I-commute by Christina Katsiadakis

When it comes to finding love, look up.

Synopsis
In a world where we are becoming our phones or they are becoming us, Eugene is a lot like many of us, always buried in his cell phone. Day in, day out it is the same old routine of Eugene and his phone, no real human interaction or communication, until one day when his battery runs out, he notices the beauty on his commute–a girl. Unfortunately, she does not notice him because she is consumed in her cell phone. Eugene fixes himself up, even does obvious things to make her notice him, but she does not. When he finally gives in and gets sucked back into his phone, the girl’s battery finally dies. We hope she will finally recognize him. And she does look up long enough to take an interest in a guy, but it’s not Eugene.

What’s good.
This is such a relevant topic. It showcases the world we live in and what’s becoming of us. Maybe we are becoming machines. We are surely living in machines i.e., cell phones these days. I think this script is contest material. Not a big enough concept for feature but it works well as a short IMO.

Production Qualities.
– Medium Budget (hardest thing would be the bus)
– Two main characters (Eugene and Girl) with several extras to fill the bus.
– Two locations (house, bus)

The Real.
After reading this, I am going to try to go a day without my cell phone tomorrow. It really made me think about what we are becoming. The fact that we may miss a chance at love. Or a smile. Or life… Hits home. A sad script in a way, but reality.

About the writer: Christina Katsiadakis was born in Athens, Greece and she moved to Montreal in 2012. She holds a BA in History from the Athens University and an MA in Film from Goldsmiths College. She has been working in film and TV since 2004 as a production coordinator and production manager. In the last few years she has started pursuing her personal creative projects. She has written and directed two short films, Marching Muse and Football Days in Hockey Town and is currently working on her first feature film Fumus and Umbra. Christina Katsiadakis can be reached at xkatsiadakis (a) gmail.com

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About the reviewer: Dena McKinnon is an optioned and produced screenwriter who also writes on assignment. Her IMDb credits. She can be reached at: girlbytheshore (a) hotmail.

Just a Load of Baloney (8 page dramedy) by Kirsten James

When a student saves another from a bully they end up having to face their own fears and stereotypes of each other.

Synopsis.
The story starts with Toby taking a beating from the school bully, Jared. Walking by, Hassan, another student, steps in trying to help but gets punched by Jared. Hassan and Jared sit in principal’s office and after some explaining, Principal Taylor, who really enjoys bologna sandwiches sums it up: Jared the bully beat up Toby because of his sexuality and Hassan stepped in to help, and got punched by accident. Once excused, Toby thanks Hassan. But when he caringly checks Hassan’s black eye, Hassan takes it as a homophobic advance and reacts harshly. Later in the locker room, Hassan is attacked over his religion. As students harass Hassan for being a Muslim, Toby watches without helping. Hassan later verbally attacks Toby calling him a faggot. Students watch as the tension between Toby and Hassan escalates, Hassan upset that Toby didn’t step in to help. It’s like deja vu. Principal Taylor, indulging in another bologna sandwich, leaves telling the boys to work it out. This time though, however, they really do. Toby admits he didn’t help because Hassan had gotten all homophobic on him and Hassan admits that he doesn’t have anything against gays, he even has a gay cousin who lives with him after being kicked out. The two agree to be distant until later when they will hang out and become friends. Laughs come at the end when Toby asks Hassan if his cousin is cute, and the boys leave a note for Principal Taylor, warning him he shouldn’t eat so much bologna.

What I love about this story.
I LOVE that so many prejudices are brought forth. We really are like this as people and we shouldn’t be. Very heartfelt, this story and I think it would be superb festival material.

Why I think this story should be produced.
There is not enough material out there to shed light on such a touchy but relevant subject. This one deserves making. It is film-worthy and one that would hit home and touch many hearts. STRONG subject but light-hearted.

Budget: Low
Characters: 4 mains and some extras
Locations: 1-A school… could be done easily I think

About the Writer: Kirsten James is an aspiring screenwriter in her mid 40’s, originally from NZ, living in the USA. She started writing short stories 5 years ago, and after a year learned that she was more geared to writing scripts. Kirsten has a degree in psychology and finds this a great asset to her writing. Kirsten has 1 short in production.

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About the reviewer: Dena McKinnon is an optioned and produced screenwriter who also writes on assignment. Her IMDb credits. She can be reached at: girlbytheshore (a) hotmail.

INBOX (1) (11 page horror screenplay) by Matthew Taylor

After receiving increasingly disturbing emails, a deaf customer services agent must battle with his mind in order to make sense of his night.

The workplace can be a very stressful environment, especially when it’s at a boring, mundane, nine-to-five office job. With constant worries of job security, the pressure of meeting deadlines and performance goals and dealing with the seemingly infinite monotony of each unimportant shift, the office is often the last place we want to be. But the one thing that gets us through each day is the camaraderie we share with co-workers, bonding over all the things that make us hate showing up for work in the first place. This is how some of our closest, most precious friendships are formed, many of those friendships lasting for life.

But, with so many variables and personalities, the workplace can also be a way to make mortal enemies – there’s clashing of egos, competition, employees fighting to move up that corporate ladder and, at times, bullying.

In Matthew Taylor’s dark psychological thriller, “Inbox (1)”, customer service rep, Freddy, isn’t having the easiest of times. Most likely the target of bullying his whole life due to his disability (he’s deaf), he takes medication for what we believe is either anxiety or depression. His coworkers haven’t exactly been very kind to him – Eric and Danielle mock him behind his back, spewing insults out loud knowing he can’t hear them. His boss, Ian, lets him know, every chance he gets, that the only reason he hasn’t been fired yet is BECAUSE he’s deaf. And even Christina, the only nice one in the office, speaks to him loudly and overly pronounced despite being reminded repeatedly that he can read lips.

After getting chewed out by Ian, Freddy finds himself staying late, stuck with the exhilarating duty of clearing the day’s email backlog – 523 inbox messages, to be exact.

Freddy sucks it up and gets to work, responding to email after email… after email. Finally, after hours of pedantic, repetitious tasks, he looks to his screen – INBOX (1). Ever so close to sweet, sweet freedom, Freddy opens up the predictably unpleasant final message. Trying his best to maintain his professionalism, he goes by the book and responds to the message with the utmost courtesy until finally – INBOX (0). Yes!

Ready to shut down his computer, Freddy gives the screen a glance and, to his chagrin, he sees INBOX (1) again. He opens the message to find out that it’s the same exact person as the last email. Freddy’s been doing this for a while, so he’s used to the aggressive insults thrown his way. But it isn’t until this “customer” in particular makes fun of his duck-patterned tie that Freddy suspects something more sinister is at play.

Fed up, Freddy confronts each coworker at the office, starting off with the most obvious suspects, Eric and his partner in crime, Danielle. A fracas ensues, Freddy’s deep-seeded rage boiling to the surface, resulting in him throwing a glass of water into Freddy’s face. But, upon further investigation, Freddy finds out that it wasn’t Eric or Danielle at all… so it appears. In fact, there’s no evidence that it was ANYBODY in the same room.

Determined to get to the bottom of this, Freddy returns to his computer to find yet another message in his inbox. He opens it up to see a photo of himself. WTF? But it gets even more disturbing when a virtual knife slides across the screen, slicing Freddy’s pixelated throat and splashing animated blood. As if things couldn’t get any stranger, the lights suddenly flicker off…

What begins as a dark, who-dun-nit mystery delves into terrifying, psychological horror territory. And Freddy is forced to explore the darkest depths of his own fragile mind.

In one of my favorite shorts that I’ve recently stumbled across, Matthew Taylor has crafted an atmospheric, pitch-black, psychological, single-location thriller with imagery that will linger with you long after the final credits roll.

BUDGET: Shoe-string. An office room and five actors.

ABOUT THE WRITER: by 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. He can be reached at Taylor.MJ88 (a) Gmail.

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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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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 OTHER SIDE (12 page short horror screenplay) Written By Kirsten James

A young woman and her boyfriend make the innocent mistake of playing on a Ouija Board and find out the hard way that the other side is not to be messed with.

Being home alone, especially at night, can be a little scary sometimes. It’s something we can all relate to, especially now, in our current climate. Even just the slightest noise can make us stop and conjure up the possibility, just for a moment, that maybe we aren’t the only ones there. Is it our minds playing tricks on us? Probably – which is what most of us tell ourselves in order to find comfort. But there’s always the possibility of a home intruder. Or, depending on personal beliefs, maybe something paranormal.

In Kirsten James’s spooky, supernatural horror short, The Other Side, it’s something much, much worse.

After having her boyfriend, Josh, over two nights in a row, Samantha finally has a night to herself. And she’s using her free time wisely – we’re introduced to her as she’s getting in a nice Stair Master workout while rocking out to music. Not a worry in the world…

We then see a messy coffee table, a mess she hasn’t yet cleaned up from the previous night – an empty wine bottle, some candy wrappers, an opened Ouija board, half a bottle of Jack Daniels …

Wait… a Ouija board? Oh, that can’t be good. In fact, specifically in horror films, the presence of a Ouija board is NEVER good. But Samantha doesn’t know she’s in a horror film. Just like in real life, people like to be scared for fun. And, often times, this “fun” comes in the form of a Ouija board – I am DEFINITELY not one of those people.

Right from the jump, unbeknownst to Samantha, there’s a dark, creepy figure just lingering in the shadows. Is it a person? Something worse? We don’t know yet. It could be anything. But it isn’t until a loud grinding noise from the kitchen grabs Samantha’s attention.

She inspects, discovering a planchette stuck in the sink’s garbage disposal. Immediately, perhaps to convince herself nothing is wrong, she suspects her boyfriend, Josh, is messing with her. As she looks around the apartment for Josh, she discovers more things that make her suspect that her hubby is playing a prank on her.

Fed up, she gives him a call – but we see that Josh is clearly at his own place (living with his mother), working on a college assignment. As things continue to go bump in the night, we come to find out that Josh and Samantha, under the influence of alcohol and munchies, may have conjured something up while messing around with that Ouija the previous night.

But there’s a problem – Josh says he wasn’t there the previous night. But… if he wasn’t there last night… who did Samantha have sex with? Did the Ouija board somehow conjure up some demonic doppelganger?

All those questions are answered in what plays out like a chillingly clever mash-up of Paranormal Activity meets Jordan Peele’s Us. Packed with all the things you look for in a horror story, The Other Side is a mind-bending, frightening read and that would translate even better on screen. I highly recommend it to any filmmaker looking to make some noise in the horror film festival circuit.

BUDGET: Shoestring. Two locations (an apartment and then a room). And two on-screen actors.

ABOUT THE WRITER: In 2014 Kirsten was inspired by a friend to start writing short stories. After a year she realized she wanted to see her stories on screen and turned one of her shorts into a screenplay. She has never forgotten the rush of excitement she felt the moment she typed her first ever ‘FADE IN’. It was as if something clicked. Since then, Kirsten has written several shorts, mostly in the horror genre, with a couple of comedies and dramas thrown in. She’s had a few picked up for production. A short mystery has been produced based on characters she created and she has one horror short in pre-production as part of a horror anthology. Kirsten has a degree in psychology and finds this a great asset to her writing. Kirsten can be reached at niketa0000 (a) hotmail.

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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.

FLEE THIS ROOM (13 page short horror script) by Rob Herzog

Are you ready for this? – The story’s opening line of dialogue almost feels like the author is preparing us for the insanity that lies ahead in Flee This Room, a trippy, David Lynch-esque horror tale from writer, Rob Herzog.

The opening line of dialogue is what Amelia asks her hopelessly love-struck new boyfriend, Jay, before introducing him to a very odd group of friends. Ready for what, exactly? Jay isn’t quite sure, though Amelia describes it as an “experience”. An experience indeed, as Jay finds out soon enough.

Jay and Amelia are greeted at the door by the host of the party, Jericho – a spiritual guru of sorts. He leads the new couple into his apartment where we meet Ferd and Sissy, who we come to know as Jericho’s “followers”, I guess you can say. High as kites, the two hippies look like they belong on Spahn Ranch with the rest of the Manson Family.

            JERICHO
Jay, today’s experience will combine
elements of improvisation, spirituality,
self-realization, group dynamics, kinesiology
and pseudo sorcery. Are you ready?

Sipping on glogg (a Scandinavian alcoholic beverage), Jay still hasn’t the slightest clue of what’s about to happen. But he’s willing to roll with the punches – for Amelia.

Jericho kicks things off with what seems like some kind of acid-induced improv exercise.

            JERICHO
Okay. Let’s start out by being flamingos.

He, Amelia, Ferd, and Sissy immediately lope like flamingos, flapping their arms. Sissy stands on one leg and squawks. An exercise straight out of an acting class.

Strange, yes. But nothing out of the ordinary if you’ve taken an improv class before.

The flamingo parade continues until Jericho calls out–

            JERICHO
Boy band.

They whirl in unison/lock step – all except Jay.

Uh … okay. A little stranger. But nothing crazy. That is until the exercise quickly takes on a darker tone…

            JERICHO
And now – human sacrifice.

Instantly, the group jumps up, gathers around Jay, and starts to stab him with imaginary knives. They chant–

            SISSY
Accept this sacrifice!

            FERD
Accept this sacrifice!

Amelia takes her imaginary knife and slits Jay’s throat. She does not smile at all. Complete seriousness.

And, if that wasn’t disturbing enough, a homemade, life-sized dummy named Bertram is brought into the picture as part of the odd ritual.

Everyone in the room except Jay bows down before Bertram.

WT-actual-F?

After Jay finds out that his glogg has been spiked with hallucinogens, the ritualistic exercise continues to get stranger and stranger – reaching nightmarish levels of weirdness.

If my description of the story hasn’t given you enough anxiety, I haven’t even scratched the surface of just how delightfully bizarre Rob Herzog’s script actually is.

Outside of his surprise short film on Netflix, “What Did Jack Do”, David Lynch hasn’t released anything new in a very long time. But, if you’re a Lynch-starved movie fanboy like me, “Flee This Room” should be enough to satisfy your appetite. It’s an acid-trip gone totally right and would be a fantastic pick-up for any filmmaker looking to create something truly unique — something audiences will remember and talk about long after the closing credits.

BUDGET: Shoe-string. Six actors and a room.

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. He has a master’s degree in English composition from Northeastern Illinois University.

Read: FLEE THIS ROOM (13 page short horror script)

^*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.