[Janet Knowlton]

Wait Until Dark Thriller Conventions

What I learned doing this assignment is…These conventions have stood the test of time! Also, this thriller worked in a small space with limited cast and locations, making it a perfect contained script in 1967!

Unwitting
but Resourceful Hero: Mrs. Suzie Hendrix

Dangerous
Villain: Mr. Harry Roat, Jr.

High
stakes: Lisa was killed over what Roat calls “going into business for
herself,” which likely means not giving the doll to Roat quickly enough. Suzie has to figure out the con in time
to protect herself, or Roat will kill Suzie.

Life
and death situations: Roat kills Lisa in an unknown manner. Roat posts Carlino outside Suzie’s
apartment so she can’t leave and cuts her phone line. Later, Roat kills Carlino with a car,
and Talman with an ice pick. Roat locks
Suzie in her apartment, threatens to strangle her with a scarf, pours
gasoline over Suzie’s apartment and threatens to light it, grabs her
around the neck with her own cane crook and yanks her down the stairs, and
finally, tries to stab her.

This
movie is thrilling because? Suzie is blind, and is being duped by a gang
of professional criminals who enter her apartment multiple times. Sometimes they are present with her in
the apartment without her knowledge.
She must give the gang the doll they want, but she neither has the
doll, nor knows how to find the doll for most of the movie. Even after she finally finds the doll
and gives the doll to Roat under threat of her life, he still means to
kill her to cover his tracks.

What is the BIG Mystery, Intrigue, and Suspense of this story?

Big
Mystery: Who is/are the villain(s)? (smaller mysteries: Who REALLY killed Lisa? Who can Suzie trust? Where is the doll?)

Big
Intrigue: Roat hires two professional
con men, Talman and Carlino, to fool Suzie Hendrix into thinking her
husband, Sam Hendrix, killed Lisa, so that Suzie will give the cons the
doll, thinking it will help hide Sam’s guilt.

Big
Suspense: Roat will kill everyone,
including Suzie, to get the doll, and to cover his tracks. Will Suzie figure out the con before Roat
kills her?

Anything else you’d like to say about what made this movie a great thriller?

There is a late plot twist when Suzie realizes she can’t trust Talman. Also, Wait Until Dark had a great hope/fear sequence in the final minutes, with Roat and Suzie alternating control of the fight for their lives.

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[Janet Knowlton]

1. Janet Knowlton

2. I agree to the terms of this release form.

GROUP RELEASE FORM

As a member of this group, I agree to the following:

1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.

2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.

I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.

3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.

4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.

5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.

6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.

This completes the Group Release Form for the class.

[Janet Knowlton]

1. Janet Knowlton

2. 4

3. I want to improve my Thriller writing skills, especially mapping.

4. One of my hobbies is making crystal chandeliers.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by  Janet Knowlton.