Michael McDowell – Scripts on Screen

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie Script

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie poster thumbnail

Year:1990

Director:John Harrison

Written by:Stephen King (Story), George A. Romero (Screenplay), Arthur Conan Doyle (Story), Michael McDowell (Screenplay)

Script Synopsis:The first segment features an animated mummy stalking selected student victims; the second tale tells the story of a "cat from hell" who cannot be killed and leaves a trail of victims behind it; the third story is about a man who witnesses a bizarre killing and promises never to tell what he saw and the "in-between" bit is the story of a woman preparing to cook her newspaper boy for supper.

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie Script Resources:

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie Script PDF - TALES FROM DARKSIDETHE MOVIE at Script City ($)
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie Transcript at subslikescript.com

Note: Multiple links are listed since (a) different versions exist and (b) many scripts posted become unavailable over time. Please notify me if you encounter a stale link.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Year:1993

Director:Henry Selick

Written by:Tim Burton (Writer), Michael McDowell (Adaptation), Caroline Thompson (Screenplay), Mike Cachuela (Storyboard)

Script Synopsis:Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.

The Nightmare Before Christmas Script Resources:

The Nightmare Before Christmas Script PDF at Script Slug
The Nightmare Before Christmas Script - 1993 Transcript at IMSDb
The Nightmare Before Christmas Script - August 5, 1991 First Draft at The Daily Script
The Nightmare Before Christmas Script - First Draft, August 5, 1991 at Screenplays For You
The Nightmare Before Christmas Script PDF at Script Fly ($)
The Nightmare Before Christmas Script PDF - 5/8/91 1ST at Script City ($)

Note: Multiple links are listed since (a) different versions exist and (b) many scripts posted become unavailable over time. Please notify me if you encounter a stale link.

Beetlejuice

Year:1988

Director:Tim Burton

Written by:Michael McDowell (Screenplay), Michael McDowell (Story), Larry Wilson (Story), Warren Skaaren (Screenplay)

Script Synopsis:Thanks to an untimely demise via drowning, a young couple end up as poltergeists in their New England farmhouse, where they fail to meet the challenge of scaring away the insufferable new owners, who want to make drastic changes. In desperation, the undead newlyweds turn to an expert frightmeister, but he's got a diabolical agenda of his own.

Beetlejuice Script Resources:

Beetlejuice Script PDF at archive.org
Beetlejuice Script PDF at Script Slug
Beetlejuice Script PDF - Second Draft - 8/4/1986 at The Script Savant
Beetlejuice Script - August 4, 1986 second draft at The Daily Script
Beetlejuice Script - February 3, 1987 revised second draft at The Daily Script
Beetlejuice Script - June 1, 1985 second draft at The Daily Script
Beetlejuice Script at mymoviescripts.com
Beetlejuice Script PDF - 2/3/87 REV. 2ND at Script City ($)
Beetlejuice Script PDF - (EARLY) 6/1/85 2ND DRAFT at Script City ($)
Beetlejuice Script PDF - (EARLY) 2/10/85 at Script City ($)
Beetlejuice Script PDF - (EARLY) 8/4/86 2ND DRAFT at Script City ($)
Beetlejuice Script PDF at Script Fly ($)
Beetlejuice Transcript at scripts.com

Note: Multiple links are listed since (a) different versions exist and (b) many scripts posted become unavailable over time. Please notify me if you encounter a stale link.