Screenplay Structure Analysis

The Witch

Written by Robert Eggers · Horror · 107 pages · 82 scenes · 3-act natural structure · linear organization · Analysis confidence: High

In 1630s New England, a Puritan family exiled from their plantation to the edge of a primeval forest descends into paranoia and madness as they are torn apart by witchcraft, black magic, and their own religious hysteria.

Tone
Bleak, oppressive, dread-filled, folkloric nightmare

Tension curve

Dramatic intensity across The Witch from first page to last, sampled at 40 points on a 0–10 scale. Values: 5.7, 5.4, 5.4, 6.2, 6.5, 6.5, 5.8, 5.9, 6.2, 6.5, 6.6, 6.5, 6.2, 5.9, 6, 6.3, 6.5, 6.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.4, 5.8, 5.7, 6.2, 7.4, 8.3, 9.3, 9.6, 9.2, 8.6, 8.3, 8.4, 8.3, 7.5, 7.7, 8.3, 9.2, 8.8, 8, 7.4.

Structure at a glance

Inciting incident
Page 9, 8% of the script: Thomasin plays peekaboo with baby Samuel at the edge of the wood at dusk, making him squeal with laughter and raising his hands; the scene cuts to black as his laughter subsides and he sounds worried.
Act 1 break
Page 41, 38% of the script: The family's paranoia erupts into open accusation during prayer as Katherine blames Thomasin for Samuel's disappearance, shifting from external threat to internal collapse.
Midpoint
Page 57, 53% of the script: (no summary)
Act 2 break
Page 87, 81% of the script: Caleb's death and Thomasin's complete isolation as both parents turn fully against her, marking the point of no return for the family's destruction.
Climax
Page 104, 97% of the script: Thomasin conjures Black Phillip to speak; a deep voice asks what she wants and offers butter, a pretty dress, and to live deliciously; she agrees and signs his book with her name.
Peak tension
9.6 out of 10, reached about 69% of the way through; the script averages 7.0.
Average scene length
1.7 pages

Structural personality

This script operates as a slow-burn descent into hell, structured as a methodical dismantling of a family unit. The first act establishes the family's precarious position and introduces the supernatural threat through Samuel's abduction. The second act is a protracted middle section (scenes 34-61) where Caleb's seduction and possession become the catalyst for the family's complete paranoid breakdown. The third act accelerates into violent chaos as each family member is eliminated until only Thomasin remains. The structure mirrors a Puritan sermon about damnation: setup, suffering, and final judgment—except here, damnation becomes liberation. The script's pacing is deliberately patient, allowing dread to accumulate through domestic routine before erupting into horror.

Pacing

The pacing is deceptively slow in the first 40 pages, building through mundane farm labor and family tension. Scene 11 (the witch's ritual with Samuel) provides the first explicit horror beat. The pace quickens significantly from scene 38 onward when Caleb enters the wood alone, leading to his seduction (scene 48) and return (scene 52). Scene 59 marks a major acceleration—Caleb's possession scene is the script's most intense sequence, after which the pacing becomes relentless. The final 25 pages (scenes 60-82) move rapidly through the family's complete annihilation, with barely any breathing room between William's death, Katherine's attack, and Thomasin's final transformation.

Themes

Similar shapes

Screenplays whose tension curve most closely matches The Witch.

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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