A supernatural short film typically runs 5-15 pages and is defined by uncanny short films where one impossible element invades an ordinary world. supernatural shorts work through suggestion — a single unexplainable occurrence that lingers in the mind.
One supernatural element, thoroughly explored. Establish normalcy first — the supernatural needs a canvas of the mundane to work against. Show, don't tell — the audience should experience the supernatural through sensory details, not character explanation. The supernatural event should reflect the protagonist's emotional state or inner conflict. Ambiguity is an asset in short form — did it really happen? Leave the audience questioning. Sound design cues (silence, ambient wrongness, sudden shifts) are essential to write into the script. The final image should be the most unsettling or wonder-filled moment.
Establish the ordinary world and the character's emotional state (1-3 pages). Introduce and escalate the supernatural element (3-8 pages). End with the supernatural's full manifestation or its ambiguous aftermath (1-3 pages). Total: 5-15 pages. Festival-ideal: 8-12 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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