As a screenwriter with slight success in the industry, I was uneasy when I first heard about Amazon Studios. I’ve been milling around, checking out what different writers had to say, and although there is a lot of of projects that need work, I’m surprised by the quality that I’ve been able to find in the form of raw talent.
Not to discourage those projects that may need work, but as most of us know, the “in crowd” in L.A. doesn’t have a lot of time to fool around with ideas. Trying to maximize my time at Amazon Studios, I gave most projects to around page tewnty, and if I wasn’t hooked by then, I moved on to something else. As I said above, a few have been able to strike my interest, and here’s a bit about two of them.
Steven Kale’s Paranormal is a good horror/suspense screenplay about a man chasing ghosts. The story is a quick read, and although there are a few formatting problems which have already been pointed out by other readers, I think he’s onto something. The main character has taken over his “Ghostbusters” job after his father passed away. Most of the story is about him not believing in ghosts or the paranormal (but willing to take the money of those that do). All that changes when he confronts a haunted house from his past. I don’t want to ruin your fun in reading it, but if you’re looking for something entertaining check it out.
Speaking of men with shadowed pasts, that leads me to my second favorite project, Jeff Nelson’s Inferno which is a modern day Dante’s Inferno script on Amazon Studios. Not only do we get to see some of Dante’s visions of Hell updated, but there’s a good plot that underlies the extravagant scenery. Very imaginative, with the scenes of enternal damnation being both frightening and educational. My one problem was that Jeff had to stray from the original a bit to mold the sins to his story. It doesn’t hurt the story, but having read the original, I was caught off guard.
If you haven’t already, head over to Amazon Studios to see for yourself. Check out the projects above, or find a story that’s in your favorite genre.

