MOTH (10 page short drama script) by Ben Clifford

A young single mother, struggling to deal with her baby’s incessant crying, leaves her apartment for a moment of peace and quiet only to realize that she locked herself out with her baby still inside.

Happy belated Mother’s Day, everybody!

Being a mother is a very difficult job, maybe the hardest job in the world. It’s only right that we show our appreciation to the women in our lives who brought us into this world, nurtured us and helped mold us into the responsible, productive, well-manneredadults that most of us are today. Though, like most “holidays” reserved for specific people, our mothers deserve more than one day of appreciation.

As great as our mothers have been to us and, as much as we love them, they aren’t perfect. They’ve all made mistakes that they’ve hopefully learned from. Read all the “Motherhood for Dummies” books you want, there isn’t a book out there that truly prepares someone for motherhood. Being a mom can be a learn-on-the-go, trial and error process. Especially when you carry the difficult burden of being a SINGLE mother.

In Ben Clifford’s dramedy, “Moth”, Jen isn’t just a single mother living on her own – she’s a 19-year-old single mother living on her own. Most people her age are still living with mommy and daddy, raiding their refrigerator for late-night snacks after a taking one too many bong hits with their friends. But Jen has the responsibility of raising a child on her own. Life hasn’t been easy for her. Struggling to get by, a moment of peace and quiet has been hard to come by. Especially on this day when her baby can’t seem to stop crying. Sleep deprivation taking its toll, Jen doesn’t know what to do. So she calls her pediatrician for some advice.

            DR. MATTHEWS (V.O)
Is he fed? Changed? Et cetera.

Jen realizes how silly her question was and allows Dr. Matthews to tend to his other patients. But, as her baby continues to cry, all she wants is just one moment of peace and quiet. Just. One. Damn. Moment.

Her brain screeching, Jen steps out of the apartment to give her ear drums a break. Taking a deep, soothing breath, she savors the moment of peace. Maybe a little too much. Her infant’s cries still audible from inside the apartment, she steps outside to breathe in some fresh air and soak up some much-needed vitamin D provided by the warm sun.

Perhaps caught up in the “moment”, Jen loses complete track of time, finding herself on a nearby park bench, people-watching and enjoying the ambient sounds of city traffic and construction. Yes, even the sound of a power-drill smashing through concrete is more peaceful than the sound of a baby crying. But, suddenly, Jen snaps out of her trance and remembers that she’s a mother with responsibilities – and her baby is inside unattended!

Jen hurries back into her apartment building, hearing her baby STILL crying from inside. But as she tries getting back in, panic hits her like a bucket of water – she locked her keys inside!

Afraid to call the cops due to what many may consider negligence, she seeks help from the building’s superintendent, eventually being forced to call a locksmith after business hours. And things continue to snowball from there.

As I mentioned, motherhood isn’t easy and I’m sure we can all point out a moment in time when our moms screwed up royally. For Jen, this is one of those moments. And though we can all agree what she did wasn’t the best decision, she realizes the error in her ways and will do ANYTHING to get back to her baby. And that’s something we can all root for.

BUDGET: Low. Two locations – the inside and outside of an apartment. Three actors and a baby.

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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*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.

GERIATRICKS (13 page comedy script) by Mark Renshaw

On a whim and in need of healthcare, a group of geriatrics attempt a bank heist. With no experience, no clue and no bowel control, their chances are slim, especially when they encounter an off-duty cop.

Hey, all you young whippersnappers out there! I’m sure you’ve all heard this before – always respect your elders. They’ve seen it all and done it all, collecting years of wisdom and experience we can only be so lucky to accrue if we’re fortunate to live that long. They’ve helped shape the world, molding us into the responsible, respectful adults that we are today. And as the cruel aging process takes its toll, we feel it’s only right that we help them with the everyday things that they’re no longer able to do on their own – helping them cross the street, open jars, lift heavy things, etc.

But it’s because of this that we sometimes tend to underestimate them a bit. And that’s exactly what the small town folks at a local bank find out in Mark Renshaw’s hilarious ode to the elderly, “Geriatricks”, about a gang of geriatric bank robbers pulling off one, final job.

The story opens with cute, old Mister Jay as he shuffles over to the bank teller, Daisy, to make a withdrawal.

Mister J passes her a slip of paper. She reads it, raises an eyebrow

            DAISY
Are you for real?

Mister J nods.

            DAISY
Fifties and hundreds?

Mister J nods again, he places a backpack on the counter.

            DAISY
How old are you?

She thinks its a joke – until the sweet old man reveals a micro 9mm handgun.

But Mister Jay has a slight issue – he has trouble remembering things, often forgetting where he is and why he has a gun. Luckily, he’s not alone – meet Miss B, the foul-mouthed, shotgun-toting enforcer of the group with bowel control problems; Casanova, the ladies man guarding the door; and then there’s the lookout guy, Eagle Eye, who, ironically, happens to be going blind.

All members of this ragtag group have one thing in common (outside of being 80+ years old) – they need money. And boy, do they mean business.

But, despite the guns, their manners haven’t escaped them, making the bank robbery somewhat of a cute and pleasant experience for everybody in the bank, including an off-duty police officer, who tries to talk some sense into the elderly bandits.

            COP
What are you doing robbing a
bank at your age?

She hobbles over to Mister J who’s completely lost and pats his arm.

            MISS B
Exactly. Our age. We’re broken
and don’t have the cash for
repairs. He needs drugs for his
Alzheimer’s, I need back surgery,
Eagle Eye needs to pay off the
loan he took out for his guide dog.

As their plan breaks down, Miss B and her gang of senior citizens capture the hearts of everybody witnessing the robbery, including the off-duty cop and bank teller, Daisy.

            DAISY
Who here thinks we should pretend
none of this happened?

Everyone raises their hand.

            COP
Gosh darn it! Okay!

But as the title suggests, these senior citizens might have an ace or two up their sleeves…

A cross of “Grumpy Old Men” meets “Ocean’s 11”, Mark Renshaw’s “Geriatricks” is a cleverly written knee-slapper full of hilarious dialogue, lovable characters and, something that too many films are missing these days… heart. This deserves to be on the screen!

BUDGET: Low. One location.

ABOUT THE WRITER: by 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.

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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.

OUT OF ORDER (7 page short horror script) by Luke Walker

A night at the local multiplexturns into a nightmare for a middle-aged man with a dark past who learns that being sorry doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be forgiven.

After months of social distancing, I really, really miss going to the movies. Sure, it’s nice to curl up on the couch and take in a flick on the tube, but nothing beats the movie theater experience. There’s something about the smell of popcorn in the air, the movie posters hanging on the wall, the red carpeting, the previews and that feeling you get when the movie’s about to start and the curtains in front of the screen open up – it just feels like an event. It feels special.

However, there are some things that I don’t miss. For one, the people. I’m not talking about ALL of them – part of what makes the movie-going experience so fun is the crowd reaction. But, once in a while, there’s that one person in the crowd that disrupts the experience for everybody. You know who I’m talking about. There’s the Chatty Cathy in the crowd giving play-by-play commentary. Then there’s that couple who brings their rambunctious children with them (turn off your baby!). And then, there’s that one guy who falls asleep and snores the whole time…

In Luke Walker’s creepy fever dream, Out of Order, Eddy, an overweight, middle-aged schlub, IS that one guy.

The story takes place at a local cinema, where Eddy comes to see a movie solo. After pigging out on movie theater snacks well before the flick even starts, Eddy falls victim to the comfy stadium seating and dozes off. After spilling soda onto his crotch, he wakes up to realize that he’s the only one there, the movie he paid a ticket for long over.

If you’ve ever been to a movie theater alone with nobody else there, you know just how creepy it can be. Butit isn’t until Eddy heads to the bathroom to clean himself up that things start to get REALLY creepy.

As Eddy has his wet crotch under a hand dryer, he hears something from a nearby stall with a handwritten out-of-order sign hanging up on the door…

After the sign falls off the door on its own, nasty sewer sludge comes flooding out from under the door, hitting Eddy’s feet. Disgusted, Eddy picks up the out-of-order sign and reads something on the back of it that sends chills down his spine…

And that’s when the nightmare officially begins.

Eddy realizes that he’s not alone after the bathroom stall door opens and lanky, ghastly man dressed as a surgeon (mask, rubber gloves, full regalia) reveals himself. With crazed, bloodshot eyes, this demented surgeon doesn’t seem very happy with Eddy. In fact, it’s safe to assume that he wants to hurt the pudgy loner… really, really badly.

I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say things get stranger and more terrifying for Eddy as the night goes on. Imagine “Inception”, but instead of a dream within a dream, it’s a nightmare within a nightmare… within a nightmare. But why is this happening to Eddy? What did he see on the back of that out-of-order sign? You’ll have to read for yourself to find out.

What I loved most about this script was that it had that midnight movie kinda vibe to it. I felt like I was actually at the movies again, I could almost smell the popcorn.

Packed with solid scares and horrifying imagery, Out of Order is a horror tale that will make you feel like you’re at the movies again. Any filmmaker who’s a true movie fan AND horror fan, will appreciate this one.

BUDGET: Relatively low – if you can convince your local cinema to let you use the location, it might save you a few bucks. But it’s all one location, three actors and a few extras.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Luke Walker, a part-time stay at home Dad to two young Padawans, is a self taught, award-winning horror screenwriter from Bristol, England. He’s best knownfor his short film Paralysis, screened at Macabro: Mexico City International Horror Film Festival. And for short script Rose, winner of ‘Lets Make It! Screenwriting Contest / Antic Horror – International Short Screenplay Contest / 13 Horror.com Film and Screenplay Contest. Luke can be reached at luke.ewoods (a) googlemail.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.

PERCHANCE TO DREAM (10 page short sci-fi script) by James Austin McCormick

A dead soldier follows the light at the end of the tunnel, but discovers his own personal afterlife is nothing he could have imagined.

Imagine, for a second, a world (or universe) in which democracy has completely collapsed and evil, amoral corporations have seized supreme political control, overtaking government, controlling our economy, military and even us, as people. What’s that? We don’t have to imagine it at all? It’s happening now?

I’ll stay away from any political rants, but it’s no secret just how much corporations influence our government, our economy and us, as people, and our everyday lives. But what if these corporations controlled us… even after we’re dead?

That’s what author, James Austin McCormick, explores in his “Outer Limits”-esque sci-fi tale, Perchance to Dream.

It all takes place in the very distant future, where corporations reign supreme and are at war with each other, duking it out over the solar system’s resources. It’s also a future where DNA replication and gene patenting is regulated by one corporation in particular. Think of the way Monsanto was able to alter crop DNA and then essentially own it in perpetuity, thus monopolizing America’s agricultural market with its genetically modified seeds. Well, the corporation in Perchance to Dream is kinda the same thing, but with human DNA.

The story opens with battered and bloodied soldier, Captain Eli Jaxon, moving towards a light at the end of a tunnel. As he reaches the light, he finds himself in an office where he’s greeted by a nerdy, bespectacled clerk sitting behind a desk.

All Jaxon remembers is being on the battlefield, where an enemy shell exploded, decimating him and his troop. Next thing he knew, he was walking down a dark tunnel, towards a light.

“Am I dead?” Jackson asks.

            CLERK
Well, at this precise moment your
body lays broken and bloodied on
the Martian battlefield, just outside
Olympus Mons. Both heart and respiratory
functions have ceased. Already brain
cells are dying.

He taps his temple.

            CLERK
Your higher cognitive functions have
ceased, but your consciousness has
been saved. That now resides inside
this virtual environment.

            JAXON
Okay, now I’m beginning to catch on.
That damn chip in my head.

It’s actually a crystal embedded in Jaxon’s central cortex, the clerk clarifies.

During this office meeting inside of Jaxon’s subconscious, the clerk then discusses some paperwork that had previously been signed by Jaxon.

            CLERK (CON’T)
Now, it says in your contract that
if you’re to die during active duty
then a substantial payment is to be
made to your family.

Unfortunately for Jaxon and the family that he’s survived by, there’s a sub clause in the contract that threatens payment – leaving his wife and kid, back on Earth, no longer entitled to compensation despite Jaxon being blown to bits over this corporation’s war.

There is, however, a way to make things right – to sign a new contract. By signing it, not only will his family be compensated, but he will be brought back to life to specifically complete his mission so that the corporation he’s fighting for can prevail. But, by signing that contract, he may be signing away much more than he had intended.

In Perchance to Dream, McCormick explores themes of power, lack of it and how individuals can become enslaved through gene patenting while also touching on what it means to be human… and whether or not that human side can truly be replicated.

BUDGET: Low. There aren’t any action set pieces here, really. It’s essentially two main characters and two locations – an office and a larger room that can be made to look like the inside of an army base.

ABOUT THE WRITER: James Austin McCormick is a college lecturer and compulsive writer of speculative fiction with many short stories published in various anthologies along with novellas and novels published with Class Act Books. As a screenwriter, James has consistently placed high in international competitions and, along with a co-author, has had three feature-length horror scripts optioned by K5 films. With a long list of short-length scripts, James also collaborated with talented writer, Annabel Grace, on the produced short, In the Silence. You can find his works on the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. James can be reached at: jimbostories (a) hotmail.

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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.

TEDDY BEAR (16 page drama short) Written by Anthony Cawood

An elderly immigrant moves to a new home on a quiet, suburban street. Will it be different this time or will he suffer the small minded bigotry that has dogged his entire life?

We teach our children all kinds of important lessons when they’re young. You know the basics; look both ways before crossing the street, do unto others others as you expect they should do unto you, always wash your hands before you eat, etc, etc.

As obvious as these nuggets of wisdom are, they are important lessons to teach the people of tomorrow, as many of these lessons carry over into adulthood. But there are some lessons that seem to strictly apply to children due to their innocence, naivety and vulnerability. The most common being, “don’t talk to strangers”. I’m a firm believer that most people are good-natured at heart and wish no harm on others, especially children. But, unfortunately, there are some sick individuals out there who DO wish harm and DO have ill intentions towards our kids. And it’s very important that, as parents, we monitor them and protect them from the evils of the world.

But, as parents, sometimes we can be a little OVER protective. And we tend to forget some of those basic lessons that we once learned when we were kids, ourselves. One of those being, “don’t judge a book by its cover”. And that seems to be the lesson Anthony Cawood is trying to teach us in his grim morality tale, “Teddy Bear”.

The story opens as a milk man (I’m old enough to remember when they used to be a thing) makes his rounds through a suburban neighborhood when something catches his eye at bungalow #7 – an old, crusty, stuffed teddy bear hanging from the porch.

Cut to a neighborhood meeting of sorts where local residents, Janet, Devon, Holly and Pat, discuss their concerns over their new neighbor at bungalow #7. A few of them have children of their own and are very, very suspicious of their new neighbor – particularly due to that teddy bear he has hanging on his porch, which just screams “pedophile”. But then they raise other, more immature, concerns – some of them put off by the fact that their new neighbor may also be a foreigner.

Pat decides to put all this prejudice to rest and introduces herself to the new, elderly resident. As she’s gone, the others are already worried that something happened to her. But, of course, Pat returns unharmed to report that their new neighbor, Alfred, isn’t anything like they think he is.

            PAT
He’s a lovely old man, polite, well
mannered, speaks better English
than John and moved here for peace
and quiet.

The others still seem a bit skeptical despite Pat’s glowing report. So much so that they warn their children never to go near bungalow #7.

Despite the warning, Janet’s seven-year-old son, Benjamin, retrieves a ball that he lost while playing with Devon’s six-year-old daughter, Ebony. The ball, of course, ending up in Alfred’s yard. And that’s when little Benjamin meets Alfred face to face.

            ALFRED
Oh, hello there and who might you
be?

Alfred tries again, enunciating.

            ALFRED
Who, are, you?

Intimidated at first, Ben seems to warm up to the kind old man. Well, at least he believes he’s kind. And when Alfred offers him a snack, Ben accepts – which seems to go against another lesson we were taught as children – “Don’t take candy from strangers”.

But when Ebony alert’s Janet of her son’s whereabouts, she springs to action and hurries to her son’s rescue. And what happens next is an unfortunate series of misunderstandings that build towards a very grim conclusion.

BUDGET: Shoestring. Pretty much one or two locations and some actors. Oh, and a teddy bear.

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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*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.

SLEEPOVER (9 page horror short) by Curtis James Coffey

A young girl is terrorized in the middle of the night during her first ever sleepover at a friend’s house.

Ah, to be a kid again. We can only wish, right? Back when our imaginations were pure and full of magic; Santa would bring us presents, a giant bunny would hide eggs and some tooth-obsessed fairy would leave cash under our pillows. We had our whole lives ahead of us. The world was full of endless possibilities. Sure, there was a laundry list of rules, restrictions and responsibilities, mostly bestowed upon us by our parents. But it’s BECAUSE of those rules that the little things were so fun – like sleeping over a friend’s house. Especially when that friend had super cool parents. You got to stay up way past your bedtime, pig out on junk food you weren’t normally allowed to eat and hang out with your buddies without the supervision of your own parents and their stupid rules. But what happens when your friend’s parents are… weird?

That’s the premise behind Curtis James Coffey’s nightmarish horror short, “Sleepover”.

As magical as being a kid can be, it can also be a very scary time. As fun as Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy were, this was also a time when there were monsters hiding under the bed and a Bogeyman living in the closet. And, as fun as sleepovers were, there was always that one kid who would freak out because they were scared to be away from home.

Meet 10-year-old Allison, on her way to her best friend, Cassie’s house for her very first sleepover. Though a little nervous, Allison’s mother, Becky, tries to be reassuring.

            BECKY
You’re going to be fine. It’s not different
than sleeping at home in your own bed.
It’s even better, in fact, because you’ll
be with your best friend. You’ll get to
stay up late and watch movies and eat junk food!

Allison doesn’t seem so sure.

            ALLISON
But what if I can’t sleep?
Or what if I snore? What if SHE snores?
She might not have a nightlight. You know
I have a hard time sleeping with a nightlight.

            BECKY
That’s just something you’re going to have to
deal with. I’m sure she’ll protect you. And her
parents are going to be there the whole time. Right?

            ALLISON
What if they’re weird? Or mean?

When Allison arrives at Cassie’s home and meets her parents, Jack and Julie, everything starts off okay… ish. Meeting new people, especially adults, can be awkward for a child. But Allison’s skepticism seems fairly warranted. Though nice, there seems to be something a little off about Cassie’s parents. It’s almost as if they’re TOO nice. Not to mention those creepy “Stepford Wives” smiles that seem to be pasted to their faces.

Cassie seems pretty normal, however, embarrassed by her parents’ lame jokes and overly-gracious hospitality. And, as Allison settles in, she becomes more comfortable, even seeming to warm up to Jack and Julie a little bit.

            ALLISON
Your parents are nice.

            CASSIE
Yeah, they’re okay, I guess.

But it’s not until the “sleepover” part of the sleepover that Allison’s deepest, darkest fears begin to take over and she finds out that Jack and Julie might not be quite as “okay” as Cassie says they are.

Is it just Allison’s imagination? Or is there is something terribly, terribly wrong with Cassie’s parents?

Fully of creepy moments ala M. Night Shayamalan’s “The Visit”, heart-pounding jump-scares and chilling imagery reminiscent of a Marilyn Manson music video, “Sleepover” will make you glad to be an adult.

BUDGET: Low. One location (a house) and 5 actors (2 of them children).

ABOUT THE WRITER: Curtis James Coffey was born on May 28th, 1990 in Binghamton, NY and raised in Sarasota, FL. He self-published a novel titled, A Call Beyond, and did extensive writing for the tabletop RPG Machina Arcana. He currently resides in Saint Petersburg, FL and aside from film, enjoys games, comics, cooking, and all things spooky. He can be reached at de_cafe6914 (a) yahoo.

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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.

HAND AND FOOT DISEASE (14 page short horror script) by Luke Mepham

After an innocent foot massage, a happily married couple’s relationship is tested when they both become infected with a very strange and itchy skin disease…

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably well aware of all the craziness happening in the world right now. Actually, come to think about it, “living under a rock” is probably the wrong idiom to use. Because many of us, for the past six weeks or so, have actually been living under rocks. Many of us are are sitting in isolation right now as we speak, quarantining ourselves until this madness blows over (hopefully). Many of us are surviving this lock down alone while many of us are cooped up with our loved ones, doing our best not to get infected.

But what happens when you’re isolated with your significant other and one of you gets infected? What happens when BOTH of you get infected? Do you turn on each other? A little game of who-infected-who?

Writer, Luke Mepham, explores what could happen in his delightfully twisted body-horror short, Hand and Foot Disease.

Before I continue – this is NOT a COVID-19 script. Nor is this making light of all the terrible things happening in the world right now. This was written long before any of this happened, back when the word “corona” was strictly associated with alcohol consumption. This script, in particular, examines how a seemingly-healthy relationship can turn very unhealthy under very adverse and unusual circumstances.

Our story opens with Dennis and Helen – a happily married couple just enjoying each other’s company, sharing some relaxing TV time on the couch. Just another night, right? Well, as Dennis gives his loyal, loving wife a foot massage, his hand begins to itch. Deciding that it’s probably nothing but a slight skin irritation, Dennis decides to just sleep it off.

But, later that night while in bed, that itchy sensation becomes a little painful for poor Dennis. He wakes up to find his mitts covered in nasty, blotchy rashes. To make matters worse, Helen wakes up to find the same itchy rashes covering her feet.

            HELEN
Whatever you had, you passed it onto me.

            DENNIS
What do you mean?

            HELEN
Come and see for yourself.

Dennis gets up and walks around the bed to see the state of Helen’s feet match the same state as his hands. Blistered, boiled, dry flaky skin.

After Helen accuses him of spreading it to her, Dennis then questions the quality of the hand soap Helen had bought – the blame game has officially begun.

But, with their doctor away on holiday, they try to make do. Putting their heads together, they come up with somewhat of a game plan – in an attempt to sweat the infection out and keep it from spreading, Helen tapes off her feet with layers of socks while Dennis tapes oven mitts around his hands. Not the worst plan, considering the circumstances, but now they can’t drive to an ER – Dennis unable to operate the steering wheel with mitts on his hands and Helen unable to work the pedals. So, it’s looking like they’re stuck.

As their condition worsens and the itchiness becomes more difficult to resist, the couple’s need to scratch completely takes over, even resorting to dipping their hands into scalding-hot water. But when that doesn’t work… well… let’s just say a cheese grater comes into play.

You’re probably getting itchy just reading this review, aren’t you? Well, it gets much, much worse for Dennis and Helen, the story reaching levels of body horror gore that would make David Cronenberg blush. But, as a massive Cronenberg fan, I found this to be a very, very entertaining schlock-fest, hearkening memories of the legendary filmmaker’s earlier work. This also reminded me a little bit of Troma’s gruesomely effective, “Cutting Moments” short film.

BUDGET: Low. Three actors and a house. Most of the budget will probably be fake blood, makeup and some cheap prosthesis.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Luke Mepham has loved film since he was very young. His childhood favorites such as “Hook” and “Back To The Future” pushed his interest into the world of screenwriting, hoping to write classic films of his own.Luke has written a few other scripts, both short and feature length, while also having several published short horror stories. Luke can be reached at: lukemepham1988 (a) hotmail.co.uk

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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.

INBOX (1) (11 page horror screenplay) by Matthew Taylor

After receiving increasingly disturbing emails, a deaf customer services agent must battle with his mind in order to make sense of his night.

The workplace can be a very stressful environment, especially when it’s at a boring, mundane, nine-to-five office job. With constant worries of job security, the pressure of meeting deadlines and performance goals and dealing with the seemingly infinite monotony of each unimportant shift, the office is often the last place we want to be. But the one thing that gets us through each day is the camaraderie we share with co-workers, bonding over all the things that make us hate showing up for work in the first place. This is how some of our closest, most precious friendships are formed, many of those friendships lasting for life.

But, with so many variables and personalities, the workplace can also be a way to make mortal enemies – there’s clashing of egos, competition, employees fighting to move up that corporate ladder and, at times, bullying.

In Matthew Taylor’s dark psychological thriller, “Inbox (1)”, customer service rep, Freddy, isn’t having the easiest of times. Most likely the target of bullying his whole life due to his disability (he’s deaf), he takes medication for what we believe is either anxiety or depression. His coworkers haven’t exactly been very kind to him – Eric and Danielle mock him behind his back, spewing insults out loud knowing he can’t hear them. His boss, Ian, lets him know, every chance he gets, that the only reason he hasn’t been fired yet is BECAUSE he’s deaf. And even Christina, the only nice one in the office, speaks to him loudly and overly pronounced despite being reminded repeatedly that he can read lips.

After getting chewed out by Ian, Freddy finds himself staying late, stuck with the exhilarating duty of clearing the day’s email backlog – 523 inbox messages, to be exact.

Freddy sucks it up and gets to work, responding to email after email… after email. Finally, after hours of pedantic, repetitious tasks, he looks to his screen – INBOX (1). Ever so close to sweet, sweet freedom, Freddy opens up the predictably unpleasant final message. Trying his best to maintain his professionalism, he goes by the book and responds to the message with the utmost courtesy until finally – INBOX (0). Yes!

Ready to shut down his computer, Freddy gives the screen a glance and, to his chagrin, he sees INBOX (1) again. He opens the message to find out that it’s the same exact person as the last email. Freddy’s been doing this for a while, so he’s used to the aggressive insults thrown his way. But it isn’t until this “customer” in particular makes fun of his duck-patterned tie that Freddy suspects something more sinister is at play.

Fed up, Freddy confronts each coworker at the office, starting off with the most obvious suspects, Eric and his partner in crime, Danielle. A fracas ensues, Freddy’s deep-seeded rage boiling to the surface, resulting in him throwing a glass of water into Freddy’s face. But, upon further investigation, Freddy finds out that it wasn’t Eric or Danielle at all… so it appears. In fact, there’s no evidence that it was ANYBODY in the same room.

Determined to get to the bottom of this, Freddy returns to his computer to find yet another message in his inbox. He opens it up to see a photo of himself. WTF? But it gets even more disturbing when a virtual knife slides across the screen, slicing Freddy’s pixelated throat and splashing animated blood. As if things couldn’t get any stranger, the lights suddenly flicker off…

What begins as a dark, who-dun-nit mystery delves into terrifying, psychological horror territory. And Freddy is forced to explore the darkest depths of his own fragile mind.

In one of my favorite shorts that I’ve recently stumbled across, Matthew Taylor has crafted an atmospheric, pitch-black, psychological, single-location thriller with imagery that will linger with you long after the final credits roll.

BUDGET: Shoe-string. An office room and five actors.

ABOUT THE WRITER: by 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 INBOX (1)

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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.

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.

REAR VIEW (4 page horror short) by Anthony Cawood

An elderly gent with distinctly modern tastes wishes he’d never got a car with a reversing camera.

As technology continues to become more and more advanced each day, the more technologically dependent our society becomes. Many of these innovations change the world we live in and help us to perform tasks with great efficiency, making our lives easier. But when these neat, innovative gadgets we depend on break down and malfunction, it leaves many of us helpless.

For Ross, the protagonist in Anthony Cawood’s ultra-creepy micro-short, Rear View, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Always up to date with the newest advancements in technology, Ross is a well-off gentleman who finds out that one of his devices might be working a little TOO well.

In Ross’s case, that device is a built-in rear-view camera feature in his brand new, fancy-schmancy white Range Rover Evoque. Breathing in that still-fresh new-car smell, Ross is about to head out for a nice cruise around town to show off his new wheels.

But, as he backs out of his driveway, he glances into his rear-view camera and hits the brakes just in the nick of time – two small children in all black just stand there with their heads bowed. Despite almost getting plowed over, they don’t seem to be bothered in the slightest. In fact, it’s almost as if they’re purposely keeping Ross from leaving his driveway.

Annoyed, Ross looks into both rear-view mirrors – but the kids aren’t there. He turns, looks out his back window – nothing. He turns back to the camera and sees the creepy children again – a boy and a girl, no older than 10. And this time, they’re looking directly into his rear-view camera. Staring. Their eyes dark and soulless…

I don’t know about you, but the thought of seeing any children appear suddenly, out of nowhere, being super creepy, makes me shudder. And when you seem them in a horror flick, it’s never a good thing. But Ross doesn’t know he’s in a horror flick. Thinking it’s some punk kids playing a prank, Ross leaves the car only to see that the creepy little bastards are nowhere to be seen – What gives?

I won’t give away any more details, but Rear View has that creepy, skin-crawly vibe I got from popular horror micro-shorts like Lights Out (which later became a successful and pretty solid feature film) and Selfie From Hell (almost 30 million views on Youtube).

Like the shorts I just mentioned, Rear View is all about the scares and the creep factor. And it really nails it. Very easy to film (a lot of newer model cars have the rear-view camera feature built in), this could be that next viral horror hit – of course, in the hands of a capable director with a panache for nightmarish visuals.

Playing off the popular black-eyed children urban legend, Rear View is sure to make you think twice before using your rear-view camera feature again.

BUDGET: Low. A lot of recent car models have the rear-view camera feature built in, so a Range Rover isn’t necessary. But hey, if you have one, good for you.

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: REAR VIEW (4 page horror short)

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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.

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.