The Astral Plane (7 page, YA, Sci-Fi in pdf format ) by John Staats (JEStaats)

A rescue mission crosses the many planes of existence.

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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.

About Hyper Epics: Home of the 3 page sagas, Hyper Epics is a bold anthology series that offers diverse and exciting comic book stories on its website – www.hyperepics.com – and in print form. Each original story is packed with stunning artwork, memorable characters, and captivating stories enhanced with dazzling soundtracks. It is quickly becoming a go-to destination for readers worldwide.

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DEER FRIENDS (9-page short comedy screenplay) by BRYCE SMINK

A teenage boy wants nothing more than to live out the rest of his life out in the woods as a Deer…but his Deer-hunting Father isn’t so accepting of his son’s new life style and a wild man-hunt ensues.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve read something as original as Bryce Smink’s bizarre aburdist horror/comedy, “Deer Friends”.

The story starts off with a bang (literally) as a high school teen named Debbie sitting parked outside of her friend’s house hears gunshots from inside. Her friend, Eric, runs out and jumps into her car as his father chases him with a shotgun, blasting away.

Did I mention that Eric is wearing a deer onesie?

So, why exactly is Eric’s father trying to murder his own son? Well, to follow up on the log line (which describes the story pretty accurately), Eric has decided to “come out” to his parents and identify as a deer. Eric’s father does not approve. Not only that, but Eric’s father is also an avid deer hunter, which immediately makes them mortal enemies.

Eric’s father chases after Debbie and Eric in his pick-up truck, all the way to a national park in the woods, where Eric plans on living his life as a deer.

Although this is an absurdist comedy, the story itself is surprisingly intense. It’s essentially one long chase scene with the feel of a horror-slasher almost. But it also has elements of a screwball comedy, at least in terms of the very strange, off-beat dialogue. It felt like an episode of “The Eric Andre Show” crossed with Quentin Tarantino’s “Death Proof”, at least tonally.

What really impressed me about this script wasn’t just the originality, but it was how it delivered its message using a bizarre, way-the-F-out-there premise. And once you understand the message (which is kinda/sorta obvious), you realize that maybe the premise isn’t that bizarre after all. There’s a real humanity and heart to the story… while also being absurdly entertaining.

BUDGET: Low. The story takes place in a car and out in the woods. Only three characters.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Re: Bryce Smink – “I’m a young writer about to graduate high school in a year. I love writing about the weird and absurd, and mixing it with the relatable aspects of life. I’m working a part time job at small production studio (Delivering Coffee, Yah!). But besides that, nothing has really changed at all. Still just write, write, writing all the time. I’m actually working on multiple web series as a comedy Staff Writer, which is something that I’m actively pursuing.” Bryce can be found at brycesmink (a) outlook.

Read: DEER FRIENDS (9-page short comedy 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.

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Mike Kospiah has been reviewing great short scripts and has started his own podcast. Check out episode 1: Ramen Noodles & Screenwriting featuring actor Clay von Carlowitz. And, listen to Mikey talk about screenwriting, getting fat, and Kevin Revie’s hilarious demon possession horror-comedy script “Bad Influence.
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Follow Mikey on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter so you can see his rants on being a broke, unsuccessful, degenerate screenwriter. ​And, if you’re interested, this is his IMDB.

Over on the Original Scripts page are sixteen original scripts for your reading pleasure.

And something is coming up this week.

– Don

CELLULOID (10-page short comedy screenplay) by RICK 5E

Two lewd and crude high school teachers are taught a valuable lesson about the importance of being discreet.

It’s been a while since there’s been a really funny, R-rated raunch-fest comedy, hasn’t it? Movies like “Bad Santa”, “Porky’s”, “Van Wilder”, “40-Year-Old Virgin”… it just doesn’t seem like they make movies like that anymore. Well, strap the f**k in, because Rick 5e’s laugh-out-loud, profanity-filled, sex-crazed romp is bringing that s***t back!

The story is centered around two hard-partying junior high school teachers (Mr. Todd and Mrs. Granger) who are really bored with their jobs. Today, they’re supervising another boring field trip at a public park.

Unfortunately for them, someone else is in the bathroom with them, secretly taking pictures. And a few days later, both teachers find themselves being blackmailed. Is it one of their students? Another teacher?

Determined to find the culprit, Mr. Todd goes through all the yearbook committee photos that were taken during the field trip. And he finds a suspicious looking white van in one of the photographs. The decal on the side of the van reads: “SHAKES THE CLOWN – FUN PARTY SHOWS AND STUF! 555-1234”.

“Celluloid” was an entry from February’s erotic-thriller themed OWC. But as you can tell by this review, it is most definitely not an erotic-thriller. In fact, it’s nothing close. But I’m glad I read it. It really was my favorite of the bunch despite not following the genre or theme.The dialogue is hilarious, thesight gags are perfectly timed and the farce of a premise had me laughing about as hard as I’ve laughed in a while. “Bad Teacher” meets “Election”, this one will have you ROTFL.

BUDGET: Medium. There are group shots (it takes place during a junior high field trip), so the cast is a bit large. But this script also has feature film potential and will be well worth its budget.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Rick 5e (pseudo), is a part-time writer, musician, and landscape aficionado living somewhere above the 49th parallel. He has been writing enthusiastically for approximately 10 years, including feature screenplays, short scripts, and various instructional models regarding script structure and outlines. “Always try to capture the ‘absurd’ when writing” is his basic tenet, a primal drive whenever typing ‘Fade In’ that may also be viewed in many of his other works that are currently available online at his personal website of curios media – Obfuscation: Hand Crafted Screenplays. Rick can be through his website.

Read: CELLULOID (10-page short comedy 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.

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A CHANCE ENCOUNTER (4-page short crime-drama screenplay) by JOHN STAATS

When guns are drawn, love ensues.

A chance encounter, indeed…

Well, this script was a fun one to read, especially if you’re familiar with historical crime figures from the 20s and 30s (more on that later).

The story opens at an old Texaco gas station way off the beaten path. It’s here where we meet a 19-year-old girl (only referred to as ‘Girl’ in the script) working the counter all by her lonesome, flipping through a magazine to pass the time.

That’s when a handsome fella in his 20swearing a snazzy linen suit and fedora (he’s only referred to as ‘Driver’ in the script) pulls up to a pump. And he seems to be in a bit of a hurry, fumbling around with the gas nozzle. Unbeknownst to him, the 19-year-old gas station clerk watches him from the front entrance, curious.

But after filling his tank with a few gallons, it appears as if ‘Driver’ is about to pull a gas-and-go without paying. And as delicate and pretty ‘Girl’ seems to be, she’s not about to let some stranger off the hook without paying.

The driver freezes for a moment to think. He slowly turns to face the girl with palms out and a wide grin. A toothpick twitches in his teeth. Damn, he is one handsome devil. Caught off guard by his good looks and swagger, she swoons.

Turns out ‘Driver’ is one hell of a charmer – and it’s probably been a while since ‘Girl’ has seen a man of his stature. Wearing a sly grin, ‘Driver’ approaches her, pretty confident that he’ll be able to talk his way out of this one… that is until she draws a pistol on him.

Outside of the charming characters and irresistible dialogue, what made this one so fun was the reveal at the end, which I shall not reveal here. And though it’s not 100% historically accurate, you won’t be able to help but smile.

BUDGET: Moderate. It’s one location (a gas station) and two actors. But, because it’s somewhat of a period piece (1930’s), most of the budget will go into making the gas station and car look like it’s from that time period.

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.

Read A CHANCE ENCOUNTER (4-page short crime-drama 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.

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Thanks Bob and Barksid for this script up for award consideration:

Rocks – Finald Shooting script by Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson (Story by Theresa Ikoko) – hosted by: Deadline – in pdf format

A young teenage girl finds herself struggling to take care of herself and her younger brother after being abandoned by their single mother with no choice but to live out on the streets.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Happy Spring! (or mid Spring as the case may be). Over on the Unproduced Scripts page are 16 original scripts for your reading pleasure.

– Don

AN EXCELLENT JUDGE OF CHARACTER (10-page erotic-thriller screenplay) Written by JAMES O. WILLIAMS

A desperate woman trying to escape her violent past brings a stranger back to her hotel room.

The whole concept behind a one-stand is that you go to a bar, meet someone you never met before… and then you go with them. It’s a rash decision by both parties involved and it amazes me that people still do that, especially with how popular true crime is these days. What doesn’t amaze is that alcohol is usually the deciding factor behind such a decision.

In James O. Williams’s ironically titled, February erotic-thriller themed OWC winner, we meet two lonely, troubled souls at a motel bar: Gary is a shy and lonely 42-year-old truck-driver who can’t seem to take his eyes off 33-year-old Cassie, who seems to be way out of Gary’s league. The ratio of men to women at this bar seems to favor the men by a wide margin, so Cassie is especially popular tonight. But she notices Gary and the two really hit it off.

Gary sure does have a point. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t follow his own advice.

Cassie is going through a nasty divorce and her violent ex seems to be having a hard time letting her go. And she’s willing to do anything to get him out of the picture… even if it means using the unsuspecting Gary as a pawn.

Full of double-crosses, twists, and smart dialogue, “An Excellent Judge of Character” is an erotic thriller with classic film noir elements that packs a lot into its 10 pages. And given its low-budget, I won’t be surprised if this one gets picked up very soon. I recommend filmmakers jump on it before it gets picked up by someone else!

BUDGET: Low. Two locations (a bar and a motel room) and four speaking roles.

ABOUT THE WRITER: James Williams was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. His passion for film started at a young age when he spent weekend evenings attending movies with his father. After some life changing events in his thirties, he began to pursue his passion for film by writing screenplays. His second feature, The Blood Loop, was an Academy Nicholl quarter finalist. After a few successful short scripts were produced by other filmmakers, James decided to pick up the camera himself. Self-taught from YouTube tutorials, reading books, and filling any spot he could on local film crews, James finally shot his first film, Cooper’s Monster with his wife and one year old son. One year later James has four films under his name and is progressing as a filmmaker. He gravitates towards making the type of popcorn horror movies he and his dad so loved at the cinema. James can be reached at: jdaddy6688 @ sbcglobal.net

Read: AN EXCELLENT JUDGE OF CHARACTER (10-page erotic-thriller screenplay)

Discuss 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.

Subscribe to Michael’s YouTube Channel.