INSIDIOUS BY LEIGH WHANNELL [outline]

This was a scary script. 

Great reference for AWESOME supernatural writing that is creative and practical. Unique twist on haunted house movie.

Great reference for setting up sequels, too... Outline and lessons on next page:

LESSONS
- Interpersonal conflict and ultimate resolution is a great way to easily arc your characters. Also, the stress of the supernatural invasion and the onset of the third act climax is a good reason for people to forget their petty differences and make up. 
- SIMPLICITY rules everything in this movie and many others I've read. The interpersonal stuff is SO SIMPLE. "You resent me. I'm not satisfied with my domestic life." Whatever. And even the brilliant hook of this movie is simple. "Person is haunted, not the house." The EXPLANATION is even fairly simple. "Kid goes into coma state because soul wandered to far into "The Further." Demons are now fighting to inhabit his empty vessel body. 
- Characters can provide comedic relief in horror movies. Spec and Tucker bicker about which is the 'assistant' and that actually grounds this movie and helps distract the audience before the terror in the end.
- Character HISTORY can be very helpful. Josh is also an astral explorer (even though he forgets it). That informs everything that happens in the movie but no one even knows until the end. This is basically a TWIST that is very satisfying because it makes everything that came before it make sense (even elements of the story that didn't need any explaining, like the fact that the kid was a gifted explorer). 
- SCARY IMAGES work best if they are specific and detailed. We can go with the standard stuff, but if those standard images are fleshed out with REAL detail...that's what makes them scary.
- CHILD DRAWINGS are once again used in a creepy moment to reveal that the kid was experiencing the supernatural. Love the contrast of innocence with darkness and this recurring image is powerful in each movie I've read in this genre. 
- As with most of these movies, this movie uses CUTS very well to avoid over explaining and keep the pacing.
- FEAR BUILDS GRADUALLY. This movie is about WOMAN EXPERIENCES SUPERNATURAL, TRIES TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON, SHE AND FAMILY COME FACE TO FACE WITH DEMONS. She is pursuing the truth throughout and she is trying to solve this. It's not just immediate demons everywhere. 
- OPENING IMAGE is not explained until the end. (It was Josh as a child). 
- SEQUEL tells the story of what happened to JOSH when he was a kid. Such a good idea. We can go back 30 or 40 or 50 years in our story too. Tell the story of what happened when the place was shut down etc. 


1. DARK BEDROOM - CREEPY DESCRIPTION OF A LAMP.


Best introduction of any horror script so far…


A spherical black monolith rises up from a white surface... white like the moon. In the darkness, the towers metal skin is barely visible. We ROTATE AROUND, revealing the tower to actually be a LAMP -- not rising up from a surface, but hanging down from a white ceiling. The bulb unlit. Directly below the lamp is the very definition of innocence - a sleeping child. Chest rising and falling with each breath. We HOVER over the young boy...watching him. A blanket emblazoned with dinosaurs is draped across his limbs. His mouth is slack, eyelids twitching to dreams unseen. The truly deep sleep that an adult can only wish for. We move away from him, exploring the dark room. Strewn with toys. The door is slightly ajar. We float through it into--


INT. CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS


2. HALL - Camera finds creepy old lady who says “Let me in.”


3. RENAI in bed with sloppy husband.


4. LIVING ROOM. 5 AM. Ranai looking at old photos. Convo with son Dalton. Can you believe i was a kid once?


GREAT LINE: Renai bursts out laughing. She is famous for her big laugh.


Baby cries off screen…


5. KITCHEN - MORNING. Chaos. Renai on phone with crazy kids running around. FOSTER. DALTON. Baby CALI.


6. BATHROOM. Josh finds a gray hair. Has lots of products. Seems to be into his looks.


Both he and Renai are fighting age.


7. KITCHEN. Renai and Josh. She says he snored he says no.


She cant’ find her sleeping pills and blames her for throwing her books on the floor.


8. SCHOOL. Inner city kids. Josh is the teacher. \


He sends Alanso to the principal.


9. HOME. Renai is a songwriter composing a song.


Crying baby interupts.


10. NURSERY. Renai hears a scraping sound from the…


11. BASEMENT. We see a broken step but she doesn’t.


We see DEEP SCRATCH MARKS on the inside of the door.


12. HOME LATER. Josh and Renai argue. Where are the lamps?


13. BASEMENT. Dalton falls down the stairs.


Parents find him. Renai also find her lamps. Weird they were no there yesterday.


14. DALTON’S BEDROOM. Put him to bed.


15. MASTER BEDROOM. Parents talk about life. Her dream for her songs. They will make it work but…is this it?


16. NIGHT SHOTS. They are all blissfully asleep…for now.


17. MORNING. Dalton sick.


18. HOSPITAL. Dalton in coma. Docs don’t know what’s up with him.


19. TWO MONTHS LATER. Renai not happy. Dalton still in coma like state.


20. HOME. Renai at piano sad. Hears creepy whispers on baby monitor.


Here’s a loud NOOOOO!


21. BABY CALI’S ROOM. All seems ok. Hmm…


22. KITCHEN LATER. Cali says “da da.” Renai doesn’t even care.


23. LATER. Renai tells Josh about the creepy voice. Then there’s a scary knock on the door…


24. DOOR. No one there.


25. BEDROOM NIGHT. Baby crying.


Renai thinks she sees Josh but then he’s behind her.


ALARM goes off.


Grab the kids and run.


Think they see Dalton walking. See a creepy hand. Door is wide open.


WTF.


26. OUTSIDE LATER. Security officer checks it out. Looks at Renai likes she’s crazy.


27. AT SCHOOL. Josh snappy.


LATER. Student ALONSO approaches Josh. Alonso admits he heard about Dalton.


Alonson tries to tell Josh to believe in god.


Josh calls home and lies about having to stay late to work.


28. PARK. Josh gets wasted on a bench.


29. HOME. Renai hears shit. It’s Josh reading to Dalton.


30. MORNING. Renai talks to Kelly the Nurse. Kelly tells her to be strong.


31. HOME. Josh gets back. They argue because he’s avoiding stress.


32. BEDROOM. Dalton’s face twitches!


33. MASTER BEDROOM. Renai sees a greasy man outside. Same guy she thinks she saw the other night.


Wakes up screaming. No guy there. But she says they have to leave the house.


34. HOUSE. Packing boxes with Josh’s mom LORRAINE. Renai thinks everyone thinks she’s crazy.


35. FANCY DOCTOR. Has no answers. Suggest brain team in Boston.


36. NEW HOUSE. Ghost kid is in there.


37. NEW HOUSE. Books from a shelf are scattered across the floor.


She sees a kid run into Dalton’s room.


38. DALTON’S ROOM. Empty. Then a dwarf explodes from a cabinet.


39. CLASSROOM. Wise janitor tells Josh to go home.


40. HOME. Renai with Lorraine and Priest. Josh comes home drunk.


Renai explains that the beings from house 1 are in house 2.


Lorraine confirms she also had a vision about this place.


41. LORRAINE’S DREAM. She met a visitor who said he wanted Dalton.


42. BACK IN NEW HOUSE. Lorraine screams.


GREAT DESCRIPTION OF SCARY PERSON. USE DETAILS AND NOT CLICHES!!


Over Josh’s shoulder, crouched down behind the couch and peeking up over the armrest at Lorraine, is a DIABOLICAL FIGURE. His face is PURE RED with smeared lipstick. His scalp is completely bald, yet tufts of hair dangle above his ears. Other than his face, his skin is charcoal black.


Lorraine has an idea of who can help…


43. OUTSIDE HOUSE. Ghost hunter type guys show up. SPECS and TUCKER.


44. HOME INTERVIEW. Specs and Tucker talk to Renai.


We learn…


She has had bouts of depression now and then.


SPECS Nine times out of ten, when someone comes to us with a problem like this, it’s because of an inward cause within the family unit...not a physical force outside of it.


45. MASTER BEDROOM. Guys do a search of the house. Tucker sees two female beings through a device that are not there IRL.


Conclusion: We can call Elise (true hunter) now…


46. EARLY EVENING. Elise arrives. Asks if she can walk the house.


Walks the house.


She describes what she sees and Specs draws it.


47. DALTON’S ROOM.  Elise sees the red faced demon. Spec draws it.


Renai freaks out.


48. LATER. Elise holds court in the living room…


House is not haunted. Dalton is.


Dalton’s spirit travelled too far and got lost IN THE FURTHER.


His body is an empty vessel now. Good and bad spirits want to get inside.


Josh kicks Elise out.


49. DALTON’S ROOM. Josh gets a sign that the story is true.


Tacks pop off the wall.


And Dalton’s drawings show…


Dalton left his body…


50. KITCHEN. Josh agrees.


51. HOUSE. Elise preps her process. Tells them to let her do her thing.


Dalton’s body flies everywhere.


Camera flashes. Books fly.


Craziness.


REVIEW: PAGES 65 TO 75 OF THIS SCRIPT ARE SCARY CHAOS.


52. KITCHEN. Assistants wanna sell footage. Elise convinces them not to.


53. DOOR. Lorraine arrives. Tells Josh that she called Elaine FOR HIM when Josh was a kid.


Josh passed the traveling ability on to Dalton…


54. BACK TO FIRST SCENE. That was JOSH as a child…


55. BACK TO SCENE. Lorraine has many photos of Josh haunted when Josh was a child…


“Your son is out there and you’re the only one who can bring him back.”


56. LIVING ROOM. Josh ready to head out into the Further.


Josh and Renai make up. Say they love each other.


And it begins…


Josh is out of his body. In the room with just Elise now.


57. SEQUENCE IN OTHER WORLD. Dark and quiet. Spirits everywhere.


Creepy vibes.


Then crazy angry man screaming about cunts.


BACK IN REAL WORLD


Josh twitches and moans.


Renai is freaked.


Elise tries to tell Josh to be strong.


SCARY WORLD


Josh finds Dalton. Tries to save him from red-faced demon man.


They claw their way back.


Intercut with real world.


Creepy dead explode into real world.


The worlds are fusing.


Dalton runs toward home.


Josh tells him to go. Hangs back to confront the demon from his childhood…


Dalton WAKES UP in his real body in his bedroom…


Josh comes back.


Talks to Elise.


Elise takes his picture and he attacks her.


Then Josh runs to the bathroom.


And we see the scene from the basement in the further play out…


The woman switched places with Josh.


Josh is gone forever.


THE END.


Note: At the end of this movie ONE CHARACTER is left in an EVEN WORSE predicament than anyone suffered in this whole movie. (Josh was inhabited in the end, while Dalton was merely THREATENED by inhabitance the whole time!)


Great way to set up a sequel…