Scored 8 on Black List and Featured on their Top Lists among best Horror scripts

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Strengths: A chilling Western and domestic horror are the perfect ingredients for a haunting, intimate story. 'NIGHT FATHER patiently unravels the central family, spiraling each and every character into their own individual madness, leading to an ending that is sure to make an impact on the audience. For the majority of the plot, there's a creeping sense of paranoia and uncertainty, twisting both the characters' and the audiences' perception of the unusual terror happening on the homestead until the gruesome reveal of the Skinwalker. The details, dialogue, and descriptions are all well-written, succinct and emotionally-charged. It's especially important during the climactic cave scene, where the Skinwalker sheds itself like a Matryoshka doll, conveying the gory body horror and nightmarish visuals. Elinor, Dee, Eli, and Jenny are solid characters who are given their own individual conflicts and flaws that also makes this a compelling family drama. Dee and Eli embody the young, masculine urges dialed up to eleven while Jenny is understandably and tragically looked down on for her age, trapped in the middle of her brothers' feud. Their fates are both thematically fitting and gut-wrenching, the writer refusing to pull their punches for the plot.

Prospects: 'NIGHT FATHER is a more slow-paced and intimate horror film compared to the louder volume of mainstream movies. It could be attractive to the indie crowd who enjoy the more unique visions of A24 projects. Since the story is set in 1935, a potential challenge would be the production design. However, the plot is mostly contained at the farmhouse with the occasional sequence set in a small town. Most of the violence and effects happen in the second half, including a creature that sheds and transforms into different characters and several gruesome but not gory deaths. It's very comparable to THE WITCH and MEN. The script offers an opportunity to highlight younger talent, three of the main characters being kids and teenagers. The children's deaths could be upsetting for some viewers.