The Stanley Parable rough draft

THE STANLEY PARABLE (1st DRAFT)
(Based on the critically acclaimed video game of the same title, created by Galactic Café and Davey Wreden)

Screenplay By
Drew Tudor










































BLACK:

 MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)
When Stanley came to a set of two open doors, he entered the door on his left

CUT:

INT. RECTANGULAR ROOM WITH TWO OPEN DOORS

STANLEY, a moderately aged man in business casual attire, stands in front of the two open doors, attempting to make a decision.  The doors are separated by only a couple of feet, and each one leads down different, but similar looking hallways. The only audible sounds are of the electricity emanating from a series of fluorescent lights.

STANLEY eyes both doors, not fully understanding the gravity of this choice.  STANLEY reluctantly enters the door on his left.

STANLEY walks down a hallway with multiple locked doors, all labeled with 3 digit numbers.  After taking a few turns, STANLEY ends up in an empty conference room, with random notes scribbled on an easel, and a power point opened on a slide titled “TIPS FOR GETTING FIRED”.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)
There was no one in the meeting room either.

STANLEY pauses and confusingly attempts to search for the source of the voice.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
What could this mean?  Perhaps Stanley had simply missed a memo.

STANLEY attempts to ignore the voice, knowing full well that he would never miss a memo.  STANLEY exits the empty conference room and continues down a series of hallways with locked doors.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT”D)
Perhaps Stanley’s co-workers were simply pulling his leg.

STANLEY stops to contemplate the MALE NARRATOR’S latest remark, worried that it may be true.  STANLEY continues to an interior stairwell that shares the same bland colors as the walls around it.  STANLEY stops and waits for instructions, as there are stairs that lead either up or down.


MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT”D)
Feeling a wave of disbelief, Stanley’s only hope was to walk upstairs to his boss’ office.

STANLEY then proceeds up two flights of metal stairs until he reaches a dimly lit hallway.  The hall is well decorated with red wallpaper on top, with wooden book casings below them, along with a couple of reception desks.  The sound of the fluorescent lights dissipate, as the loudest thing become the creaking of the wood around STANLEY.  At the end on the left are two, large open doors that lead into his boss’ office.

As STANLEY enters his boss’ office, the two doors creak closed behind him, calmly and slowly.  STANLEY doesn’t turn to notice, as he is blown aback by the size and luxury of the office, which is also coated with books and red wallpaper.  On the right wall is a large, unlit fireplace.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
Stanley was once again stunned to discover that there was no indication of life to be found anywhere in the office.  Stunned, and coated in terror, Stanley noticed a keypad on the wall behind his boss’ desk.

STANLEY is still amazed and distracted by his boss’ office, and begins to take a book off of one of the shelves behind his boss’ desk.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
(irritated, speaking loudly)
Stanley was once again stunned to discover that there was no indication of life to be found anywhere in the office.

STANLEY hastily places the book back on the shelf, and looks up innocently at the ceiling in an apologetic manner.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
(much calmer tone)
Stunned, and coated in terror, Stanley noticed a keypad on the wall behind his boss’ desk.

STANLEY looks to his right and sees the number pad, and approaches it.  He stares curiously at it.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
As Stanley gazed curiously at the number pad, he wondered
(MORE)

(CONT’D)
what its use could possibly be.

STANLEY begins to attempt to guess the numerical code, but repeatedly gets a red screen, coalesced with a buzzer.  He does this numerous times during the MALE NARRATOR’S speech.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
What secrets could his boss need to hide from him?  Were his co-workers aware of their boss’ deception?

STANLEY looks up at the ceiling, agitated at the MALE NARRATOR.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
But what Stanley couldn’t have realized was that his boss had kept these secrets from him, using the number code “2845”.

STANLEY looks puzzlingly at the number pad, but shrugs and immediately enters in the code “2845”.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
But of course Stanley couldn’t have known this alrea----

The pad’s screen turns green and beeps twice, then a loud alarm-like buzzer buzzes once.  STANLEY looks around in shock.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT’D)
By a matter of sheer luck and will, Stanley somehow managed to guess the correct code on his boss’ number pad, without even giving time to simply let the narrator talk!  So before we move forward, I say we give Stanley a little time to relax, with some calming, new age music.

MUSIC CUTS IN.

STANLEY, having no prior dancing experience, walks over to the center of the room and awkwardly waits for the music to end.

MUSIC CUTS OUT.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
Now that I feel that Stanley is ready to cooperate, let’s move on with this tale.

The fireplace and wall open mechanically, and a hidden, unfinished looking hallway appears from behind the wall.  STANLEY progresses nervously into the hallway, and after turning, finds a construction ELEVATOR with a big red button.  STANLEY pushes the button, and the ELEVATOR goes down.

FADE TO BLACK.

METALLIC ELEVATOR SOUNDS STILL PLAY.

ELEVATOR REACHES BASEMENT LEVEL

STANLEY enters into a large corridor, with a seemingly bottomless black pit with a metal walkway with railings suspended over it.  At the end of the metal walkway reads in bold, glowing white text “MIND CONTROL FACILITY”.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
A peculiar feeling stirred in Stanley’s stomach.  It felt as if he were being recklessly tickled from the inside.  It felt strangely satisfying.

STANLEY looks down at his stomach, but feels nothing.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
This is the first time Stanley had ever left the confines of that floor of his office, and even though the setting around him was dull and frightening, Stanley relished this new space he found himself in.  Stanley began to move beyond eagerness, and was now feeling determination, determination to explore this uncharted land.
(beat)
Stanley continued down the metal walkway into the corridor that read “MIND CONTROL FACILITY”

STANLEY begins to walk vehemently towards the MIND CONTROL FACILITY, but is stopped by a light bulb swinging over a cardboard sign leaned up against the wall, which in red marker read “ESCAPE”.  STANLEY looked to his left to find a very long, narrow corridor that was very poorly lit.

Surveying his options, STANLEY heads down the ESCAPE corridor, much to the MALE NARRATOR’S dismay.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
Although the promise of an ESCAPE corridor seemed exciting, the truth was, at the end of this hallway, Stanley would meet his violent end.
(beat)

STANLEY continues down the corridor, his facial expression unchanged.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
It wasn’t too late to turn back, to uncover the truth, to finally discover, after all these years of simply following orders, to break free of his boss’ chains.

STANLEY continues walking, and another ELEVATOR comes into view, with the same big red button as the previous ELEVATOR.  The space surrounding the ELEVATOR is completely black.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
At this point, Stanley was consciously making the remarkably ill-advised decision, to approach his impending death.

STANLEY enters the ELEVATOR, and the floor below him opens, and STANLEY falls for about 7-8 seconds, accompanied by the sound of rushing air.

STANLEY lands on a fenced in metal platform in another completely black space.  He is confused as to why he lands totally uninjured.  In the distance, STANLEY can hear incredulously loud metal thuds, separated by an interval of about 5 seconds.  He looks up to find two large metal clamps, pushing into one another and squishing the identical platforms ahead of him.  STANLEY looks around in panic, but sees no escape.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
As Stanley awaited his death, he used the little time he had left to contemplate his life.  And he realized that almost all of it was spent in a worthless office space, blindly crunching keys on his keyboard when given the command.  His death will serve no purpose.  No one will mourn Stanley.  No one will even notice that he is gone.  I tried to help him, but this is where his choices have led.  I apologize for wasting your time.

The platform that STANLEY is standing in continues to inch closer to the metal clamps.  STANLEY continues to panic, but stops to listen to the MALE NARRATOR.  The thud of the metal clamps gets louder and louder.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
I worked really hard on this story, ya know!  It was a good one, a rewarding one, one that your loving audience could’ve learned from.  You would’ve been free, you would’ve been happy, and they wouldn’t have wasted their goddamn time or money just to watch you get squished to death!  But I overestimated you.  I overestimated the obedience of someone like you.  I starred you because you seemed to be the most reliable.  You had the least to lose, but the most to gain.  But you’re just like the rest.

STANLEY looks disgustedly at the ceiling, and continues to attempt to break free.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
Too free for your own good.
(beat)
Well, what do you have to say for yourself?

STANLEY looks around, puzzled.  He attempts to open his mouth, but cannot.  The thuds get louder.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)(CONT’D)
Are you really that cowardly that you cannot even attempt to defend yourself?!  Speak, speak for yourself!  Say something, for all that is holy!  Speak to me you cowar--

STANLEY cowers as he stands between these two massive plates.  He looks up, confused and shocked to see that he clamps stop within one inch of crushing him.  There is a pause.

FEMALE NARRATOR (V.O.)
“Farewell”, cried the Narrator, as Stanley was led helplessly into the enormous metal jaws.

STANLEY looks up in pure disbelief for about 5 seconds, before the floor beneath him again opens up and sends him plummeting further downwards.

STANLEY lands in yet another blank space, but in the distance, in glowing white text reads “THE STANLEY PARABLE MUSEUM”.  As STANLEY approaches the text, a small doorway opens vertically, revealing a museum like LOBBY with certain assets from STANLEY’S floor, such as a desk and some of the numbered doors.

STANLEY begins to explore the museum, and sees pictures from all around the office, each with their own label below it.  One includes a planted hedge growing in front of a window.  Another pictures a “STANLEY PARABLE LINE”, which was a yellow line drawn on the ground with the preceding text before it.  And one depicts a small, human sized capsule, with the caption, ESCAPE POD.

As STANLEY continues down the corridor, he walks into a small exhibit with only an old 1990s style telephone with a dial on it, which was elevated on a small pedestal.  On the pedestal was a plaque that read, “PHONE ENDING”.  STANLEY looks at this plaque with terror on his face.

A series of images is shown very rapidly, each being a different ending that is depicted in the MUSEUM.

CUT TO BLACK.
FEMALE NARRATOR (V.O.)
Do you see now?  Do you see how much they need each other?

INT. STANLEY IS ON THE PLATFORM, INCHING CLOSER TO HIS DEATH.

FADE TO MALE NARRATOR’S VOICE

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)
I overestimated the obedience of someone like you.  I starred you because you seemed to be the most reliable.  You had the least to lose, but the most to gain.  But you’re just like the rest.

STANLEY looks at the metal clamps, determined.

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)
Too free for your own good.
(beat)
Well, what do you have to say for yourself?
(beat)
Are you really that cowardly that you cannot even attempt to defend yourself?!  Speak, speak for yourself!  Say something, for once.  Speak to me you cowar----

The clamps crush STANLEY and the metal platform he is standing on, making the loudest thud of them all.

CUT TO BLACK.

(beat)

MALE NARRATOR (V.O.)
When Stanley came to a set of two open doors, he entered the door on his left.


THE END.