Paralysis by Terrance Parker - Short, Horror, Psychological - A young, anxiety-filled teen has a hard time telling his sleep paralysis demon apart from mind to reality, hours after a rambunctious Halloween party. - pdf format

Writer interested in feedback on this work

Interesting premise. But you telegraph the ending early on.  Because JAX is so paranoid, anxiety-ridden, and phobic he can't tell hallucinations from reality. So we know almost from the first page he's going to do something terrible.

I agree with RolandJ. Good premise. I've suffered from sleep paralysis so I was in from the start. But the thing about dream/reality stuff is you still have to know what's going on whether it's real or not. In this case I couldn;t follow the story and don't quite get the ending.

But good premise - worth exploring!

Hey you,

some obvious format issues from the mere look at the document - spacing, page numbers, sluglines etc… Aneres should be capped when first time introduced, wrong page break...

Look, no further words on format from my side, just... you need to choose how to look like - professional or not professional. My evaluation demands the very best of a screenwriter, including standard format. Every time again. That is my choice in this game.

Storywise, you tried but eventually didn't convince me.

You put a definite effort into single story beats. That was okay.

Then, the whole plot just didn't flow well. The dark figure, if the structure is thin as you have it here, imo, should/ rather must carry the entire script on its own - by its look, its uniqueness, my anxiety when he appears and got screen time – that didn't work as needed. The killer is no trademark so to say.  

The script simply doesn't deliver on the high level imo. That said, in my eyes, it isn't a catastrophe either. It's okay.

Page 1.     Would've liked to know where in the house.

Aneres should be in all caps at first intro.

Page 3.   Lots of bickering here that doesn't add anything to the story.

Page 4.   Ideally, when you start a new scene you should use the characters names when first mentioning them, instead of just he or she. It's not a huge deal with this short, but it helps the reader know what characters are in the scene.

Page 5.   ANERES... and then the dialogue on the following page?

Page 7.   Pay attention to the characters dialogue.  Jax say's Shit! C'mon.  Aneres, answers with, Wha--?

Prior in this script, those lines belonged to the other character. They should have their own characteristics and not the same.

Page 8.   Lots of What! and Wha-- in this script. Starts to get annoying.

Again, a character's dialogue spills over on the next page without a (con't).

Page 9.   Jax turns to see a broken glass, as he picks it up.

I don't think that sentence work...

Lots of unnecessary "however".

Page 10. Policemen call each other dude? That doesn't sound very adult somehow.

Need to work on the cops dialogue, for sure...

Page 12. I would assume the cops would get shit serious as soon as they saw the dead Arenes.


Final thoughts, I liked the premise here with the sleep paralysis. I have done some research into that and watched a documentary too. Scary stuff. I do feel that great premise was wasted here though. The story itself didn't do much for me, sad to say.

I also think you should've made it about Jax and Anares all the way through, but it shifted to the cops near the end. If I were you, I wouldn't have the cops do any chit chatting or bickering. Just show up and be cops. This isn't their story.

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't really hear a scream. Unless, the wind chimes were it, in which case I'd fail you for not having a scream.

Hi Terrance

Logline - written last minute perhaps. Having discovered all sorts of errors in my script since posting, I know the feeling.

Aneres should be in CAPS when introduced.

The OLD house slug doesn’t do you many favours. It s a chance to describe things. You may also benefit from a line of two to set the scene

Not really a suburban location ? Corn field ?

Not sure you pop back in a broken arm

The scene out in the field to move back in, seems superfluous

Avoid starting sentences with... then

Finished

Ok, lots of screenplay issues to address, but these can be done.

Story wise, I like the idea of the lad being haunted by a sleep demon. We can really understand that insomnia could result in images, beliefs - are they real, are they not etc all part of the haunting drama

That was the core of this script. The question is what story do you wrap around it?

To me, you then look to see what theme, or issues, would be particularly challenged by this situation - eg he has to focus clearly otherwise someone gets hurt. Thus we have conflict with his tiredness and the outcome. Who will win.

These OWC can be useful to fine tune format usegae, and story telling, so it may be a good idea to re write this as an experience.

My two cents? Honestly--this didn't do much for me.  The opening, while ok, I mean, It's got a very dark, mysterious vibe. You can tell right away he’s going to go through hell.  The ending let me down. I really wanted to know how it would end, but I was fully expecting a twist that never came.  I'm wondering if you need the cops at all...

My reactions to the cops dialogue is WTF!  Which reminds me of something...

Going off-topic...

A Theory of "On the Nose" Dialogue
In life people sometimes make on the nose statements, sometimes not. Perhaps it should be the same in screenplays. If no characters in an entire script makes on the nose statements, would that feel natural? In a script with cops in it, does it sound okay for a cop to say, "don't move. get your hands up" or should they all say something like, "reach for the sky"? If dialogue is more closely tied to the individual character traits, it might help gauge how much or how little a character uses on the nose statements, trying to make it feel right for that particular character. But to go through a script and try and remove all the on the nose dialogue doesn't seem logical.

Methinks you can put too much salt in you food or too much pepper, but ideally you season it just right for good flavor. If someone tells you your food is too salty, are you going to go in and try and take out all the salt? A better solution might be to try and balance the seasoning better, but still use some salt. So when people say the dialogue is too on the nose, I don't think it's time to panic and try and take out every line of on the nose dialogue, but rather 'season' it better.

Ugh.  I dunno.  Just babbling.  Sorry.  Back on topic...

The writing could be tighter in certain spots.  I hope some of this helps.

Ps. Best of luck! :)-A

pps. There's probably about a million spelling mistakes above. Couldn't be bothered to spell check.  I'm still hungover.

Seasoning??

If you haven't read it already you should read Andrea's anal spasm analogy re good writing.
https://www.simplyscripts.net/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?m-1570853958/s-2/highlight-/#num2

One of SSers more visceral and on the money reviewers imho. And, entertaining!  ;D

Sorry for the editorial. I'm coming back to write an actual review of this.
Sleep paralysis - great premise.

Hello writer.

Show us stuff, don't just tell us stuff - it's fine in a novel but not a screenplay. Your words should be able to be translated to screen, some of yours cannot.

"his heart races" "his adrenaline spikes"

You open with horror! excellent! you chuck is straight into it and I like it, I know what I am getting myself involved with - too many of these have started with a boring exchange...

Quoted Text WOMAN Bye-bye last guest MAN That was some party WOMAN yes, but look at the mess! MAN I know, let's chat about it for 3 pages

So I very much appreciate you starting it the way you did.

you can do away with all the "and then" stuff like you are reiterating a story to us. Write in the now, like it's happening now, so we can just get lost in the story ourselves without all the "And then Jax did this!" - just tell us what Jax did

Take a look at your software, it's splitting dialogue across pages incorrectly.

Can you simply push a broken arm back into place?

Quoted Text POLICE OFFICER Alright! Everyone! Keep your hands up--!

Why would he ask them to keep their hands up? he hasn't asked them to put them up in the first place, let alone keep them there... also, shouldn't a cop announce he is there, to begin with?

That last page is so bloody odd I am convinced you rushed it for the deadline. Honestly, it makes no sense. "Wakes up from the fall" why did the fall send him to sleep?, I'm pretty sure he gets up off the floor twice, then they rush outside and discover that the ground is flat?

Great start, interesting story, messily executed with an awful ending. That's my take on it lol. I think you were rushed, but after the challenge, you should revisit and finish this off properly

Obviously - formatting is a real issue in this one. Not close to being correct.

The scream is barely there....

But, I kind of liked the story. Didn't see any reason to put in a stranger's house though - I kept waiting for that to be part of the story - didn't matter.

Nice effort other than the format is a wreck.

Pretty generic opening slug. Logline could be reworded.

You only need one hyphen in slugs

INT OR EXT. LOCATION - DAY OR NIGHT

You don't number the first page. Never number the first page. You're clearly a new writer. What progra mare you using? At least it's 12 pt Courier.

Opening paragraph is a bit too long with too much going on. It reads like a novel. This could be three paragraphs. Very poor start.

Good rule of thumb: break up each "shot" or thought into separate paragraphs.

Quoted Text A completely black silhouette

A silhouette, by definition, is completely black (or whatever color the artist chooses). We can already assume the silhouette is completely  black.

Silhouette and figure are pretty interchangeable. Lots of redundancy on the first page. Not good.

I would CAP the silhouette/figure.

SHOW his heart racing and his adrenaline spiking. Or else it's not needed.

You never introduced Aneres. Oh. Nevermind. You need to CAP her.

This is too poor for me to continue. Sorry.

Writer,

I think you have the makings of something here, but just not yet. Your writing was pretty clean, and the tone was consistent if not a bit flat. Not very scary. And again, logic is an issue here, as in there seemed to be no rhyme or reason who this sleep demon was and who the hat belonged to.

Having suffered from sleep paralysis in the past, I identified with some of this. It's scary shit. But this story misses the mark.

Steve

Hello writer,

This wasn't that good for me.  Formatting is off.     I assume this was your scream scenario.

Quoted Text A slight, eerie sound, mimicking a scream occurs

Some of your action was confusing. I thought another cop fell somehow.  Then I realized it was them bumping into each other.

Quoted Text The other police officer wakes up from the fall

Who is Steve?  I  assume  Police Officer #1.  Since they have a decent amount of screen time, it would probably help if you named them.   Good on you for writing. Just keep trucking.

All the best!

The writing can use some work, wasn't terrible by any means but I think it can be tightened up a bit. Jax's wearing a depressed face and the one cop's face slowly getting ,ore frightened ... I feel like there's a much better way to describe their facial expressions. Just my opinion.

Ending had me a bit confused. Was is supposed to be one of the thieves or hijackers that were mentioned in the story, or is is actually one of Jax's sleep demons that stole the cop car?

Either way, good work.

Said I'd come back to this, so a few observations:

You describe Jax as a young teen. He sounds a good bit older than that to my ear. Plus she's teaching him to dance in a rather intimate way. I'd say that's the domain of an older teen/early 20s.

Give them both specific ages.
Aneres needs to be capped on intro btw. And she's listed as 'young woman'.? Give them ages, like I said. Your black silhouette character also should be capped. Any character needing to be cast needs  their intro capped.
It also makes it clearer for the reader who and /or what we're looking at.

Your  opening descriptions were a little confusing  rather than scary - for me, at least.

Jax feels the bruise on his arm,
Was this mentioned already? If not is should be: 'a bruise'.
Speaking of: Dislocated or broken? Either way, a good gruesome image.

It occurs to me that your character suffers not just from sleep paralysis but also narcolepsy - a sudden drop into an unconscious state. Great premise for a horror.

Lying not laying. Should be: Jax lies on the floor...
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/lay-versus-lie


I've read this line twice:
Food and cups are stuck to the ceiling...

It conjured some supernatural surreal iimage, but it's not quite working for me as written.

...and a 10-foot pole penetrates a dangling
chandelier above.
Huh? Trying hard to picture this one too.

ANERES
Yeah. Thank God I held this
Halloween party at some
random house, though.
Imagine if it was at my
parents’

Ooh, not great exposition I must say. Try something like,:

...imagine if the party had been at my parent's place.

His dancing sounds like an Elaine Benes imitation ( Seinfeld). :D

scare us into coming out
here.
That'd more aptly be::scare us into NOT coming out here, wouldn’t it?

Get in closer
Suggest: move in closer, Or, just: Come closer...


ANERES
But you’re awake—
Now,

That’s a pivotal moment in your script. A high revelation point in terms of the horror is now filling his waking life.
It should be the cause for a bit more focus and terror.

batten down all the hatches.
Batten down the hatches ( no need for all)

Arenes – name typo, p.12, not good. But, it happens... especially in OWCs.

muggers and hijackers
Might be scarier as: muggers and murderers.

wind chimes in the back.
Should be background.

a watch strapped to it.??
Bit of a confusing denouement for me but there's atmosphere to this and with a big more clarity and editing you could have a goodie here.

Good premise. I'd add the narcolepsy cause anything could happen during those episodes.

The setup is there: sleep paralysis. Pretty horrific thought. But, unfortunately, this particular story doesn't really take advantage of the setup.

In fact, it's more about his inability to discern fact from fantasy than it is about paralysis.

That said, I think the other thing holding this particular script back is an abundance of non-essential elements. The police don't add anything. The random house. Teaching him to dance, etc.

How do any of these things advance your central story?

(Teaching him to dance, if it had a story-centric purpose, is a great horror-story element.)

Another unexplained/maybe unnecessary element: the demon is not his regular demon. Why is this important? (I'm not saying it's not important... I just need to know WHY it's important.)

Good premise, though.

Thanks for sharing.

Watch out for the FADE IN: police around here; it never hurts to put it in, it always helps.
The -- in slugs is mildly forgivable, but not in dialog. Better to use just one in both cases.
There's spacing issues, usually between character slugs and dialog. This might be a result of the writing  program you were using. The spacing also seems to cause quite a few orphans.

wearing a hat What kind of a hat? There's many types of hats.

Then looks around - looks around. (Then's aren't needed. Actions happen as they happen)
however, it fades away= it fades away. (However actions happen as they happen)

No scream that only one of two people hears , (and hardly a scream at all) no house for majority of script...missed the parameters of the OWC Nice subject though...but, how do we know what's "real" and what's not in the story? This is the only possible reason why those coppers from Keystone speak the way they do.  

Logline - Jumbled and confused. Not well written at all.

Title Page - Well, let's hope this isn't your real name.

"a young teen" - Oh boy, here we go again.  So, young teen to me means 13, 14 tops.

Lays - lies.  Floor used twice is a row.  Writing is not good right out of the gate.

Aneres is a young woman, meaning we have absolutely no clue how old she is or why she's with this young teen. Maybe she's his Mom?  How would anyone know?

Page 2 - So, this young woman, Aneres, who lives with her parents for some reason, even though she's a young woman, is hanging out with a young teen in some random house, throwing a Halloween party?  Really?  Does that sound remotely believable?

I'd love to know where this is supposed to be taking place - random, abandoned houses, corn fields, rusty cars under street lights, wind chimes hanging from a tree, and muggers and hijackers, of all things.  OMG, that's funny.  Too funny!  I'm wondering now if Aneres may actually be one of those hijackers?

Wow, this is unreal.  They're now doing dance lessons after the party, after the young teen got drunk off his arse?  Aren't they the least bit concerned about being mugged or hijacked?  I'm wondering if the title should have been "The Hijacker".

The old hatted sleep paralysis demon.  Damn him and that damned hat he keeps wearing!

Page 7 - Is this the same house as the beginning?  First it was "OLD HOUSE", now it's just HOUSE.

"The house is still completely trashed." - Wait, you mean no hijackers or muggers came in while they were dancing and cleaned the place up?

There's an armoire in this old random house?  I wonder where the owners of the house are?  Do you think they care about this young woman and young teen having a party and dancing lessons at their house?

"Jax sits hard against the floor, and grasps onto his hair.  He hyperventilates, and tears streaming down his face.  Aneres gets down in front of him, wearing a completely terrified face." - This is a very poorly written passage.  So many things wrong here, it's kind of crazy.

"EXT. HOUSE -- MIDNIGHT" - Never use a time in a Slug.  This is both wrong and goofy.

The police officers dialogue is absurd.  I'm trying to decide if I like Police Officer better than Police Officer #2.  It's a tough call, as they're both great characters.

The end.  WOW...not sure what else to say.  I have to assume and hope this is from a first time writer, possibly whose first language is not English, as this is a real mess, makes no sense, and just doesn't work at all, as written and conceived.

Stick to it.  Read lots of scripts.  Ask lots of questions.  Best of luck.

zero

Hi writer.

Interesting premise worthy of exploring. You made it about the cops towards the end- that switch didn’t work for me. I say stick with your main guys for a short story. There are exclusions to that rule surely that work, but not in this case imo.

Prose wise - this is over descriptive for me and you give us every matter of factly movement - That slows down the read.

Much work should be done on dialog and I say drop the half words. Don’t cut your characters - that you do all the time. Also, all of your characters sound the same for me, make them stand out.

Good luck with this and in general. And good luck to me too - we really are in the same boat, although I haven’t written for this one.

This isn’t a Halloween story. It’s about a guy who sees a demon when he suffers sleep paralysis. In this story, Jax learns some dance moves, but otherwise he’s just around for Silhouette to scare. And the scream on page 4 is caused by wind chimes, not a person — and a second person, Aneres, hears it, both of which are contrary to the rules.

On page 8 Jax suffers a broken arm (according to Jax) and asks Aneres to pop it back into place. Perhaps he meant to say his shoulder was dislocated? Then at the end, the Keystone Cops show up and promptly have their car stolen.

The writer can tell a story, but this particular one just doesn’t have much substance.