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.

ZOOM (10-page short erotic thriller screenplay) by Anthony Cawood

A couple’s illicit affair is forced to go virtual due to a pesky global pandemic, and if that wasn’t bad enough someone else wants in.

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that being on lockdown makes it extremely difficult to cheat on your spouse. At least for unfaithful husbands such as Adam in Anthony Cawood’s uniquely clever found-footage/erotic thriller hybrid, “Zoom”.

But even during a lockdown, Adam has found a way to adapt and overcome the obstacles standing in the way of his infidelities… the same way many people have adapted to their jobs and socializing during these strange times: via Zoom.

While his wife, Sandra, is out of town, Adam connects on Zoom with a young woman named Domino who he’s had extramarital affairs with before the lockdown. But now, the only way he can “have fun” with her is over his computer.

Domino looks like she’s way out of his league. But she seems to be into him for some reason. And before we know it, things get a little steamy and their Zoom meeting becomes a game of “you show me yours and I’ll show you mine”. Just when Adam is about to see a whole lot more of Domino… he realizes that his bank account is frozen.

It turns out that Domino is an escort. And this sexy little Zoom soiree can’t go any further unless Adam finds a way to pay for his time. Talk about a buzzkill!

Well, it gets much worse when a message appears on the screen – Sandra has joined their Zoom meeting.

What ensues is a game of cat and mouse between Sandra, her husband Adam and Domino – with Sandra being the cat. And boy, does she have some serious dirt on both of them. The kind of dirt that could ruin their lives.

To reveal anymore would spoil the wicked fun, but let’s just say it gets pretty personal. A clever spin on the erotic thriller genre – I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a found-footage version – “Zoom” is a very budget-friendly script that I highly recommend to any filmmakers and producers looking to shoot a fiendishly clever revenge tale.

BUDGET: Shoe-string. This is essentially a “found-footage” film over Zoom with three actors.

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.

Read: ZOOM (10-page short 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.