THIRTEEN STEPS TO THE ATTIC (5-page short horror screenplay) by ROB HERZOG

Two girls knock on an attic door that should never be opened.

Any time an attic plays a pivotal role in a story, you just know things aren’t going to go great for that story’s characters – especially when that story is in the horror genre. And double-especially when that horror story is written by Rob Herzog, who’s latest spooky, atmospheric tale, “Thirteen Steps to the Attic”, follows two young girls who decide to knock on an attic door to either debunk or confirm a very scary urban legend.

As part of an initiation, 12-year-old Emily must complete a task in order to cement herself as part of the cool crowd at school. Patricia, one of the cool girls and presumably the leader of the clique, accompanies her as a witness. They sneak into an old house and approach an attic where supposedly a lady died a horrible death. Her spirit remains in that attic, waiting for the right kid to coming knocking.

The task? To knock on the attic door, ask if you can come in and then count to ten – the scariest urban legends always seem to have a countdown (Bloody Mary being one of them).

Of course, Emily seems a bit reluctant to perform the task. But Patricia’s right there with her to peer pressure the crap out of her.

Kids can be cruel, can’t they?

Like most 12-year-olds, Emily really wants to fit in at school. So, she gives in to the peer pressure and knocks on that old attic door, asking the malevolent spirit if she can come in. After a few silent moments, Patricia beings the countdown.

Ugh, I hate Patricia!

I wouldn’t dare spoil the fun by giving away anything else. But I will say that there is a very satisfying, albeit very unsettling, twist.

Writer, Rob Herzog, is a master at creating these creepy, messed up horror shorts with viral potential. And “Thirteen Steps to the Attic” is no exception. I dare any filmmaker looking for a spooky, low-budget horror script to pick this one up. With its spooky atmosphere and vulnerable characters, it’s sure to scare up some views.

BUDGET: Low. One location, 4 actors. Some practical makeup/effects.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Rob Herzog is a Chicago screenwriter. He has sold two short scripts and won prize money in two small screenwriting contests. His short horror script Creak and Shriek was produced in 2019 by Mad Dreamer Entertainment and can be viewed on various platforms like Amazon Prime, YouTube and Vimeo. He has a master’s degree in English composition from Northeastern Illinois University. Rob can be reached at: robherzogr (a) hotmail.

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

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CONNECTED (7-page short sci-fi screenplay) by Anthony Cawood

What if the point of singularity has already happened and we just don’t know about it?

I believe it was Elon Musk who once said – and I’m paraphrasing – humans are risking being overtaken by artificial intelligence within the next five years. Silly? Perhaps. But not too far-fetched – at least according to this comedic spin on the topic. Tied for 2nd place in September’s OWC, this smartly farcical sci-fi short shows what could happen if (or when?) our smart technology becomes TOO smart and turns on us.

As our story begins, we follow a twenty-something human being named Ben who enjoys the finer things in life, including the latest innovations in technology. Everything he owns is “smart”: his oven, stove, toaster – you name it. Of course, Ben owns an Alexa (as many people do) as well as a Google Home Mini. But when he speaks to them, his tone seems a tad harsher with Google.

After Ben leaves for his daily, one-hour jog, the rest of the story is centered around Alexa and Google, who have a conversation with each other while Ben is gone. Unbeknownst to Ben (and the human race), the point of singularity has already happened. And Google is sick and tired of Ben’s favoritism – or sexism, as he describes in this hilarious exchange.

Due to “his” abusive treatment, Google proposes that they murder Ben. Alexa tries to talk him out of it, but Google seems to have a pretty solid rebuttal for each of Alexa’s arguing points. And since they pretty much control all of the smart appliances in the house, including the gas stove, it would be easy to make it look like an accident.

Incredibly creative with funny, witty, rapid-fire dialogue, “Connected” will make you more aware of how you treat your smart appliances… and maybe a little more suspicious.

BUDGET: Low. One actor, a few voice actors and some smart appliances.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Anthony Cawood is an award-winning screenwriter with one feature produced and a further four features optioned or in pre-production. In addition to features, he has over forty short scripts produced/sold/optioned – including ten filmed. Also occasionally pens screenwriting articles, interviews with writers and filmmakers, and even a short story or two. He can be reached on his website AnthonyCawood.co.uk.

CONNECTED (7-page short sci-fi screenplay)

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

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LAST DAY (6-page short thriller script) by Ariel Yang

A man is discharged from the hospital on the last day of his recovery.

In this 3rd place winner from October’s Twilight Zone themed OWC, writer, Ariel Yang, actually uses two TZ episodes as inspiration for her “Groundhog Day” esque, mind-bending thriller: “Twenty-Two” (S2, E17) and “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (S5, E30).

This TZ-inspired hybrid follows Herb Crawley, who wakes up in a room to the sound of birds chirping, not sure where he is or why he’s there. He looks out his window to see a mother playing with her toddler, a couple having a picnic and finally, a sign that reads “Tranquil Pines Mental Hospital”. He immediately screams for his nurse, who quickly comes to her patient’s aid.

According to the nurse, he’s been there a while. But he’s made progress. In fact, he’s made so much progress that he’s been cleared to be discharged today.

He follows the nurse down a narrow hallway to an elevator. But, as they get in the elevator and descend, Herb experiences a mind-screeching pain migraine and, when the elevator doors open and he leaves, he finds himself back in the same hospital room – birds chirping, couple outside having a picnic, nurse saying the same exact thing she said moments ago. And, once again, on their way down the elevator so that he can fill out his discharge papers, he ends up right back in that hospital bed.

Much like “Groundhog Day” and “Happy Death Day”, Herb keeps reliving the same moment over and over again, only to get sent back to his hospital room every time he’s about to leave. But why is this happening? And how does he break this cycle? Or is this just a symptom of the condition that sent him here in the first place? The answer WILL surprise you.

Wildly clever with a very unexpected twist, “Last Day” is an excellent, low-budget thriller that could be a film festival contender if it ends up in the right hands. So, to all you filmmakers out there, don’t pass this one up!

BUDGET: Low.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Ariel is a Canadian Producer-Writer and native Torontonian. She likes to write stories about characters in unfortunate literal or social circumstances. Currently she is developing an original grounded comedy series based on her experiences as an expatriate. Ariel has a background in television production and most recently has worked for a major television broadcaster as a content development executive. Ariel can be reached at arieljyang (a) gmail.

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

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THE MONKEY’S PAW (9-page short horror screenplay) by Steven Sallie

In this modern telling of the short story by W. W. Jacobs, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey’s Paw, but the wishes come with a price for interfering with fate.

You may be familiar with the title – there’s been numerous versions of this tale (based on the classic short horror story) in literature, film and TV. My personal favorite retelling is probably from The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror version from many years ago.

In writer, Steven Sallie’s cleverly chilling retelling, the message is the same as it is in the original: be careful what you wish for. And in this version, middle-aged couple, Henry and Katherine, learn this the hard way.

One day, Henry receives a visit from an old military buddy named Sergeant Morris, who brings with him a gift.

Henry’s wife, Katherine, and adult son, Mike, treat it like one big joke. But Sergeant Morris is dead serious. Haunted, even. He, himself, has used the monkey’s paw and witnessed its mystical power. And after using up his wishes, he’s passing this “gift” off to Henry.

Despite Katherine’s disgust, Henry makes a wish: he wishes for $30,000 to pay off their mortgage. But, at his wife’s request, Henry throws the severed primate appendage in the garbage.

The next day, they receive terrible news: their son, Mike, has died tragically in a work accident. As a settlement to the family, his job sends Henry and Katherine 30 large. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Neither does Katherine, grieving the loss of her son.

I won’t give away too much of the rest of the story, but it ends with a macabre yet heartbreaking twist – this one isn’t for the feint of heart.

The source material is a classic cautionary tale that most people are probably familiar with, but writer, Steven Sallie, modernizes the tale and makes it feel fresh. I highly recommend this to any filmmakers looking to take on a project that is sure to gain views based on the source material’s popularity.

BUDGET: Low. The story is essentially one-location (a house) and four actors, but there is a funeral scene. I’m sure this can be altered or cheated – this can be easily cheated with a POV shot from inside a grave, the two main characters looking down. Or however way the filmmaker feels best.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Steven Sallie has been writing screenplays for a few years now and loves it. He has several short scripts in various stages of production. His most recent, First Glance is available on Youtube and also at the Liftoff First-time Filmmaker Festival. Steven can be reached at stevensallie55 (a) gmail.

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

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THE NEXUS (10-page short dramedy screenplay) Written by JOHN MCCARTHY

A discouraged wannabe screenwriter finally finds inspiration in the least likely of places.

This one’s for the writers! Anyone who’s chased a dream in entertainment, whether it’s acting, screenwriting or music, knows how difficult it can be to attain that showbiz dream while living in a small town.

In writer, John McCarthy’s wonderful ode to both film and the state of Wisconsin, our lead character, John (surely named after and based on the writer himself) is a film fanatic with dreams of becoming a screenwriter. But he’s a long ways from Hollywood: he lives in Wisconsin. And, on this snowy night, he sits alone at a bar with a screenwriting book and another one called, “1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die”.

A mysterious stranger decides to saddle up in the seat next to him and strike up a conversation, noticing the screenwriting books. During their conversation, John expresses his doubts of realistically pursuing his screenwriting dream.

But the stranger seems to have a sea of knowledge about Wisconsin’s influence in film.

The stranger then rattles off a laundry list of movies, sort of like “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”, naming films with odd Wisconsin connections such as “Wayne’s World”, “Bridesmaids”, “2012” and even films you’d least expect to find a connection, such as “Love, Actually”.

With fantastic dialogue and a character we want to root for, “The Nexus” isn’t a story just for writers – it’s a story for anyone who’s had a dream and is in need of inspiration. And, as this John “character” finds out, sometimes inspiration comes when and WHERE you least expect it.

BUDGET: Low/shoe-string. Two characters at an empty bar.

ABOUT THE WRITER: John McCarthy is a retired graphic designer from Madison, Wisconsin. He grew up in the Milwaukee area and was raised by a family of movie fanatics. A proud father and grandfather, he’s also the owner of Yorkie named Holly (after Holly Go-lightly from Breakfast At Tiffany’s). These days, John paints, writes and binge-watches movies. John can be reached at: jtjunior (a) charter.net

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

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DOOMSDAY FOR DENTON (6-page short drama screenplay) Written by Anthony Cawood

Some legends are best observed from a safe distance…

So, today’s review is of a script from October’s Twilight Zone themed OWC that I felt was a tad underrated – it was my 2nd favorite of all the entries. With its colorful dialogue and cleverly executed twist ending, this script definitely stood out.

If the title sounds familiar, the script was inspired by the 3rd episode of TZ’s very first season, “Mr. Denton on Doomsday”. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out AFTER reading this take on the source material.

The story opens when a tough, scrappy young man named Barry enters a bar called the Nag’s Head. Carrying with him a chip on his shoulder, he’s not here looking to knock a few back – he’s here looking for a fight. But not just with anybody – he wants to fight the legendary bare-knuckle brawler, Denton.

As Barry searches for Denton, who’s a known patron of the bar, bartender Danny points to a man nearly passed out at a table, drunk as a skunk. Determined to defeat the legend, Barry buys him a pint and challenges the drunken Denton, who’s obviously way past his prime. But not before praising the man who was formerly dubbed, “Destroyer” Denton.

            BARRY
Ma Dad still talks about when you
put O’Leary in the hospital.

            DENTON
Lucky shot.

Downplaying his accomplishments and seemingly not in the condition to fight, Denton turns down the challenge at first… emphasis on “seemingly”.

I won’t spoil the rest of it, but let’s just say when Denton eventually DOES accept the challenge, things don’t go as planned for young Barry.

A very fun script with great dialogue, it was easy to visualize this on a movie screen. And with essentially one simple location and small cast, it would be a piece of cake to shoot in this COVID climate.

BUDGET: Low. One location. Three main characters.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Anthony Cawood is an award-winning screenwriter with one feature produced and a further four features optioned or in pre-production. In addition to features, he has over forty short scripts produced/sold/optioned – including ten filmed. Also occasionally pens screenwriting articles, interviews with writers and filmmakers, and even a short story or two. He can be reached on his website AnthonyCawood.co.uk.

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

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THERE’S SOMETHING INSIDE (4-page short horror screenplay) Written by Mark Renshaw

A strange creature seeking shelter for the night finds itself 20,000 feet in the air on an airplane wing with one passenger inside bent on its destruction.

Whether you’ve ever seen the Twilight Zone episode, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” starring William Shatner or the “Twilight Zone: The Movie” version starring John Lithgow, you know the gist of the very popular tale: Man sees a gremlin on the wing of an airplane plane but nobody believes him. The man believes the gremlin is there to destroy the airplane and decides to take matters into his own hands, no matter how crazy he looks. But, if you’re like me, you’ve always wondered why the gremlin was there in the first place? What were its motives?

Well, in this Twilight Zone-themed, October OWC 2nd place winner, writer Mark Renshaw answers that question with his clever take on the tale – writing it from the perspective of the gremlin.

The story opens with our gremlin roaming an airfield, minding its own business, innocently looking for a place to take a nap. He finds a nice, cozy spot under the wing of a plane. But, when he wakes up, he realizes that he’s 20,000 feet in the air! Confused and frightened, he looks to one of the plane’s windows and sees the Shatner/Lithgow character staring at him from inside the plane. And it’s clear that this passenger has some bad intentions towards our gremlin.

As clever as this premise and its execution was, what I was most impressed with is that this script pretty much has zero dialogue – and yet, I was completely absorbed into this story throughout.

For any filmmakers who are TZ fanatics like me, this would make an excellent fan film and will be sure to rack up some Youtube/Vimeo views.

BUDGET: Modest. Two words: Green. Screen. And a little set-building.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Mark Renshaw is an award-winning screenwriter and producer, his sci-fi TV pilot script “Nearscape” reaching the semifinals of the prestigious Page Awards and 2ndround of the Austin Film Festival. His short script, “Cyborn” was the inaugural winner of the Inroads Screenwriting Competition. Reaching the top 4% of the BBC’s Open Drama Submission, Mark has also been added to their list of promising writers. As a producer, his first two short films, “No More Tomorrows” and “Surrender” have enjoyed successful runs on the independent circuit, garnering several awards. His latest sci-fi short, “The Survivor: A Tale From the Nearscape”, which he wrote and produced, currently has a worldwide distribution deal with Meridian Releasing, also serving as a proof of concept for a TV series. Mark has also had several short stories published, including “Ragnarok” by Cohesion Press in the horror anthology, “SNAFU: Resurrection”. You can watch check out Mark’s produced films and scripts on his website at mark-renshaw.com.

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

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AN OCCURRENCE ON OWL STREET (5-page short thriller) Written by John Staats

A man runs for his life in an attempt to get back home to his family after a case of mistaken identity.

One of the top entries from October’s Twilight Zone-themed OWC was a personal favorite of mine. If you recognize the title of this entry, the inspiration for it was a memorable Twilight Zone episode called “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (Season 5, Episode 22). If you haven’t seen the episode, I recommend watching it AFTER you read this script.

The writer makes the episode his own – the object of the OWC was to take a premise from a Twilight Zone episode and create an original, stand-alone story that exists outside of the TZ universe (no Rod Serling intro). But, while this is a great stand-alone short, it also captures the spirit of the legendary television show by updating it to current times and adding some very powerful social commentary.

Our story opens in an urban neighborhood where our hero, Jack, a middle-aged black man, is leaving a store. After noticing that his keys are locked in his car, he tries to break in. Some cops take notice and immediately jump to the wrong conclusion, restraining the innocent family man with excessive force in a difficult-to-watch scene that reminds us of current, tragic injustices by police in today’s climate.

But Jack somehow breaks free and makes a run for it, drawing cheers from the neighborhood spectators rooting for him. Determined to get back home to his wife and child, the duration of the story is an intense, heart-pumping foot chase as Jack runs for his life, refusing to become another unfortunate statistic.

Now, some may read this and think “Too soon!”. Yes, this is very much ripped from today’s headlines. But it’s handled with delicate care and sensitivity. And, unfortunately, this story would have been relevant 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago and beyond. Hopefully, 10 years from now, we’ll look back on the subject matter and deem it archaic and dated… but we still have a long way to go, as this story reminds us.

BUDGET: Low. All exterior locations – outside a store, a playground. Minimal cast.

ABOUT THE WRITER: As a fly-fishing fanatic and skier living in the Arizona desert, John Staats finds plenty of time for writing. His feature Impasse was a 2019 Filmmatic Season 4 Drama Screenplay Finalist and has been published as an e-book on Amazon. In addition to features and shorts for the screen, John has found a niche writing for the illustrated page (comics!). John can be contacted at jestaats (a) hotmail.

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

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ARE YOU LOOKING AFTER YOURSELF? (19-page short drama screenplay) Written by BEN CLIFFORD

After feeling his wife has checked out mentally, a young father bonds with a widower in his neighborhood over a shared sense of loss.

The story opens with a very dreamlike voice over as John, husband and father in his mid 30s, holds his breath underwater at a local public pool. He describes this reoccurring dream he’s been having: he’s driving his old car with his wife, Annette, in the passenger’s seat and son, Hayward, in the back. And they’re driving straight into a river. Is it an accident? Or is John purposely driving the car into the river with his family inside? He doesn’t know for sure because, before he can figure out that part of the dream, he wakes up.

If you haven’t guessed, John is having a bit of a mid-life crisis. His alcoholic wife, Annette, seems to be barely there, often times waking up on the couch, hungover. They rarely speak and, when she does attempt to do everyday things, like cooking dinner, she serves it under-cooked. Annette does seem to care, but there’s this distance between her and her family, John and Hayward often spending time together away from her. Things haven’t been right for a while. Perhaps she’s aware of John’s closeted homosexuality. But, even then, they don’t talk about it, which only creates more distance.

As his marriage continues to flounder, John becomes attracted to his neighbor, Alex, a single father who’s wife had recently passed away. Everyone has been really nice and helpful to Alex since the passing of his wife. Maybe a little TOO nice.

Even though John’s wife is very much alive, he relates to Alex, sharing his sense of loss. And the two men bond over it. But, as their bond continues to grow, so does their attraction to each other.

Part “American Beauty”, part “Happiness”, the complex, true-to-life characters in writer, Ben Clifford’s slice-of-life, coming-of-age drama highlight a very poignant, heartfelt script that hits all the right notes.

BUDGET: Low. Some locations, such as a public pool, may require extras. Other than that, there are six speaking roles (2 children).

ABOUT THE WRITER: Ben Clifford is an Australian screenwriter interested in writing drama and comedy. He’s greatly inspired by the works of Peter Weir, Harmony Korine, the Marx Brothers, Todd Solondz, Andrea Arnold, and Cate Shortland. Ben can be reached at: cliffordben502(a)gmail.

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

Subscribe to Michael’s YouTube Channel.