The Curse of the Mad Butcher

Logline:

When a cult revives a 1930s killer’s ritual, journalist Alex Rivera must stop them before the legendary Butcher returns to haunt Cleveland forever.

SYNOPSIS:

Cleveland, 1932—A string of gruesome, ritualistic murders terrorizes the city, orchestrated by The Cursed Hitman, a ruthless enforcer working under mob boss Vincent "Viper" Marconi. But these killings are more than crime—they’re part of an ancient ritual meant to awaken a dark force.

Decades later, investigative journalist Alex Rivera and her team uncover a horrifying truth: the murders have started again, following the same pattern. A hidden cult is working to resurrect the Butcher’s spirit, binding it to Cleveland forever. As the past and present collide, Alex must race against time to stop the final sacrifice—before the city becomes the Butcher’s eternal hunting ground.

Can they break the curse, or is history doomed to repeat itself?

SCRIPT COVERAGE REPORT

TITLE: The Curse of the Mad Butcher

AUTHOR: David Williamson

GENRE: Supernatural Horror / Occult Thriller

PAGE COUNT: 81

DATE: 10/16/2023

LOGLINE: Haunted by her great-grandfather's unsolved murder at the hands of a 1930s serial killer, a driven investigative journalist and her team uncover a modern-day cult attempting to resurrect the killer's malevolent spirit, forcing them to solve a century-old curse before the entire city is consumed by it.

A fantastic high-concept blend of historical true crime and supernatural horror. Very marketable.

Plot/Structure

Tightly structured with a clear, escalating "ticking clock." The mystery unfolds logically and suspensefully.

Characters

The two lead characters have strong, compelling arcs. Supporting characters are functional but could be deeper.

Dialogue

Dialogue is efficient and serves the plot well, though it could benefit from a polish for more distinct voices.

Pacing

Excellent. The script builds dread consistently and intersperses moments of discovery with action and horror.

Tone

The grim, rain-soaked, neo-noir horror tone is established immediately and maintained throughout.

SYNOPSIS

The script opens in 1932 Cleveland, where a shadowy mob enforcer, the CURSED HITMAN, performs a ritualistic murder on behalf of mob boss VINCENT "VIPER" MARCONI. This is the origin of the "Mad Butcher," a killer who uses occult rituals to gain power.

ACT I: We jump to the present day, where a series of gruesome, ritualistic murders are rocking Cleveland. ALEX RIVERA, a sharp investigative journalist, leads a small team: BELLA, the tech-savvy researcher; ETHAN, the empathetic historian; and CARTER, the street-smart former gang member. Alex believes the new killings are not random but are meticulously recreating the Mad Butcher's crimes from the 1930s.

Their investigation leads them to the city archives, where they uncover evidence of an ancient death cult, "The Order of the Blood Veil," which Marconi co-opted. They realize the Butcher wasn't just a killer; he was a vessel. During this, Carter is visibly shaken by a crime scene photo that triggers a flashback to his gang past, where he froze as his friend LUIS DELGADO was murdered. Alex reveals her own deep connection: her great-grandfather, GABRIEL RIVERA, was one of the Butcher's original victims. This isn't just a story for her; it's her family's curse. The act culminates with the team finding one of Marconi's abandoned safehouses, where they discover a hidden ritual chamber and an occult book detailing the Butcher's resurrection ritual.

ACT II: Armed with the ritual book, the team deciphers the cult's plan: six sacrifices are needed to complete a city-wide sigil that will not just resurrect the Butcher, but anchor his malevolent spirit to Cleveland permanently. With four victims already dead, the clock is ticking. The case becomes intensely personal for Carter when his former gang leader becomes the fifth victim, forcing him to confront an old contact, RICKY, who warns him that the cult is targeting everyone connected to his past trauma.

The team races to Kingsbury Run, the site of the original murders, to stop the sixth sacrifice. They manage to disrupt the ritual and save the victim, but in doing so, they only manage to "wake up" the dark entity, cracking open the veil between worlds. The cult, led by an intense and mysterious new CULT LEADER, completes the sixth murder elsewhere, finalizing the outer part of the city-wide binding ritual. The team is horrified to learn they haven't stopped the curse, they've merely entered its final, most dangerous phase.

ACT III: The team regroups, realizing the final piece of the ritual—the anchor point—will take place at the first place the Butcher ever killed: the now-abandoned Cleveland Observatory. They formulate a plan to disrupt the binding symbols and confront the cult head-on. At the Observatory, the team battles cultists while a blood-red moon hangs overhead. Ethan and Bella work to break the sigils in reverse order. Carter is confronted by a spectral vision of Luis but, fueled by Alex's encouragement, overcomes his guilt and tackles the Cult Leader, disrupting the ritual's core.

Alex, guided by a vision of her great-grandfather, uses a ritual dagger to strike the final blow, severing the connection and causing the dark energy to dissipate. The curse is broken. In a quiet epilogue, Carter visits Luis's grave, finally making peace with his past. The team, though scarred, has won.

POST-CREDIT SCENE: At the desolate Kingsbury Run site, a faint crimson light pulses deep within the earth. The ground subtly shifts, forming the outline of an unfinished sigil, as a faint whisper echoes: "It's not over..."

ANALYSIS & COMMENTS

CONCEPT & ORIGINALITY:

The script's concept is its greatest strength. It masterfully blends the real-life historical mystery of the Cleveland Torso Murderer with a compelling supernatural horror narrative. This fusion gives the story a grounded, gritty feel while allowing for high-stakes, otherworldly threats. It feels like Zodiac meets Hereditary, a combination with significant commercial appeal. The idea of the murders carving a massive occult sigil across the city itself is a fantastic, cinematic visual.

PLOT & STRUCTURE:

The plot is exceptionally well-structured and follows a classic three-act framework. The narrative engine is the "ticking clock" of the six sacrifices, which creates constant, escalating tension. Each discovery logically builds on the last, moving the mystery from a simple copycat case to a full-blown supernatural conspiracy. The reveals—Alex's lineage, Carter's trauma, the city-wide sigil—are well-timed and consistently raise the stakes for the characters. The action sequences are clear, concise, and serve to advance the plot and reveal character.

CHARACTERS & ARCS:

The screenplay excels in developing its two primary protagonists:

Alex Rivera: Her motivation is clear, personal, and powerful. She is not just a reporter chasing a story but a woman trying to right a generational wrong. Her journey from being haunted by the past to actively confronting and defeating it is the emotional core of the film.

Carter Nguyen: His arc is equally compelling. He represents the theme that the past is never truly dead. His journey is one of redemption, moving from being paralyzed by guilt to using his painful memories as fuel to save others. His final scene at the cemetery provides a satisfying emotional conclusion.

The supporting characters, Bella and Ethan, are slightly less developed. They function effectively as archetypes—the tech expert and the lore master—and provide necessary exposition and skills. However, a future polish could give them more distinct personalities and personal stakes in the story. The villains are effective forces of antagonism, from the ghostly Cursed Hitman to the fanatical Cult Leader.

DIALOGUE & PACING:

The dialogue is sharp and efficient, primarily serving to move the plot forward and reveal information. It effectively conveys the grim, determined tone of the story. While there are few lines that are truly "memorable," there are no moments where the dialogue feels clunky or out of place. A dialogue polish could add more subtext and unique vocal tics to further differentiate the characters.

The pacing is near-perfect. The 81-page count is lean and propulsive. The writer demonstrates a strong command of tension and release, balancing slow-burn investigation and moments of quiet dread with visceral horror and kinetic action.

MARKETABILITY & PRODUCTION NOTES

MARKETABILITY:

This script is highly marketable. It sits at the intersection of several popular genres: supernatural horror, crime thriller, and historical mystery.

Target Audience: Fans of elevated horror (Hereditary, The Witch), dark crime thrillers (Se7en, Prisoners), and supernatural procedurals (The Conjuring franchise).

Comparable Films: Se7en, The Conjuring, Zodiac, As Above, So Below, Deliver Us from Evil.

Franchise Potential: The post-credit scene explicitly sets up a sequel, a massive plus for production companies looking for new IP. The concept of historical curses being "reborn" offers endless possibilities.

PRODUCTION CONSIDERATIONS:

Budget: This could be produced on a mid-range budget. The primary costs would be location shooting, practical gore effects, and moderate CGI for the supernatural elements (glowing sigils, spectral figures, final energy collapse).

Casting: The roles of Alex and Carter are strong leads that would attract talented actors. The supporting cast is small and well-defined.

Visuals: The script is highly cinematic, offering a strong visual palette of rain-swept urban decay, dusty archives, and dark, candle-lit ritual sites. A director with a strong sense of atmosphere would excel with this material.

FINAL RECOMMENDATION: CONSIDER

"The Curse of the Mad Butcher" is a confident, well-executed, and commercially viable screenplay. Its high-concept premise is backed by a tight plot, excellent pacing, and two genuinely compelling lead characters with satisfying emotional arcs. While the supporting characters could be fleshed out further in a rewrite, the foundation is incredibly strong. This is a script that understands its genre and delivers on its promises of dread, mystery, and horror. With its clear franchise potential and strong visual identity, this project is worthy of serious consideration for development.