1. ELISLA SHORT FILM SCRIPT BY RIWAJ KARKI AND RUSHELLE
SHANTASH MCKOY
ELISLA
Written & Directed By
Riwaj Karki & Rushelle Shantash McKoy
1 INT.ELAINA’S BEDROOM – 6:07AM
Laid in her bed, Elaina opens her eyes.
(ESTABLISHING SHOT OF ELAINA IN BED) Staring at the
ceiling - looking and feeling empty, she stays
there thinking about her dad. She looks over to her
desk frame of her with her father and his graveyard
on the other side. (CAMERA PANS ACROSS BOTH
FRAMES)She gets up and heads out the room.
CUT TO:
2. INT.ELAINA’S KITCHEN – 6:15AM
She walks over to the kitchen (CAMERA PANS ALONG
WITH ELAINA) to make herself a cup of coffee
CUT TO:
(ESTABLISHING SHOT TO THE LIVING ROOM COUCH)
3. INT.ELAINA’S LIVING ROOM – 6:18AM
Elaina walks over to the couch in the living area
and sips her coffee looking at the clock on the
wall. She stares at the door waiting for her

2. ELISLA SHORT FILM SCRIPT BY RIWAJ KARKI AND RUSHELLE
SHANTASH MCKOY
therapist to come over. She looks at the calendar
and time on her phone to confirm her therapist is
in fact arriving. (OVER-THE-SHOULDER CAMERA SHOT)
CUT TO: (ALTERNATING SCENES)
4. INT. ISLA IN THE CHURCH 6:25AM
Isla sits there looking at the semi-empty walls of
the church. (ESTABLISHING SHOT FROM THE BACK)
Unlike Elaina, she looks awake and aware. She then
smirks. (ZOOM OF ISLA'S FACE)
CUT TO:
5. INT. ELAINA'S APARTMENT 6:30AM
There's a knock on Elaina's door. (ESTABLISHING
SHOT OF THE DOOR) She slowly walks over to the
door. (STEADY-CAM EFFECT SHOWING ELAINA WALKING
TOWARDS THE DOOR FROM THE BACK) She stares out
through her peep-hole to an empty corridor (FISHEYE EFFECT SHOWCASING TEH EMPTY HALLWAY) - nobody
appears to be there. She pulls back looking
confused wondering why her therapist wasn't at the
door - in fact, what wasn't anyone at the door? She
steps back slowly until she hears the bell go off
once again. (IDE-PROFILE SHOT) She quickly opens
the door - nobody's there. She steps out of her
apartment and looks around the hallway.
ELAINA: Is anyone there? Hello? (STEADY-CAM EFFECT
ZOOMED IN ON HER FACE)
CUT TO:
6. INT. ELAINA'S APARTMENT 6:35AM

3. ELISLA SHORT FILM SCRIPT BY RIWAJ KARKI AND RUSHELLE
SHANTASH MCKOY
She walks back into her apartment looking dazed and
confused. The door behind her suddenly shuts. She
quickly turns around in fear. She stands there for
a while looking traumatized. Without any further
thinking, she quickly runs to her kitchen (STEADYCAM EFFECT), opens her drawers and fetches the
biggest knife she sees. (OVER-THE-SHOULDER SHOT)
She goes through every part and room of her
apartment looking and searching for whoever's in
the flat with her. (MONTAGE SHOTS OF HER SEARCHING
THROUGH EVERY ROOM IN THE APARTMENT QUICKLY CUT
PAST EACH OTHER) She then returns to the original
spot where she found herself locked in her own
apartment. (STEADY-CAM EFFECT SLOWLY WALKING IN ON
ELAINA FROM THE BACK...) Slowly, something or
someone from behind bags her head.
CUT TO:
7. INT. ELAINA'S APARTMENT 6:45AM
Isla reveals herself - slowly taking off the skimask. (FACIAL CLOSE-UP) She then drags Elaina's
body across the floor to her bathroom and leaves
her on the bathtub. (LOW-LEVEL SHOT PANNING ACROSS
THE ROOM WITH THE BODY)
She approaches the bathroom mirror and looks at her
angrily. She then washed her hands off in the sink.
(OVER-THE-SHOULDER SHOT)
CUT TO:
8. INT. ELAINA'S BEDROOM 6:50AM
Isla steps into Elaina's bedroom and sits in front
of her vanity mirror. She completely brightens up

4. ELISLA SHORT FILM SCRIPT BY RIWAJ KARKI AND RUSHELLE
SHANTASH MCKOY
her make-up by modeling herself to a picture of
Elaina she sees stuck on the side of the mirror.
VOICEOVER ISLA: I've always loved make-up, playing dress-up
and transforming into different characters. It was
always my thing. Sometimes, unintentionally.
(LAUGHS) The lipsticks, the fake eyelashes, the
curlers - all of it. I loved it, I just loved it.
Afterwards, she walks towards her closet to try on
Elaina's bright and floral dress. She smiles.
8. INT. THE GRAVEYARD 7:00AM
Isla heads to the cemetery right by Elaian's
apartment where Elaina's dad was buried. She stands
in front of his grave and says:
"I'm sorry for the way I am, the way I have been
Isla was the one who killed you daddy, not me.
I love you. But. But, you know how she can b.
She can just, you know, come out of nowhere
sometimes. And it's the tiniest things.
She was just human, as I was. You didn't give her
enough. Today, I am Elisla. A hybrid of your two
daughters, but really - you only had once. Well,
um. I'm sorry you didn't know about my condition
but just put it this way - you daughter Elaina
loves you very much. A deamon or some kind of
creature who lives inside Elaina doesn't want us to
happy. Or that she didn't want us to be happy. I'm
sorry - I mean, Isla's sorry. Elaina loves you very
much."
Throughout her speech, Isla constantly feels as if
somebody is watching her. (QUICK EDITS BRIEFLY

5. ELISLA SHORT FILM SCRIPT BY RIWAJ KARKI AND RUSHELLE
SHANTASH MCKOY
SHOWCASING THE SHADOWS MOVING AROUND THE BUSHES AND
TREES) Sudden yet constant side-eyes and head-turns
occupy her very speech with fear and terror.
Suddenly, Elaina appears behind her and bags her
head until she stops breathing.
ELAINA: I finally did it, dad. I let her go.
But... but, I let you go to.
It's time for me to go now.
She looks at the gun on her hand (OVER-THE-SHOULDER
SHOT) and starts shaking. She slowly and forcefully
pulls it up to her head. She shoots herself.
VOICEOVER THERAPIST: Elaina, your meds.
THE END

6. ELISLA SHORT FILM SCRIPT BY RIWAJ KARKI AND RUSHELLE
SHANTASH MCKOY
SHOWCASING THE SHADOWS MOVING AROUND THE BUSHES AND
TREES) Sudden yet constant side-eyes and head-turns
occupy her very speech with fear and terror.
Suddenly, Elaina appears behind her and bags her
head until she stops breathing.
ELAINA: I finally did it, dad. I let her go.
But... but, I let you go to.
It's time for me to go now.
She looks at the gun on her hand (OVER-THE-SHOULDER
SHOT) and starts shaking. She slowly and forcefully
pulls it up to her head. She shoots herself.
VOICEOVER THERAPIST: Elaina, your meds.
THE END