A lonely figure enters a dark, icy room. As she looks around, blurry shadows race past her and the only sound she hears is the pounding of her heart.
Suddenly a muffled scream erupts, and she quickly turns around, only to be staring face to face with... Scary enough for you?
Originally unveiled last fall, this unique video game promotion spurred an overwhelming response from the film community, as more than 500 movie treatments were received from around the country. The entries were narrowed to 10 finalists in January, based on use of themes from the video game, such as hallucinations, Black Magic and insanity. Currently each of the 10 budding filmmakers is developing a five-minute short film that will be posted on Eternaldarknessfilms.com beginning May 23rd. The films will be judged by a panel of top-tier entertainment industry executives to ultimately pick the grand-prize winner. Consumers can view the entries online May 23 - July 4 and cast their vote for their favorite short film.
The winning filmmaker will receive $20,000 and a chance for his / her short film to be shown at a Hypnotic venue at the same time as a major film festival. Other finalists will receive prizes, including NINTENDO GAMECUBE systems and video games. Winners will be announced in mid-July. Additional contest details and a complete list of rules are posted on Eternaldarknessfilms.com.
"Nintendo has built its business on innovation and creativity," says Peter MacDougall, executive vice president at Nintendo of America, Inc. "By taking the game to emerging filmmakers, we're tapping into those same traits to introduce Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem to older audiences beyond our typical marketing avenues."
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is supported by a multi-million dollar marketing campaign, including the Eternaldarknessfilms.com promotion, as well as traditional print and television advertising.
About Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Long before humanity graced the Universe, the Earth belonged to another species, an ancient species unbound by physics or nature, purpose or ethic. Through the shifting of time, this species was driven into the recesses of the world to lie dormant until conditions were right for its return. Across history 12 chosen people come together to decide the destiny of the human race. As game play progresses, these 12 souls find their lives torn apart by the unseen evil, thrusting them to face their most suppressed fears with the promise of neither reward nor glory. The extreme sacrifice they eventually make is the cost of saving humanity. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is set for launch on June 24, 2002, for an MSRP of $49.95 and a mature (M) rating.