Unsatisfied with her marriage, a down-on-her-luck housewife begins fantasizing about a handsome plumber. But as fantasy blurs with reality more and more, her obsession with him becomes very dangerous.

WEEK FOUR of Simply Scripts’ annual Writer’s Tournament resulted in a three-way tie. One of those top entries was a dark fantasy short written by the supremely-talented Marnie Mitchell called, SNAKE MY DRAIN, its title drenched in sexual innuendo. And for good reason…

The theme for Week Four was, YOUR HERO IS THE VILLAIN – a theme that was sure to conjure up some pretty dark entries. Marnie’s three criteria items were; a PLUNGER, a PLUMBER and a HOME IMPROVEMENT STORE.

Our story’s hero/anti-hero is Lorraine, a down-on-her-luck housewife who’s very unsatisfied with her marriage. We open on her desperately trying to unclog the garbage disposal in her sink. Along with the faucets not working and an overflowed toilet, this was the last thing she needed. And it’s all thanks to her poor excuse of a husband.

After breaking the plunger handle while trying to unclog the garbage disposal, she takes a trip to the local home improvement shop to pick up a replacement. And that’s when she meets Rick – fit, tone and handsome as can be, Lorraine swoons over him. This guy is a dreamboat.

Desperate to get Rick’s attention, Lorraine asks for some assistance, soon learning that he’s a plumber. Jumping on the opportunity to get him alone, she asks him to come over and tend to some of her “plumbing” *wink-wink*. What ensues next while at the store felt like a musical number out of a David Lynch film like Blue Velvet or Wild at Heart – Rick breaks out into song, serenading Lorraine seductively as the lights dim and a spotlight shines on him. Soon, in what felt like the “Just Dropped in To See What Condition My Condition Was In” scene from Big Lebowski (song performed by Kenny Rogers, RIP), a chorus line of back-up singers (Rick doppelgangers) break out into a choreographed dance routine.

Of course, we find out that all of this is taking place inside of Lorraine’s head, though it seems very, very real to her at first… almost DISTURBINGLY real.

When Rick arrives the next day to fix her plumbing, Lorraine continues to have odd sexual fantasies running through her mind. But as the fantasies continue, we notice that they’re beginning to blur into Lorraine’s reality, making her behavior seem a bit odd and off-putting, ultimately leading to Lorraine embarrassing herself in front of the younger stud.

And it’s at that point when the proverbial excrement hits the fan in a pretty shocking reveal that I won’t spoil for you in this review. But I will say that Lorraine’s husband is, indeed, responsible for the clogged garbage disposal in the sink (hint-hint).

Dark and twisted, yet gleefully entertaining, especially the fantasy sequences, SNAKE MY DRAIN is guaranteed to be a hit at film festivals with the right filmmaker at the helm. It reminded me of BLUE VELVET, BUFFALO 66, PSYCHO and BIG LEBOWSKI all rolled into one. Highly recommended to any filmmaker with a panache for the surreal.

BUDGET: Pretty sensible actually – Outside of the fantasy sequence at the hardware store (which would require some pretty simple visual effects), it’s only two simple locations and two actors.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Marnie Mitchell is an award-winning screenwriter and 5-page contest junkie. Due to her addiction, she’s written over 80 shorts, 15 having been produced. Currently she’s working on her 8th feature, an adaptation of a horror short she wrote 10 years ago. Some of her work can be found on her site, BrainFluffs.com. Some of her photography can be seen here: marnzart.wordpress.com. Marnie can be contacted via her website.

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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.

FROM VILNA WITH LOVE (5-page short historical screenplay) by Warren Duncan

Twenty-four years after the death of their parents in war-torn Germany, a brother and sister seek revenge on the man responsible.

The second-place entry of Week Three’s Writers’ Tournament was the emotionally gut-wrenching and thought-provoking revenge tale, From Vilna With Love, its title somewhat of a play on the James Bond film/novel From Russia With Love. Though the tone of each story couldn’t be any more different. This is a revenge tale.

Before I get into the actual review, let’s go over the three items the writer was assigned to include in this tale; a DIE-CAST TOY CAR, a PAINTER and a PLACE OF WORSHIP. All of which are so naturally weaved into the story, I almost forgot that there were three items that needed to be included. Though one of the items has great symbolic importance to the story’s theme.

We’re taken back in time to 1963, post-World War II Germany, where brother and sister, Tomasz and Lena drive through snow-covered landscapes in the middle of the night, eventually arriving at an isolated cottage deep into the forest. Why they’re here, we don’t know yet.

That’s when we flashback to 1939 – Tomasz and Lena, small children, play while their parents, Piotr and Nadia (both painters) sell their work at a local market in Vilna, Poland. A loving family, Tomasz in particular seems to be obsessed with his favorite toy, a miniature, red toy car. So much so that he even plays with it during dinner, to his father’s chagrin.

But, during what seems like a peaceful dinner with family, the impact of bombs in the distance throttle the small home.

In a later flashback, we’re taken to a church where the family, along with several other frightened Vilna residents, hide from Russian soldiers, who eventually make their way in. It’s there where Tomasz and Lena witness the execution of their father at the hands of soldier, Viktor Ivanov, a memory forever etched into the siblings’ memories, especially Tomasz, who tries to come to his father’s aid, dropping something on the ground.

Back to present time at the isolated cottage, we find out that this is Viktor’s home. And it’s made abundantly clear why Tomasz and Lena are there when Tomasz knocks on the front door with a gun.

You’ll have to read for yourself to find out how this tale of revenge ends. But I will say that the ending might surprise you. I personally pictured this being filmed in black and white with the toy car being the only color we see in the story. Much like Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece, Schindler’s List, the red car’s purpose in this story (more specifically the color red) is so vital to the theme. But, in this story in particular, it’s especially vital to the theme of nature vs nurture – a child’s innocence taken away from them at the hands of a cruel, war-torn environment.

One of the more engaging shorts I’ve read in quite a while, this is a story meant to be seen on screen.

BUDGET: Medium. Historical/time period pieces have the reputation of carrying bigger budgets, but with clever planning and fairly simple locations, this can be filmed on a sensible budget. Regardless, the story is worth every penny.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Warren Duncan writes screenplays and comics in his spare time and has been lucky enough to have several shorts produced and the first issue of his comic book series published. Warren can be reached at: warren_duncan (a) hotmail.com

FROM VILNA WITH LOVE (5-page short historical 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.

When a female android takes her pedroid dog in for repairs, an accident turns her world upside down and reveals her entire existence has been a lie.

Another script from Week Two of the Simply Scripts annual Writer’s Tournament that I completely gushed over was Mark Renshaw’s futuristic candy-for-the-eyes sci-fi tale, First Generation.

Falling under Week Two’s theme of BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER, Mark was assigned sci-fi for his genre while also being assigned the following three items to include in his story: an ankle monitor, a veterinarian and a repair shop. Though the criteria assigned seemed quite daunting, Mark was up to the task, somehow finding a way to weave his three items seamlessly into an extremely unique, futuristic and yes, very cute and romantic love tale.

We open in a baby nursery, where a newborn is given a small, mechanical ankle bracelet, applied by a robot hand operating from the ceiling above.

We’re then introduced to the world in which the story is set in – it’s written and described in a way that the reader can EASILY picture it. So much so, that it almost feels like you’re there; jam-packed with holographic signs, flying cars and kids riding hover boards, it feels like Back to the Future meets The Jetsons.

Arriving at PETE’S PEDROID REPAIR SHOP, we meet Evie, who leaves her 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible, entering the repair shop with her bulldog tagging along. What’s a pedroid, exactly? We find out as Evie enters the shop – animals of all kinds crawling and flying around, it looks like something out of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

We meet Pete, the owner of the shop, who flicks a parrot off his shoulder as he tends to Evie.

Peter pats a workbench. The Bulldog leaps onto it. He grabs the dog’s tongue and gives it a yank. It stretches out while the dog’s head tilts back and opens to reveal electro-mechanical components.

But, before he can repair the pedroid, his ankle unit starts to malfunction. At the same time, Evie also has a malfunctioning ankle unit – in a meet-cute moment, their malfunctioning ankle units react magnetically, drawing their ankles together. As they try to pull apart from each other, their flung in opposite directions – Evie hits the floor hard, banging her noggin as her robot ankle is busted open, the exposed wires sparking, fluid spewing.

But while shaking off the cobwebs, her vision becomes blurry and her perception of reality alters – no longer are we in this colorful, futuristic reality but we’re in the present day. The pedroid shop is now a dingy repair shop. Her fancy convertible is now a beat-up jalopy. And her robot ankle is no longer spewing robot fluid – it’s now bleeding. She’s 100% human.

Neither Pete nor Evie know exactly what’s going on. She asks if Pete can fix them up, but he only knows how to fix pedroids – they’d have to go to a “humdroid” repair shop aka hospital. En route, in the back of an ambulance, Pete is seeing the same depressing world that Evie is seeing, surely a product of their ankle units malfunctioning. Is this the real world? And are their ankle units merely altering their perception of reality? Creating a better, virtual alternate reality?

They gaze at the depressing scenery as the vehicle clunks and stumbles along. Pete turns to Evie with fear in his eyes.

At the medical clinic, the furniture old and worn, paint peeling off the crummy walls, Peter and Evie each lie in hospital beds. Instead of human doctors, they’re treated by DOCBOTS rather than actual human doctors – rusty, robotic arms operating from the ceiling, wrapping up their ankles in bandages rather than “repairing” them.

Unfortunately for Pete and Evie, they’re rare, first generation “models” and the technology to build and repair them has been lost. They can, however, self-repair minor damages. Instead of repairing them, the DOCBOT offers them new ankle units (like the babies in the opening scene).

Now fully aware that they’ll remain stuck in this cruel and depressing-looking reality without the ankle units, they’re forced to make a decision – but if they choose the ankle units and this better reality, these two lovebirds will never be able to see each other again. So, they make their decision…

… Which I won’t give away in this review. You may be able to see where it’s going, but I highly recommend checking the rest out for yourself. Though the alternate reality paints a bleak picture of the future, we learn that nothing beats the feeling of being human and feeling human sensations… such as love.

BUDGET: Medium. Some may look at this and think the story would require a higher budget, and it most likely would considering the futuristic, sci-fi atmosphere of the story. And I normally review scripts with lower budgets, but due to the insane creativity and uniqueness of the story, I had to give this one a review. As I mentioned, this would make a great animated film as it may keep the budget sensible. But, if the filmmaker decides to go live-action, it would be a great opportunity for a visual effects artist to show off their stuff.

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 2nd round 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 www.mark-renshaw.com.

Read: FIRST GENERATION (5-page short science-fiction 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.

LINES (5-page short thriller screenplay) by PAUL KNAUER

A mother and daughter, struggling to get by, find themselves eluding gangsters when their deadbeat, drug addicted husband/father can’t pay the gangsters the money they’re owed.

BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER was the theme for Week Two of our annual writer’s tournament here at Simply Scripts, which saw many impressive entries – each writer was given a different genre and three items to include in each of their scripts. I assumed the theme was about loyalty to family in some form and, after reading several of the entries, my assumptions were correct.

One entry that caught my eye while also notching the top overall voting score was a cool little thriller called Lines, written by the very talented Paul Knauer. A Simply Scripts vet who’s had several scripts optioned and produced, Paul is no stranger to these challenges and tournaments, continuously placing high in many of them. I’ve already reviewed two of his entries – Potato Radio, an entry from the COVID themed May One Week Challenge, and Passwords, from the horror/sci-fi themed June One Week Challenge.

Paul, of course, was assigned to write something in the thriller genre while also being given the following three items to include in his script – ketchup packets, homemaker and an auto body shop. And not only did Paul seamlessly weave these items into his story, but each item actually played a major role in the plot.

Through the story’s opening visual, we immediately understand the title of Paul’s tale as we see some drug paraphernalia neatly lined up on a desk at an auto repair shop (criteria item #1). We’re introduced to Steve who, along with being a mechanic, is also a deadbeat father, awful husband and meddling drug dealer who owes his boss some money – rather than selling his product, he’s been partaking a little too much.

Back at their apartment, we’re then introduced to Steve’s wife, Leslie, the homemaker (criteria item #2) who desperately searches the empty cupboards and refrigerator, trying to find dinner for their eight-year-old daughter, Stella. Met with cobwebs, Leslie decides to gather some change and take Stella to a local fast food spot to order a burger off the dollar menu. But as they’re gone, two goons break into their apartment, searching for the stay-at-home mom and the little girl, most likely related to Steve’s money situation.

Meanwhile, Leslie and Stella are at the fast food spot, getting dinner. While the fast food clerk has their back turned, Stella snatches up a bunch of ketchup packets (criteria item #3) and stuffs them into her mother’s purse – this seems to be a routine for them while also being a strange way of mother and daughter bonding.

After leaving, Leslie sees the auto repair shop in the near distance and decides to take Stella there to pay Steve a visit. Unfortunately, Steve’s no-nonsense drug boss, Victor, has already beat them to the punch. Unbeknownst to Steve or Victor, Leslie eavesdrops from the other side of Steve’s office door.

Ouch, that’s gotta hurt. But Leslie’s got something else up her sleeve, finding a way to get back at her husband while ALSO eluding Victor and his goons. I won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say those ketchup packets come very handy and play a major role in her plans.

Insanely clever, especially given the assigned criteria with one week to write, Lines is one that filmmakers and producers should be scrambling for. With a sensible budget and great characters, this could EASILY be filmed with social distancing in rules in effect.

BUDGET: Low to shoe string. Writing on a budget can be tricky when it comes to these writer’s tournaments where each writer is given a certain criteria to meet. But this one has a minimal cast and simple locations.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Paul is an optioned and produced screenwriter working out of the Kansas City area. His main focus is thrillers and slightly absurdist comedy with heart, most of them about life in the Midwest U.S. His first script, a sitcom pilot titled OH, BROTHER!, placed second in the 2012 Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition and was subsequently optioned. Paul’s diverse portfolio includes several feature thrillers, a couple of comedy features and multiple sitcom pilots, as well as dozens of shorts across genres. He believes that becoming a better writer requires the ability to push personal boundaries. Paul can be reached at: pkcardinal (a) gmail.

Read: LINES (5-page short thriller screenplay)

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*This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

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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.

THE INFERNAL DEVICE (11-page short horror screenplay) by Jesson Kinder

Writer’s block becomes the least of a novelist’s worries after she buys a cursed typewriter. Each story she completes leads to more blood on her hands. Can she escape the curse?

As a writer myself and a massive fan of the horror genre, I was immediately drawn to Jesson Kinder’s clever slasher/supernatural hybrid, The Infernal Device, after checking out the log line. I’m always up for a good “cursed item/totem” horror story – Child’s Play, Annabelle and Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell come to mind. But, while I’m drawn to movies that explore curses, hexes and voodoo, the fascination carries over to real life. Now, I don’t really believe in that kind of thing, but there’s definitely a what if factor that scares the hell out of me. I searched Ebay for cursed items and found listings for dolls, Dybbuk boxes, paintings, coins, jewelry, Ouija boards, you name it. Again, I don’t believe in that sort of thing. But would I ever purchase any of these items? Hell no. I wouldn’t want any of those things anywhere near me. It’s highly unlikely, in my opinion, that these items carry curses – but just in case I may be wrong, I’ll pass. It’s just not worth the risk.

But what if you didn’t know an item was cursed? Well, that’s exactly what happens to the story’s protagonist, Mallory Chambers, a best-selling author who stumbles upon a cursed typewriter at a yard sale.

The story opens with Mallory furiously typing away on said typewriter. Under a lot of pressure to follow up her last best-selling novel with another hit, she seems to be suffering from a little case of writer’s block. It’s almost as if she’s FORCING herself to write. Sure, most writers usually do the same, but there seems to be a life-or-death sense of urgency motivating her. That’s when an intruder breaks into the room with one goal in mind – to kill Mallory.

But just as she’s about to get killed, we cut to Mallory in a cafe, staring at her laptop. It turns out that the opening scene was either a dream or a possible excerpt from her new book… so we think.

With the 4th of July coming up, Mallory and her successful actor boyfriend, Javier, hit up a yard sale at a trailer home to purchase some fireworks. But Mallory has her eye on something else there… the typewriter. The typewriter that its seller, Gene, who looks like he hasn’t slept in years, is more than happy to get rid of.

Immediately using the typewriter with hopes of being inspired, Mallory gets back to her next novel, Killing King – it’s about Stephen King’s creations coming to life, as she describes it to Javier. But sure enough, in very cleverly executed meta-horror fashion, her own creations come to life and innocent people start getting killed off by a psycho wearing a paper-mache mask… an almost perfect replica of Mallory’ s face!

Once she discovers that her story is coming to life and innocent people are getting offed, she tries to get rid of the typewriter. But whether she’s tossing it into a dumpster, smashing it to bits or setting it on fire, it always seems to mold back into shape and return to her.

After more casualties, Mallory tries returning it to its seller, Gene – who, of course, doesn’t take the typewriter back. But he breaks down the rules for her – which I won’t reveal here because it’ll spoil the fun of finding out on your own. The script does follow a formula we see in a lot of books and films about curses and cursed items, but it’s a proven formula. And writer, Jesson Kinder, executes it so damn well. Insanely entertaining and immensely clever, The Infernal Device will have you on the edge of your seat all the way through to its chaotic finale. A fun ride throughout, it will be impossible to wipe the grin from your face while reading.

BUDGET: Low. There are a few locations, but they’re mainly simple – a coffee shop, an apartment and a trailer home. The priciest part of the script is probably the ending (there’s a fire/explosion involved).

ABOUT THE WRITER: Jesson Kinder has been writing teleplays, shorts, and a feature length movie scripts over the past several years. Though he has yet to “break in”, he continues to work hard at his craft and improve as a writer, still typing away and creating stories. Regardless of the genre, Jesson love a good story with memorable characters – applying that very same love to his own works. Jesson can be reached at jessonkinder (a) mail.com.

Read THE INFERNAL DEVICE (11-page short horror 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.

LET ‘ER RIP (5-page short drama screenplay) by John Staats writing as “Weak Won”

An outlaw’s last words are more befitting than he intended.

The SimplyScripts 2020 Writer’s Tournament is officially underway! The annual writer’s tournament kicked things off in its first week with the theme, Money Is the Root of All Evil. If you’re a casual or new visitor of the site, this year’s tournament paired writers off in teams, with each writer given criteria to meet in a two to six-page short screenplay – they’re given a genre along with other random items to include in their individual stories. Now, this may seem like a difficult task, especially considering that each writer was given only a week to complete their scripts. But, hey, that’s why it’s called a challenge. And after reading through the Week One entries, it was clear that the talented writers here at Simply Scripts were more than up to the task.

My favorite of the bunch for Week One and, coincidentally, the highest scoring entry, was Let ‘Er Rip, written by the immensely talented John Staats.

His genre? Historical. Which isn’t exactly my favorite. But my expectations were COMPLETELY subverted by the time I finished this delightfully morbid tale, of which the criteria included; a gavel, a reporter and a park. Which he seamlessly weaved into a very entertaining little gem… while being historically accurate.

The subject of this sharply-written historical piece was infamous cowboy turned outlaw/train robber, Tom “Black Jack” Ketchum of the notorious Hole in the Wall Gang that operated in America’s west in the 1880s.

The story opens with the judge banging a GAVEL (that’s one criteria item) before sentencing Ketchum to death by hanging. For what exactly? Felonious assault of a train – yes, you read that correctly. I know this may sound like a spoiler, but I’m sure you knew what happened to the Titanic before watching Titanic. This is merely historical fact – Ketchum was the first person to suffer capital punishment for the offense of “felonious assault upon a railway train” in New Mexico Territory (which did not become a state until 1912).

Ketchum was accused of attempting to rob a train – the conductor recognized “Black Jack” and shot him in the arm, which was later amputated. But as a REPORTER (criteria item No. 2) interviews him in jail, Ketchum denies the accusation.

That’s exactly how the U.S. government felt about the law – they later found it to be unconstitutional. Unfortunately for old “Black Jack”, the law wasn’t changed until after his hanging. Just his luck, huh? Well, karma might’ve been in effect in this instance – after all, there were numerous other robberies and murders. So, one couldn’t feel TOO sorry for the outlaw.

During his interview with the reporter, despite being sentenced to hang, Ketchum expresses a more positive view on his time in prison while rubbing on his plump belly.

Perhaps he’s been living a little TOO well – it’s been said the man packed on about thirty extra pounds while behind bars. Now, what relevance does his immense weight gain have in this story? That’s one aspect I won’t spoil for you. However, the ending stays true to historical fact while somehow being funny yet incredibly morbid without being gratuitous. You’ll have to see for yourself. But, interesting fact – the story is so historically accurate that a good portion of the reporter’s voice-over dialogue at the end was the actual reporter’s verbatim written account of the hanging – taken from an article written in the Denver Times back in 1901.

Its title taken from Ketchum’s last words, Let ‘Er Rip is an incredibly entertaining historical short that would be awesome to see on screen.

BUDGET: Low to mid budget. It’s a historical period piece, but there’s ways to keep the budget sensible in regards to props and costume. Historical reenactment groups can be a source to rent out stuff on the cheap. Also, vintage props in general can be pretty cheap to rent and even purchase. Though it may take someone good with their hands with carpenter skills to put together the gallows – perhaps one can be fashioned from an old, wooden swing set. It will be a great opportunity for the filmmakers and set designers to get creative!

About the writer: As a fly-fishing fanatic and skier living in the Arizona desert, John Staats has plenty of time for writing. After focusing on features and shorts for the screen, John has now ventured into writing for the illustrated page with hopes of eventually writing a full-feature graphic novel. His feature Impasse has also been published as an e-book on Amazon. 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.

CC (a 6-page short horror screenplay) by Anthony Cawood

An Augmented Reality ghost hunt hits close to home.

I’m absolutely obsessed with the paranormal. I probably spend more time on Youtube watching ghost videos and listening to podcasts than I’d care to reveal. I’ve never really seen a ghost or any kind of paranormal entity, though I’ve had some eerie experiences that were enough to make me wonder and not completely dismiss the possibility. Though, in those same experiences, there were a number of logical explanations for each strange encounter. So, it wasn’t enough for me to conclude, without a shadow of a doubt, that ghosts are real, either. But I’d love to see one. It’s something I’d really like to cross off my bucket list. I even downloaded an EVP recorder app for my phone. So far, no such luck, however.

But, as cool as it would be to have a real paranormal encounter and as drawn as I am to paranormal Youtube channels, there’s a part of me that would freak the eff out if I did have an encounter. Fear is part of that curiosity. It’s a visceral feeling and part of the reason why so many people are drawn to scary movies, as well as shows like “Ghost Hunters” on TV and the litany of Youtube and TikTok channels devoted to things that go bump in the night.

The reason I was so drawn to Anthony Cawood’s eerie, June One-Week-Challenge entry, the aptly titled, CC, was due in large part to how relatable I found his main character, 17-year-old Rosie, to be. That, and the script was also effectively creepy and probably the easiest to film out of most of the wonderfully creative June entries.

The story takes place in real time, but it kind of felt like my daily routine – just sitting on the couch, listening to music on my ear pods while peeping paranormal Youtube videos on my television. This is the extent of my ability to multitask. And this is exactly what Rosie is doing as her 15-year-old brother, Dylan, lounges around, doing what little brother’s do best – annoying their older sister.

Set in the near future – sometime later this decade, I presume – Rosie checks out a Youtube channel called, “pARa LIVE” with the sound off, reading the closed captioning while listening to music. A poor man’s, lower-budget version of “Ghost Hunters”, Rosie watches the first-person POV-filmed show as its curious paranormal researcher tracks some sort of entity through a neighborhood using a downloadable smart phone app called the PARA-APP. Rosie nonchalantly downloads the app as she continues to watch the show, the tracker catching footage of a small, pale, impish, troll-like figure…

As she continues to watch the video, fully absorbed, a sudden chill tingles her spine once she realizes that the location of the live feed looks oddly familiar – just outside of her neighbor’s house. To make things creepier, the live feed follows the imp as it moves closer and closer to her home, forcing her to use the app as it seeks shelter within her once-comfy confines.

I won’t spoil the ending, but it’s an awesomely spooky example of classic, found-footage horror at its finest. As a massive horror fan, I can easily see this fitting into some sort of “VHS”-esque anthology while also racking up Youtube views as its own stand-alone film.

BUDGET: Shoe-string. Two actors, pretty much one location. And some camera trickery to capture the story’s creepy imp “character”.

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.

Read: CC (a 6 page short horror script)

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*This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

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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.

LITTLE RED (3-page short horror screenplay) by Daniel Piller

Alone on a rescue mission, Little Red Riding Hood ventures through a ruined fairy-tale world and encounters old enemies.

When we hear “fairy tale” being used in a sentence, it’s often used to describe something magical, surreal and fantastical – like a wondrous dream come true. Everyone wants that fairy tale wedding. People dream of meeting their “Prince Charming”. Or having some sort of fairy-tale ending to an important chapter in their lives.

When we think of fairy tales, we often associate it with something whimsical and innocent. I’m sure Disney’s interpretations of fairy tales over the past century or so such as Cindarella, Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty have something to do with that. But the origins of these fairy tales are much, much darker and much, much more frightening. Now, there have been some darker interpretations of these tales in recent years – 2019’s horror telling of Hansel & Gretel, for one. And there have been various modernized takes on Little Red Riding Hood – the R-rated, wildly violent 90’s flick, Freeway with Reese Witherspoon as “Little Red” and Kiefer Sutherland portraying the “Big Bad Wolf” in the form of a serial killer who picks up hitchhikers.

But I can’t say I’ve ever seen or read an interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood that combined modern and classical elements the way that Daniel Piller’s cleverly-written version of the classic tale, Little Red, does.

The story begins with a very light and whimsical tone, the warm delivery of its narrator introducing us to this magical, fairy-tale world where the forest is vibrant and full of beautiful colors, birds singing joyously…

Fast asleep on a tree stump sits LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, 12, with her picnic basket next to her.

That’s when Little Red snaps awake and we’re brought into the present day, where she wakes up in a gloomy, dying forest void of life – the grass littered with dead songbirds scattered around like dead leaves.I doubt Disney would approve of the world presented to us in this version.

Cut, bruised and bleeding, we follow Little Red through this dark, post-apocalyptic forest, the tone of the narrator’s voice changing as it continues to provide us with context as she trudges towards Grandma’s house to rescue her…

She holds out her open palm to catch some snowflakes, only to see–

She observes the blackish, twisted branches above her, then notices the fading sunlight. It is dusk.

But, as the narrator later states, in some ways, the tale has stayed the same as Little Red approaches Grandma’s house, wolves howling in the distance, their big, glowing, yellow eyes staring out at her as they lurk in the darkness.

But this version of Little Red Riding Hood isn’t some helpless, innocent little girl just waiting to be devoured by wolves – she’s adapted to this frightening, post fairy-tale world. And she knows that, in order to survive and save Grandma, she needs to be just as ruthless as the villains and monsters that wait for her in the darkness. We see that she means business when she expertly assembles a machine gun as if she were a trained soldier in the midst of war.

Though this is a very dark interpretation, the story does invoke a feeling of hope as Little Red gets herself ready for battle – she is a legit bad-ass. And we get the sense that she’ll be able to take on whatever comes her way.

Highly atmospheric and wildly creative, Little Red is an interpretation of the classic fairy tale that truly deserves to be SEEN and not just read.

BUDGET: Low to medium. This script would be a great way for any visual effects artist to have a field day and show off their stuff – mainly with the colorful surroundings of the forest.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Daniel Piller is an aspiring screenwriter from Germany, who has been in love with storytelling for most of his life. While he enjoys to explore different genres, his scripts often feature crimes and various hardships, with an emphasis on complex, yet relatable characters. In the last few years, he has become more serious about improving and sharing his writing and hopes to entertain readers and eventually viewers with his work. Daniel can be reached at: kid_threepwood (a) web.de

Read LITTLE RED (3-page short horror screenplay)

Discuss this script on the discussion board

*This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

Find more scripts available for production.

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.

CONFESSIONS OF A CADAVER (3-page short horror screenplay) by Matthew Taylor

As a surgeon dissects a cadaver, it tells him a story he doesn’t want to hear.

If you watch gangster films, you’ve probably heard some variation of this line before – “Dead men don’t tell tales”. But if you watch true crime films and documentaries – I highly recommend Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries reboot – you know that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sometimes, a cadaver can weave one hell of a tale… in great detail. A lot can be determined through examining a cadaver. Of course, cause of death is one of those things. And through toxicology reports and blood tests, you can also discover whether or not drugs were consumed leading up to their death… hell, you can even find out what the person ate the day of.

Now, I know what you’re thinking – What a grim introduction! Well, the script I’m reviewing is very grim and very dark. I’m sure you can tell by the apt title. But this isn’t just your everyday crime thriller or police procedural ala Criminal Minds, Law & Order or any of the CSI shows – this is a morality tale on a smaller, more personal scope that you’d see in an Alfred Hitchcock Presents reboot. And it all takes place in an autopsy room (or whatever the proper term is) where a surgeon examines a cadaver in front of a small group of medical students. And though they find out a lot about this cadaver in particular, its the surgeon that finds out more about himself during the examination in Matthew Taylor’s clever, sharply-written micro-short that’s just as grim as its title, Confessions of a Cadaver.

The story gets right to it, opening on a gloved hand making a Y-shaped incision into the abdomen of the title character, the cadaver.

All business, not a moment of emotional inflection in his voice, the surgeon is accompanied by an assistant/observer as the group of medical students watch attentively. As the surgeon continues to reveal more information about the cadaver while inspecting it, the observer seems to be a little bothered by his coldness and lack of emotion.

As the examination continues, the surgeon poking, prodding and showing the students the scarred organs (including the heart), we find out that the cadaver has endured drug abuse, alcohol abuse and even further self-harm made evident by the slash marks on its wrists – this was one depressed individual who was battling some serious demons.

But it’s through the observer that we soon find out the cadaver’s name – Henry. In fact, as the surgeon continues to explain every medical detail to the class, the observer, who’s continuously annoyed by the surgeon’s matter-of-fact disposition, reveals more and more detailed information about the subject’s personal life, far beyond the medical aspect.

As we continue to peel away at the onion, layer by layer, a truly shocking reveal is made. This intricately told story has a much deeper theme than what I’ve described so far, but to reveal that theme would be giving away the twist of the story.

I’m a huge fan of Matthew Taylor’s work – I previously reviewed a short of his, Inbox (1), which is still available, by the way. And Confessions of a Cadaver is a big reason why I admire this writer’s work so much. Excellent at creating an eerie tone, the writer also excels at exploring deeper themes that start off as subtle, slowly building to a gut-punch of a reveal. I highly recommend Confessions of a Cadaver to any filmmaker searching for a sharply-written, atmospheric tale that, not only gets under our skin visually, but also emotionally.

BUDGET: Low. Minimal cast (2 main characters), one room and some clever prosthetics.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Matthew Taylor is an accountant from Shakespeare’s county. Though fairly new to screenwriting, he is a naturally gifted storyteller hitting his stride as a writer, recently securing an option for one of his scripts. Though he’s always learning and looking to improve his craft, his skill level is far more advanced than most writers with similarly limited experience. Matthew spends his spare time reading scripts and books. His dream is to be able to make a living from screenwriting, specializing in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He can be reached at Taylor.MJ88 (a) Gmail.

Read CONFESSIONS OF A CADAVER (3-page short horror screenplay)

Discuss this script on the discussion board.

*This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

Find more scripts available for production.

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.