You get the idea.

1. Final Draft Shooting Script
SLEEP PARALYSIS
By Keeleigh Keane
December 2017

2. 1. INT. HOUSE 1 BATHROOM - NIGHT
SFX: FOOTSTEPS AND RUNNING WATER.
[Explain how the scene works in which the KILLER is
cleaning up after his most recent kill.]
2. INT. DR. CROW’S OFFICE - DAY
[Other directions to go here and perhaps at various
points of the script as you see fit.]
DR. CROW: “Take me through your first episode step-by-
step and how you were feeling at each point during this
episode.”
MARA: “The first thing I felt was that I couldn’t feel
anything…I tried moving but the best I could do was to
flutter my eyes. I then felt a sudden and strong
heaviness pushing down on top of my chest. I…I couldn’t
breathe. It felt like I was suffocating. That’s when I
saw it.”
DR. CROW: “Saw what, MARA?”
MARA: “In the…darkness…it was hard to tell. Only shapes
at first and I was groggy with sleep. Then it became
clear…I saw a black silhouette of a man. Just the
outline. I couldn’t see his face.”
DR. CROW: “What makes you think it was a man, MARA?”
MARA: “Well, he was muscular, tall and…I just felt very
intimidated.”
DR. CROW: “And you’ve seen this man in every episode?”
MARA: “Yes, every episode I have. It’s exactly the same.
Some nights I don’t sleep because I’m afraid I won’t wake
up. I’ll be trapped in a nightmare forever.”
DR. CROW: “Yes, I imagine that would be very distressing
for you. Are you sure this is the same man every time?”
MARA: “Well…no, not really. I just assumed…but then…it
normally seems to happen just before I’m about to wake
up.”
DR. CROW: “So you’re a little groggy…?”

3. MARA: “Well, yes. Sometimes I think it looks…inhuman…but
then…I have bad dreams too. And yet those are very
different.”
DR. CROW: “Um-hmm, that’s interesting. So there are
hallucinations too. Is there a history of mental illness
in the family?”
MARA: [A little annoyed because she feels like he’s not
listening properly.] “But…I don’t worry about the dreams.
They’re just dreams!”
DR. CROW: “Mmm, but, in the mind, there are many
connections. The mind is a labyrinth, a network of paths
unfamiliar to all of mankind. Even if we see a demon, we
cannot kill it…and it hides its face.”
MARA: “I don’t understand but…yes, my Grandmother was
very ill. She was a paranoid schizophrenic.”
DR. CROW: “A very misunderstood condition.”
MARA: “It was a long time ago…when she was a young woman,
not much younger than I am now. She had a thing against
technology. It started when she became obsessed that
someone was bugging her phone so she only communicated in
letters. We couldn’t get in a car because of the
electrics. It went on for years. The last straw was
when the internet took over around about the time I was
born. Since then, she’s been…out of it.”
DR. CROW: “In a Catatonic state?”
MARA: “That’s it.”
DR. CROW: “Well, that is worrying…and I imagine your
sleep patterns aren’t normal either.”
MARA: (Clearly not feeling comfortable) “No.”
[DR. CROW looks over at the clock.]
DR. CROW: “Well, I’m afraid to say that our time is
almost up. Until our next appointment, I am going to
prescribe you some medication that should help to relax
and fall asleep. Try it out for the next week and during
our next session, we can see whether you’d like to
continue taking it, okay?”
MARA: “I guess? Do…do you think you know what it is?”

4. DR. CROW: “It’s a little early to tell just yet. I’m
aware of some potentially quite outlandish diagnoses but
I don’t want to get ahead of myself. As yet, I’m almost
entirely convinced it is linked with your panic attacks
and that these episodes are an extension of the neuroses
that we have discussed in the past.”
MARA: “Thank you. See you next week?”
DR. CROW: “See you next week, MARA. And if you have any
problems, please feel free to call the office.”
MARA: “I will. Thanks again. Bye!”
The DR. CROW smiles and sees her out.
END SCENE
3. INT. MARA’S HOME (HOUSE 2): LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
[Over-the-shoulder shot, zooms in to focus on the phone
in Mara’s hand. Mara is texting her friend Olly: “Hey,
can you come over? I’m worried about taking these new
pills alone…” Olly replies: “Sure, be there in 15.”]
[SFX: Knock at the door.]
MARA: “Thanks for coming, Olly. I know I’ve been asking
you to come over a lot lately. I’m just petrified of
going to sleep and now I’m on these new drugs as well…”
OLLY: “Mara, it’s fine. You know I’ll always be here for
you. What drugs have they got you on now?”
MARA: “Oh, I don’t know. I just take the box and see
what happens. It’s something like Quetiapea? Quetapin?”
OLLY: “Quetiapine?”
MARA: “Yeah! That’s it, plus Temazepam to help me fall
asleep.”
OLLY: “Right…it’s getting late so you head off to bed and
I’ll be down here whenever you need me.”
MARA: “Okay, thanks again, Olly.”
OLLY: “Anytime.”

5. [Mara heads upstairs. The camera follows Olly as he
heads into the living room, gets out his phone and begins
Googling the drugs.]
(V/O – without seeing the TV, we can hear a report about
home invasions in the local area.)
[Possible montage of Olly researching, tying in
‘Quetiapine’, focusing on descriptions and side effects.
A message pops up on Messenger asking him if he has heard
about the home invasions. He says they are probably
Halloween pranks. We see him typing in the symptoms for
sleep paralysis before he actually finds the term ‘sleep
paralysis’ and begins browsing it.]
END SCENE
4. INT. MARA’S HOME (HOUSE 2): BEDROOM - NIGHT
[Another scene in which the night terrors occur again.
OLLY may comfort MARA but may also mention what he
suspects about sleep paralysis. There could be some
footage of a possible house invasion mixed in.] – too
much to include this scene?
END SCENE
5. INT. DR. CROW’S OFFICE - DAY
[The scene opens with an XCU of Mara’s eyes closed due to
sleep deprivation.]
DR. CROW [v/o]: “Mara?”
MARA: “S…sorry. I haven’t been getting much sleep.”
DR. CROW: “I’m not surprised at the moment. Is it
because of these home invasions?”
MARA: “Home invasions?”
DR. CROW: “Oh, clearly not then. Mara, I’d like to try
some hypnotherapy to get at the root of the problem. Is
that okay? Would you be ready to do this now?”
MARA: “Uh…okay.”
DR. CROW: “Now, there’s a pen and some paper on that
table. We are going to use the power of hypnosis to
recall details from your subconscious mind and sometimes
that is best expressed as either writing or pictures.”

6. MARA: “In understand, Doctor.”
DR. CROW: “Okay, I’d like to ask you to take a few deep
breaths for me. That’s good. Now close your eyes and
focus on my voice. Put aside everything that has
happened today and picture yourself at home in the
evening.
[May switch between XCUs of DR. CROW’s mouth and MARA’s
eyes closing during this line. Fades to black then fades
in again to see MARA in her chair. The pen is next to
her but not the paper. The Doctor is seen tucking this
into his pocket.]
DR. CROW: “You did very well, Mara. I’d like to take
this note to a colleague to be analysed. If it’s what I
think it is then you will have nothing to worry about
very shortly.”
END SCENE
6. INT. MARA’S HOME (HOUSE 2): BEDROOM - NIGHT
[Other possible scenes:
• The final scene involves her attack at the hands of
the ‘monster’ which is later revealed to be DR. CROW
using a tracheotomy tube to force pills into her to
give her an overdose. We might also use a voiceover
of the line: “Even if we see a demon, we cannot kill
it…and it hides its face.” The camera focuses on a
crumpled suicide note lying on the bedside table.
• Any other footage might explain other details e.g.
the calendar, other flashbacks etc.