RAVE REVIEWS
John Sunshine's Lost Rock 'n' Roll Tapes receives amazing feedback from WeScreenplay - Hollywood's #1 Script Coverage Service
OPENING THOUGHTS
Overall, John Sunshine’s Lost Rock and Roll Tapes is a deliciously twisted, tense little story. The pilot is a mostly self-contained chamber piece of a horror tale, and there is enough of a frame story that one can imagine this leading to a satisfyingly offbeat anthology series, where each week the gang encounters a different unsavory rock ’n’ roll character. This setup will require the show to be innovative — a different self-contained found-footage experience organized around an interview, each episode — but that feels like a fun challenge, and this is a show that definitely could succeed in the current climate. A solid story and powerful representations overall.
PLOT
The plot of the episode is very simplistic, but that’s what makes it effective. It’s difficult to find the tension and scares in what is basically just one single long conversation, but the writers do a good job building in regular jolts to keep the audience interested, unfurling the story of Killer Joe in a suspenseful, funny way that will be very entertaining to watch.
DIALOGUE
The dialogue in John Sunshine’s Lost Rock and Roll Tapes is its biggest asset. The pilot depends almost entirely on the strength of the interview, as any moments of shock and horror are captured almost incidentally by the in-story camera; the writers have done an exceptional job making the dialogue engaging, tense, funny when it needs to be, and interesting to follow. The dialogue is especially well-used to set the tone of the episode. In particular, the old man’s line on Page 2 is excellent: “I don’t know nothing about that. But he clung to those boxes like they was his soul and he was hiding from the devil.” The rapport between the friends is also excellent; the moment when everyone realizes that everyone’s being paid differently is funny and says something about each character’s personalities.
HIGHLIGHTED STRENGTH
The concept is strong and could work as half-hour series or web series because characters like JOHN, GARY, RAFFI, and TIM are intriguing and funny enough to follow around for further Rock and Roll exploits. A story set around “lost Rock and Roll tapes” that were filmed by an incompetent film crew and directed by an egotistical host offers several opportunities for humor. The dysfunctional work relationships featured here and the “mockumentary”/"found footage" film style at the center of the story also make this concept stand out from other shorts and/or series.
THE PILOT: ATOMIC PINK JELLYFISH
In the pilot episode, John Sunshine coaxes his unwitting friends - Tim, Gary, and Raffi - into filming him while he interviews Killer Joe, the outrageous lead singer of the underground experimental rock-metal band, Atomic Pink Jellyfish on April 13, 1976, under the guise of getting a job at CREEM Magazine.
But Killer Joe's a Pro and he's got it in for one of the boys, but which one and why?!
In present day, Josh Sunshine - John's long-estranged son - discovers his father's "Lost Rock 'n' Roll Tapes" in an old storage unit owned by an mysterious man and soon becomes as haunted and obsessed as his now deceased father once was.
THE SHOW
"John Sunshine’s Lost Rock ‘n’ Roll Tapes" is a genre-bending series that melds fantastical horror with the anarchic spirit of rock mockumentaries. This one-hour, 10-episode TV series is a homage to the revolutionary era of the 70s, infusing found footage aesthetics reminiscent of cult classics like "The Blair Witch Project" with the dark allure of "The Omen" and "American Horror Story."
The show is a tapestry of inspiration, channeling the mockumentary wit of "This is Spinal Tap," the coming-of-age nostalgia of "Stand by Me," the supernatural intrigue of "Grimm" and "True Blood," and the epoch-defining essence of "That 70s Show." It evokes the investigative twists of "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency," the dimensional mysteries of "Dark," and the cultural phenomenon of "Stranger Things."
"John Sunshine’s Lost Rock ‘n’ Roll Tapes" is a rock 'n' roll journey through the heart of horror, with a soundtrack and spirit that echo across the generations. Our vision and narrative prowess unite to create a series destined to become as iconic as the influences it celebrates. Season 1 is fully written, with the roadmap for Seasons 2-6 already laid out, promising a wild ride through the heart of horror and the depths of human drama—all with a killer soundtrack. Dig? Yeah, you dig!
Season 1 follows the boys as they are plunged into a fantastical and surreal world where abhorrent creatures emerge from the shadows. But that’s the least of their problems, as they’re pursued by a darker force, something that desperately wants John’s soul and will do anything and use anyone to get it.
