Your ideas on what a doom movie would look like?

[Boomslang]

one of my most recent ideas was making my own type of 3d animated doom movie thing, ever since i saw the trailers of bootleg alien doom movie.

 

to me it would start out at mars on the UAC military base, you get to meet this scientist dude talking about a inter  dimensional travel portal, in this meeting room or something. A Man who is apparently the main general leader guy of the, the overseer of all running scientific projects and military training. They talk about how beneficial to humankind the idea would then be approved. we cut to a scene of a UAC ship heading into a port of some sort, letting off our main protagonist. (kinda plays out like the opening scene in doom 3), then we then cut to them doing testing on the new portal thing, they turn it on and they open a portal to Hell

mindless gorey nonsense ensues with the demons killing them all, then we see the scientist crawling to a cellphone and ordering a distress signal for help as he does this, an imp burns him alive and eats his head like it was a steak.

then we cut to the main protagonist doomguy (he probably won't be called doomguy but let's call him doomguy for now) and a bunch of other marines running to the building, they go inside the building (which looks like the main area in E1M1) the other marines tell him to stay here and wait for anyone else to come. 

 

an hour goes by and the door opens up to a burning and screaming marine, he goes up to doomguy and says that everyone's dead before dying in front of him.

then the iconic E1M1 Plays and he goes into the slaughterfest. and that's where my thinking stops because i'm trying to think of a way to convert the gameplay into motion.

 

 

what are your ideas on a perfect doom movie? mine sounds kinda ass though

[Man of Doom]

So this is more of a fan-film proposal than anything, but I figure that this would belong in a thread like this.

 

So a while ago, I shared a sort of proposal with Impie and GoatLord on how a Doom fan film could be made.

 

I bring this up because of the disastrous reception that Doom Annihilation got, in spite of the fact that it's more of an honest attempt to emulate the source material (and it didn't help that its development was stymied by an unrealistically low budget and horrendous marketing).

 

I've been seriously considering the prospect of creating a Doom fan-film (either live-action or animated), even before the news of Doom Annihilation broke out. So far, this has gone through three considered proposals: the first was basically the Doomguy just blowing shit up to find Olivia Pierce (with a completely original aesthetic), the second proposal was an anthology series basically dealing with Hell on Earth and how various pockets of human resistance are dealing with the invasion (actually suggested here!), and the final proposal I only thought of not too long ago, which centers around a group of elite marines called in to answer a distress call from a remote UAC facility on Mars that's gone dark due to a nasty sandstorm.
I'm seriously considering getting the last proposal off the ground since... well, due to the fact that Doom Annihilation has not been warmly received, to put it lightly. Plus, the second proposal likely would've required a superhero-tier budget (due to all the varying locales and different characters) and it more or less had to be greenlit by some major streaming studio like Netflix.

I do know the second proposal was going to be called "Infinite Hell," but I do know that this proposal is going to be a fan film called "UAC Ultra." It could either be animated or live-action, but I have a feeling that the latter should give this potential project more attention.

Here is the basic plot synopsis for UAC Ultra so far:

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"The UAC.MARS Vekla Mons Compound is under threat from a violent sandstorm, quite possibly one of the deadliest to be recorded in human history. Vekla Mons houses Erebus Labs, one of the UAC's most closely guarded secrets, and home to its own Lazarus Division. The Lazarus Division is an order of top UAC surgeons, doctors, and engineers responsible for creating medical solutions for various military contractors and is headed by none other than Dr. Olivia Pierce. But after the initial slipgate incident on the twin moons of Phobos and Deimos and later the invasion of Earth, Lazarus started to dabble in more experimental methods of medical advancements, such as cybernetic augmentation and more... clandestine methods. The UAC top brass believed that humanity was unprepared to survive another such incident, and called on Lazarus to find solutions that would help better mankind's defenses against Hell itself.

Military forces were called in to evacuate Vekla Mons, but it was too late. Thanks to a combination of malfunctioning comms and miscalculations, the sandstorm hit much earlier than expected and turned the compound into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. After months of silence, the UAC feared that Pierce and her Lazarus Division were lost in the ruins of Vekla Mons.

Then a weak distress signal is picked up, and the Hellhammer 33rd Armored Squadron is called in to find Pierce and rescue survivors, ordained by UAC Research Authority Elizabeth McNeil, who had shared history with Pierce prior to the latter's decision to create the Lazarus Division.

Except that things are not what they seem, and are about to get worse. Much worse.
Welcome to UAC Ultra, where the sanest place is behind a trigger."

 

There's actually quite a bit to unpack here when it comes to the aesthetic, the themes, and possibly bits and pieces of the story. First, I'd like to talk about how the movie can work with Doom's framing, followed by the project's own inspirations and how they tie into the Doom-related elements.

Something I've noticed in classic Doom that I haven't really noticed in the newer titles is just how fucked up the visuals can get, even with 1993's extremely limited graphics capacity. Even with such a limited capacity, there was just something about the visuals of OG Doom that felt raw and vile in the best ways imaginable, with the added bonus of leaving much of those visuals to the player's imagination.

This does get carried over to Doom 64 in some capacity, but the newer Doom titles feel lacking in this "messed up visuals" factor. Doom 3 just appears to rely more on jump scares and loud noises, often forgoing any potential that game had for psychological horror and atmosphere building, whereas Doom 2016 (and by extension Doom Eternal) just seems to play everything too safe and have nondescript lumps of flesh hanging from the ceiling as opposed to the violated carcasses often chained to the walls in OG Doom.

 

For that reason, I feel that this particular project should definitely take notes from the movies Event Horizon and Pandorum (the latter I feel is a pretty underrated movie, but YMMV). The former is very much known for just how fucked-up it can get, and the latter has similar amounts of gore, but with an added touch of psychological violence. Additionally, I feel like Impie's Plutonia Experiment novellas did an excellent job of providing a sort of deconstruction for the Doom franchise's premise (battling demons on a space colony).

Finally, there's actually a fair bit of Spec Ops: The Line I'd like to throw in there, as the protagonists could be forced to make sadistic decisions out of self-preservation, the protagonist's version of Dr. Pierce that is extremely different from the real Dr. Pierce, and their mental state deteriorating as they experience more of Hell itself (depicted here as a dimension of pure chaos that is so unimaginably alien that it literally drives most people to insanity). Hell, if you read the plot synopsis again, it more or less reads like "Spec Ops: The Line but in space with demons."

(On a side note, there was actually this interesting tidbit I saw about Imp Encounter AKA "that one story about Impse" and how it's basically the perfect Doom fanfiction not because of its novelty or shock value but rather because of its underlying themes: the theme of severe isolation and traumatic stress problems that comes with being the last man standing against an army of neverending darkness, as well as the author's meta-commentary on the degradation of mental capacity that occurs to soldiers exposed to prolonged periods of combat and warfare. This is further bolstered by the fact that this psychological deterioration is emphasized during the original game's sparse plot-related text.)

As for visual aesthetics, it would likely be a mixture between Event Horizon and Doom 2016, but with a vibe of "what if Neill Blomkamp directed a Doom movie?" to it. Namely, this fan film should have a heavy emphasis on grunge and cyberpunk, including the megacorporation trappings, the cybernetic augmentations, and the perils that ultimately stem from having corporations having all the power. Ultimately, I've more or less been inspired by the works of this dude:

 

https://www.deviantart.com/twohornsunited

 

https://www.facebook.com/2hornsunited/

 

https://www.instagram.com/twohornsunited/?hl=en

 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Twohornsunited

 

His works have managed to capture the aesthetic of Lazarus's demonic cyber-abominations, as what I'm trying to go for here is "corrupted flesh meets twisted metal."

As for military aesthetic, I felt surprisingly inspired by this other guy (namely for the now-zombified military forces on Vekla Mons, though I'm not sure about the Hellhammer commandoes yet):

 

https://www.facebook.com/apextechuk/

 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ApexTech

 

Next, it's time to talk about the Doom elements, firstly the demons.

 

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Zombieman: In the original game, these guys were more or less cannon fodder; not the case anymore. These zombified soldiers will often wield a Tavor X95 (a real bullpup weapon), a KRISS Vector, or a Barrett .50 cal, and just so happen to be crack shots with these weapons due to the cybernetic augmentations covering their eyes. Could be referred to as "Zulus" or "Zulu Squad" (group). Here is how their augmentation could look: https://www.deviantart.com/twohornsunited/art/Digital-Hedonist-Cyberpunk-LED-monocle-473145804

Shotgun Guy: A "Zulu" that received further cybernetic augmentation, including an exo-suit that can punch through walls and a special "millimeter scanner" visor that allows it to see through walls. These zombies are far more aggressive than their more tactical counterparts and are far closer to "possessed humans" rather than "shuffling zombies", in that they somehow retain a surprising amount of tactical skill. Could be referred to as an "Exo-Zulu" or a "Sergeant Baldy".

Heavy Weapons Dude/Zombie Commando: I'm thinking for these guys to be a composite of the classic chaingun guy, the commando from Doom 3, and the elite guards from D2016, but with a twist; that these are actually advanced military-grade combat droids fitted with a human brain, called "Class-3 Praetorian Guards". Unfortunately for Hellhammer, hellish possession got to these guys as well, and are easily the most dangerous of the "former humans" due to the blade-whips they carry, as well as their proficiency with advanced UAC weaponry. Could be referred to as a "ronin", primarily because its build resembles that of futuristic-looking samurai armor: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs9CFWQBg7O/

 

Imp: Imps are usually six feet tall and burnt-brown in color, with bony spikes on their backs, shoulders, and joints. Other than that, they look vaguely humanoid except for their faces, where the eyes are two slits concealing reptilian eyes that glow orange-red and the mouth is an even larger slit that opens to a sort of demented grin showing dozens of needle-like teeth. Additionally, Imps have minor control over reality-warping powers in order to conjure fireballs which they use to maim their victim before eating them alive. Imps are easily the most common variation of a demon encountered by Hellhammer. Could be referred to as a "shit-imp" or a "hellion".

Demon: These versions of the Pinky are large-headed, gorilla-like beasts with raw pink skin, bull-like horns, giant hands which end in talon-shaped claws, and faces consisting of an expressionless maw of teeth, named for their dog-like howls and snarls (coming from something the size of a baby elephant). Encountered by Hellhammer on several occasions, it is assumed that these demons act like "attack dog" units, and are usually indiscriminate on the remains they feast on, be it human or demon. Could be referred to as a "bulldog" or a "rottweiler".

Spectre/Prowler: Instead of having the Spectre just be an "invisible Pinky," I've decided it would actually be a better idea for it to essentially be a cybernetically-augmented Prowler in all but name. These are lanky, emaciated counter-demon projects that have cybernetic arms and legs, as well as a cloaking system embedded into their spine. Their hands are actually replaced with grappling-hook claws, allowing them to traverse any environment and to get closer to their target in a matter of seconds. Could be referred to as a "phantom" or a "ghost". Here is a possible inspiration for its head: https://www.deviantart.com/twohornsunited/art/Nightmare-Fuel-cybernetic-monster-Helmet-739211227

 

Lost Soul: Not directly fought because of the fact that these demons are encountered in the dozens to hundreds, but are encountered by Hellhammer. They take the form of a ghostly flying skull with a pair of horns, a spinal column attached to it, and pieces of human skin still stuck to its face. They often congregate in swarms, and will often attack either by swarming their victim or attempting to "possess" a victim by tearing off their heads with their elongated teeth, spinal cord and all. The end result is yet another Lost Soul, of course. Their presence is marked by a distinct wailing sound, not unlike an orca. Could be referred to as a "wailer" or a "siren".

Cacodemon: A large floating head covered in a crimson chitinous carapace as well as a mass of horns on all sides of its body; said carapace renders it more or less immune to small arms fire. Hellhammer encounters several of these creatures hunting for food in a labyrinth of service tunnels, and their appearance is only known through balls of lighting being belched out from toothy grins the size of gorillas. A cacodemon is only seen in full when the Hellhammer team manages to escape those same service tunnels, but not before slamming a heavy door on it, killing it instantly and leaving its own corpse for the commandoes to observe. Additionally, their blue blood is considered to be highly toxic. Their presence is marked by a distinct gurgling sound. Could be referred to as a "belcher" or a "Barracuda".

Pain Elemental: Not directly encountered by Hellhammer, but are implied to exist. Lost Souls tend to wander freely, and as a result, their tendency to stay in one place can be considered unusual behavior. When literally hundreds of Lost Souls gather in one spot, it usually means that there's some sort of dark floating... thing at the epicenter of the Lost Soul swarm. Almost nothing has been able to discern what it really is, not even unmanned drones. It's never given a nickname.

Revenant: One of Lazarus's most pervasive creations ever devised, the Revenant is a counter-demon project taking the form of a volunteer's corpse whose body was donated to science and then augmented to the point where it's barely even human at this point. It sports an advanced cybernetic vest housing a pair of shoulder-mounted hyperblasters, as well as a helmet allowing it to tell apart organic sources of heat from inorganic. Due to its crude nature and how it came to be conceived, it's always howling in a mixture of agony and rage, and the "gore shorts" from the original monster is actually a combination of hanging intestines/organs and mutilated genitalia (either male or female, and yes, the damage is self-inflicted). The Hellhammer commandoes actually come across a fair number of these creatures, and death usually follows as a result. It could be referred to as a "Long John" (male), an "Amazon" (female), or a "screamer". Here is a potential base for its helmet: https://www.instagram.com/p/BwFkDUqhHIm/

 

 

Mancubus: Only one is encountered by Hellhammer, but it's implied that more of these creatures exist. Like in the game, these are morbidly obese humanoid creatures with a taste for human flesh and a pair of C-91 Cropdusters (flamethrowers) that contain white phosphorus as ammunition. However, the one encountered by Hellhammer appeared to have been blinded somehow (its eyes had been somehow welded shut). As a result, due to its abnormally tough skin and ordinance, the Hellhammer squad makes it a point to actually avoid this creature when they can. A Hellhammer commando nicknames it "Deliverance".
Here is an idea for what it could look like (the general concept):

 

Hell Knight/Bruiser: A few of these are encountered by Hellhammer, and have been extremely tough to kill in every encounter. In terms of appearance and function, this version should be fairly close to the Doom 3 Bruiser. However, it stands only slightly taller than an average male human (around 7 feet tall). Its feet feature robotic hooves, both arms are giant flamethrowers, and the head is a sight to behold, namely because its head consists primarily of a television screen. The screen displays different pictures depending on the monster's state: an eyeball is briefly displayed when an enemy is sighted, and a close up of a presumably angry human mouth, showing only gums and teeth, is displayed while the creature is active. The mouth sometimes opens and closes as the beast moves. Its back has what appears to be a visible robotic spine. It's heavily implied that Hell Knights are actually "shit-imps" that have been experimented on and given both steroids and testosterone doses to give them their dominating frame. Could be referred to as a "knight" or a "bruiser".

Baron of Hell: Only one is encountered, and is only the second-deadliest threat Hellhammer has to face aside from the "Archduke of Erebus". Incidentally, this creature is often seen with the Archduke, implying that the Baron is its muscle. In terms of appearance and function, this is far closer to the Doom 3 Hell Knight or the Doom 2016 Baron, with the exception of a cybernetic arm it uses to throw balls of corrosive green plasma. Of course, this could be referred to as the "Hell Baron" or the "Phobos Devil". Here is a potential reference for the Baron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhzbxxjuhWE

 

Arachnotron: Not encountered at all by Hellhammer, but is implied to exist. A project file called "AR-317" details the creation of counter-demon measures that contain classified samples that seem to have originated from the "brain trust/hive mind" that was later found dead after an unmanned expedition into Hell itself. Could be referred to as a "brain baby". (This is subject to change; I may actually consider having Hellhammer come across a "prototype".)

Arch-Vile: Only one is encountered, but is quite easily the deadliest threat Hellhammer has to face since it's actually a recurring foe that consistently torments them. This incarnation actually has four arms, one pair for casting fire, and the other to resurrect fallen demons. In addition to its pyrokinesis, this "Archduke of Erebus" exhibits a level of intelligence that surpasses even humans, as well as overwhelming mental powers such as clairvoyance and an invasive form of telepathy that can subjugate creatures and technology all thanks to the "psionic amplifying helmet" it wears. Here is a possible reference for its helmet: https://www.deviantart.com/twohornsunited/art/Erebus-Cyberpunk-dystopian-light-up-helmet-653946381

 

Spider Mastermind: Not encountered at all by Hellhammer, but rumored to have existed at one point. All that's known about it is that it was a command unit that masterminded the initial slipgate incident on the satellite research bases on Phobos and Deimos. It's currently unknown whether there are more of them currently exist. Could be referred to simply as a "brain trust" or a "hive mind".

Cyberdemon: Not encountered at all by Hellhammer, but rumored to have existed at one point. All that's known about it is that a skyscraper-sized creature with an antipersonnel weapons platform fused to its arm had killed most of the personnel on the Deimos base, and all that's left of it now is scraps of flesh and metal, along with a pair of hooves. However, a Lazarus project did detail something of a project called "CD-216" being held in cryogenic containment and is potentially implied to later take on the Doomguy.

 

Next, let's talk a little bit about the weapons (which takes inspiration from Quake as well as Doom). I also made sure to have modern-day weapons even for a space-age setting, but the reason why I went with tactical shotguns instead of Winchester Defenders is that these are very much elite space marines well compensated by the UAC, and as such, they've been given top-of-the-line weaponry:

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Chainsaw: These were intentionally delivered to Erebus Labs in order to use for spare parts in various cybernetic augmentations.

Pistol: An FN Five-Seven pistol. Even in the 22nd century, this has been a surprisingly versatile sidearm to use due to its impressive stopping power and armor-piercing rounds (yes, this is a real modern-day pistol).

Shotgun: A UTAS UTS-15 tactical shotgun is used by Darkstar commandoes, while a DP-12 tactical shotgun is used by the Exo-Zulus.

Super Shotgun: There are actually two variants of this particular weapon. One is a simple sawed-off shotgun preferred as a weapon of choice by one of the Darkstar commandoes, and the other is an experimental weapon taking the form of a triple-barreled shotgun that takes combat nails for ammunition.

Pulse Rifle: This is actually a combination of the heavy assault rifle from D2016 and the classic plasma rifle. This standard-issue rifle is similar in appearance to an ACR, but fires supercharged caseless rounds of electromagnetically-charged "plasma bullets".

Super Nailgun: This is more or less a combination of Quake's Super Nailgun and the classic chaingun. This particular version is a four-barreled rotary cannon that takes combat nails for ammunition; combat nails are different from traditional bullets in that these were created specifically to maim, not just to kill.

Grenade Launcher: Essentially, an XM25 CDTE, as it's more or less an anti-personnel weapon rather than an anti-tank weapon.

Rocket Launcher: The FGM-148 Javelin Anti-Tank Missile Launcher. Not as frequently used except in the event of larger demons being encountered.

Lightning Gun: An experimental UAC weapon that fires a single, continuous beam of lightning at a target. This is far closer to the classic plasma rifle in terms of function and appearance, with the added benefit of having a rechargeable battery (albeit it charging extremely slowly).

BFG 9000-Thanatos: While many incarnations of the BFG series exist, the Thanatos is a plasma cannon that when fired, will unleash a giant green sphere of energy that emits plasma tendrils which paralyze all enemy targets. And yes, it does get referred to as the "big fucking gun". Once the sphere hits a solid object, it explodes violently and causes all targets it "tagged" with its tendrils to explode into a soup of gore. Unlike the classic BFG which used a harness for the wielder to use, the Thanatos requires a partial exoskeleton in order to carry the weapon, let alone fire. This partial exoskeleton reference can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BrjFyM6hDOX/

 

 

After everything else, let's go a little bit into the characters, particularly the ones I've managed to flesh out so far.

 

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Doomguy- What would a classic Doom story be without our hero? That being said, he's not the main focus of the story, but he is a presence that makes himself known, even without a voice. In fact, aside from maybe one or two emergency situations, he doesn't directly intervene whenever the Hellhammer team gets into trouble. He opts to instead aid them indirectly (be it to mop up a few demons here and there or just to leave behind supplies to use). He does this not because of any kind of "human treachery", but rather because he much rather prefers to keep to himself, as he can't bring himself to form any more connections with anyone else, not after the moonbase incidents or the Earth invasion. He doesn't even have any acquaintances, only contacts to reach out to every now and then who are then quickly forgotten. To him, everything that transpires in Vekla Mons is just another clean-up job to take care of. Of course, he could be called the "Doomed Marine" or the "Dragon Slayer", because he's explored places far beyond the reach of human imagination, and as the old saying goes, "here there be dragons". Additionally, there is a talk of a supersoldier project called "Darkstar" that he may or may not be associated with...

Olivia Pierce- This isn't the version found in Doom 2016, no deals-with-the-devil or transhuman treachery here. Instead, we had someone who was a leader first and a human second. She was 100% committed to her work, even if it gravely injured her and left her to augment herself, lest her mind be dulled in any way. In spite of this, she opted to help in the evacuation of Vekla Mons, no matter how futile it would ultimately be. This leads to two versions of her: The first version believes herself to be above good and evil and communicates in a flowery language that delivers an air of melodrama and arch. This version likes to sneer and play all sorts of mind games with Hellhammer. The second version, on the other hand, is often very soft-spoken, down-to-earth, and matter-of-fact. This version is clearly horrified at the situation that she unknowingly dragged innocent people into a terrifying situation, and even slightly dejected. In either case, she's notoriously cynical about the ultimate fate of "people like her".

As for the Hellhammer team itself, I'm still in the process of working out who they are and what their motivations will be.

 

So this is just something I wanted to share for the time being.