ASYLUM feature screenplay, an award-winning modern Gothic thriller based on the novel.

Greed, corruption, and betrayal collide in a dark, atmospheric, psychological mystery.

Adapted by author Kathryn Orzech from her novel, ASYLUM feature screenplay translates a multi-layered suspense saga into a gripping, dual-timeline cinematic experience.

ASYLUM, a modern Gothic thriller feature screenplay adapted from the novel.

Grounded in the visual arts, the narrative seamlessly intercuts between the raw emotional constraints of 1899–1900 and the psychological unraveling of 1974. The project weaves a slow-burn sense of dread, deep family secrets, and relentless tension into a haunting premise set against the bucolic backdrop of central Connecticut.

Screenplay Overview

  • Format/Genre: Feature Film (116 pages) – Modern Gothic thriller with elements of family drama and historical fiction.
  • Logline: After inheriting her grandmother’s jewelry empire, a driven young heiress uncovers a decades-old family secret tied to a girl unjustly confined in an asylum.
  • Comp Titles & Tone: Shutter Island, The Woman in Black, and The Others, delivered with a dark, suspenseful, and claustrophobic tone.
  • Casting/Talent: Features rich roles for actresses ranging in age from 12 to 60+.
  • Status: Fully formatted, copyrighted, and IP-ready.
  • Franchise Potential: Expandable IP for limited mini-series or streaming series.

Synopsis

In 1899 while her father travels abroad, 12-year-old Maggie Delito unwittingly witnesses a shocking scandal. She’s dragged from her family’s estate and locked in an asylum to ensure her silence. Beneath the renowned asylum’s Gilded Age respectability, a wicked villainy hides in dank shadows—and Maggie fears she will be its next victim.

Seventy-five years later, Laura Delito inherits more than assets when her prestigious family’s mysterious past comes knocking. A strange old woman, cryptic messages, backroom betrayals, and a rare antique key that might unlock the truth. As she pursues clues from here and there, and now and then, she fails to see danger looming close to home.

Film Festival Recognition

ASYLUM has garnered significant industry validation in Unproduced Screenplay categories as an award winner and finalist across multiple international competitions, including:

  • Winner – Chicago Indie Film Awards
  • Winner – Toronto International Women Film Festival
  • Winner – Boston Independent Film Awards

Best Unproduced Script, Chicago Indie Film Awards 2022Best Unproduced Script, Toronto Intl. Women Film Festival 2021Award Winner, Boston Independent Film Awards 2022.png

 

 

 

Watch the One-Minute Videos

Get an instant look at the dark suspense and cinematic tone of the project in teaser videos hosted on our YouTube channel at: YouTube/@kathyo

Production & Industry Inquiries

The complete creative package—pitch deck, one-sheet, treatment/synopsis, feature screenplay—is available on request for vetted producers and development executives. To request script materials, please specify your production company details on our secure portal at: Screenplay Request form.

Thank you for your time and consideration of ASYLUM, a modern Gothic thriller feature screenplay.
–Kathy O. 

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