A supernatural feature film typically runs 95-110 pages and is defined by stories involving ghosts, demons, psychic phenomena, or other forces beyond natural explanation. supernatural features blend the uncanny with emotional truth.
Establish the supernatural rules early — the audience needs to understand what's possible in your world. The supernatural element should metaphorically reflect the protagonist's emotional state or unresolved trauma. Skeptic characters provide grounding and create tension through disbelief. Build from subtle disturbances to full manifestations. Research and mythology scenes help the audience understand the threat without feeling like exposition. Jump scares are punctuation, not the sentence — sustained dread is more effective. The resolution should address both the supernatural threat and the protagonist's personal haunting.
Act one establishes the protagonist's emotional vulnerability and introduces the first supernatural occurrence (20-25 pages). Act two escalates the supernatural events while deepening the protagonist's investigation and personal crisis, with a midpoint revelation that connects the haunting to something deeply personal (55-60 pages). Act three is the confrontation — both with the supernatural force and with the personal truth the protagonist has been avoiding (20-25 pages).
Define the rules of the supernatural in your world — what's possible, what's forbidden, and what the cost of contact is.
Connect the supernatural element to the protagonist's emotional wound. The haunting should be literal and metaphorical.
Build from subtle wrongness to full manifestation. The audience should start uncertain and end overwhelmed.
Write one scene of absolute normalcy before the supernatural intrudes. The contrast is where the power lives.
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