The Entity (Draft script for the 1982 film)

Los Angeles: Twentieth Century-Fox, 1980. Draft script for the 1982 film.

Based on the 1978 novel of the same name about a real case of an alleged haunting. In 1974, Culver City, Doris Bither claimed the ghosts of three men were raping her. De Felitta was present during the investigation with lead researcher and parapsychologist Dr. Barry Taff who served as technical advisor on "The Entity" as well as being represented in the film by the character, Gene Kraft. "The Entity" is one of the few possession films that ends with White Science and Black Magic in a draw. Critics of the time dismissed the film, but it still became something of a cult classic that evoked "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist."

Screenwriter Frank De Felitta was born 1921 in the Bronx. He served as a pilot right out of high school in WWII and returned to New York in 1945 where he began writing scripts. His first produced work was for the radio thriller series, "The Whistler," and once established, he turned to television writing, producing and directing documentaries, receiving Emmy nominations in 1963 and 1968.

By the early 70s De Felitta was working on film scripts with author Max Ehrlich. His first novel "Oktoberfest" (1973) was a thriller that made him enough money to finance time needed to write the bestseller horror story about reincarnation, the hit film "Audrey Rose" (1975) and later its sequel, "For Love of Audrey Rose" (1982). He went on to write the film adaptation of the same story in 1977, starring Anthony Hopkins (as Audrey's father) and Marsha Mason (as Ivy's mother), directed by Robert Wise.

Martin Scorsese considers "The Entity" as one of the scariest films of all time in a Halloween themed contribution to the website "The Daily Beast" (2013). Out of eleven, "The Entity" is Scorsese's number four, sandwiched by "Dead of Night" (1945) as number five and "The Uninvited" (1944) as number three.

Black titled wrappers. Title page present, with credits for screenwriter Frank DeFelitta, [The Paul Kohner Michael Levy Agency], producers Joe Wizan and Joyce Lukon. 128 leaves, with last page of text numbered 127. Xerographically reproduced. Pages Near Fine, wrapper Very Good plus bound with two gold brads.

Clover, Men, Women and Chainsaws. Scorsese, The Dark Eleven.