OUIJA BY JULIET SNOWDEN AND STILES WHITE [outline]

This script was not as scary as the others. Tough to write a movie based on just a board game.

But I am going to try to think about how this script was different from SCREAM and THE RING to figure out how to avoid what happened in this one...

Let's see... Will start with lessons on next page. 

Lessons: 

- action writing was more generic
- exposition was repeated
- cliches were used in descriptions
- more 'scary' stuff was shown on screen, which is less scary than implication sometimes
- generic doors closing, stuff moving, figures behind the girls 
- mystery was not compelling enough
- answers were too convenient... In this movie the creepy backstory is given to the hero after a friend does a google search. In THE RING the back story is pieced together through hospital records, old video tapes, a partial image of a lighthouse... All VERY creepy and hard to come by information
- This was in many ways similar to THE RING. There was a mysterious question "WHO IS THE CREEPY BEING BEHIND THE GAME?" is like "WHO IS THE CREEPY BEING BEHIND THE TAPE?" Except the mystery was too simple and too easy to solve (mostly through clues delivered via the board itself.)

So...

If there's an important back story, it should be HARD to solve. And it should come together slowly.

THE RING was really scary because it took a darker and more artistic and theatrical approach to the scares... Haunting imagery was used so well. The burning tree, the eclipse, the puddles of water.

The ghost face mask from scream also comes to mind.

Also...

SPARSE action writing is so much more powerful than over writing scary scenes. Kind of mentioned that above but it's worth repeating....

​OK. Maybe more later. Now onto the outline...

​OUIJA BY JULIET SNOWDEN AND STILES WHITE [outline]

1. ESTABLISHING HOUSE
Girl talking on phone V.O.


2. INSIDE BEDROOM. Watching girl from inside closet.


NOTE: Horror movies move the camera way more than the typical script.


i.e. “A single light on in an upstairs window. We hear a TEENAGE GIRL’S VOICE. EASE IN on that upstairs window…”


3. BEDROOM. Debbie playing Ouja with unseen force. Force leaves when she says she doesn’t wanna play anymore. Deb puts game away. Jump scares start happening…


— there’s MOVEMENT in a mirror. Unseen by Debbie, because she’s still reaching up to put the board away.


The wooden plancette slips and falls, landing at Debbie’s feet. She picks it up when suddenly --


— BAM! A loud sound in her room. Debbie spins to see that her bedside table lamp has fallen….


Debbie gets suffocated with a plastic bag.


4. TITLE SEQUENCE. Ouija through the ages…


NOTE: Horror movies use p.o.v. to create little mysteries all the time. They start CLOSE on something then REVEAL.


i.e.


SOUND rises. A hard SCRATCHING. CLOSE ON -- A PENCIL ON PAPER. Cursive handwriting spills across the page. Beat. Suddenly the paper is ripped from a notebook and crumpled up. INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY ELENA “LAINE” MORENO, 17, tosses the paper into the wastebasket near her desk.


5. CLASSROOM. Meet Laine and her friends Trev and Iz. Teacher announces Debbie died.


6. HOME. Laine with Abuela and dad. Readying for funeral.


7. DEBBI’ES HOUSE. Laine observing funeral. Odd guy. Deb’s mom gives Laine some momentos.


8. LAINE’S HOUSE. Watches videos of her and Debbie.


9. LAINE’S ROOM. Looks out window as troubled sister SARAH gets home late, dropped off by a dude.


10. LATER. Laine notices something odd about the Oujua photo from Deb’s. A new glare of light. Emphasizes the word GOODBYE.


11. DEBBIE’S. Laine looking around for someone but it’s empty.


JUMP SCARE: Darkness. Can’t see. She reaches up, pulls the light cord -- -- and there’s a FACE. SOMEONE’S STANDING BEHIND THE CLEAR PLASTIC HANGING BAGS. Laine startles, as -- TREVOR (O.S.) What’re you doing?


Laine spins to find Trevor behind her. Watching. As Laine turns back to the closet, she sees that the “face” is actually one of Debbie’s painted theatre masks, hanging on the back wall.


12. DEB’S ROOM. Laine gets the board. Uses it with Trev to say goodbye to Deb.


13. LAINE’S ROOM. Laine lights a candle beside the board.


LATER. Boards moves planchette to D. Weird.


14. MORNING. Asks Trev to play one last time.


LATER. Has to bring Sarah to keep Sarah out of trouble with guy.


15. DEB’S. Set up game in her bedroom in empty house. Pete is in there (loner guy). Says he’ll let them play alone.


16. LATER. Game gets crazy. Music box plays. Shit falls. Pete gets cut on a mirror.


17. BACK HOME. Trev things Pete was messing w them. Does not trust Pete.


18. SCHOOL FIELD. Laine and Pete talk. He feels like he knew her b/c he knew Deb even though Laine and Pete were not friends.


19. CLASS. Laine decoding the message from the board. “306 BDY.”


20. LOCKER. Code leads to Deb’s locker and unlocks it. Laine finds sketch of board in there.


21. PARKING LOT. Notebook references friend Deb played with. Laine decides if we figure out the friend we figure out Debbie.


22. HOME. Nona says rthe board is not lucky and should not be in the house.


23. BIKE PATH. Trevor gets a spook like someone is following him.


SCARE:


Trevor raises his blinking light toward the empty darkness ahead of him where the rock came skittering in from. He starts to back away... unaware that in the brief flashes of red light --


-- SOMEONE IS BEHIND HIM. Just a shape. And Trevor is backing up right toward them. Closer. CLOSER. He turns --


— and it’s just empty tunnel. His bike leaning against the wall. Trevor stares. Can’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t alone here.


24. HOME. Nona warns again. Do not use the board.


25. CAR. Laine studying Deb’s notebook. More messages jotted down.


26. DEB’S HOUSE. Laine goes to check on Mrs. G. Mr. G said she was missing. Mrs. G has nightmares about Deb. Spooky.


27. DINER. Iz at work. Spooky shit happening.


28. LAINE’S HOUSE. Laine reviewing video from other night. Sarah comes in. She thinks someone is in the house.


Hide in closet. Emerge. Room set up like Deb’s. She wants us to play again.


29. DINER. Decide to play again.


30. DEB’S ROOM. Doesn’t work. Decide they need to invite Creepy Pete.


31. LATER. Pete is there. Blindfold. Play game. Learn that the ghost is playing with them. Room goes crazy lights go out and stuff.


32. AROUND A FIRE. Group is spooked. They have contacted whatever killed Deb.


33. LUNCHROOM. Weird distance b/w Pete and Laine. Everyone back to HS lives.


34. DINNER. Laine and Sarah. Normal ish.


35. ROOM. Laine watching Deb’s videos. Documentation of her friendship with the “DZ Spirit.”


Laine turns off vid. Shit flies around her room.


Sarah comes in. “This is not over.”


36. DINER. Iz attacked by spirit. Follows her into car. Sweeps her off road.


37. Iz is dead.


38. ROOM. Laine scarred by Iz death. Watching more Deb vids.


Nona knocks. Gives her a riddlde about walking backwards to solve the problem.


39. SCHOOL. Laine tries to convince Trev to finish the game to keep the spirit from killing them. He says no.


40. AUDITORIUM. Pete found an article about friends who died while playing game. Fire. They realize FINISH GAME is just DZ saying he’s gonna kill everyone (that’s the spirit!).


41. CLASS. Spirit goes after Sarah and she runs out.


42. HALLWAY. Sarah runs into Laine and Pete.


43. VACANT LOT. Crew meets up. Sarah thinks she’s next because she got a dark handprint on her forearm.


44. DEB HOUSE. Mom thinks she hears Debbie. Goes upstairs and sees something horrifying.


45. DEB’S HOUSE. Our crew arrives. Laine finds Deb’s mom.


OUTSIDE. Mom makes report to cops.


46. LATER. Laine tells friends “walk backwards” message from Nona.


47. DEB’S HOUSE. PLAY GAME. Spirit attacks. Drags Trev under water. Etc.  Sarah gets taken. Comes back. Knows they’re fucked.


MEMORY. Deb playing a new game. Laine realizes what she should do…


48. DEB’S ROOM. Laine there to play alone. Spirit blocks room. TEEN GIRL appears and plays across from Laine. It’s Debbie. Laine and Debbie make up.


Friends break into room after big storm. Laine is OK.


49. GRAVE. Laine leaves note for Debbie. Friends forever.


50. ONLINE OUJUA GAME. Fade out on blue screens of so many people playing…


THE END.