Screenplay Structure Analysis
The Conjuring
When paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren are called to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their secluded farmhouse, they confront one of the most horrifying cases of their careers—a malevolent witch's curse that threatens to possess the mother and destroy the family.
Tone
Escalating dread with grounded realism; procedural investigation meets visceral terror; intimate family drama underscored by cosmic evil
Tension curve
Dramatic intensity across The Conjuring from first page to last, sampled at 40 points on a 0–10 scale. Values: 7.3, 6.4, 5.4, 4.4, 4.2, 4.5, 5.4, 6.3, 6.2, 6.2, 6.4, 6.6, 6.5, 6.4, 7, 7, 6.1, 5.2, 4.5, 4, 3.3, 2.9, 2.9, 3.8, 5.2, 5.9, 6.7, 6.7, 7.4, 7.2, 6.3, 6, 6.2, 6.7, 6.6, 7, 8.1, 9.2, 8.9, 8.7.
Structure at a glance
- Inciting incident
- Page 12, 11% of the script: Andrea finds Sadie dead on the ground, chained to a post with her tail motionless, causing Andrea's lips to tremble.
- Act 1 break
- Page 36, 32% of the script: Ed and Lorraine arrive at the Perron house for the first time, transitioning from setup to active investigation as they enter the haunted space.
- Midpoint
- Page 61, 54% of the script: Jerome sorts through cables connected to seven VCRs and monitors labeled for different rooms; Cindy stands next to him looking smitten as he explains the equipment.
- Act 2 break
- Page 89, 78% of the script: Father Jordon refuses the Warrens' request for an exorcism, forcing them to take matters into their own hands and escalating the stakes to life-or-death.
- Climax
- Page 109, 96% of the script: Ed, Lorraine, and Bruce burst into the master bedroom to find Roger pointing a rifle at Carolyn's head while she has Andrea in a death grip with knitting needles at her feet, a bullet hole in the ceiling, and Cindy nearby petrified; Ed convinces Roger not to shoot by explaining it would be another sacrifice the witch wants, and Bruce takes the gun while Lorraine approaches Carolyn.
- Peak tension
- 9.2 out of 10, reached about 95% of the way through; the script averages 6.0.
- Average scene length
- 1.1 pages
Structural personality
This script operates as a classic three-act supernatural procedural that methodically builds terror through accumulation rather than shock. Act One (scenes 1-59) runs approximately 36 pages and establishes two parallel worlds: the Perron family's deteriorating domestic situation and the Warrens' credibility as investigators. The structure is patient, allowing the haunting to reveal itself through small, escalating incidents (clocks stopping at 5:15, bruises, clapping games) before the professionals arrive. Act Two (scenes 60-143) spans roughly 47 pages and functions as an extended investigation sequence where the Warrens gather evidence, the supernatural activity intensifies, and the threat spreads from the Perron house to the Warren home (the slinky attacking Judy). This act break at scene 143 is crucial—the institutional refusal of help forces a shift from procedural documentation to direct confrontation. Act Three (scenes 144-189) compresses into approximately 31 pages of sustained climactic action: the exorcism sequence where all narrative threads converge in real-time terror. The structure mirrors the Warrens' methodology: observe, document, escalate intervention.
Pacing
The script's pacing is defined by strategic compression and expansion. The opening prologue (scenes 1-4) is a rapid 3-page cold open establishing the house's dark history. Act One then deliberately slows, spending 8-10 scenes on the Perron family's first days in the house, allowing mundane domesticity to curdle into unease. The Warren introduction (scene 19) arrives on page 13, creating a structural counterweight. Act Two accelerates through investigation montages but punctuates with extended set-pieces: the basement descent (scenes 61, 99), the hidden room discovery (scenes 118-123), and Lorraine's vision in the woods (scenes 127-128). The final act (scene 181 onward) abandons all breathing room, sustaining unbroken tension across 7 pages of exorcism. Scene length averages 0.6 pages, creating a staccato rhythm of quick cuts that mirrors the fragmented, disorienting nature of the haunting itself.
Themes
- Faith as a weapon against darkness
- The sanctity and vulnerability of family
- The cost of confronting evil
- Maternal love twisted into violence
- The thin veil between the living and the dead
Similar shapes
Screenplays whose tension curve most closely matches The Conjuring.
- The Wrestler by Rob Siegel
- Conclave by Peter Straughan
- Sinister by Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill
Scene summaries and structural markers are generated by AI analysis of the screenplay text and may contain minor inaccuracies. ScriptGraph analyzes structure and does not reproduce screenplay text.
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