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Night of Terror
by Aleks Lazarevski (lazarevskialeks@gmail.com)

Rated: PG-13   Genre: Horror   User Review: ***


This screenplay is copyrighted to its author. All rights reserved. This screenplay may not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of the author.



FADE IN:

EXT. HOME - EVENING
                                                            
We see a suburban Victorian style house with a mailbox in
the lower right corner of the screen which reads Watkins
2277. The sun is setting behind the home as the autumn
breeze swiftly blows the leaves across the yard.
                                                            
SHOW TITLE OF MOVIE
                                                            
                                         CUT TO
                                                            
 
INT. BEDROOM - EVENING
                                                            
The camera pans around a child's bedroom, showing toys and
put-together objects scattered on the floor. At this time,
we hear muffled voice of a woman scolding someone
downstairs. Footsteps are heard pattering louder and louder
as our main character Sam Watkins approaches the bedroom.
                                                            
Sam Watkins looks like a frustrated 10 year old boy. He is
seen kicking things on the floor and punching the bed in
anger.
                                                            
                                         CUT TO
                                                            
 
INT. KITCHEN - EVENING
                                                            
Lisa Watkins, Sam's mother, is shown teary eyed while coping
with her troubled young son. As she begins to wipe away her
tears, she starts to head downstairs into the basement to
gather ingredients for dinner.
                                                            
 
INT. BEDROOM - EVENING
                                                            
Sam begins to look for something to do to pass the time and
to forget about his argument with his mother.
                                                            
The camera pans across Sam's movie collection until it stops
at a white covered DVD case. Sam, looking confused, takes
the case and opens the cover. Inside, the disc reads PLAY
ME.
                                                            
CAMERA FOCUSES ON TV MONITOR
                                                            

2.

As Sam plays the disc, cryptic images and satanic symbolism
cover the screen. The monitor then goes to a white fuzz
screen and begins to show an exorcism taking place in
someones home.
                                                            
A man is shown tied to a chair surrounded by people who seem
to be chanting something in Latin. The man can be heard
yelling and speaking in a demonic way. As soon as they
finish their chant, a black smoke escapes from the man's
mouth and seems to have made him sane again. The screen
turns back to white fuzz.
                                                            
CAMERA FOCUSES ON SAM
                                                            
Sam is extremely disturbed after witnessing the video. He
then feels like something is not quite right.
                                                            
 
INT. BASEMENT - MOMENTS LATER
                                                            
Lisa is downstairs looking in her pantry for ingredients.
Just as she approaches the door to the pantry, she gets a
chilled feeling. She can see her own breath. Lisa turns
around slowly and the camera focuses on her reaction to
something unknown as she lets out a scream.
                                                            
 
INT. BEDROOM - EVENING
                                                            
Sam hears his mother's scream. He begins to dart through the
hallway and into the basement.
                                                            
 
INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
                                                            
Sam continues to make his way towards his mother.
                                                            
 
INT. BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS
                                                            
His mother is acting strange and begins to snarl at Sam. Sam
realizes that his mother must be possessed by the same demon
he saw in the video. He tries to escape, but his mother
grabs him. Struggling to fight, Sam knocks his mother
unconscious with a swift punch. It is at this moment Sam
must watch the video to see how to get rid of the demon.
                                                            
 
INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
                                                            
Sam is seen stumbling into his room. As soon as he sits near
the TV, the camera focuses on Sam pressing play on the DVD
player.
                                                            

3.

Sam re watches the film and notices certain items the people
are using in order to draw the demon out of the body. Sam
uses his audio recorder and records the chant used in the
video.
                                                            
 
INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
                                                            
Sam looks for salt in the kitchen cabinets. After opening
several, he finds the container of salt.
                                                            
                                         CUT TO
                                                            
Sam's mother in the basement beginning to wake up.
                                                            
 
INT. BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS
                                                            
Sam comes downstairs and begins to draw a line of salt
around his mother. His mother wakes up and begins to speak
                                                            
                       DEMON
You think that will stop me?!
                                                            
DEMON RUNS TOWARD SAM, BUT IS STOPPED BY AN INVISIBLE FORCE
                                                            
                       DEMON
AAAHHHH!!! You're next Sam!!!
                                                            
                       SAM
Leave my mother alone!
                                                            
SAM BEGINS TO PLAY THE AUDIO FROM THE RECORDER.
                                                            
The chant heard in the recorder seems to have an effect on
the demon.
                                                            
                       DEMON
Stop that!! Nooo!
                                                            
                       SAM
Be gone demon!
                                                            
As the audio ends, we see a black smoke escape from Sam's
mother and disappear into the floor in a blaze of fire.
                                                            
                                         CUT TO
                                                            
CLOSEUP OF LISA
                                                            
Lisa is seen visibly distraught. She does not know what has
happened.
                                                            

4.

                       SAM
Mom! I saved you, you're back!
                                                            
                       MOM
Wha.. What.. What happened?
                                                            
As Lisa tries to understand what happens, we see Sam
wrapping his arms around his mother as the camera fades
away.
                                                            
                                         DISSOLVE TO
                                                            
 
EXT. SOMEWHERE IN RURAL KANSAS - LATER
                                                            
We see a small rural house at nighttime. The wind is fierce
as the swing set in the front yard swings violently.
                                                            
                                         CUT TO
                                                            
 
INT. LIVING ROOM - EVENING
                                                            
The camera pans around the living room of an unknown house.
Pictures of a man and woman with two kids are seen. The
house seems to be empty with nothing but the sound of the
wind outside. It is at this point the camera focuses on the
television set the family has in the living room
                                                            
As the camera zooms slowly toward the TV, we see at the
bottom right of the camera, a small movie collection with a
white covered DVD in the middle of the pack. The TV turns on
immediately and shows the same cryptic imagery as before,
but this time a video of the exorcism Sam performed on his
mother is shown.
                                                            


FADE OUT.


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From josh dyer Date 3/3/2016 ***
This reads a little flat on the page. The dialogue comes across as artificial and contrived. Horror is a tough genre to write because everything's been done at least once before. Your best bet is to think of a way to make your story unique. Can you tell if from a different POV? Suggestions: Wander around the mall and just listen to how people interact in conversations. Think about how you would write it in a script. Take some of the scenes from your favorite horror movies or novels and rewrite scenes for practice. Compare them to the actual scripts, if you can find copies. Remember, film is very visual and the direction portions should be direct and create that vision in your reader's mind. As you compare your stuff to other scripts, you'll find other ways to write your stage directions, so that they flow more like a story, and less like a news article. These are just one person's suggestions. They're meant in a positive and constructive light. I hope that you find something useful in here. Keep it up.


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