Rochester Lake
Folk Horror • Supernatural Mystery
Every year, the residents of Rochester Lake gather along the shoreline.
They light the torches. They sound the chimes. And they wait for the List.
When Lucy Ward inherits her aunt’s aging lake house, she expects to settle an estate—not become part of a community obsessed with strange traditions, black candles, covered mirrors, and a ritual known as the Founders’ Walk.
Then the List appears.
And Lucy’s name is on it.
With the roads out of town mysteriously closed and the annual Walk approaching, Lucy begins uncovering what her aunt spent years trying to hide.
Something lives beneath Rochester Lake.
And every year, it expects to be paid.
Logline
After inheriting her aunt’s house in an isolated lakeside community, a woman discovers her name has appeared on a supernatural list of residents chosen for an annual ritual sacrifice—and must uncover her family’s connection to the lake before the town’s ancient Watcher comes to collect her.
About the Screenplay
Rochester Lake is a supernatural folk-horror mystery about a seemingly ordinary lakeside community whose quaint traditions conceal a terrifying bargain.
Following the death of her aunt Margaret, Lucy Ward returns to Rochester Lake and inherits the aging house where she spent part of her childhood. Almost immediately, something feels wrong. Bowls of salt and black candles guard the house. Mirrors have been hidden away. Wind chimes ring without wind. And neighbors speak cautiously about an approaching community tradition known as the Founders’ Walk.
At the center of the ritual is the List—a mysterious collection of names that appears each year without anyone placing it there.
When Lucy discovers her own name among the Chosen, the eccentric traditions surrounding Rochester Lake suddenly become something far more sinister.
Unable to leave town and increasingly haunted by visions connected to her aunt, Lucy discovers an old journal known as The Book of Offerings and two unusual mirrors capable of revealing fragments of the lake’s past. What they show leads her toward a secret the community has protected for generations—and toward the truth about the death of her own mother.
The people of Rochester Lake believe their ritual keeps something beneath the water satisfied.
They call it the Watcher.
As the Founders’ Walk approaches and another frightened resident is selected alongside her, Lucy must decide whether to accept the tradition that has kept the community safe or become the first person willing to challenge it.
Rochester Lake blends supernatural mystery, folk horror, family tragedy, and small-town paranoia into a story about the terrifying things ordinary people will accept when fear becomes tradition.
Screenplay Details
Author: James Leach
Genre: Folk Horror • Supernatural Mystery
Format: Feature Screenplay
Page Count: [Page Count]
Setting: Rochester Lake / Small-Town America
Time Period: Present Day
Status: Completed / Available for Option
Available Materials
Screenplay
Synopsis
Treatment
Character Sketches
Pitch materials / Storyboards
About the Screenwriter — James Leach
James “JC” Leach is a U.S. Air Force veteran, technical writer, and screenwriter who has been developing original screenplays since 2008. His work spans historical drama, military and geopolitical thrillers, science fiction, suspense, horror, and stories inspired by real events.
With a professional background in technical writing, instructional design, and simulation development, JC brings extensive research, technical authenticity, and a disciplined approach to storytelling. His military experience in electronic warfare and aviation provides an additional foundation for stories involving military operations, technology, and high-stakes environments.
JC has developed a diverse portfolio of feature-length screenplays. His work includes original material as well as two adaptations of public-domain literary works, giving him experience translating existing stories into cinematic narratives.
He is currently adapting his screenplay portfolio into novels, expanding his stories across both film and publishing. JC is interested in connecting with producers, representation, and creative collaborators seeking distinctive, character-driven material with strong cinematic potential.
