wing that consists of a small number of patients and nurses.

Jodie becomes distressed at the incidents of abuse she witnesses. Her discomfort is compounded by her claustrophobia as she struggles to cope with the confines of her cell. Jodie meets daily with Professor Byrne and Dr Jensen to report her observations. They manage to persuade her to remain inside a little longer to consolidate her findings. Jodie reluctantly agrees to stay for the benefit of the study. Over the following days, however, Professor Byrne continually postpones her release.

Jodie grows increasingly suspicious, and soon after, discovers that Professor Byrne and Dr Jensen were banned from the Psychiatric Association during their college years. They had attempted to completely isolate a young college student from any human contact, physical or verbal, to observe how human beings react and adapt to sensory deprivation.

Jodie, now highly distressed, informs the psychiatric staff that she is in fact a paid researcher and demands to be released. Her pleas, however, fall on deaf ears as her desperate actions are interpreted as ‘normal’ for a ‘crazy’ person. The shocking reality is revealed when the supervising psychiatric staff are actually colleagues of Professor Byrne and Dr Jensen. Furthermore, the other psychiatric patients, each with their own convincing illnesses and quirks, are also on Professor Byrne’s payroll.

The plot now develops into her frantic attempt to escape being the guinea-pig for their repeat experiment. She is denied any human contact – voice, sight or touch – and forced into a self-sufficient cell (The White Room) where regular meals and other daily necessities are delivered through a purpose-built dumbwaiter.

Jodie’s every move is monitored and recorded by a closed circuit television camera. Her cell lights are periodically switched on and off to disrupt her concept of time. Over the months, she suffers different psychological disorders in response to the sensory deprivation and institutionalisation.

Jodie eventually develops a relationship with the unknown person watching her on the closed circuit television cameras. She lures him into The White Room by suggestions of sexual favours. This provides the avenue for her violent escape.

When Jodie informs the authorities of Professor Byrne, her story is met with scepticism because she voluntarily admitted herself into the institution. Her allegations are seen as ludicrous and she struggles with the uncertainty of not knowing the degree to which her sanity has been compromised.

The White Room makes us question the shifting boundaries of our normality, as the normal behaviour that Jodie exhibited whilst institutionalised was interpreted in a new light due to her environment. The story blurs the boundaries between us and them and leaves audiences with profound implications to ponder.

Reviews for the White Room

“The White Room has an extremely scary! element about it. I dare you to read it!”

“Spellbinding, nail-biting, diabolic”

“An extremely fascinating read. Tomaino ratchets up the tension with every turn of the page”

“Decidedly creepy, Tomaino places the reader in a hellish position of fear”

“Wow! One adrenaline pumping thrill ride from start to finish!”

“An extremely fascinating and disturbing read”

“A terrifying and chilling read”