SHUTEYE

A disturbance in the apartment above keeps downstairs neighbors from getting a good night’s sleep. But sleep deprivation is the least of their worries as the disturbance works its way down, one apartment at a time.

This week’s review is brought to you by:

The neighbor from hell…

From Rear Window and Disturbia, to Barton Fink, Pacific Heights, Fright Night, The Strangers and Funny Games… (don’t even get me started on the evil Castevets couple in Rosemary’s Baby) – the film industry and audiences alike love their sinister Neighbors from Hell, and Home invasion stories.

Cautionary takeaway from all of these films: Sometimes it pays to mind your own business, keep your doors locked, and keep to yourself.

Of course, sometimes that’s not as easy as it sounds.

If you’ve ever been an apartment dweller you’ll be more than familiar with having to share common walls, not to mention bear the brunt of the annoying and creepy sounds that can accompany them – creaking floorboards, echoing footfalls, shouts in corridors. It can be enough to drive even the most sane person mad, especially at the witching hour when all you’re trying to do is get a good night’s sleep.

Michael Kospiah’s short horror script, Shuteye, opens on the third floor of just such an apartment building. In the early hours of the morning we meet –

Tom, an irritable grump with resting-asshole face,

He’s glaring up at the ceiling from his bed as…

LOUD THUDDING and YELLING comes from the apartment above…

Fed up with the noise Tom does what any self-respecting person would do when being kept awake at two in the morning –

Up on his tippy-toes, he pounds the side of his fist on the ceiling.

For a moment there’s silence.

He lies back down in bed… snuggles against his pillow

And then…

The LOUD THUDDING continues…

This time however, it’s even louder.

Oh, c’mon! All Tom wants is a bit of Shuteye.

Tom storms out of his apartment and heads upstairs…

Eek! Maybe not the smartest idea …

Especially when we read on to discover, uh-oh, Tom’s left his apartment door wide open.

Cut to a bit later and we discover Tom is not the only inhabitant of this apartment building having problems with things going bump in the night.

On the second floor in Apartment #2, Nancy is having a similar problem with the same violent thudding and yelling coming from above.

Incensed, she rolls out of bed.

Grabbing the nearest thing to her –

… she beats the end of the broomstick against the ceiling…

Oh, dear… Remember when we warned about keeping yourself to yourself?

If you’ve ever read Michael Kospiah’s work you’ll be well acquainted with his talent for tapping into universal fears. A specialist at writing macabre and twisted tales with a sting in the tale and usually with more than a hint of blood, Michael is not only a master at building suspense but he also possesses that unique talent of lulling an audience into a false sense of security – and of using both sound and deathly silence to great effect, with the end result being that you’re always on the edge of your seat.

Another talent he has is of evoking dread with just one well placed visual. Reading Shuteye for the first time instantly took me back to Johnny Depp’s character in Nightmare on Elm Street and that now infamous scene of poor old Glen being sucked into the depths of hell through his own mattress … Not that we’re suggesting you’re going to need buckets of blood with Shuteye, but a pint or two just might come in handy.

To say anymore about Shuteye’s plot would be to spoil the surprises and the shocks.

Suffice to say if you’re a fan of all things Hollywood here’s something to bear in mind: Horror is big-business. If you follow trends you’ll also be aware that often times ‘short horror films’ can lead to a quick leg-up in the business. You only need look at The Babadook, Oculus Chapter 3, ToothFairy, Lights Out, Trick ‘R Treat, Mama, and Saw, to name just some feature length films that all began as humble Shorts.

FILMMAKERS: No need to lose any sleep over this one. Get banging on Michael’s door so you can get this one in the can and entered into Screamfest, Shriekfest, or any of the other myriad horror festivals available.

Second thoughts: a better approach might be a polite email.

ABOUT THE WRITER: 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.

About the Reviewer: 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. L. Chambers can be reached at: libbych (a) hotmail.

BUDGET

Lowish: A few bedroom/apartment locations.

One location/bedroom with a little bit of clever set-design could double for two.

Three adult characters.

A talent for gruesome make-up and blood sfx. would also come in handy.

Read Shuteye (4 page horror)

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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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GLOOMY SUNDAY (30-page short horror screenplay) by Kevin Machate

When a mysterious stranger comes to him to learn a song long believed to lead to suicide, music teacher Jonah Horvath must discover the truth behind both the stranger and the mysterious song before he becomes yet another victim of Gloomy Sunday.

Before I get to the review of the actual story, I’ll tell you what caught my attention before I even opened the script up: Gloomy Sunday was also a song composed by Hungarian musician Reszo Seress in 1933. The song was also dubbed The Hungarian Suicide Song because, supposedly, listening to this song made people commit suicide all over the world.. The mythology of the song is captivating on its own, so I was immediately drawn to this story. And, to my delight, writer Kevin Machate’s atmospheric gothic horror short plays on that mythology.

The story opens with 33-year-old Reszo Seress (the actual, real-life composer) writing the song we’d come to know as Gloomy Sunday in Paris, France circa 1933. His inspiration for the song came from real life after becoming estranged from his lover, Erzsebet. Many great works have been inspired by heartbreak. But THIS work in particular seems to have conjured up something else… something evil.

Cut to present day where we meet music teacher, Jonah Horvath. He juggles graduate school while giving piano lessons for peanuts (practically). One day, he receives a visit from a very mysterious man who looks and acts like he’s from another time period. The Man offers Jonah an unusual amount of money to teach him how to play one song and one song only: “Gloomy Sunday”.

We jump between different time periods where we see different people succumb to the curse of the song after learning how to play it. And, each time these people commit suicide (as if under a trance), we see this mysterious man lurking. Who is this man and what is his purpose? And will Jonah suffer from the same fate once he plays the song?

Gloomy Sunday (the script) is a sprawling, epic gothic horror that packs a lot into its 30 pages. It’s an effectively creepy story that doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares: it sends chills up your spine with its eerie atmosphere and suspenseful buildup, giving us characters we both care about and fear. This would be a fantastic film for any filmmaker to take on. Hopefully, the curse isn’t real. Read if you dare!

BUDGET: Moderate.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Although he began his film career as an actor, Kevin Machate quickly moved into producing and eventually directing and writing. Kevin’s films and screenplays have won numerous awards worldwide with his two most recent films having been screened in various cities in the US, Europe, South America, Oceania, and Asia. He has directed six short films and his credits as a producer have exceeded 50 at the time of this writing. His recent works include three short series starring Golden Globe and Tony Award winner Barry Bostwick and Saturn Award Winner Doug Jones, along with a series of short musical and educational videos (With puppets!) starring Ed Helms.

Read: GLOOMY SUNDAY (30-page short horror 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.

Subscribe to Michael’s YouTube Channel.

THE SHADOWS (2-page short horror screenplay) by Matthew Taylor

A scared woman takes to the City’s shadowy alleyways to escape her pursuer.

Looks can be deceiving, at least in Matthew Taylor’s atmospheric horror micro-short, The Shadows, which was the 2nd highest rated script in the 1st round of the Simply Scripts May Writing Challenge (and my personal favorite).

The story opens in the dark, city streets where we meet Tabi as she runs for her life barefoot while wearing a cocktail dress. We don’t a lot but we know she’s running from someone… or something. We soon find out that she’s running from a hooded man but we don’t know why this man is chasing her. We can only assume he has evil intentions.

You ever watch a horror movie and yell at the screen when a character makes a questionable decision? Well, that’s exactly what Tabi does when she decides to dart into an even darker back alley with her pursuer not very far behind. She even trips and falls! For God’s sake, it almost seems like these people in these movies WANT to get caught! BUT…

While the setup uses very familiar horror tropes, the story takes us into a completely different direction, completely subverting our expectations as an audience and hitting us with a complete curve-ball. Even after the curve-ball, the surprises and twists keep coming… and all within two pages!

I can’t provide any more information about the story – it would spoil the fun of discovering the twists on your own. But I assure you, this one makes fantastic use of its two pages, packing in A LOT in such a short amount of time. This one is NOT short on thrills. And the creepy atmosphere and imagery elevate this even more above your average horror thriller.

If you’re a filmmaker looking for something budget-friendly that has serious viral potential, I recommend scooping this one up before someone else does.

BUDGET: Shoe-string.

ABOUT THE WRITER: 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.

Read: THE SHADOWS (2-page short horror 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.

Subscribe to Michael’s YouTube Channel.

If you have a few coins to spare for one of our own, Eric Dickson. The crowdfunding campaign for The People in the Trees began today. It’s a found footage horror indie featuring scream queens Cathy Podewell (Night of the Demons), Camille Keaton (I Spit On Your Grave), Jenna Kanell (Terrifier), and Marian Sing (Halloween 2018). Check out the teaser and if you like what you see, throw ’em a couple bucks.

– Don

Links:
Facebook
The People in the Trees Indiegogo Site
Erick Dickson – IMDB
Discussion board discussion of the script The People in the Trees

UNDERPASSERS (8-page short horror screenplay) Written by Robin Johnston

A young woman who becomes lost in a maze of underpass tunnels during her commute home soon realizes she is not alone…

All right, folks, enough of all this warmth and joy. The holiday season is over, so it’s time to get back to getting the crap scared out of us again. And what better way to start than with writer, Robin Johnston’s terrifying, maddeningly claustrophobic, one-location spine-tingler? But all adjectives aside…

It’s late at night and our story’s unfortunate protagonist, Natalie, is in the big city, on her way to meet with someone named “Mo”. And, for some reason, the only way to get to this person is through the tunnel of an underpass – probably not the safest of routes this time of night, especially in the city. In fact, one might consider it to be outright sketchy, to say the least.

Natalie hesitates while speaking to Mo on her cell phone, asking for another, less creepy route. When she finds out there isn’t, she logically thinks about putting off this little rendezvous until tomorrow. But, for reasons we don’t know, the meeting has to happen tonight. And it’s just a measly, little underpass, right? It’s not exactly the catacombs of Paris. So, off she goes…

But, before she enters, she gets a warning from an elderly homeless man…

Unfortunately for Natalie, what was supposed to be a brief stroll through an underpass becomes a journey into terrifying darkness. Using the light from her phone as she speaks with Mo on the other line, she begins to hear sounds… inhuman sounds…

And, when she reaches what’s supposed to be the opposite end of the tunnel, it ends up being a junction leading to other tunnels. With the frightening, inhuman sounds getting closer, Natalie desperately tries to find her back… only to reach another junction! And things only get worse when she loses her signal on her phone…

“Underpassers” effectively enhances familiar horror tropes to their maximum potential, using darkness and sound to put us right there in that tunnel with Natalie. With a small cast and essentially one location, I highly recommend this to any horror-centric director looking to terrify audiences.

BUDGET: Low – especially if you can find a nice (and safe) tunnel/underpass to shoot in.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Robin Johnston is an award-winning street photographer, writer and videographer based in Glasgow, Scotland UK. His work has been shown at world-class exhibitions in Rome, Berlin, New York and London. Robin’s work captures the beauty in tiny details, the patterns in the built environment and the way humans interact with architecture. His influences are Brassaï, Cartier-Bresson and the writing of J.G. Ballard. He can be reached at RobinJohnston75 (a) gmail.

Read: UNDERPASSERS (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.

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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.

Subscribe to Michael’s YouTube Channel.

HONEY MUSTARD

 After being stiffed, an unhinged waitress, hell-bent on revenge, torments the customer who didn’t tip her and his surprisingly resourceful family.

One of the hallmarks of a great screenplay is how quickly a reader can become immersed in a story. The writing flies off the page, the dialogue zings, the action never lets up, and the characters instantly come to life.

Honey Mustard has all this and more… From page one Michael Kospiah’s feature-length Indie-Horror puts the pedal to the metal and never lets up in this blood-soaked and frenetically-paced whodunnit tale of action and revenge.

Ever wish you could press rewind on a particularly bad day?

We open on the emotionally wrought and tormented character of Stella in a scene of not-so domestic bliss. To say Stella’s having a bad day is rather an understatement. Having finally had enough of the abuse at the hands of her redneck husband, Oscar, (a small-town cop, no less), Stella grabs a kitchen knife and a frying pan and in a violent frenzy dispatches him (albeit in self-defense) in short order.

What does Stella do next? Well, she grabs a ride with co-worker and secret lover Matilda, and sets off for work as if nothing happened, leaving her husband’s blood-soaked and lifeless body on the kitchen floor.

Stella’s a waitress at Mel’s Diner, an establishment we instantly recognise as being light on equal-opportunity in the workplace and heavy on juvenile frat-boy antics. And that’s just the guys working the grill. Usually, Stella is stoic in the face of frequent taunts, sexist barbs, and racial slurs, but the events of the morning have left her traumatized and her sanity hanging by a thread. Not to mention she’s now hallucinating the spectre of dead husband Oscar, who continues to get inside her head and bark orders at her – including telling her to: ‘kill them all’!

The final straw in Stella’s awful day comes in the form of a nightmare customer –  one Buford Blumpkin, and his seemingly innocuous request for –

Chicken Fingers with

…  a side of Honey Mustard

Little does Stella know that Buford not getting his precious honey mustard will set off a chain of events destined to throw the two of them on a deadly collision course.

DINING ROOM

He grabs her by the wrist, forcing her to a halt.

Now, Buford’s having a pretty bad day himself. His house is up for sale, he has a wife and son to support and fresh from the unemployment office he’s already bent out of shape. Not taking kindly to being treated like this he devises a little payback of his own.

After all, the customer is always right, right?

When Stella returns to his table –

Two little words that might just prove fatal.

Especially as a little bit later we cut to a scene of utter carnage at the diner and a stunned Buford watching a news report on the television –

Nerves rattled, Buford continues to watch…

It seems like hell hath no fury like a server scorned. But all this over a lost tip?

What’s particularly disturbing for Buford however is that his wallet’s gone and now Stella knows exactly where he lives.

Don’t even imagine you can guess where this plot’s headed because the third act is a killer with its clever twists and turns, shocking reveals, and high octane action. Just when you think you’ve got things sussed and the characters firmly pegged in their separate camps as good guys and bad guys, writer Michael Kospiah throws a curveball into the mix that you won’t see coming.

Written with a sure hand and with a sly nod to 80s pulp slashers, Honey Mustard is a gory, funny, tense and suspenseful thrill ride with one helluva bad-ass lead female character. If you enjoyed Don’t Breathe, You’re Next, Villains, and one of my personal favourites, director Coralie Fergeat’s Revenge, you’re going to love this. 

… Just one last thing before I hit the time-clock, and it’s a big tip of my own –

Honey Mustard’s the special of the day – destined to join the ranks of horror/thriller sure-fire hits, or become a much-loved Indie cult favourite. It’s going to be in big demand and because of this very likely to be on the table for a limited time only…

My suggestion: Get your order up fast, before it gets snapped off the menu…  Just be sure to ask nicely.

As Stella would say –

Y’all have an amazing day now.

BUDGET: Low budget, especially suited to Indie filmmakers, two main locations with a few generic locations for smaller scenes. Someone adept with blood SFX.

NB: CASTING – A special shout-out to Sasha Lane who the writer had in mind when creating the character of Stella. According to Michael, “She’s awesome and would murder the role”.  I suppose one could “At” her at @SashaBianca23.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Michael is a NYC-based, award-winning screenwriter. His critically-acclaimed feature film, “The Suicide Theory” (79% Rotten Tomatoes score) won awards at Dances With Films and Austin Film Festival and received a limited US theatrical release, 3-year run on Netflix and can now be seen on Amazon Prime, Itunes & Google Play. His latest film, “Rage” continues to collect film festival awards and will be available on most streaming platforms Feb. 2021 after picking up worldwide distribution. His feature films, “Her Lost Winter” (co-writer), and “They Never Left” are slated for production mid/late 2021. Michael can be reached at: spesh2k (a) msn.com

Read HONEY MUSTARD

Discuss this script 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:

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 screenwriting. 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.

HONEY MUSTARD

 After being stiffed, an unhinged waitress, hell-bent on revenge, torments the customer who didn’t tip her and his surprisingly resourceful family.

One of the hallmarks of a great screenplay is how quickly a reader can become immersed in a story. The writing flies off the page, the dialogue zings, the action never lets up, and the characters instantly come to life.

Honey Mustard has all this and more… From page one Michael Kospiah’s feature-length Indie-Horror puts the pedal to the metal and never lets up in this blood-soaked and frenetically-paced whodunnit tale of action and revenge.

Ever wish you could press rewind on a particularly bad day?

We open on the emotionally wrought and tormented character of Stella in a scene of not-so domestic bliss. To say Stella’s having a bad day is rather an understatement. Having finally had enough of the abuse at the hands of her redneck husband, Oscar, (a small-town cop, no less), Stella grabs a kitchen knife and a frying pan and in a violent frenzy dispatches him (albeit in self-defense) in short order.

What does Stella do next? Well, she grabs a ride with co-worker and secret lover Matilda, and sets off for work as if nothing happened, leaving her husband’s blood-soaked and lifeless body on the kitchen floor.

Stella’s a waitress at Mel’s Diner, an establishment we instantly recognise as being light on equal-opportunity in the workplace and heavy on juvenile frat-boy antics. And that’s just the guys working the grill. Usually, Stella is stoic in the face of frequent taunts, sexist barbs, and racial slurs, but the events of the morning have left her traumatized and her sanity hanging by a thread. Not to mention she’s now hallucinating the spectre of dead husband Oscar, who continues to get inside her head and bark orders at her – including telling her to: ‘kill them all’!

The final straw in Stella’s awful day comes in the form of a nightmare customer –  one Buford Blumpkin, and his seemingly innocuous request for –

Chicken Fingers with

…  a side of Honey Mustard

Little does Stella know that Buford not getting his precious honey mustard will set off a chain of events destined to throw the two of them on a deadly collision course.

DINING ROOM

He grabs her by the wrist, forcing her to a halt.

Now, Buford’s having a pretty bad day himself. His house is up for sale, he has a wife and son to support and fresh from the unemployment office he’s already bent out of shape. Not taking kindly to being treated like this he devises a little payback of his own.

After all, the customer is always right, right?

When Stella returns to his table –

Two little words that might just prove fatal.

Especially as a little bit later we cut to a scene of utter carnage at the diner and a stunned Buford watching a news report on the television –

            FEMALE NEWS REPORTER (V.O.)
I’m standing in front of Mel’s Diner in the small,
rural town of Keaufax where six people were found
brutally murdered earlier today…

Nerves rattled, Buford continues to watch…

It seems like hell hath no fury like a server scorned. But all this over a lost tip?

What’s particularly disturbing for Buford however is that his wallet’s gone and now Stella knows exactly where he lives.

Don’t even imagine you can guess where this plot’s headed because the third act is a killer with its clever twists and turns, shocking reveals, and high octane action. Just when you think you’ve got things sussed and the characters firmly pegged in their separate camps as good guys and bad guys, writer Michael Kospiah throws a curveball into the mix that you won’t see coming.

Written with a sure hand and with a sly nod to 80s pulp slashers, Honey Mustard is a gory, funny, tense and suspenseful thrill ride with one helluva bad-ass lead female character. If you enjoyed Don’t Breathe, You’re Next, Villains, and one of my personal favourites, director Coralie Fergeat’s Revenge, you’re going to love this. 

… Just one last thing before I hit the time-clock, and it’s a big tip of my own –

Honey Mustard’s the special of the day – destined to join the ranks of horror/thriller sure-fire hits, or become a much-loved Indie cult favourite. It’s going to be in big demand and because of this very likely to be on the table for a limited time only…

My suggestion: Get your order up fast, before it gets snapped off the menu…  Just be sure to ask nicely.

As Stella would say –

Y’all have an amazing day now.

BUDGET: Low budget, especially suited to Indie filmmakers, two main locations with a few generic locations for smaller scenes. Someone adept with blood SFX.

NB: CASTING – A special shout-out to Sasha Lane who the writer had in mind when creating the character of Stella. According to Michael, “She’s awesome and would murder the role”.  I suppose one could “At” her at @SashaBianca23.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Michael is a NYC-based, award-winning screenwriter. His critically-acclaimed feature film, “The Suicide Theory” (79% Rotten Tomatoes score) won awards at Dances With Films and Austin Film Festival and received a limited US theatrical release, 3-year run on Netflix and can now be seen on Amazon Prime, Itunes & Google Play. His latest film, “Rage” continues to collect film festival awards and will be available on most streaming platforms Feb. 2021 after picking up worldwide distribution. His feature films, “Her Lost Winter” (co-writer), and “They Never Left” are slated for production mid/late 2021. Michael can be reached at: spesh2k (a) msn.com

Read HONEY MUSTARD

Discuss this script 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:

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 screenwriting. 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.

THIRTEEN STEPS TO THE ATTIC (5-page short horror screenplay) by ROB HERZOG

Two girls knock on an attic door that should never be opened.

Any time an attic plays a pivotal role in a story, you just know things aren’t going to go great for that story’s characters – especially when that story is in the horror genre. And double-especially when that horror story is written by Rob Herzog, who’s latest spooky, atmospheric tale, “Thirteen Steps to the Attic”, follows two young girls who decide to knock on an attic door to either debunk or confirm a very scary urban legend.

As part of an initiation, 12-year-old Emily must complete a task in order to cement herself as part of the cool crowd at school. Patricia, one of the cool girls and presumably the leader of the clique, accompanies her as a witness. They sneak into an old house and approach an attic where supposedly a lady died a horrible death. Her spirit remains in that attic, waiting for the right kid to coming knocking.

The task? To knock on the attic door, ask if you can come in and then count to ten – the scariest urban legends always seem to have a countdown (Bloody Mary being one of them).

Of course, Emily seems a bit reluctant to perform the task. But Patricia’s right there with her to peer pressure the crap out of her.

Kids can be cruel, can’t they?

Like most 12-year-olds, Emily really wants to fit in at school. So, she gives in to the peer pressure and knocks on that old attic door, asking the malevolent spirit if she can come in. After a few silent moments, Patricia beings the countdown.

Ugh, I hate Patricia!

I wouldn’t dare spoil the fun by giving away anything else. But I will say that there is a very satisfying, albeit very unsettling, twist.

Writer, Rob Herzog, is a master at creating these creepy, messed up horror shorts with viral potential. And “Thirteen Steps to the Attic” is no exception. I dare any filmmaker looking for a spooky, low-budget horror script to pick this one up. With its spooky atmosphere and vulnerable characters, it’s sure to scare up some views.

BUDGET: Low. One location, 4 actors. Some practical makeup/effects.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Rob Herzog is a Chicago screenwriter. He has sold two 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 like Amazon Prime, YouTube and Vimeo. He has a master’s degree in English composition from Northeastern Illinois University. Rob can be reached at: robherzogr (a) hotmail.

Read: THIRTEEN STEPS TO THE ATTIC (5-page short horror screenplay)

Discuss this script 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.

THE MONKEY’S PAW (9-page short horror screenplay) by Steven Sallie

In this modern telling of the short story by W. W. Jacobs, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey’s Paw, but the wishes come with a price for interfering with fate.

You may be familiar with the title – there’s been numerous versions of this tale (based on the classic short horror story) in literature, film and TV. My personal favorite retelling is probably from The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror version from many years ago.

In writer, Steven Sallie’s cleverly chilling retelling, the message is the same as it is in the original: be careful what you wish for. And in this version, middle-aged couple, Henry and Katherine, learn this the hard way.

One day, Henry receives a visit from an old military buddy named Sergeant Morris, who brings with him a gift.

Henry’s wife, Katherine, and adult son, Mike, treat it like one big joke. But Sergeant Morris is dead serious. Haunted, even. He, himself, has used the monkey’s paw and witnessed its mystical power. And after using up his wishes, he’s passing this “gift” off to Henry.

Despite Katherine’s disgust, Henry makes a wish: he wishes for $30,000 to pay off their mortgage. But, at his wife’s request, Henry throws the severed primate appendage in the garbage.

The next day, they receive terrible news: their son, Mike, has died tragically in a work accident. As a settlement to the family, his job sends Henry and Katherine 30 large. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Neither does Katherine, grieving the loss of her son.

I won’t give away too much of the rest of the story, but it ends with a macabre yet heartbreaking twist – this one isn’t for the feint of heart.

The source material is a classic cautionary tale that most people are probably familiar with, but writer, Steven Sallie, modernizes the tale and makes it feel fresh. I highly recommend this to any filmmakers looking to take on a project that is sure to gain views based on the source material’s popularity.

BUDGET: Low. The story is essentially one-location (a house) and four actors, but there is a funeral scene. I’m sure this can be altered or cheated – this can be easily cheated with a POV shot from inside a grave, the two main characters looking down. Or however way the filmmaker feels best.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Steven Sallie has been writing screenplays for a few years now and loves it. He has several short scripts in various stages of production. His most recent, First Glance is available on Youtube and also at the Liftoff First-time Filmmaker Festival. Steven can be reached at stevensallie55 (a) gmail.

Read: THE MONKEY’S PAW (9-page short horror screenplay)

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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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