Ten Thousand Souls (6 pages, pdf format) by Marnie Mitchell-Lister

In England’s darkest hour of the 1300’s, a Doctor makes a deal with Death Himself

What would you do if the Grim Reaper came a knockin’? If you’re Bill and Ted, you go on a Bogus Journey… Only a few of you will get that reference, but it’ll kill (pun intended) those of you that do.

What if, instead, you made a deal with the Reaper? IE: the Harbinger of Death? That is the very question asked in the script Ten Thousand Souls, penned by apt scribe Marnie Mitchell-Lister.

We meet Doctor Oliver Blackburn in 1900, visiting a gravely ill patient. Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be much that can be done. So Doctor Blackburn offers to sit with the man until his time comes – and he “goes”.

Sweet, right? Not so fast. Because soon as the man passes, Doctor Blackburn… well, let’s just say, “makes his move”..

Throughout Ten Thousand Souls, Doctor Blackburn narrates our story, keeping us hooked as we jump through centuries (from 1350 to 1970 to 2011). Twists and turns abound until our journey is brought to a satisfying – albeit tragic – end.

A script with multiple advantages, Ten Thousand has the potential to play well to the festival and awards crowd, but to help make a name for a director looking for their start.

Blue Oyster Cult once sang “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”. Ten Thousand Souls reminds us that maybe, just maybe, we should.

Budget: Notable. There are several time jumps (from 1350 to 2011 and a few in between). It also has multiple settings. However, there are only a few characters (Doctor Blackburn and Death most prominently) which lessens the budget a smidge. There are, of course, some effects that will be necessary to bring this tale to life on screen. That said, a clever director with a set, access to some costumes and some loyal actors could likely make this work for less. Anyway, what are you doing reading this? Contact Marnie and get this thing made!

About the Writer 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.

Read Ten Thousand Souls (pdf format)

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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.

About the reviewer: Mitch Smith is an award winning screenwriter who offers notes, script editing and phone consultations. Follow him on twitter @MitchScripts, or email him at Mitch.SmithScripts (a) gmail.

Beneath The Surface (6 pages in pdf format) by Richard D. Kinsella

(click the image to take you to the full version)

Read the rest at HyperEpics.com

Beneath The Surface adapted by Thomas Tuna from Richard’s script.

About the Writer: Richard D. Kinsella is a multi-award winning Director and Screenwriter from Manchester, UK. A restless soul who has circumnavigated the world twice and has visited 110 countries in his relatively short and increasingly surreal life, he is currently putting the finishing touches to a feature script he hopes to film next year. Check out his IMDb credits. Rick can be reached at scartissuefilms at gmail.

About Hyper Epics: Home of the 3 page sagas, Hyper Epics is a bold anthology series that offers diverse and exciting comic book stories on its website – www.hyperepics.com – and in print form. Each original story is packed with stunning artwork, memorable characters, and captivating stories enhanced with dazzling soundtracks. It is quickly becoming a go-to destination for readers worldwide.

A Face To Die For (6 pages in pdf format) by Jean-Pierre Chapoteau

A man with the ability to make people laugh with a funny face finds his gift his worst nightmare when his loved ones suffer the consequences…

In A Face To Die For, Jeff has a secret weapon. A unique skill: His face is funny. Not just funny “ha ha”. Seriously funny – you could literally die laughing when Jeff pulls ‘his special face’ on you.

Which may sound dire… but it’s a skill that gets Jeff out of any scrape:

• Can’t pay the rent? Pull the face.
• Is a cop approaching your vehicle – speeding ticket in his hand? No problem. Pull the face.
• Didn’t finish your work? Performance evaluations are due. And the dreaded Boss is on your case? Easy peasy. Pull the face.

You get the idea. Jeff gets what he wants, when he wants. All due to that simple, secret gift.

But what does Jeff want most? To make his girlfriend Yhanna and her young daughter Betty happy all the time. So Jeff pulls ‘the face’ every day, in order to keep them amused… until one terrible day when tragedy strikes. Leaving Jeff to realize: power is no laughing matter. Not when lives are at stake.

Which leaves Jeff to make hard decisions in his life. What should he do to protect himself? And the ones he loves most of all?

Written by Jean-Pierre Chapoteau, A Face to Die For has an awesome hook. Wow, is this a doozy! If you know – or consider yourself – a young Jim Carrey, imagine the possibilities! A talented actor could bring brilliance to this performance – and the script itself is razor sharp. So don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. Get to reading A Face to Die For. Now!

Production: Minimal. 4 main speaking parts (and extras for the montage).

About the Writer: Jean-Pierre Chapoteau started writing feature-length scripts in 2005, then focused on shorts in 2009. Since then he’s had three scripts produced and two more optioned. He has won several awards for his shorts and has become a moderator at the site MoviePoet, who specialize in the craft of the short scripts. Jean-Pierre was a finalist in the RAW TALENT Competition for his faith-based feature-length script: ‘Far From Perfect.’ And was also a semi-finalist in the SLAMDANCE teleplay competition and a finalist in the OBSWRITER teleplay contest for his adapted teleplay, Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Guardian. You can contact Jean-Pierre Chapoteau at: jeanpierre425 (a) gmail.com

Read A Face To Die For (6 pages in pdf format)

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: Elaine Clayton is a London-based screenwriter, who has written several well-received shorts and is currently working on her first feature length scripts. Comfortable in a broad range of genres, Elaine has an innate sense of structure and arc development. Contact her at Elaine_clayton (AT) Hotmail(.)co(.)uk

The Survivor (16 pages in pdf format) by Mark Renshaw

A teenager embarks on a perilous trek for supplies in a dangerous world where society has collapsed and the air is toxic. With only his toy robot as a companion, he faces lost souls, crazed zealots, and corrupt law enforcement officers. But the real danger is waiting for him at home.

Mark has had a lot of success with The Survivor: A tale from the Nearscape. It was released as a short film and now it has been made into a short comic. The Survivor was written by Thomas Tuna from the script by Mark Renshaw and illustrated by Armandroy Canlas. Please also listen to “The Suvivor Sketches” by Zaalen Tallis. Talk about this script, comic and movie on the discussion board

(click the image to take you to the full version)

Read the rest at HyperEpics.com/Survivor

About the Writer: 2018 Page Awards semi-finalist Mark Renshaw can be reached through his website at Mark-Renshaw.com. An award-winning writer and producer, his last project earned ‘Best Sci-Fi’ at the Top Shorts and Festigious film festivals.

About Hyper Epics: Home of the 3 page sagas, Hyper Epics is a bold anthology series that offers diverse and exciting comic book stories on its website – www.hyperepics.com – and in print form. Each original story is packed with stunning artwork, memorable characters, and captivating stories enhanced with dazzling soundtracks. It is quickly becoming a go-to destination for readers worldwide.

How to Talk to Women (pdf format) by Marnie Mitchell-Lister

When an old trunk is unearthed at his construction site, a lonely guy’s life takes a turn for the better.

Bradley Taylor is a lovely guy: kind heart, good job, real nice home. The problem is: it’s a home that’s empty. What Bradley’s missing is a lady love. Someone to share his life with. Sure, Bradley’s got a personality that makes him a keeper: but he gets tongue-tied each time a prospect comes along.

Still, Bradley’s being proactive – doing his best to improve his chances and skills. Including reading a self-help book – unimaginatively titled: How to Talk to Women.

A no-brainer, easy-fix.

Or is it too simplified? After all, the best laid plans of Mice and Men are often complicated by real Life.

Especially when Bradley finally meets the girl of his dreams: Agent Dana Parker. The setting: a construction site. The situation: the discovery of a dead body which may – or may not – be Jimmy Hoffa.

Almost immediately, Bradley sets out to impress Dana. But he’s busy being anyone but himself, and messing up… big time. Even funnier is the other side of the equation: that Dana’s perusing a self-help book herself: ‘ Be Irresistible to Men’. And she’s diligently following all the steps.

Even if that results in giving Bradley the world’s worst massage, in an awkward attempt to flirt:

     Vinny approaches as Taylor tries to stand.

            TAYLOR
You gotta help me. I don’t want
her to know she hurt me.

Ironic isn’t it? Kindred spirits and crossed wires. Two would-be lovers trying soooooo hard to connect that wrong signals and mixed messages whistle like missiles through the air.

In the end, neither knows where they stand. Or in Bradley’s case, how to stand.

Will these two losers in love end up winning hearts? Or at least score a first date?

Get this page turner under construction as soon as you can. Sure, the setting’s so unromantic it hurts. But if you wanna push boundaries on genres, then Marnie Mitchell-Lister’s your gal. With this short film, you’re building something meant to last. Think Two Weeks Notice – and hammer your way to festival success!

Budget: The setting’s really up to you and how much of a construction site you want. It’s easy to keep it real simple with the focus on the two main characters.

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.

Read How to Talk to Women (pdf format)

Find more scripts available for production

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

About the reviewer: Elaine Clayton is a London-based screenwriter, who has written several well received shorts and is currently doing a Masters in Playwriting and Scriptwriting. Comfortable in a broad range of genres, Elaine has an innate sense of structure and arc development. Contact her at Elaine_clayton (a) hotmail(.)co(.)uk

Cyborn (3 pages in pdf format) by Mark Renshaw

An android uses a pair of dice to help him choose random memories to relive as his power supply runs out.

This was one of the entries in the Quickie Challenge . Hyper Epics liked the idea and it was re-written by Thomas Tuna and illustrated by Armand Roy Canias.

(click the image to take you to the full version).

Read the rest at HyperEpics.com/Cyborn

About the Writer: 2018 Page Awards semi-finalist Mark Renshaw can be reached through his website at Mark-Renshaw.com. An award-winning writer and producer, his last project earned ‘Best Sci-Fi’ at the Top Shorts and Festigious film festivals.

About Hyper Epics: Home of the 3 page sagas, Hyper Epics is a bold anthology series that offers diverse and exciting comic book stories on its website – www.hyperepics.com – and in print form. Each original story is packed with stunning artwork, memorable characters, and captivating stories enhanced with dazzling soundtracks. It is quickly becoming a go-to destination for readers worldwide.

Tunnel Rat (5 page short screenplay in pdf format) by John Staats

A US Marine encounters unexpected perils as he clears an enemy tunnel.

This was one of the entries in the July Summer Heat/Cold Weather One Week Challenge. John re-wrote Tunnel Rat into comic format and submitted it to Hyper Epics who liked it and together they pitched it to an illustrator, and, one month later… (click the image to take you to the full version).

Please visit HyperEpics.com/Tunnel-Rat for the rest of the story.

About the writer: As a fly-fishing fanatic and skier living in the Arizona desert, John Staats has plenty of time for writing. After focusing on features and shorts for the screen, John has now ventured into writing for the illustrated page with hopes of eventually writing a full-feature graphic novel. His feature Impasse has also been published as an e-book on Amazon. John can be contacted at jestaats(a)hotmail.

About the letterer: Jaymes Reed is an comic book letterer. Check out his site Digital-Caps.com and follow him on Twitter at @DigitalCAPS

About the artist: Sean Bova is an artist. Check out his website at: Sean-Bova.Squarespace.com

About Hyper Epics: Home of the 3 page sagas, Hyper Epics is a bold anthology series that offers diverse and exciting comic book stories on its website – www.hyperepics.com – and in print form. Each original story is packed with stunning artwork, memorable characters, and captivating stories enhanced with dazzling soundtracks. It is quickly becoming a go-to destination for readers worldwide.

Talk about it on the discussion board.

Zombie Romance by Oksana Shafetova

On the eve of a zombie apocalypse a young wife has to make a life or death choice in the name of love.

You’d be forgiven for thinking the horror staple of Zombies has reached saturation point and that our appetite and continuing hunger for the lumbering, rampaging, bloodthirsty undead has waned.

Future Box Office however, tells a different story.

There are some twenty Zombie horror flicks already slated for 2018/19 with titles such as The Cured, Little Monsters, Cargo, Patient Zero, An Accidental Zombie (Named Ted), Breathers, and Inherit The Earth, to name just some of the titles already released or awaiting release. These movies have big-name stars attached: Lupita Nyong’o, Ellen Page, Martin Freeman, Stanley Tucci, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Brad Pitt is returning in the sequel to World War Z 2, and the original cast of Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Jesse Eisennberg make their return in Zombieland 2.

Chances are if you’re reading this blog you fancy yourself as the next George Romero, Jennifer Kent, Mike Flanagan, Julia Ducournau, or James Wan. You want to make a short film with maximum impact, which means you need good material with broad audience appeal.

Want something with a little horror, a little romance, and a good dose of humour? Not to mention blood, gore, and a decent dose of foreboding and suspense? Oksana Shafetova’s, Zombie Romance, has all these ingredients and more.

We open on Barbara, a young woman lying on a bed in a darkened room. Anyone who’s ever suffered a migraine knows the benefits of quiet and darkness. Only trouble is there’s some weird screaming and carrying on going on outside Barbara’s bedroom window. Rest and recuperation is not going according to plan.

We hear the fumbling of the key in the lock of the front door. Thank God, her loving husband Harry, is home. He can take Max, the dog, out for a walk. He might even be able to explain the weird auditory hallucinations Barbara is hearing from outside.

Maybe it’s all in her head.
Or maybe it isn’t…

One thing’s for sure. The words: ‘for better or worse’ and ‘in sickness and health’, are just about to be sorely tested.

Filmmakers: Zombie Romance is a killer script. One you’ll be dying to get your hands on. There’ll be a lot of clamouring for this one, so best set yourself apart from the hordes and get on it fast.

Contained Horror. One location, two leads, a mutt, minimal SFX, Zombie makeup… And you’re set to go.

About the Writer: Oksana Shafetova has always been fascinated with storytelling, but discovered her inner voice only a couple years ago. Graduated as an editor, she has worked in the fields of journalism and video game narrative, until she finally found her true passion in script writing. Oksana gets inspiration from cinematography, and empathizes with an audience to think up riveting plot twists in her own works. She currently lives with her husband, an illustrator, in Dusseldorf, Germany. SHe can be reached at: oshafetova (a) gmail.com

Read Zombie Romance (4 pages in pdf format)

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

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.

Creak and Shriek (8 pages in pdf format) by Rob Herzog

An eight-year-old boy struggles for answers when his horror sound effects record starts playing on its own in the middle of the night.

Today is a very special day: today is Noah’s 8th birthday.

Only the party didn’t quite go to plan.  No one showed – no one all that important anyway.  Mom’s taken it personally.  Not that she needed much of an excuse to get a head start on her nightly tipple.  Despite it all, Noah’s holding up, distracted by his brand new ‘Scary Sounds of the Night’ recording.

It’s an odd gift, but by all accounts Auntie W. lives far from normality.  She’s the distant kind of aunt that talks to skunks and lives alone in the woods.  The kind that always forgets a birthday… until now.

            MOM (O.S.)
Gonna give yourself nightmares, kid.

Howling winds and pounding hearts are one thing, but groaning ghouls prove too much for young Noah and he calls it a night. Maybe Mom was right, why would anyone want to listen to a soundtrack filled with nothing but scary sounds?

Better yet, what type of person would send such a gift to a child?

As it turns out, the crazy type that lives off-grid on a diet of daisies and roadkill.  Scary Sounds of the Night is more than a recording; it’s a 12” vinyl nightmare that refuses to be put on mute.

…And it knows your name.

Rob Herzog’s Creak and Shriek delivers a strikingly simple yet effective horror short.  Two characters, one room and some well placed sound FX could bring this horror short to the screen with a minimal budget.  Any filmmaker looking to get their hands on a fun Twilight Zone style chiller would be remiss not to check this short script out.

About the writer: Rob Herzog of Chicago teaches American literature and moderates a high school yearbook. He has also coached freshmen wrestling. He will soon earn a master’s degree in English composition from Northeastern Illinois University. He has written six short scripts and one feature screenplay. His shorts have won prize money in two small contests and awards in some others. He can be reached at: robherzogr (a) hotmail (dot) com

Read Creak and Shriek (8 pages in pdf format)

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

About the reviewer: Steve Miles started writing scripts around five years ago after realizing that his social life was vastly overrated. He enjoys writing in a variety of genres but leans toward raw, grittier characters and the worlds they inhabit – from the deadly serious to the darkly comic. Drinks coffee, owns an unhealthy amount of plaid and uses a calculator for the most basic of sums. Check out more of his work at sjmilesscripts.webs.com