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Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Ashes by Paul Knauer – Short Script Review – Available for Production* - post author L. Chambers

ASHES
by Paul Knauer

In a desperate bid to escape her abusive boyfriend, a woman rents a house in the country only to find it inhabited by the dangerous, manipulative spirit of a murderer with an ominous request: Stop me from killing.

Horror/Thriller – Feature Length Script – 96 pages

Script Review by K. Cranford

“I see dead people” from 1999’s “The Sixth Sense” is one of the most iconic lines spoken in cinematic history. Ghost stories in cinema hold significance as they explore universal themes of loss, immortality and the mystery of the unknown. Incorporating all these themes, screenwriter, Paul Knauer’s latest offering, “Ashes” is poised to rise to the top of ghost story annals with its theme of a ghost, “Percy G. Jones”, whose opening character description depicts him as an eerie dichotomy of “an oddly charming, intellectual wannabe…holding a smoking shotgun”. As we soon learn, Percy is a cursed spectre that inhabits a house where he is trapped in a time loop, doomed to repeat both the murders he committed as well as his own death at the hands of the townspeople throughout the sixty years since the commission of the original crime.

Weaving the time hops from 1965 to present day, Knauer expertly takes us back to the original scene of the crime, where an unbalanced Percy, deep in the throes of a psychotic obsessive-compulsive disorder becomes fixated on the number “five”. This obsession serves to draw him to a farm house inhabited by a normal mid-western family to satisfy both his blood lust and his fixation. The action begins in earnest as Percy brutally dispatches the father, mother and young son and then turns his attention to the two young daughters innocently sleeping upstairs. To complete his twisted head count, he ominously counts down the exact number of shotgun shells required, “five, four, three…”. Ultimately, and to his dismay, Percy finds that only one child occupies the bedroom. The ensuing scene in which he confronts the lone young girl with alternating charm and murderous intent sets the chilling premise for what is to come.

As the second scene opens, in a time hop back to modern day, our female protagonist, Anne, is introduced as a victim of ongoing abuse by her boyfriend, aptly named “Brax”. Not a common name, the choice denotes the writer’s purpose of creating a mental picture of a brute, while the name itself, upon pronouncing tends to leave a metallic distaste – undoubtedly with intent. The threatening nature of their interactions will undoubtedly give rise to chills in those who know the pattern all too well and picture themselves in the shoes of the long-suffering Anne. In continuance of the story and after yet another violent confrontation with Brax, Anne plans her escape by blindly pointing to a dot on a map: Scott City, Kansas, as if it is all very random. We will soon learn it is not. As the story unfolds, every word, every action is skillfully laid leading to a climactic reveal that shows that not only were Anne’s actions not random, they were pre-ordained…sixty years ago.

“Who are you? Why are you here? ”
The eerily repeated disembodied voice of a young boy.

As Anne arrives in the “random” town of Scott City, Kansas, the string of assumed coincidences continues with the introduction of several townsfolk, including an older woman who eerily seems to recognize her and becomes intent on assisting her to achieve her eventual purpose, including leading her to the farm house under guise of free accommodation in return for caretaking. Almost immediately, Anne learns she is not alone as disembodied voices speak and apparitions abound.

“Percy will show you who you are.”
A. J, the hapless farm hand, an unwitting accomplice to the murders, now caught in the middle and unable to escape the predicament which unfolded long ago but in which he too is now a victim, warns Anne of Percy’s ominous presence. As Anne’s suspicions and fear escalate, she is befriended by a lone farmhand who interjects himself as her protector.

After interceding and scaring away teen pranksters, A. J. proceeds to warn Anne of a more dangerous and looming presence. Percy.

“I am both the watcher and the watched”.
Percy’s take on his own predicament.

There are two sides to every coin (or in this case, ghost): The intellectual quoter of poetry vs. the murderous entity. The one with certain remorse for his actions, seeking the one who can save both those he murdered and himself from… himself, seamlessly played alongside the fractured mind that calmly explains his rationale for unthinkable deeds.
As Anne and Percy’s relationship develops and for a bit of respite amid the level of suspense, the writer weaves in skillfully placed bits of familiarity and near comic banter between Percy and Anne:

Anne
You killed people in this house.

Percy
That shouldn’t define me.

In addition, after her initial meeting with Percy, Anne returns to the house with a “motel Bible and a Crucifix”.

Percy
I’m not a vampire.

Anne
I thought about garlic cloves.

Percy
…only helpful if you were serving Italian tonight”.

The back and forth between Anne and Percy harkens back to yet another classic, “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” and is a welcome distraction from the fact that we are immersed in a tale of horror.

Quid pro “quote”
Percy’s misspoken offer to Anne in return for stopping his murderous spree.

Percy, in intellectual mode, oddly serves as a mentor to Anne’s predicament and involvement in the twisted psychology of a narcissist when Anne, who when confronted with a new danger, returns to the deeply imbedded dysfunction by contacting her abuser, Brax.

Percy
Guys like him will punch you in the nose
and then blame you for bleeding.

But not one to miss an opportunity, Percy proposes to dispose of Brax and rid her of the nightmarish relationship, in trade for her assistance in preventing him from the killings by actually intervening before they occur. This “deal with the devil” scenario echoes the recurring theme of the script: Which monstrous presence is worse and of whom is Anne more afraid?

Make all this worth something. Give it purpose.
Advice from the only survivor of Percy’s killing spree, knowing that Anne is their only hope to stop the repeating cycle.

As Anne finds the courage to go forward with a plan with help from her new acquaintances, will she manage not only to free herself from the brutal Brax, but devise an unexpected resolution and bring about Percy’s long awaited freedom? The answer lies in the final climatic moments that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the closing curtain.

SUMMARY:
“Ashes” is a complex and well thought out feat of screenwriting. A haunting tale of remorse set ironically to quips of the classic poets. In the writer’s hands we are transported into a realm where ghosts, even the murderous, are more nearly human, purveying loss, regret and desire for redemption and bridging the gap between the ethereal and the physical world to obtain it.

PRODUCTION CONSIDERATIONS:
With few locations and limited cast, along with minimal SFX, production could be accomplished on a very moderate budget.

About the Writer: Paul Knauer is a produced screenwriter with two features in early development. His main focus is thrillers and slightly absurdist comedy with heart. But, Paul believes becoming a better writer requires pushing personal boundaries, so you’ll notice a thorough mix of genres in his portfolio. Much of his work has universal appeal, evidenced by successful productions in the UK, UAE, and US–and options in Australia, Russia, India, Canada, and Thailand. A recent feature of his was named a 2022 Nicholl Fellowship Quarterfinalist.

About the reviewer: K. Cranford: I am a published author with articles featured in nationally circulated magazines. I specialize in family friendly stories with an uplifting message and currently have five completed screenplays, three of which are Christmas themed, as well as several shorts that I am actively marketing. By education I am a Registered Nurse. My husband, a physician and I make our home in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Read the Ashes script here:

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

Monday, April 1, 2024

Sophie The Gelded Space Stallion – International Release Poster Now Available1!!! - post author Don

Sophie The Gelded Space StallionSophie the Gelded Space Stallion (432 pages in pdf format) by Don Boose

Born in the high cliffs of the mountains of Kansas, Sophie, our equine hero, is kidnapped by an ancient race of aliens from Xadu. Sophie escapes in her quest to save the universe and if not the universe, perhaps his Mother.

Slowly, but slowly making progress on getting Sophie to theaters. We finally have the international release poster completed. It’s been a long four weeks, but we think that now that our graphic artist has completed all four MS-Paint classes, the wait was worth it.
Last year we released the placeholder, pre-pre-vis teaser trailer. There is still a lot of placeholder footage and placeholder dialogue and placeholder music, but this pre-vis teaser trailer occupies the same space as the official teaser trailer will occupy when it is done.
We’ve had a lot of re-shoots over the past year as the previous footage was lost to a dumpster fire when the director of photography and most of the actors rage quit due to the fact that their mouths were unable to correctly form the words in the order that were written. And, some of them wanted to be paid. In money.

Still, look for it in theaters near you, April 2025.

About the writer: Don Boose has been spinning tales of space opera gold since 1999. Everything he touches turns to crap. He doesn’t believe in second drafts. The words come from somewhere in space, fully formed and go into his head and through his fingers on to the written page. He is not available for re-writes.

Friday, October 13, 2023

The Halloween One Week Challenge has begun! - post author Don

The Halloween One Week Challenge has begun


*photo credit PH Cook

Monday, December 19, 2022

Queen of the Crawlies by Rob Herzog – Short Script Review – Available for Production* - post author Sean Elwood

A young couple rents a bug-infested cottage and discovers that there is no escape.

I was a fan of insects before reading Rob Herzog’s newest short, Queen of the Crawlies. Now the only crawlies I can feel are the shivers itching beneath my skin.

Justin and Cora are a couple driving to a cottage that they had rented. Justin claims it to be a romantic getaway, whereas Cora believes he is there to hunt and fish, feeling like a second thought. We open with their SUV seemingly driving erratic, with a blur of trees passing by the windows, and Cora feeling carsick.

However, Cora’s carsickness is soon replaced by a different type of nausea when they arrive at the rather dilapidated cottage, and the hundreds upon thousands of bugs inside, infesting the floors, the walls, the ceiling. I believe the descriptions speak for themselves when it comes to the feeling that spiders are dancing on my skin:

Rob suddenly takes a sharp turn with his storytelling, ultimately making our characters flee the cottage.

It was at this point where I had asked myself, “What’s next?” leaving me eagerly reading more. What could possibly happen to our characters now that they had left the primary location?

As they drive away, we develop a sense of who our characters are, as Rob begins to express the couple’s relationship through a small dialogue exchange. It is very apparent that the two are struggling with each other, and that there is a tension which builds up the further we delve into their conversation. Rob does the strained relationship justice in its subject matter of emotional abuse, involving denial, a true expression of defense, and of course a well-rounded sense of anger.

However, this is only scratching that itchy surface where the creepy crawlies skitter. It seems that by arriving at this cottage, an evil entity has entered this couple’s lives, one that forever haunts whomever it desires. The reader may ask, who, or what, is this evil entity? Why does it reside in this cottage? And most importantly, what does it want?

Take a read and determine the ending with your own thoughts. But if you start to feel like bugs are crawling on you, just keep telling yourself that it’s only your imagination…

BUDGET: Independent. 3 locations (car, cottage, woods), 3 actors (2 male, 1 female)

ABOUT THE WRITER: Rob Herzog is a Chicago-based screenwriter. He has sold several short scripts and won prize money in two small screenwriting contests. His short horror script “Creak and Shriek” was produced in 2019 by Mad Dreamer Entertainment and can be viewed on various platforms. He has a master’s degree in English composition from Northeastern Illinois University. Rob can be reached at: robherzogr (a) hotmail.

Read: QUEEN OF THE CRAWLIES (8-page short horror 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: Sean Elwood has been writing screenplays since 2004, and telling stories long before then. His published work includes his 2016 anthology AfterLife AfterDeath: Stories for the Dark, his screenplay Grosvenor Arms (Amazon), the bonus short story “It Started With An Itch” in C. S. James’ Twisted Books To Leave You Shook – Book 1: Fright Filter, and most recently his newest feature screenplay Pyre (Amazon).

Visit Sean Elwood’s website

Sunday, October 23, 2022

Original Script Sunday – Halloween One Week Challenge scripts - post author Don

Check out the scripts of the ’22 Halloween One Week Challenge.

It’s Halloween and a cursed noun* has been activated. Your scrappy protag(s) have until midnight to save everyone. Will they succeed?

Theme: Cursed Noun!*
Genre: Halloween Horror (Thriller, Suspense, Comedy, etc) Rating: Adult, YA, Family
*A noun is a person, place or thing.

This is an anonymous challenge. If you have any interest in any of the scripts, please reach out to me and I’ll put you in touch with the writer. Or wait until the names are revealed on Halloween weekend.

Check them out on the discussion board.

– Don

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Jamie Trouncelle’s The Movie Star – Filmed - post author Don

The Movie Star (3 page horror script in pdf format) by Jamie Trouncelle

A young woman speaks the night away about her experiences in the filming industry.

Discuss this script on the Discussion Board

Quick plug for the Halloween One Week Challenge – still time to get in.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Help CJ make – The Evil Three – The Ultimate Horror Fan Film! - post author Don

Help CJ Vecchio get his film made – The Evil Three – The Ultimate Horror Fan Film!

Smith’s Grove Sanitarium is closing due to federal & state budget cuts and they must transfer the last and most dangerous THREE temporarily to the Livingston County Jail just outside Haddonfield, Illinois​. As the inmate bus only has miles left to travel, let’s just say…things go really bad! As the THREE escape and are on the run, a quiet neighborhood has no idea that EVIL is coming!

Check out the script on the discussion board!

Monday, August 8, 2022

Bwitches – teaser trailer and trailer script - post author Don

Check out the script to the teaser trailer (and script) for Bwitches

Bwitches – Teaser Trailer by Scott Stanberry & Ryan Henry Johnston

When a white witch threatens the primacy of a small-town black witch, she learns that power can truly corrupt.

Looks amazing! Can’t wait to see the final film! Talk about it on the Discussion Board

Monday, July 26, 2021

Bunk by Rob Herzog – short script review – available for production* - post author Michael Kospiah

BUNK (5-page short horror screenplay) Written by Rob Herzog

Siblings return to a room that terrified them as children.

If you revisit the past too much, sometimes you can remain stuck there – that’s what two siblings learn when they return to their dead aunt’s creepy house in Rob Herzog’s eerie, blood-soaked spine-tingler, “Bunk”.

Now in their 20s, brother-sister duo Doug and Hanna have inherited their Aunt Edith’s creepy, old house after she had passed. Doug, the executor of the estate, wants to sell the place. But as he and Hanna revisit the home, Hanna isn’t so sure. Specifically, it’s the old bedroom they used to sleep in when they’d spend weekends with their old Aunt Edith that has Hanna spooked. The room hasn’t changed much – it still has the bunk beds they used to sleep in as kids. And the room is still adorned with creepy old trinkets, including rocks with people’s faces painted on them.

Something was never quite right with Aunt Edith, though Hanna seems to be a little more traumatized from their sleepovers than Doug.

            HANNA
You can’t let a family move in here.
You can’t sell this house to innocent
people.

            DOUG
Sure you can. What’s the matter with you?

            HANNA
Aunt Edith was evil. This house is
too. She used to sneak into the room
at night and stare at us. She would
drool like a hungry dog.

Like brother’s do, Doug tries to give his sister a good scare.

Doug snatches one of the grim-faced stones. He alters his voice to a shrill, witch-like tone.

            DOUG
Time for bed, Hanna.

            HANNA
Put it down, Doug.

            DOUG
     (continues creepy voice)
Doug’s not here, Hanna. This is
Aunt Edith from beyond the grave.

Doug then jumps on the top bunk where he used to sleep and lets his arm hang to scare Hanna, just like when they were kids.

As Hanna sits on the bottom bunk:

            HANNA
I would stay up all night watching
for Aunt Edith, and you’d clown
around and dangle your arm.

            DOUG (O.S.)
Maybe you misinterpreted my actions.
Maybe I just wanted to hold your hand
to make you feel safe.

Just as the siblings hold hands and share a warm moment, that’s when things start to go awry…

Giving away anything else would ruin the gruesome fun, but just a disclaimer: this ending is not for the squeamish.

Gloriously horror to the core, I can see this going viral and/or picking up some accolades on the horror film fest circuit.

BUDGET: Shoe-string. One location, 3 actors.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Rob Herzog is a Chicago-based screenwriter. He has sold several short scripts and won prize money in two small screenwriting contests. His short horror script “Creak and Shriek” was produced in 2019 by Mad Dreamer Entertainment and can be viewed on various platforms. He has a master’s degree in English composition from Northeastern Illinois University. Rob can be reached at: robherzogr (a) hotmail.

Read: BUNK (5-page short horror 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.

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April 2, 2025

    The Last Day of Comics by Scott Sawitz

    After being informed their final day of work is today, a wannabe comic artist and a film school dropout will have to figure out their next step, and their respective relationships, in one final shift. 90 pages
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