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What makes a 'Best' script? Different ways to rank the Black List 2023 reader reviews
What makes a screenplay the best you’ve read? Is it a hook, consistency, or an ending that lingers?
Our team of readers at reviewed 49 scripts in 2023. Ours was a varied diet, from shorts to radio scripts to TV to feature films, and each week we debated the merits of each.
ScriptReader.studio has a unique way to track reader engagement. This means we can ask questions and get answers that others cannot as we capture data down to the page level.
As a diverse group of readers, we had a diverse range of tastes. This included a range of backgrounds — neurodivergent readers, considerations for accessibility, and personal histories that led some to avoid certain themes. This diversity added valuable layers to the script data we examined.
Three ways to study a script
Now, the traditional way to rate this would be to have a table with the average scores readers gave once they finished the script. And we have that data. But we can do something more than that as we are rich in data.
There are three ways we at ScriptReader.studio can look at the data:
While we have a range of metrics, we will be looking at the next page engagement: how eager the reader is to keep reading. This is what we call the engagement score.
“You have to get the reader to turn over the page,”
Ian Fleming
Scripts reviewed
Among the scripts we read were 15 from the 2023 Black List, the best unproduced scripts as rated by Hollywood producers. As such these scripts have some authority behind them as being good.
Scripts reviewed from the Black List 2023
Blacklist 2023 rank
Script
Author(s)
Logline
Genre
1
Bad Boy
Travis Braun
A rescue dog suspects his loving new owner is a serial killer.
Horror, Thriller
2
Stakehorse
Justin Piasecki
A racetrack veterinarian who runs an off-the-books ER for criminals finds his practice and life in jeopardy when he’s recruited for his patient’s heist.
Action, Crime, Drama
3
Spoiler
Jordan Rosenbloom
After passing on a hot new screenplay, a studio executive finds himself trapped as the protagonist inside the film and must regain control before the credits roll.
Sci-Fi
6
High Concept
Alex Kavutskiy & Ryan Perez
In the early 2000s, two totally opposite best friends, Mike (an uptight lawyer) and BJ (a stoner slacker), awake one morning to find that they have swapped bodies, are stuck in a time loop, and are afflicted with many other high-concept comedy premises of that era. Drawing upon their knowledge of those type of movies, Mike & BJ must learn their lesson(s) and get their lives back to normal.
Comedy
10
First You Hear Them
Sean Harrigan
A group of twenty-somethings try the ‘perfect drug’ for the first time. It’s only when they come down from the euphoric high that the hauntings begin: First you hear them. Then you see them. Then they come for you.
Horror
11
Foragers
Sam Boyer
When the illegitimate daughter of a Portland billionaire goes missing, her loved ones turn to Juno and Andi, local homesteaders and members of The Foragers–a grassroots network of experts dedicated to finding the lost and bringing them home.
Action
12
Carousel
Rachel Lambert
A family doctor in East Cleveland juggles his personal life, as he reconnects with an old flame, deals with his teenage daughter’s problems, and selling his family’s medical practice.
Drama
18
10/24/02
Connor McKnight
On one rainy night in October, a man checks into the Mooncrest Motel. He never leaves. A real time, single-location thriller in the aftermath of a heist at Area 51.
Sci-Fi, Thriller
20
Better Half
Gaelyn Golde
A codependent woman unravels when her best friend gets a boyfriend.
Comedy
23
The Getaway
Mario Kyprianou & Becky Leigh
A couple on the brink of divorce sets off on a romantic getaway to save their marriage, but when they find that they have inexplicably traveled back in time, they decide to team up to stop their younger selves from ever getting married.
Comedy, Romance
28
Untitled Missing Child
Brenna Galvin
A mom-fluencer’s life unravels when her child goes missing and an unexpected discovery mires the investigation in a battle of perception. With buried secrets exposed, our mom is forced to take matters into her own hands, turning a simple missing person’s case into a story with twists that even the internet wouldn’t believe.
Drama, Thriller
29
Dickens Vs. Andersen
Henry Oscar Thaler
Clumsy, awkward Hans Christian Andersen invites himself over to the country home of his idol, Charles Dickens... and overstays his welcome.
Biographical, Comedy, Historical/period
33
The Peasant
Will Dunn
In the 14th Century, a lone shepherd rages against a company of mercenary knights after they ransack his peaceful peasant community, proving that he is more than he seems.
Action, Historical/period
37
Last Resort
Laura Stoltz
When a grieving woman takes a trip to a posh, Icelandic resort designed to assist its guests with ending their lives, she meets people who finally force her to accept the things she cannot explain.
Comedy, Drama
58
Ferocious
Marc Bloom
A team of financially desperate hotel employees embark on a deadly treasure hunt to recover priceless diamonds from a wrecked yacht in the middle of “The Red Triangle,” the world’s most dangerous hunting ground for great white sharks.
Action
There are no rows in this table
Best rolling rating
We don’t just ask readers to rate a script once they finish reading it. We also get data at the page level and so know what the ratings are, and have multiple readers to give richer data.
In short, the “Average rolling rating” is the average engagement score for all readers as the score “rolls” across a script.
Average rolling rating
Blacklist 2023 rank
Script
Average next page rating
1
Bad Boy
81%
3
Spoiler
71%
18
10/24/02
70%
2
Stakehorse
63%
10
First You Hear Them
63%
23
The Getaway
63%
28
Untitled Missing Child
63%
11
Foragers
62%
6
High Concept
61%
12
Carousel
59%
33
The Peasant
59%
20
Better Half
58%
29
Dickens Vs. Andersen
54%
58
Ferocious
52%
37
Last Resort
47%
There are no rows in this table
The top scripts held our readers’ attention from beginning to end.
Can you see that there’s an 11 percentage point spread between first and third? That’s quite a drop between the highest and lowest scoring scripts.
But as I said, we have other ways the can look at the data. Average scores can mask scripts that started out doing well but slid down the engagement chart. Let’s look at those that grew the most.
Biggest score growth
This time we’ll look at scripts that had the most significant growth from the beginning to the end.
Why look at growth? Because it suggests that the script becomes more engaging as it progresses. And as the chart shows, scripts initially score between 60–70%.
All scripts average engagement rating
Top v bottom growth scripts
Black List scripts 2023 with their average reader rating
Score growth
Blacklist 2023 rank
Script
Difference between first and last 10 pages (percent points)
First 10 pages - average rating
Last 10 pages - average rating
1
Bad Boy
0.09
73%
82%
3
Spoiler
0.05
66%
71%
28
Untitled Missing Child
0.04
59%
64%
2
Stakehorse
0.03
60%
63%
23
The Getaway
0.03
61%
64%
18
10/24/02
0.02
68%
70%
10
First You Hear Them
-0.02
64%
62%
29
Dickens Vs. Andersen
-0.02
56%
53%
6
High Concept
-0.04
63%
59%
11
Foragers
-0.04
66%
62%
58
Ferocious
-0.04
55%
51%
37
Last Resort
-0.06
52%
46%
20
Better Half
-0.07
63%
56%
12
Carousel
-0.09
67%
58%
33
The Peasant
-0.10
67%
56%
There are no rows in this table
While Bad Boy and Spoiler remained at the top, Untitled Missing Child rose to number 3 due to significant score growth throughout the script. However, it only rose from 59% average rating for the first page to 64% for the final 10.
This could be a weakness with the method: if a script starts with a low score then it is easier for it to go up the rankings.
Also, readers have the option to stop reading at page 10, 30 and 60, and this score does not reflect this. I have a way to update this so may do it next time.
So while this is okay it doesn’t tell us too much. So instead of looking at growth let’s go the other way and look at consistency.
Most consistent score
These are the scripts that are the most consistent in their “engagement scores, meaning their average score remained stable on a page-by-page basis.
Consistency
Blacklist 2023 rank
Script
Consistency - Average
37
Last Resort
0.07
12
Carousel
0.08
10
First You Hear Them
0.08
29
Dickens Vs. Andersen
0.09
18
10/24/02
0.09
28
Untitled Missing Child
0.09
1
Bad Boy
0.10
6
High Concept
0.10
11
Foragers
0.10
2
Stakehorse
0.10
58
Ferocious
0.10
3
Spoiler
0.11
23
The Getaway
0.11
20
Better Half
0.13
33
The Peasant
0.14
There are no rows in this table
Here the scripts are ranked where the lower the number the more consistent the engagement score. I chose this as it script consistency is important - Act 1 may be a stunner, but if it declines from there then it won’t have a high consistency as the scores for Acts 2 and 3 will be lower.
Or it could be that some scenes that gripped the reader were scattered throughout a script that otherwise did not. Or vice-versa, an engaging script let down by a couple of plodding scenes.
A consistent score throughout suggests the author has maintained a consistent story flow. It does not matter if it is high engagement score (it can even be low), consistency in the engagement score with the reader is hard to achieve in a script and I applaud the authors who did it.
Here the tables have been shaken up. Bad Boy is now a mid-ranking script, while Last Resort and Carousel are top.
Bonus: Where the story starts
We also asked where readers thought the story started . Was the inciting incident on the first page, did it get dragged out until halfway?
General guidance suggests that the inciting incident should occur within the first 10 pages, but as with most writing advice, this is a guideline, not a rule. Some stories don’t start until well into the script - Raiders of the Lost Ark doesn’t send Indy on his quest for the Ark of the Covenant until around 40 minutes (about 40 pages) in. Doesn’t mean it’s not a cracking story.
However, as something to look at with other rankings it is of interest.
Where the story started
Blacklist 2023 rank
Script
Where in the script did you feel the story started? - Most common response
1
Bad Boy
Pages 1-10
11
Foragers
Pages 1-10
18
10/24/02
Pages 1-10
23
The Getaway
Pages 1-10
28
Untitled Missing Child
Pages 1-10
6
High Concept
Pages 11-20
20
Better Half
Pages 11-20
29
Dickens Vs. Andersen
Pages 11-20
33
The Peasant
Pages 11-20
37
Last Resort
Pages 11-20
58
Ferocious
Pages 11-20
3
Spoiler
Pages 21-30
2
Stakehorse
I don't feel the story ever started
10
First You Hear Them
I don't feel the story ever started
12
Carousel
I don't feel the story ever started
There are no rows in this table
Bad Boy is once again a top contender, as is 10/24/02, and I was surprised at Stakehorse having that rating as I felt the story was there, but my views don’t reflect all readers’ views. Spoiler was a reader favourite, although personally, Stakehorse would have been my pick for number 3.
What is interesting is that the vast majority of scripts - 11 out of 15 - have their story start in the first 20 pages. This is not something that all scripts can do and shows the quality of scripts within the Black List that so many start early.
Bottom ranked
I don’t want to dwell on the bottom ranked scripts as there can be numerous reasons why scripts fail to engage. As others have said, good scripts follow similar patterns but bad ones have many different reasons.
And these are not bad scripts by any definition. These scripts are still ranked on the Black List and all had positive reader engagement and feedback. They just didn’t perform as well as some strong competition
What is interesting is that only two scripts that we have read have a production status - Stakehorse, one of my favourites, and The Peasant, which was often in the bottom of our rankings. Which just goes to show that in Hollywood, and scriptreading, no one knows anything.
Summary
Considering all of the above, I am going to make a judgement call and say these are the top 3:
is the most engaging screenplay based on these reader scores. It is also the most consistent and has an upward trend.Here’s some quotes from some of our readers.
What readers loved about Bad Boy
What readers loved about 10/24/02
What readers loved about Spoiler
Thoughts
There is no one way to see what makes a script great. That’s why we have a variety of data we can play with.
We also asked readers to identify the point where they felt the happened and the story began. Most stories start within the first 20 pages, and Bad Boy and 10/24/02 start right away in the first 10 pages.
We’ll keep looking at the data and try again this year to see if further trends emerge.
If you’d like to look at the summary data you can do so at the with this blog and the charts and t
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