DEER FRIENDS (9-page short comedy screenplay) by BRYCE SMINK

A teenage boy wants nothing more than to live out the rest of his life out in the woods as a Deer…but his Deer-hunting Father isn’t so accepting of his son’s new life style and a wild man-hunt ensues.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve read something as original as Bryce Smink’s bizarre aburdist horror/comedy, “Deer Friends”.

The story starts off with a bang (literally) as a high school teen named Debbie sitting parked outside of her friend’s house hears gunshots from inside. Her friend, Eric, runs out and jumps into her car as his father chases him with a shotgun, blasting away.

Did I mention that Eric is wearing a deer onesie?

So, why exactly is Eric’s father trying to murder his own son? Well, to follow up on the log line (which describes the story pretty accurately), Eric has decided to “come out” to his parents and identify as a deer. Eric’s father does not approve. Not only that, but Eric’s father is also an avid deer hunter, which immediately makes them mortal enemies.

Eric’s father chases after Debbie and Eric in his pick-up truck, all the way to a national park in the woods, where Eric plans on living his life as a deer.

Although this is an absurdist comedy, the story itself is surprisingly intense. It’s essentially one long chase scene with the feel of a horror-slasher almost. But it also has elements of a screwball comedy, at least in terms of the very strange, off-beat dialogue. It felt like an episode of “The Eric Andre Show” crossed with Quentin Tarantino’s “Death Proof”, at least tonally.

What really impressed me about this script wasn’t just the originality, but it was how it delivered its message using a bizarre, way-the-F-out-there premise. And once you understand the message (which is kinda/sorta obvious), you realize that maybe the premise isn’t that bizarre after all. There’s a real humanity and heart to the story… while also being absurdly entertaining.

BUDGET: Low. The story takes place in a car and out in the woods. Only three characters.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Re: Bryce Smink – “I’m a young writer about to graduate high school in a year. I love writing about the weird and absurd, and mixing it with the relatable aspects of life. I’m working a part time job at small production studio (Delivering Coffee, Yah!). But besides that, nothing has really changed at all. Still just write, write, writing all the time. I’m actually working on multiple web series as a comedy Staff Writer, which is something that I’m actively pursuing.” Bryce can be found at brycesmink (a) outlook.

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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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CELLULOID (10-page short comedy screenplay) by RICK 5E

Two lewd and crude high school teachers are taught a valuable lesson about the importance of being discreet.

It’s been a while since there’s been a really funny, R-rated raunch-fest comedy, hasn’t it? Movies like “Bad Santa”, “Porky’s”, “Van Wilder”, “40-Year-Old Virgin”… it just doesn’t seem like they make movies like that anymore. Well, strap the f**k in, because Rick 5e’s laugh-out-loud, profanity-filled, sex-crazed romp is bringing that s***t back!

The story is centered around two hard-partying junior high school teachers (Mr. Todd and Mrs. Granger) who are really bored with their jobs. Today, they’re supervising another boring field trip at a public park.

Unfortunately for them, someone else is in the bathroom with them, secretly taking pictures. And a few days later, both teachers find themselves being blackmailed. Is it one of their students? Another teacher?

Determined to find the culprit, Mr. Todd goes through all the yearbook committee photos that were taken during the field trip. And he finds a suspicious looking white van in one of the photographs. The decal on the side of the van reads: “SHAKES THE CLOWN – FUN PARTY SHOWS AND STUF! 555-1234”.

“Celluloid” was an entry from February’s erotic-thriller themed OWC. But as you can tell by this review, it is most definitely not an erotic-thriller. In fact, it’s nothing close. But I’m glad I read it. It really was my favorite of the bunch despite not following the genre or theme.The dialogue is hilarious, thesight gags are perfectly timed and the farce of a premise had me laughing about as hard as I’ve laughed in a while. “Bad Teacher” meets “Election”, this one will have you ROTFL.

BUDGET: Medium. There are group shots (it takes place during a junior high field trip), so the cast is a bit large. But this script also has feature film potential and will be well worth its budget.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Rick 5e (pseudo), is a part-time writer, musician, and landscape aficionado living somewhere above the 49th parallel. He has been writing enthusiastically for approximately 10 years, including feature screenplays, short scripts, and various instructional models regarding script structure and outlines. “Always try to capture the ‘absurd’ when writing” is his basic tenet, a primal drive whenever typing ‘Fade In’ that may also be viewed in many of his other works that are currently available online at his personal website of curios media – Obfuscation: Hand Crafted Screenplays. Rick can be through his website.

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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.

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A CHANCE ENCOUNTER (4-page short crime-drama screenplay) by JOHN STAATS

When guns are drawn, love ensues.

A chance encounter, indeed…

Well, this script was a fun one to read, especially if you’re familiar with historical crime figures from the 20s and 30s (more on that later).

The story opens at an old Texaco gas station way off the beaten path. It’s here where we meet a 19-year-old girl (only referred to as ‘Girl’ in the script) working the counter all by her lonesome, flipping through a magazine to pass the time.

That’s when a handsome fella in his 20swearing a snazzy linen suit and fedora (he’s only referred to as ‘Driver’ in the script) pulls up to a pump. And he seems to be in a bit of a hurry, fumbling around with the gas nozzle. Unbeknownst to him, the 19-year-old gas station clerk watches him from the front entrance, curious.

But after filling his tank with a few gallons, it appears as if ‘Driver’ is about to pull a gas-and-go without paying. And as delicate and pretty ‘Girl’ seems to be, she’s not about to let some stranger off the hook without paying.

The driver freezes for a moment to think. He slowly turns to face the girl with palms out and a wide grin. A toothpick twitches in his teeth. Damn, he is one handsome devil. Caught off guard by his good looks and swagger, she swoons.

Turns out ‘Driver’ is one hell of a charmer – and it’s probably been a while since ‘Girl’ has seen a man of his stature. Wearing a sly grin, ‘Driver’ approaches her, pretty confident that he’ll be able to talk his way out of this one… that is until she draws a pistol on him.

Outside of the charming characters and irresistible dialogue, what made this one so fun was the reveal at the end, which I shall not reveal here. And though it’s not 100% historically accurate, you won’t be able to help but smile.

BUDGET: Moderate. It’s one location (a gas station) and two actors. But, because it’s somewhat of a period piece (1930’s), most of the budget will go into making the gas station and car look like it’s from that time period.

ABOUT THE WRITER: As a fly-fishing fanatic and skier living in the Arizona desert, John Staats finds plenty of time for writing. His feature Impasse was a 2019 Filmmatic Season 4 Drama Screenplay Finalist and has been published as an e-book on Amazon. In addition to features and shorts for the screen, John has found a niche writing for the illustrated page (comics!). John can be contacted at jestaats (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.

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AN EXCELLENT JUDGE OF CHARACTER (10-page erotic-thriller screenplay) Written by JAMES O. WILLIAMS

A desperate woman trying to escape her violent past brings a stranger back to her hotel room.

The whole concept behind a one-stand is that you go to a bar, meet someone you never met before… and then you go with them. It’s a rash decision by both parties involved and it amazes me that people still do that, especially with how popular true crime is these days. What doesn’t amaze is that alcohol is usually the deciding factor behind such a decision.

In James O. Williams’s ironically titled, February erotic-thriller themed OWC winner, we meet two lonely, troubled souls at a motel bar: Gary is a shy and lonely 42-year-old truck-driver who can’t seem to take his eyes off 33-year-old Cassie, who seems to be way out of Gary’s league. The ratio of men to women at this bar seems to favor the men by a wide margin, so Cassie is especially popular tonight. But she notices Gary and the two really hit it off.

Gary sure does have a point. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t follow his own advice.

Cassie is going through a nasty divorce and her violent ex seems to be having a hard time letting her go. And she’s willing to do anything to get him out of the picture… even if it means using the unsuspecting Gary as a pawn.

Full of double-crosses, twists, and smart dialogue, “An Excellent Judge of Character” is an erotic thriller with classic film noir elements that packs a lot into its 10 pages. And given its low-budget, I won’t be surprised if this one gets picked up very soon. I recommend filmmakers jump on it before it gets picked up by someone else!

BUDGET: Low. Two locations (a bar and a motel room) and four speaking roles.

ABOUT THE WRITER: James Williams was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. His passion for film started at a young age when he spent weekend evenings attending movies with his father. After some life changing events in his thirties, he began to pursue his passion for film by writing screenplays. His second feature, The Blood Loop, was an Academy Nicholl quarter finalist. After a few successful short scripts were produced by other filmmakers, James decided to pick up the camera himself. Self-taught from YouTube tutorials, reading books, and filling any spot he could on local film crews, James finally shot his first film, Cooper’s Monster with his wife and one year old son. One year later James has four films under his name and is progressing as a filmmaker. He gravitates towards making the type of popcorn horror movies he and his dad so loved at the cinema. James can be reached at: jdaddy6688 @ sbcglobal.net

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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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ABOUT THE WRITER: Anthony Cawood is an award-winning screenwriter with one feature produced and a further four features optioned or in pre-production. In addition to features, he has over forty short scripts produced/sold/optioned – including ten filmed. Also occasionally pens screenwriting articles, interviews with writers and filmmakers, and even a short story or two.

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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.

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THE PERFECT COVER UP (5-page short thriller screenplay) Written by MARNIE MITCHELL

When a troubled man visits a tattoo shop to cover a bad tattoo, he ends up getting one that suits him perfectly.

“Show me a man with a tattoo and I’ll show you a man with an interesting past.” – Jack London, American Novelist.

Author, Jack London’s quote couldn’t apply more to Jerry, the deranged antagonist in writer, Marnie Mitchell’s cleverly original morality thriller, “The Perfect Cover Up”.

The story opens at a tattoo parlor called “Max Tats”, run by a cocaine-sniffing, heavily inked tattoo artist named – you guessed it – Max. It’s a slow night as he watches television while noshing on some Chinese food… until there’s a knock on the shop’s locked front door.

Enter Jerry. Jerry has a problem that he needs fixed. And that problem seems to be tattooed to the side of his face – a massive snake tattoo that he wants covered up.

We soon learn the origin of the snake tattoo:

But this doesn’t seem to be the only reason Jerry so desperately wants to get this tattoo covered up. He seems to be very concerned with whether or not anyone else is there or if anyone knows Jerry is there. He even asks Max if he recognizes him from TV.

Max soon realizes that this is something serious when Jerry makes him cover up the tattoo at gunpoint – yeah, probably not a reality TV star.

As a very nervous Max covers up the tattoo under immense pressure, we learn a bit more about both characters, especially about Jerry’s tragic childhood and checkered past, being in and out of jail for most of his adult life. And, especially on this night, it seems that Jerry has recently gotten himself in a bit of trouble with the law. And he’s willing to do anything not to get caught, including covering up any distinct, identifying tattoos.

But we also learn that Max isn’t quite as feeble as he made himself out to be…

This is morality tale of a different kind with an incredibly satisfying ending that just goes to show – you can never hide from your past. Endlessly entertaining with an exclamation point of an ending, this is one story that will be hard to remove from your memory.

BUDGET: Low. One location, two actors and a few props.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Marnie is an award-winning screenwriter and 5-page contest junkie. Due to her addiction, she’s written over 80 shorts, 15 having been produced. Currently she’s working on her 8th feature, an adaptation of a horror short she wrote 10 years ago. Some of her work can be found on her site, http://www.brainfluffs.com

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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.

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Yours Truly by Steven Clark (4 page thriller in pdf format)

A suicidal man makes a last minute adjustment to his plans.

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MERCY (6-page short drama screenplay) by Mark Moore

An ailing elderly man and his loving wife revisit defining moments in his past.

Everyone who lives to be old reaches a point in their life when their bodies aren’t what they used to be and their minds aren’t as sharp as they once were. We all hope to grow old someday, but when we do, it can be a difficult to accept everything that comes with age.

Aaron Lewis is especially finding it difficult to accept in Mark Moore’s touching, mature drama, Mercy.

Aaron, now 69 years old, isn’t just struggling with his age – he also has a serious condition that renders him almost completely physically helpless. He was once an athletic mountain climber – according to him, he could’ve climbed Mount Everest if he wanted to. And he could play the saxophone like nobody’s business – Aaron “The Lungs” Lewis is what they used to call him.

But now, he’s barely able to do anything on his own. Luckily, his loving and loyal wife, Mary is there for him, waiting on him hand and foot. The story opens as she prepares him a cup of tea. Unfortunately, Aaron can’t even sip tea on his own and needs her to hold the cup to his mouth.

As they take a trip down memory lane, looking over old photos, remembering just how fulfilling of a life Aaron has lived, it also makes Aaron miss the old days when he was playing the sax, climbing mountains and throwing the baseball around with his son. Not only that, but he feels like he’s now just a burden on everybody because of his condition.

Now, some may find the ending of this story somewhat controversial. But, if you have a soul, it will tug at the old heart strings regardless. This is a story that feels very real and handles the subject matter with great sensitivity without compromising authenticity. Sure to snag up some film festival awards, I highly recommend this to any filmmakers looking for a low-budget, COVID friendly production.

BUDGET: Low. Minimal location (most of it taking place in a house) and minimal cast (two main characters, a few supporting characters with no dialogue).

ABOUT THE WRITER: Mark Moore is an aspiring screenwriter originally from Ireland, currently residing in Upstate New York. He has had multiple shorts produced, including several award winners while also having sold two other shorts. Though a versatile writer, Mark enjoys writing comedy and drama screenplays. Mark can be reached at mmrem24 (a) yahoo

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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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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.

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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.