BATS CAN SEE (13-page short horror screenplay) Written by Yuvraj Rajwanshi
A visually impaired painter with an unusual gift soon discovers that her paintings bear resemblance to a forthcoming mishap.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But a painting can convey a stronger message than words can describe. And that message can be interpreted in many, many ways, depending on the person interpreting the art. The paintings in this tale, however, seem to be very specific in what they’re conveying, leaving no room for interpretation…
Gwen is a very talented artist despite her visual impairment: she can accurately paint portraits of her subjects simply by touching them. And her process is unusually quick, as made evident in the opening scene with her subject, a young woman named Nina.
NINA
How much time will it take?
Gwen puts a fresh canvas on the easel.
GWEN
You’ll get it tomorrow.
NINA
Tomorrow! I thought it’d take
at least a week.
Gwen giggles from behind the canvas.
GWEN
For other painters, yes. For me, no.
The thing about Gwen’s portraits is that she’s not painting them with exact poses in mind or considering backgrounds or concepts for them – it’s almost as if each brush stroke has a mind of its own, creating works of art based on sheer instinct. And once Gwen finishes her painting of Nina, we see a pair of headlights in the work, as if a car were about to hit her. Sure enough, Nina does end up dead. And, as the painting depicts, it seems to be because of a hit-and-run incident involving an automobile.
Nina’s friend, Rose, investigates the death of her friend with the help of her friend, Mick, who’s part of a news production team that just happen so happens to be reporting on the tragic hit-and-run. But Rose doesn’t have to do too much investigating – Gwen finds her after hearing about the tragic news.
Are Gwen’s painting’s predicting the future? Or are her paintings, in some cosmic, other-worldly way, causing these incidents to happen somehow?
With a very clever premise and a mysterious character in Gwen, this mind-bender will keep audiences guessing and interpreting what they’ve just seen, as if looking at one of Gwen’s paintings, themselves. I highly recommend this to any filmmakers looking to shoot something on a low budget with minimal cast.
BUDGET: Low. Four actors, simple locations (a house, a park, street and a cafe). There is one scene with an ambulance and a small crowd.
ABOUT THE WRITER: While pursuing a career in engineering at the age of 19, Yuvraj Rajwanshi is also a talented, aspiring writer who loves to read novels and screenplays. He has read over 50 novels and numerous short stories and scripts. His love for reading stories inspired him to write down his own ideas and turn them into his own stories. Yuvraj loves to write in the suspense, thriller and horror genres, but continues to expand his repertoire while exploring writing in other genres. Yuvraj can be reached at: yuvrajwanshi2000(a) gmail.
Read: BATS CAN SEE (13-page short horror screenplay)
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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.
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