An excerpt from my script review for Wind Chill which will be available 03/24/25:
2.) Plot Stability
Despite the lackluster performance at the box office, this story did a lot of things right in terms of setting up the horror.
The most important is that we get a lot of little details that we know are going to figure in later when things start to go bad for our characters.
First thing presented to us?
A female college student needs a ride home for Christmas break, and has to check the random “ride board” on campus.
What could go wrong?
Her ride comes in the form of a beat up Oldsmobile, where the passenger door doesn’t open from the outside and window won’t completely roll up.
Knowing the title of this script, that’ll probably lead to some issues in terms of safety and comfort for our heroes.
Before setting off, there’s a bag of groceries that gets mistakenly left behind…gee, hope our characters don’t get stuck anywhere!
As they drive, the two discuss their philosophy final, mentioning the idea of “eternal recurrence” where spirits are stuck in a loop reliving their own demise…I wonder if this will tie in somehow?
Lastly, there are certain clues that Guy knows a bit more about Girl than he’s letting on. From knowing she wears glasses to not being familiar with the town he’s supposed to be from.
These are all great details to think about in your own script, and add to the “angst” we feel as an audience even before the supernatural stuff shows up!
As writers it’s our job to create hurdles for our characters to interact with and potentially overcome, so by starting early in the script, the audience will begin to wonder how this will play in later.
Them wondering is good, and as long as you’re setting up a payoff later, they’ll respect your talent even if your particular spec isn’t for them.
And remember there is no need to beat them over the head with these things. Trust that your reader is smart, laying a trail of bread crumbs and not paving the yellow brick road.
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