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THE AMITYVILLE ASYLUM script analysis

THE AMITYVILLE ASYLUM script - Save the Cat beat sheet analysis

Lisa Hardesty takes a cleaning job at a mental hospital built on the infamous Amityville site and soon encounters unsettling apparitions of a little girl. As she delves into the hospital’s dark history, she bonds with co‐worker Delaney and uncovers a satanic ritual led by Dr. Mixter. When the patients break loose, Lisa must confront the evil forces at work and save herself and Delaney. The story ends with Dr. Mixter exploiting the massacre for fame.

75 Save the Cat fit score 30% analysis confidence / 92 parsed scenes

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1

Opening Image

Scene 1 / Page 1 / 1% target

80%

Establishing shot of the ominous Amityville house sets the mood.

2

Theme Stated

Scene 2 / Page 1 / 5% target

70%

A hooded figure commands Butch to kill his family, foreshadowing violence’s corrupting power.

Kill them. Kill them all.
3

Set-Up

Scenes 1-12 / Page 1 / 10% target

75%

We meet Lisa, learn her financial need and see the hospital and key players before her first night.

4

Catalyst

Scene 17 / 12% target

85%

Lisa gets the call from Dr. Mixter offering her the cleaning job, launching her into the hospital world.

Lisa this is Doctor Mixter at High Hopes Hospital.
5

Debate

Scenes 26-29 / 20% target

70%

Lisa hesitates after seeing a ghostly little girl and faces skepticism from co‐workers about what she saw.

So you're the one who saw the little girl huh?
6

Break into Two

Scene 23 / 25% target

80%

Lisa descends into Ward X, fully entering the unfamiliar and terrifying second act world.

7

B Story

Scenes 18-19 / 30% target

80%

Lisa meets Delaney, establishing their partnership and emotional support thread.

Doctor Mixter said you would be coming. I'm Delaney, we'll be working together.
8

Fun and Games

Scenes 25-31 / 40% target

75%

Lisa explores the wards, meets dangerous patients, and experiences unsettling events under Delaney’s guidance.

9

Midpoint

Scene 39 / 50% target

65%

The revelation that Mrs. Hardesty is dead raises the stakes and confirms the supernatural threat.

Where is this patient huh?
10

Bad Guys Close In

Scene 49 / 65% target

70%

Sadie’s direct claim of talking to Lisa’s dead mother tightens the malevolent pressure on Lisa.

I've been talking to your mother Lisa.
11

All Is Lost

Scene 51 / 75% target

75%

Overwhelmed by horrors in Ward X, Lisa refuses to go back, feeling defeated.

I'm not going down to Ward X again, I'm really sorry I just can't handle it down there!
12

Dark Night of the Soul

Scene 61 / 80% target

70%

Over coffee with Nancy, Lisa learns the hospital sits on the Amityville murder site, deepening her despair.

13

Break into Three

Scene 75 / 85% target

75%

Lisa returns to confront Sadie and discovers that Butch DeFeo is a patient, sparking her final resolve.

14

Finale

Scenes 84-94 / 95% target

80%

Patients are unleashed in a ritual; Lisa and Delaney fight through chaos, and Lisa kills Patient X to survive.

Lights out, you son-of-a-bitch!!
15

Final Image

Scene 98 / 99% target

85%

Dr. Mixter promotes his book on a TV show, capitalizing on the massacre—mirroring the opening’s sinister reveal.