Whiteout on Route 89 by L. Chambers

Tragedy strikes when a cab driver becomes more focused on his troubled passenger than the icy road.

To be truly great at certain professions sometimes involves more than just being competent at the labor itself. For instance, that rare doctor who possess good bedside manner, and bartenders who listen and serve free words of wisdom along with your cocktail. Same goes for taxi drivers. The best ones get you to your destination, while offering an ear and their two cents.

Old Reg is one of those drivers. On a fateful winter night, Reg navigates through blustery conditions to get his fare, Edie, safely to her fiancé. He attempts to conversate, but Edie is reluctant. Through the rearview mirror, he observes several things: bruises, tears, and no engagement ring. Kind soul that he is, Reg tries to get Edie to open up.

            REG
You know they say taxi drivers are
like barkeeps and psychologists. Just
as much help only you don’t have pay
through the nose.

After a while, Edie can no longer hold it together. She begins to sob. Reg’s attention becomes more focused on Edie than the road, and he doesn’t see the deer that crosses their path. By the time he does, it’s too late. The road is too icy. Reg loses control and the cab crashes, landing in a ravine. They’re trapped. Reg is badly hurt but his focus remains on Edie as he attempts to keep her calm. Reg is definitely one of the “good ‘uns”. So genuinely kind he’d probably treat Edie the same…even if he knew the truth about her.

Reg and Edie are great characters and offer a wonderful opportunity for actors to showcase their craft. The crash and snow might be a challenge, but by no means impossible to recreate with a little imagination.

About the Writer L. Chambers has been writing all her life – especially in her head, and on scraps of paper. It’s only in the last few years she began to get serious about screen-writing. Prior to this she worked in the Features Department for ABC TV as a Program Assistant, and trained as a FAD. She currently works as a freelance web-content editor and lives with her husband (also a screenwriter) in Sydney, Australia.

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About the Reviewer: Marnie Mitchell-Lister has creative A.D.D. Some of her writing can be read here: BrainFluffs.com. Some of her photography can be seen here: marnzart.wordpress.com.

Twenty five original scripts up on the Original Scripts page!

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Written in haste,

Don

A year after losing her husband, a widow struggles with whether to date again.

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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.

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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 LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL (13 page horror screenplay) By Sean Elwood

When three high school teens pay a late-night visit to a haunted street tunnel to prove an urban legend true, they get way more than they bargained for…

Everyone’s heard of Bloody Mary. And I’m sure many of us as curious children with wild imaginations have played the game before – you stand in front of a mirror with the lights off and say Bloody Mary three times and something super creepy is supposed to happen once you turn the lights back on. It’s supposed to conjure up some sort of evil, vengeful spirit that may or may not do us some form of bodily harm. Why do kids do this? Because it’s fun! And because nothing bad is likely to happen. BUT… there’s always the possibility of the unknown, which makes it fun in the first place…

When playing Bloody Mary, we go in expecting one of two results – the unlikely possibility of a ghost appearing or nothing at all. At least that’s what the characters in Sean Elwood’s urban folklore creeper, The Light at the End of the Tunnel, thought. Unfortunately for them, something else happens entirely… something that nobody, not even the audience, could’ve expected.

Every small town in America has their own little urban legend based on some kind of local tragedy. The tragedy in this story was a car accident that happened 23 years ago inside of a street tunnel at exactly 11:42 pm. Every year, on the date, at exactly 11:42, if you flash your headlights three times into the tunnel, you see the ghost car flash it’s headlights back at you from the other side.

Young couple, Bethany and Victor, along with their third wheel, Taz, decide to test the validity of the local legend themselves on the anniversary of the tragic accident. Of course, there’s always that one doubter – in this case, Bethany. Bored out of her mind, she listens to the kind of aimless, stream-of-consciousness type banter you’d expect to hear from a couple stoners, their conversation covering several random topics, including the possibility of intelligent life outside of Earth – there doesn’t seem to be any sign of intelligent life inside of Victor’s car, at least from Bethany’s point of view.

Bethany thinks it’s stupid and a complete waste of time. And, in most cases, she’d be absolutely correct. But, as I mentioned earlier, there’s ALWAYS that very, very slim possibility of the unknown that sits in the back of our minds…

As the clock finally hits 11:42, Bethany watches with bated breath as her boyfriend, Victor, flashes his headlights into the tunnel three times. After a few tense moments, nothing happens. But, just as Bethany is about to make Victor and Taz feel stupid…

Lights flash at the other side of the tunnel! Eager to find out what happens next, Victor stupidly shifts his car into drive and speeds towards the “ghost car”, engaging in a very dangerous game of chicken. Did he not consider the fact that it may actually be a real car?

Fearing the worst and unable to get her boyfriend to stop the vehicle, Bethany braces herself for a violent head-on collision. But as the two opposing “cars” get closer to colliding, Bethany notices something very funny about the quickly approaching lights…

I’ll stop there as to not spoil the fun. But there is one thing I will say about the ending – you won’t see it coming. Author Sean Elwood toys with familiar urban legend conventions and COMPLETELY pulls the rug out from under us. Fun, creepy and surprisingly layered, The Light at the End of the Tunnel keeps us guessing right up until FADE OUT.

BUDGET: Overall, relatively low with clever use of lighting and editing. Most of the budget would go towards some practical and special effects.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Sean Elwood is an award-winning screenwriter specializing in horror. After developing a love for screenwriting at the age of 14, he continued to write both short and feature length screenplays as he perfected his writing, earning a degree in Digital Filmmaking and Video Production from the Art Institute of Austin. His anthology of short horror stories, After Life, After Death: Stories For the Dark is available in paperback via Amazon. Sean can be reached at elwoodsean (a) gmail.

Read: THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL(13 page horror screenplay in pdf)

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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.

Over on the Original Scripts page there are twenty-two original scripts for your reading pleasure!

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– Don

FOOD FIGHT (3 page short comedy screenplay) by Christopher Stewart

A young couple takes a unique approach in deciding who will choose where they eat for their lunch date.

I’m sure we can all use a good laugh right now while cooped up in isolation during these very, very strange times. And I’m sure once society kinda/sorta gets back to normalcy, we’ll still be in need of some laughter to keep our spirits bright as we continue to adjust.

When the time comes and we’re all allowed to leave the house again, I’m sure one thing we’re all going to be looking forward to is being able to dine out again – I, myself, am growing tired of ordering take-out. And my cooking is just deplorable. But one topic of discussion that I’m sure will pop up, whether we’re with friends or with our significant other, will be choosing where to have our first post-quarantine meal.

In Christopher Stewart’s hilariously absurd comedy short, Food Fight, Lori and Adam, your modern, every-day, twenty-something couple, have run into this all-too-familiar pickle – deciding where to go for dinner. Yes, it seems like such a ludicrously mundane thing to debate over. But it can feel like a life or death decision once those tummies start growling at us.

Clouded with indecisiveness, Lori and Adam go back and forth, putting pressure on the other to decide. Trust me, I’ve been there before, myself. This type of debate can go on and on for hours. It’s actually ruined relationships.

But Lori and Adam’s relationship is a strong and healthy one. And, instead of continuing this potentially endless game of hot potato, they decide to settle this conundrum using a conflict resolution technique that they read about online; a technique that you’d probably only see in a WWE story line – an extreme rules, last-man-standing brawl.

Absurd? Yes. Hilarious? Insanely.

In one of Christopher’s perfectly timed sight gags, we then cut to a display of weapons laid along their coffee table: A taser. Baseball bat. Pepper spray. Baton. Steel pipe. Heavy chain.

            LORI
No hard feelings, right?

If that doesn’t crack you up enough, the next perfectly-timed sight gag will have you in stitches.

As preposterous as this farce of a comedy short is, the premise is so simple and relatable that it just works. Part of the reason it works so well, outside of the sight gags, is because of Lori and Adam’s chemistry. Their dialogue is so nonchalant and casual throughout all of this, it’s actually kind of sweet and endearing – giving this Seinfeld meets Key & Peele-style sketch another unexpected dimension.

BUDGET: Cheap. Some props, a little bit of makeup. Three actors. Two locations – a restaurant and somebody’s apartment/home. I’m sure an extra room can be doubled to look like a restaurant with some clever editing and if the shot is tight enough.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Christopher Stewart is a licensed paramedic with a lifelong love of movies, helping others and relentless sarcasm. One random night a few years back, while stuffing his face with pizza, Christopher started reading screenplays just for fun and eventually starting writing scripts as a hobby – once he realized collecting stamps would never get him anywhere. In addition to writing and swearing, Christopher also enjoys helping other writers getting their screenplays in tip-top condition. Christopher can be reached at stewieville (a) me.com

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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.

Hearty congratulations to:

Dena McKinnon

Stowe Story Labs 2020 Development Grant Winner with:

THE BEE BOY — Drama Horror Feature

Logline: A crippled boy left for dead by his own dad is transformed into a walking bee hive bent on revenge.

Thanks Jake for the heads up on these drafts of Apollo 13.
Apollo 13 – August 6, 1994 revised 4th draft (9/23/94 revision) script by John Sayles (rewite of a script by William Broyles, Jr. & Al Reinert (based on the book ‘Lost Moon’ by Jim Lovel & Jeffrey Kluger))
Apollo 13 – August 6, 1994 revised 4th draft (11/17/94 revision) script by John Sayles (rewite of a script by William Broyles, Jr. & Al Reinert (based on the book ‘Lost Moon’ by Jim Lovel & Jeffrey Kluger)) – hosted by: Google Drive – in pdf format

Based on the true story of the ill-fated 13th Apollo mission bound for the moon. Astronauts Lovell, Haise and Swigert were scheduled to fly Apollo 14, but are moved up to 13. It’s 1970, and America have already achieved their lunar landing goal, so there’s little interest in this “routine” flight.. until that is, things go very wrong, and prospects of a safe return fade.

Information courtesy of imdb.com