Cataloguing the Unseen
When chaotic grad student Davey brings another 'unofficial' artifact into their dusty university office, his meticulous partner Sam is ready to tear his hair out. But this artifact is different, and as the office door jams shut and the lights begin to flicker, they realize they're locked in with something that doesn't want to be catalogued.
# Cataloguing the Unseen
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
An obsessively organized academic's world is thrown into supernatural chaos when his reckless colleague brings a cursed artifact into their office, trapping them and forcing the two opposites to rely on each other to survive the escalating paranormal horror.
## Themes
* **Order vs. Chaos:** The stark contrast between Sam's meticulously controlled, rule-based world and the unpredictable, dangerous energy of the artifact introduced by the impulsive Davey.
* **The Known vs. the Unknowable:** The conflict between rational, scientific explanation and a supernatural phenomenon that actively dismantles the laws of physics, forcing a man of science to confront a reality he cannot explain.
* **Repression vs. Connection:** Under extreme duress, emotional and professional barriers crumble, revealing a primal need for human connection and vulnerability in the face of terror.
## Stakes
The characters risk not only their physical safety and sanity but also their fundamental understanding of reality as the artifact's power grows, threatening to unleash unknown horrors within the confines of their sealed office.
## Synopsis
In a cluttered university archeology office, the meticulous and rule-abiding SAM chides his chaotic colleague, DAVEY, for placing an uncatalogued obsidian shard on his perfectly organized desk. Davey, a charming thrill-seeker, reveals he acquired the "unconventionally" sourced artifact from an unsanctioned dig, noting its strange carvings and a persistent, low hum.
Sam’s annoyance turns to unease as he feels the unnatural cold of the shard and witnesses its hum intensify. When a heavy book inexplicably flies off a high shelf, Sam’s scientific worldview is shaken. He decides to report the object to their professor, but discovers the office door is sealed shut, trapping them inside.
The situation escalates as the lights flicker and die, plunging the room into darkness, illuminated only by the shard's sickly, pulsing glow. Terrifying sounds begin to emanate from the corners of the room—the scraping of an anatomical skeleton and a wet tapping from inside a specimen fridge. As the paranormal activity intensifies, the two men are forced into a terrified alliance.
In a moment of desperate intuition, Davey suggests they cover the artifact with a lead-lined box used for radioactive samples. As they move to enact the plan, the supernatural forces reach a violent crescendo. They slam the box over the shard, and the room is instantly plunged into absolute silence and darkness. In the terrifying void, their antagonism dissolves. Davey admits his grave error, and Sam, his composure shattered, accepts a comforting embrace, the two finding a moment of profound, vulnerable connection in the shared aftermath of their ordeal.
## Character Breakdown
* **SAM (30s):** An academic who lives by the book. He is meticulous, anxious, and finds safety in order, procedure, and rational explanation. His desk is a sanctuary, and any disruption to his controlled environment is a personal affront.
* **Psychological Arc:**
* **State at start:** Sam is emotionally repressed and intellectually rigid, believing the world is governed by understandable rules. He maintains professional and physical distance from others, particularly the chaotic Davey, as a form of self-preservation.
* **State at end:** His entire worldview is shattered by an undeniable supernatural experience. Stripped of his intellectual defenses, he is forced to confront his own fear and vulnerability, ultimately surrendering to a moment of genuine human connection he would have previously found unthinkable.
* **DAVEY (30s):** A brilliant but reckless field archeologist with fiery red hair and boundless, chaotic energy. He chafes at rules and bureaucracy, preferring to get his hands dirty and follow his instincts, often with little regard for the consequences. He is charming, adventurous, and Sam's polar opposite.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE INTRUSION:** Davey places the humming obsidian shard on Sam's pristine desk. Sam, infuriated by the breach of order and protocol, demands they report the "grave-robbed tat."
2. **FIRST ANOMALY:** The artifact's humming intensifies. A heavy book on Mesopotamian rites flies off a shelf and slams to the floor. Sam's rational world begins to crack.
3. **THE TRAP:** Sam tries to leave to get a professor but finds the heavy oak door is sealed shut. He pushes and shoves, but it won't budge. Panic begins to set in.
4. **DESCENT INTO DARKNESS:** The overhead lights flicker and die. The office is plunged into a gloomy twilight, lit only by the sickly, pulsing glow of the shard on the desk.
5. **THINGS IN THE CORNERS:** The atmosphere shifts from strange to terrifying. A scraping sound comes from the anatomical skeleton in the corner; a wet tapping begins inside the specimen fridge. The threat is now palpable and immediate.
6. **THE DESPERATE PLAN:** Pushed to the brink, Davey suggests a non-scientific solution: covering the artifact with a heavy, lead-lined box to block its energy.
7. **THE CONTAINMENT:** As they lift the box, the paranormal activity peaks in a violent frenzy of light and sound. They slam the box down over the shard.
8. **THE VOID:** Everything stops. Absolute darkness and a ringing silence. In the terrifying aftermath, Davey admits his mistake. Sam, his composure gone, leans into Davey, who wraps an arm around him. They stand together, changed, in the suffocating dark.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual style will transition from a brightly lit, sterile, and ordered academic space into a claustrophobic, shadowy chamber of horrors. The initial scenes will use stable, clean shots reflecting Sam's worldview. As the artifact's influence grows, the lighting will become dramatic and singular, emanating from the shard itself, casting long, distorted shadows. The camera will become more frantic and handheld during moments of panic, emphasizing the characters' loss of control.
The tone is a slow-burn psychological horror that builds from workplace friction to supernatural terror. It prioritizes atmosphere and suspense over jump scares. Tonally, it aligns with the single-location tension and creeping dread of John Carpenter's *The Thing*, the "cursed object" horror of *The Conjuring* universe, and the intellectual-confronts-the-inexplicable themes found in episodes of *The X-Files*.
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
An obsessively organized academic's world is thrown into supernatural chaos when his reckless colleague brings a cursed artifact into their office, trapping them and forcing the two opposites to rely on each other to survive the escalating paranormal horror.
## Themes
* **Order vs. Chaos:** The stark contrast between Sam's meticulously controlled, rule-based world and the unpredictable, dangerous energy of the artifact introduced by the impulsive Davey.
* **The Known vs. the Unknowable:** The conflict between rational, scientific explanation and a supernatural phenomenon that actively dismantles the laws of physics, forcing a man of science to confront a reality he cannot explain.
* **Repression vs. Connection:** Under extreme duress, emotional and professional barriers crumble, revealing a primal need for human connection and vulnerability in the face of terror.
## Stakes
The characters risk not only their physical safety and sanity but also their fundamental understanding of reality as the artifact's power grows, threatening to unleash unknown horrors within the confines of their sealed office.
## Synopsis
In a cluttered university archeology office, the meticulous and rule-abiding SAM chides his chaotic colleague, DAVEY, for placing an uncatalogued obsidian shard on his perfectly organized desk. Davey, a charming thrill-seeker, reveals he acquired the "unconventionally" sourced artifact from an unsanctioned dig, noting its strange carvings and a persistent, low hum.
Sam’s annoyance turns to unease as he feels the unnatural cold of the shard and witnesses its hum intensify. When a heavy book inexplicably flies off a high shelf, Sam’s scientific worldview is shaken. He decides to report the object to their professor, but discovers the office door is sealed shut, trapping them inside.
The situation escalates as the lights flicker and die, plunging the room into darkness, illuminated only by the shard's sickly, pulsing glow. Terrifying sounds begin to emanate from the corners of the room—the scraping of an anatomical skeleton and a wet tapping from inside a specimen fridge. As the paranormal activity intensifies, the two men are forced into a terrified alliance.
In a moment of desperate intuition, Davey suggests they cover the artifact with a lead-lined box used for radioactive samples. As they move to enact the plan, the supernatural forces reach a violent crescendo. They slam the box over the shard, and the room is instantly plunged into absolute silence and darkness. In the terrifying void, their antagonism dissolves. Davey admits his grave error, and Sam, his composure shattered, accepts a comforting embrace, the two finding a moment of profound, vulnerable connection in the shared aftermath of their ordeal.
## Character Breakdown
* **SAM (30s):** An academic who lives by the book. He is meticulous, anxious, and finds safety in order, procedure, and rational explanation. His desk is a sanctuary, and any disruption to his controlled environment is a personal affront.
* **Psychological Arc:**
* **State at start:** Sam is emotionally repressed and intellectually rigid, believing the world is governed by understandable rules. He maintains professional and physical distance from others, particularly the chaotic Davey, as a form of self-preservation.
* **State at end:** His entire worldview is shattered by an undeniable supernatural experience. Stripped of his intellectual defenses, he is forced to confront his own fear and vulnerability, ultimately surrendering to a moment of genuine human connection he would have previously found unthinkable.
* **DAVEY (30s):** A brilliant but reckless field archeologist with fiery red hair and boundless, chaotic energy. He chafes at rules and bureaucracy, preferring to get his hands dirty and follow his instincts, often with little regard for the consequences. He is charming, adventurous, and Sam's polar opposite.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE INTRUSION:** Davey places the humming obsidian shard on Sam's pristine desk. Sam, infuriated by the breach of order and protocol, demands they report the "grave-robbed tat."
2. **FIRST ANOMALY:** The artifact's humming intensifies. A heavy book on Mesopotamian rites flies off a shelf and slams to the floor. Sam's rational world begins to crack.
3. **THE TRAP:** Sam tries to leave to get a professor but finds the heavy oak door is sealed shut. He pushes and shoves, but it won't budge. Panic begins to set in.
4. **DESCENT INTO DARKNESS:** The overhead lights flicker and die. The office is plunged into a gloomy twilight, lit only by the sickly, pulsing glow of the shard on the desk.
5. **THINGS IN THE CORNERS:** The atmosphere shifts from strange to terrifying. A scraping sound comes from the anatomical skeleton in the corner; a wet tapping begins inside the specimen fridge. The threat is now palpable and immediate.
6. **THE DESPERATE PLAN:** Pushed to the brink, Davey suggests a non-scientific solution: covering the artifact with a heavy, lead-lined box to block its energy.
7. **THE CONTAINMENT:** As they lift the box, the paranormal activity peaks in a violent frenzy of light and sound. They slam the box down over the shard.
8. **THE VOID:** Everything stops. Absolute darkness and a ringing silence. In the terrifying aftermath, Davey admits his mistake. Sam, his composure gone, leans into Davey, who wraps an arm around him. They stand together, changed, in the suffocating dark.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual style will transition from a brightly lit, sterile, and ordered academic space into a claustrophobic, shadowy chamber of horrors. The initial scenes will use stable, clean shots reflecting Sam's worldview. As the artifact's influence grows, the lighting will become dramatic and singular, emanating from the shard itself, casting long, distorted shadows. The camera will become more frantic and handheld during moments of panic, emphasizing the characters' loss of control.
The tone is a slow-burn psychological horror that builds from workplace friction to supernatural terror. It prioritizes atmosphere and suspense over jump scares. Tonally, it aligns with the single-location tension and creeping dread of John Carpenter's *The Thing*, the "cursed object" horror of *The Conjuring* universe, and the intellectual-confronts-the-inexplicable themes found in episodes of *The X-Files*.