Screenwriting Exercise: How To Write A Religious Thriller

Films such as "Stigmata," The Believers," "The Omen," and "The Exorcist" are part of a sub-genre known as the religious thriller.

In this sub-genre, an innocent person, someone who is kind in nature, is attacked by or possessed by a religious leader, spirit, angel, or demon. This person is also entrapped in a battle between two opposing forces--usually a protagonist and an antagonist.

Answer the questions in this screenwriting exercise to write a screenplay utilizing the elements that shape the films in this sub-genre.

Subject: In "Stigmata," a religious object serves as the subject of the story. The object is a necklace of rosary beads that belongs to a deceased priest named Father Alameida.The necklace is given to an atheistic woman hairdresser named Frankie Paige, and the spirit of Alameida, a religious leader, then passes from the necklace into Frankie, possessing her and causing her to reveal the secrets of the Gospel of St. Thomas, the ancient document Alameida had been translating prior to his death.

1.

What type of religious object is responsible for paranormal religious phenomena in your screenplay? Describe this object, its history, and its relationship to a religious leader, spirit, angel, or demon.

2.

Who discovers this object?
 

3.

What type of inciting incident makes the protagonist (the hero) investigate this object?
 

4.

When--at what point during the protagonist's investigation--does he find that the object responsible for the paranormal religious phenomena is related in some way to a religious leader, spirit, angel, or demon?
 

5.

Where is this object discovered? Describe the geographic location where the discovery is made and the reason(s) why the object is found there.
 

6.

Why does the object induce visions or spiritual possession in an innocent person?
 

Focus : The focus of "The Believers" is the investigation of Dr. Cal Jamison, a psychiatrist, into whether Police Officer Tom Lopez is responsible for killing a young child in a human sacrifice that utilized black magic rituals.

The focus of "The Exorcist" is the murder of Director Burke Dennings and the subsequent investigation into whether Regan Macneil, an innocent girl possessed by a demon, killed Burke while in a state of demonic possession.

1.

What is the focus of your story? Describe a religious crime that was reported in newspapers and/or magazines. Show that it is linked to an attack against an innocent person or to the spiritual possession of that person.
 

2.

Who is the protagonist in this crime? Describe the person who is investigating this crime and the reason for his investigation. Who is the antagonist in this crime? Describe the person who is trying to cover up the existence of this crime and the reason for his cover-up.
 

3.

What is the purpose of this crime? Is a religious leader trying to teach the world a lesson? Is the spirit of a deceased person trying to be reincarnated through an innocent person? Is a demon trying to destroy that innocent person by possessing her and making her commit a crime or by attacking her?
 

4.

When does this possession or attack take place? Describe how the time when a religious object is discovered could be related to the time when an innocent person is attacked by or possessed by an angel, demon, religious leader, or spirit.
 

5.

Where does this possession or attack take place? Describe the location where an innocent person is attacked or possessed. Define the way in which this location is related to the discovery of a religious object.
 

6.

Why does this possession or attack occur? Describe the reason why an innocent person is attacked by or possessed by an angel, demon, religious leader, or spirit.
 

Curse : In "The Believers," Kate and Dennis Maslow, the parents of Dr. Cal Jamison's deceased wife, kill their own son in a human sacrifice. Kate and Dennis later become involved in a voodoo cult in which young boys are regularly killed in sacrifices. As a result, Cal--a police psychiatrist--investigates the murders committed by the cult. His investigation endangers his son, Chris, and leads to the permanent brainwashing of his lover, Jessica. The brainwashing of Jessica is part of a curse created by the voodoo cult activities of Kate and Dennis Maslow. Cal's decision to conduct an investigation into the cult makes the curse come true and, consequently, can be called a tragic deed .

In "The Omen," Ambassador Robert Thorn's tragic deed is his decision to secretly adopt a newborn boy named Damien and to deceive his wife into believing Damien is the child she gave birth to. This boy turns out to be the Antichrist, the son of the devil. So, Robert's decision to adopt Damien is a tragic deed, a betrayal that eventually kills his wife. This decision also dooms Robert with the curse of death at the hands of the Antichrist.

1.

Who is responsible for inadvertently dooming the protagonist with a curse and in that way pre-determining the fate of the protagonist?
 

2.

What is the tragic deed--the betrayal of a friend or relative-- that is accidentally committed by the protagonist?
 

3.

When does the protagonist learn that his or her tragic deed was caused by a curse?
 

4.

Where does the protagonist discover the origin of the curse?
 

5.

Why did a religious leader, spirit, angel, or demon create the curse that made the  protagonist hurt a friend or relative?
 

Oracle: In "The Omen," Father Brennan, a priest, recites a biblical prophecy predicting the rise to power of the Antichrist and says that Damien, Ambassador Robert Thorn's son,  will seize the wealth and power of the Thorn family by killing Robert's wife, Kathy, and her unborn child, as well as by killing Robert. By reciting the prophecy, Father Brennan becomes an oracle, someone who makes predictions.

1.

Who recites a prophecy predicting the fate of the protagonist? What type of person recites the prophecy? Does this person practice a specific profession?
 

2.

What is the prophecy--or prediction--made by an oracle, a person who makes such predictions?
 

3.

When is this prophecy supposed to come true? Will it come true after the protagonist performs a specific action? If so, why does he or she perform this action?
 

4.

Where does the prophecy come true? Is there a specific geographic location that plays a role in the fulfillment of the prophecy?
 

5.

Why is the fate of the protagonist predicted in a prophecy from an oracle?
 

Archetype : In "The Exorcist," Father Karras starts out as a psychiatrist who helps fellow priests. By imitating the actions of his mentor, Father Merrin, Karras eventually become the man of faith known as the exorcist, someone who is an archetype, a specific type of person.

1.

Who does the protagonist subconsciously imitate to save an innocent person from being killed by or harmed by a religious leader, spirit, angel, or demon? Does the protagonist have a mentor whose actions he is imitating?
 

2.

What main action does the protagonist imitate? How is this action shown to be part of his investigation into the reasons why an innocent person is being attacked by or possessed by a religious leader, spirit, angel, or demon?
 

3.

When does the protagonist discover that his investigation into paranormal religious phenomena is actually pre-determining his fate and in that way turning him into a specific archetype, a type of character?
 

4.

Where does the protagonist save an innocent person from death and in that way complete the process of becoming a specific type of character?
 

5.

Why does the protagonist undertake a journey that will change him into that character?
 

Process :  In "The Exorcist," there is a three-stage process that defines the story. In the first stage, the possession, we see the gradual mental and physical deterioration of a little girl from someone who is innocent in nature to someone who possesses the evil of a demon. In the second stage, the investigation , Father Karras, investigates the girl's illness and tries to determine whether it's a true case of demonic possession. In the third stage, the exorcism, Karras actually performs the exorcism of the girl, trying to rid her of the demon.

1.

What is the three-stage process--the beginning, middle, and end--that the protagonist must undergo to achieve his goal of saving an innocent person from death at the hands of a religious leader, spirit, angel, or demon?
 

2.

Who commits the crime that is the focus of this process? In other words, who is the antagonist? Is the antagonist someone who is in the same profession as the protagonist?
 

3.

What does each stage of the process do to the protagonist psychologically? How does it change him?
 

4.

When do we learn that the protagonist has been entrapped in this process?
 

5.

Where does the final confrontation--the climax of this process--take place? Is this place related in some way to the geographic location where a religious object was discovered in the beginning of the story?
 

6.

Why does the protagonist begin this process?
 

Scenes :  Remember that each scene is part of the three-stage process of the story. When preparing a scene, define the action and the conflict by asking yourself
the following questions:

1.

Who is responsible for causing conflict in this scene?
 

2.

What is the main action of this scene and the resultant conflict?
 

3.

When do we discover that this action is related to the crime that serves as the focus of the story? This crime could be a murder or a physical attack of some kind.
 

4.

Where does this scene take place? What is the location?
 

5.

Why do the characters in this scene take the actions that they take?
 

Characters : Describe each of the main characters in your story: the protagonist,
the antagonist, the oracle, and the innocent person. For each character, ask yourself
the following questions:

1.

Who is this character? Is this character a doctor, a lawyer, a priest, a model?
 

2.

What is this character's goal?
 

3.

When does this character become involved in the main conflict of the story?
 

4.

Where are we first introduced to this character? Is there a specific location where we first see him or her?
 

5.

Why does this character become involved in the main conflict of the story?
 

Conflict: Describe the main conflict, the ongoing battle between two opposing forces known as the protagonist and the antagonist. Show the way in which this battle is caused by a religious crime that serves as the focus of the story.

In "The Believers," Dr. Cal Jamison, a psychiatrist, does battle with Robert Calder, a wealthy businessman who kills young boys in black magic voodoo rituals. This ongoing battle is the main conflict of the story. The focus of the battle is a crime, the ritualistic murder of a young boy. When Cal Jamison investigates this murder, he ends up battling Robert Calder.

For each character, ask yourself:

1.

Who does this character seek help from to achieve a goal?
 

2.

What does this character want from the other main characters?
 

3.

When does this character confront another character or characters?
This is the final confrontation of the story.
 

4.

Where does this character take part in the final confrontation?
What is the location?
 

5.

What is the reason why this character takes part in the confrontation? Does he or she have a particular point of view that compels him or her to do so? If so, what kind of personal experience helped create this point of view?
 

Resolution: Write a few paragraphs describing the resolution of your story. The resolution should show that the oracle's prophecy, his prediction about the fate of the protagonist, has come true. Show that this fate was pre-determined by a curse. And, show that this fate completes the three-stage process that turns the protagonist into a specific archetype, a type of person.

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