THE OPEN WINDOW

I. STORY SYNOPSIS

A character-driven psychological mystery in a Victorian house

Framton Nuttel, a fragile gentleman sent to the countryside for a “nerve cure,” arrives at an imposing Victorian home at dusk. He meets Vera — a self-possessed teenage girl who appears innocent but lives her life like a chess grandmaster. She studies people the way others study patterns, quickly sizing up their fears and crafting lies for the sheer pleasure of watching others react.

Vera tells Framton a tragic tale: three men — her aunt’s husband and young brothers — supposedly walked out through the window three years ago and were swallowed by the marshes, never to return. She whispers this story with such conviction and detail that Framton becomes absorbed in its dread.

But it is all a lie.

The hunters are alive and well. Vera simply weaves psychological stories as easily as she breathes. When the men return home at dusk — muddy, laughing, and singing the tune Vera described — Framton’s terror explodes. He flees into the night as if pursued by ghosts.

The final twist is pure Saki irony:
Vera immediately invents a second lie to explain why Framton ran — “He had a horror of dogs.”
She resets the chess board and prepares her next game.

This film is ultimately about perception, manipulation, and the dangerous power of a believable lie.

SCREENPLAY

FADE IN:

EXT. COUNTRY ROAD – DUSK (THIS IS AN AI SHOT)

A horse-drawn carriage materializes through low, drifting fog. The light is dying; sky bruised violet.

Inside, FRAMTON NUTTEL (mid-40s, anxious, tightly wound) rides with gloved hands clenched around a letter of introduction.

A lantern sways beside him, throwing nervous shadows across his face.

EXT. VICTORIAN HOUSE – CONTINUOUS

The carriage stops before the brooding Queen Anne Victorian. Warm yellow windows glow against the cold dusk.

The driver helps Framton down. The carriage pulls away, swallowed by fog.

Framton approaches the porch—hesitant, intimidated. A clock inside ticks faintly.

INT. FOYER – MOMENTS LATER

The door opens to reveal a dimly lit Victorian foyer. Heavy wallpaper. Carved wood. An ornate grandfather clock ticks.

VERA (15), composed, intelligent, quietly intense, sits at a chess table in the corner. A Tiffany lamp glows over the board. Only one side’s pieces are arranged—the opposite chair is empty.

She looks up as Framton enters.

VERA

My aunt will be down presently, Mr. Nuttel.

A polite smile. But her eyes are studying him—calculating.

FRAMTON

(fumbling)
Ah. Thank you—thank you.

Framton removes his gloves, breath audible. A beat.
Tick. Tick. Tick. The clock pulls his eyes.

Cutaway:
CLOSE ON the pendulum swinging like a heartbeat.

INT. FOYER – LATER

Vera gestures toward the adjacent parlor room with the stained glass window.

VERA

Would you care to sit in the parlor? It’s warmer.

INT. PARLOR ROOM (DEER HEAD ROOM) – CONTINUOUS

Framton sits beneath the mounted deer head, its glass eyes watching him.

Vera positions herself by the lace-curtained window, backlit by the dying light. Her silhouette feels almost spectral.

VERA

Do you know much about my aunt?

FRAMTON

Only her name. And—
(nervous laugh)
—this letter.

VERA

Then you don’t know about her great tragedy.

A long beat. Framton pales.

Chiaroscuro lighting deepens the room’s shadows.

FRAMTON

Tragedy?

VERA

(soft, intimate)
Three years ago today, her husband and two brothers went out hunting.
(beat)
For their day’s shooting.

INSERT SHOTS:

• A close-up of the deer’s glass eye.

• The ticking clock.

• The dark stain in the wooden floor.

• Framton’s hand gripping his hat.

VERA (CONT'D)

They never came back.

Framton stiffens.

FRAMTON

(swallowing)
Never?

VERA

A bog on the marsh swallowed them whole.
Voice suddenly trembling, perfectly acted:
Their bodies were never found.

She gently touches the lace curtain.

VERA (CONT'D)

Aunt keeps watch every evening. Says they’ll return the same way they left.
(whispers)
Sometimes, on nights like this… I almost feel they will.

Cut to:
Overhead Hitchcock top shot, framing Framton isolated beneath the deer head.

INT. PARLOR – MOMENTS LATER

MRS. SAPPLETON bursts in—cheerful, bustling.

MRS. SAPPLETON

Terribly sorry to keep you waiting! Has Vera been entertaining you?

FRAMTON

Oh—yes. Quite.

She glances toward the stained-glass window.

MRS. SAPPLETON

I do hope you don’t mind—my husband and brothers should be home any moment.

Framton’s blood runs cold.

She rambles cheerfully about snipe, muddy boots, carpet stains.

He barely hears her.

The clock ticks louder.

Vera stares out the window, eyes widening… performing.

INT. FOYER – SUNSET

A dim glow through the front door’s fogged glass.

Mrs. Sappleton lights a lamp.

MRS. SAPPLETON

Ah! Here they are at last.

Framton turns slowly… dread building.

FRAMTON'S POV – THE FRONT DOOR

Three silhouettes advance through the fog:

• Guns over their shoulders

• A brown spaniel trotting behind

RONNIE (O.S.) sings through the fog:
"I said, Bertie—why do you bound?"

The same line Vera quoted.

Framton gasps, stumbling backward.

The camera executes a Hitchcock dolly-zoom—background stretching, sound warping.

FRAMTON

(whisper)
No… no…

He bolts.

EXT. VICTORIAN HOUSE – CONTINUOUS

Framton bursts out the front door, nearly colliding with the returning hunters.
He sprints down the walkway, vanishing into fog.

INT. FOYER – MOMENTS LATER

The hunters step inside, muddy but cheerful.

HUNTER (WHITE COAT)

Who on earth was that fellow running like the Devil was after him?

MRS. SAPPLETON

Mr. Nuttel. One would think he’d seen a ghost.

Camera glides to Vera—still by the chess table.

She moves a pawn.

VERA

He told me he had a horror of dogs.
Once he was chased into a graveyard by a pack of pariah dogs—
(soft, casual)
Spending the night in a newly dug grave might rattle anyone’s nerves.

She resets the chessboard.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

FADE OUT.

III. OVERALL APPROACH TO THE FILM

A director’s aesthetic guide

VISUAL TONE

A fusion of:

• Hitchcock (angles, suspense, dolly-zooms)

• Guillermo del Toro (Victorian texture, ornate design, warm practicals)

• Robert Eggers (tangible atmosphere, fog, candlelight)

CAMERA STYLE

• Slow creeping dollies through hallways

• Top-down overheads for psychological pressure

• Close-up insert shots (clock, chess pieces, lace curtains)

• Fog silhouettes through stained glass and the front door

• Dolly-zoom panic shot during the reveal

LIGHTING

• Warm practical lamps

• Soft window dusk

• Fog backlighting on porch silhouettes

• Candlelight reflections in brass and wood

COLOR PALETTE

• Burgundy / amber / gold

• Deep shadows

• Cool fog blues outside for contrast

SOUND DESIGN

• Clock ticking

• Soft rustle of lace curtains

• Footsteps on wooden floors

• Distant dog bark

• Fog-muffled singing from the hunters

• Sudden silence before Framton’s panic

IV. FINAL PRODUCTION NOTE

The beauty of this project lies in its elegant simplicity.
It is a one-location film set entirely inside a fully dressed, atmospheric Victorian home that already looks like a movie set. Only four principle actors are needed . Vera written as a teen, could be 18-20. The house provides every room, prop, texture, and mood already built-in — from the stained-glass windows to the deer-head wall, chess table, clock, and foyer.

The only external requirements are wardrobe.
This makes the film exceptionally cost-effective, visually stunning, and production-ready.

With its blend of suspense, dark comedy, and Gothic atmosphere, this short is poised to attract festival attention, online traction, and recognition for its clever twist and unforgettable performances. It’s a compact masterpiece waiting to happen.