STAY SIX FEET APART (2-page short horror screenplay) by Rob Herzog

A socially distanced flirtation takes a hideous turn.

You know what would be awesome? If life went back to some semblance of normalcy again. There’s been flashes here and there – many restaurants around me have opened their outdoor seating, while keeping tables six feet apart. I believe in NYC this was part of Phase 2. Phase 3 was supposed to begin, but it’s been postponed after a spike in COVID-19 cases in Florida and Texas. Bummer. But as much as I’d really like to enjoy going out to a restaurant or bar and hanging out with friends again, while making new friends – what’s most important is everyone’s safety. And, as badly as I’ve craved a social life, I did think we were kinda jumping the gun a little bit.

I, myself, haven’t seen my girlfriend in person for a very long time, which sucks. But we do our best, watching movies together at the same time while texting each other comments during the movie, face-timing, etc. I do consider myself lucky despite the separation anxiety. Because how much must it suck to be single during all this quarantining and social distancing? How is romance possible without human contact? How do you even find the opportunity to meet that special someone? Do you know how many potential love connections HAVEN’T been made during this crisis? How many babies that HAVEN’T been conceived?

Horror connoisseur and writer of Stay Six Feet Apart, Rob Herzog, tackles romance during social distancing the only way we would expect Rob Herzog to tackle it – in the goriest, most gleefully disgusting fashion possible.

Somewhat of a commentary on safe social distancing, we open in a park where everyone keeps their distance while going about their days, all of them wearing N-95 masks. In a meet-cute moment straight out of a wholesome romantic comedy, two very attractive (from what we can tell with their masks on) potential lovebirds – PAIGE and AARON (both in their 20s) – cross paths. And they immediately catch each other’s eye – love at first sight.

Though there isn’t any dialogue, we see just how much of a connection is made between them. It starts off with some small talk and a few laughs. Soon, the couple is walking together through the park, though still keeping six feet apart from each other. But as their lovely walk through the park together continues, they begin to break their social distance more and more, getting closer and closer… until they finally touch hands in a wonderfully romantic moment that will fill your heart with warmth and remind you of first loves from the past.

Finally, Paige blows Aaron a kiss. But, unable to fight this temptation, unable to let social distancing keep them from acting on their urges, things get hot and heavy. And they embrace…

But the romance takes a strange turn once the masks come off. Especially when Paige removes her mask first. In a classic body horror reveal, we find out just how strong this potential couple’s connection really is. This reveal felt like early Peter Jackson meets David Cronenberg, but Rob Herzog definitely puts his own unique twist on it.

Cute, funny and gleefully repulsive, “Stay Six Feet Apart” is the perfect romance/horror micro-short for this strange time we’re living in. And with only two actors and an outdoor location, this would be ideal to film during social distancing at dirt cheap – though I do recommend a strong make-up artist.

BUDGET: Shoe-string – Low. Two actors, a park and a good make-up artist, particularly one that specializes in the horror genre.

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.

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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.

FROM BEFORE (12-page short horror screenplay) by James Austin McCormick

An ambitious university professor finds the things he’s done to come so far so quickly come back to haunt him… quite literally.

As a massive horror fan, it might be surprising to hear that I am not a massive fan of horror films about the occult and satanic rituals. I’m not sure why, exactly, though I’ve seen a few really, really good ones – Rosemary’s Baby, The Wicker Man (not the Nicolas Cage remake), the excellent South Korean film, The Wailing and, more recently, Ari Aster’s films, Hereditary and Midsommar. I guess what I’m trying to say is that, for me to enjoy a horror flick about the occult, it has to be really, really good. The same goes for screenplays.

Luckily, I stumbled upon James Austin McCormick’s twisty, uber-creepy occult horror short, From Before, which is currently available for production*.

The story kicks off when we meet the ambitious and already very successful Dr. Sam Adams, a 26-year-old professor of literature and vice chairman of the committee of trustees at his college. He’s speaking to his class about Faustus – a nice touch of foreshadowing – when, suddenly, he begins to smell something burning. He continues to quiz his students on Faustus but can’t seem to shake that odor that only he seems to smell. That’s when he looks to a student named Michael and notices peculiar burn marks fresh upon his face.

Claire, Sam’s girlfriend, seems to think these waking nightmares are the product of stress. After all, Sam is taking on a lot of responsibility for someone in their mid 20s after rising up the ranks so quickly.

After a love-making session to shake off the stress, Sam wakes up to the horrifying image of a demon-like figure in his room named Jack – staring at Sam through the dark with reptilian eyes and claws. Jack tells Sam the same thing that he thought he heard in his earlier waking nightmare – “I’m coming for you.”

We soon find out that Jack is also the name of Sam’s brother, who has been lying in a coma for the past three years. You see, at least according to Sam, Jack was into magic and the occult and lit himself on fire as part of a magic trick. After Sam’s most recent waking nightmare, he learns that Jack has indeed passed away – one hell of a coincidence, so it seems. Of course, we discover that it wasn’t a coincidence at all.

As the story ensues, Sam’s mental health continues to spiral to the point where he’s scaring his girlfriend Claire, who’s quite disturbed by all the symbols and markings Sam has decorated his house with – he claims it’s for protection. But protection from what, exactly?

To reveal anything more would be spoiling it for you. But I will say there is quite a double swerve at the end – a very satisfying one at that. A very tight script with plenty of twists and turns, this little tale also has some genuinely creepy moments and even some great jump scares – which is difficult to pull off on paper. If you’re a filmmaker looking to scare the “hell” out of your audience, I recommend taking a look at From Before.

BUDGET: Low.

ABOUT THE WRITER: James Austin McCormick is a college lecturer and compulsive writer of speculative fiction with many short stories published in various anthologies along with novellas and novels published with Class Act Books. As a screenwriter, James has consistently placed high in international competitions and, along with a co-author, has had three feature-length horror scripts optioned by K5 films. With a long list of short-length scripts, James also collaborated with talented writer, Annabel Grace, on the produced short, In the Silence. You can find his works on the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. James can be reached at: jimbostories (a) hotmail.

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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.

Over on the Unproduced Scripts page are the eighteen short scripts from this months Writers’ Tournament.

This weeks theme was “Money is the Root of All Evil.” These are short, 6 page scripts written by the best writers on SimplyScripts and nearly all of them have had multiple scripts produced. So, if you are looking for a short script to shoot during this plague year, reach out to them.

Please note: These were written in a short time frame and not polished works.
– Don

ALL GOOD (21-page short drama screenplay) by Ben Clifford

When his father is released from a mental institution, a confused teenage boy begins questioning his mother about his father’s return to the family home.

As difficult as adulthood can be, life is arguably at its most confusing during our teen years. Especially when transitioning from adolescence. Our bodies are changing, our voices are cracking and our hormones begin to take over. It’s also a time when we’re slowly being introduced to some of the cruel and harsh realities of life. It’s when we’re at our most insecure and angst-y, struggling to find our identities… all while trying just to fit in. But sometimes discovering who you are makes fitting in difficult. Especially for 13-year old Thom, the shy, lonely protagonist in Ben Clifford’s heartfelt coming-of-age drama, “All Good”.

Before we even FADE IN, we already get a sense of where Thom’s head is at through his opening dialogue:

This is just another Wednesday at the guidance counselor’s office. Every Wednesday, Thom pays Mrs. Larkin a visit and lets off some steam. When your guidance counselor is the closest thing to a friend you have, you know you’re pretty lonely. The closest thing to friendly interaction he has with someone his own age is when he’s being bullied while sitting alone at lunch.

We find out that Wednesday is also Thom’s visitation day with his father, Graham, who currently resides within the confines of a mental health facility – after getting arrested for running around naked in public and screaming incoherently at tourists. But Graham seems to be doing pretty well these days. So well, in fact, that he’s been cleared to go back home the next day – though he’s not quite allowed to move back in with his wife, Kathy, and son, Thom just yet.

Eager to make things right with his wife, Graham practically begs Thom to put in a good word for him. But Kathy seems to have other plans, changing the subject every time Thom asks, “When is Dad moving back in?” Until she later gives him her answer:

Not the least bit interested in rekindling her marriage, Kathy seems to be spending A LOT of time with another kinda-single mother named Tina, whose son, Fraser, is right around Thom’s age. Well aware of her son’s loner status, Kathy introduces the two young teens, who have something in common – complicated relationships with their fathers. Through this bond, Thom and Fraser become friends. But Thom has been hiding a secret – he’s gay. And after an awkward moment during a sleepover, Thom decides to run away from home in embarrassment.

To further describe how the rest of this plays out wouldn’t be doing the story justice. Beautifully written, author Ben Clifford tackles themes such as mental health, self-discovery and sexuality with great sensitivity and care. The characters feel like real people and the way the story is told feels like it comes from a very genuine place – as if the author lived it, himself.

Sure to give you the feels, “All Good” is a fantastic slice-of-life drama that would do very well on the film festival circuit – highly recommended to any filmmakers looking to tackle a strong character piece with difficult themes.

BUDGET: Low to shoe-string. There are multiple roles, but the story is dialogue driven and the locations are very simple.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Ben Clifford is an Australian screenwriter interested in writing drama and comedy. He’s greatly inspired by the works of Peter Weir, Harmony Korine, the Marx Brothers, Todd Solondz, Andrea Arnold, and Cate Shortland. Ben can be reached at: cliffordben502(a)gmail.

Read: ALL GOOD (21-page short drama 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.

TERMS & CONDITIONS (6-page short horror screenplay) by Anthony Cawood

A desperate dash to answer a call of nature leads to an unexpected diagnosis.

Technology is so smart these days, isn’t it? It kinda started off with the smart phone, which took me a few years to accept and adjust to. I didn’t even know what a “smart phone” was at first, though I was told that my flip phone wasn’t considered one (that was in 2014). Then everyone started getting smart TVs and soon after, I started seeing smart microwaves, toasters, ovens, refrigerators and even fireplaces.

In Anthony Cawood’s June FUTURE CHOCK One Week Challenge winner, “Terms & Conditions”, the story centers around a smart TOILET. Now, I had to Google this, but there are already smart toilets on the market. Though most are simple – they pretty much just save water and electricity – there’s a bunch out there that have foot and seat warmers, bidets, touch-screen remotes, built-in speakers to go along with built-in radios and MP3 players… you name it.

But the smart toilet in this story is, well… smarter. Imagine a toilet that can actually run tests on your urine with almost-immediate test results. Doesn’t really sound too far-fetched, come to think of it. It will only be a matter of time when these kinds of smart toilets are used to perform instant-result drug tests and possibly even medical tests, giving patients a diagnosis and prognosis within minutes…

Which is pretty much what the toilet in Anthony’s story does. Set in the near future, possibly the late 2020’s, we open in a shopping mall where we follow 70-year old Ted Lawson, who has one goal in mind: to find the nearest bathroom. He’s gotta go and he’s gotta go BAD.

Finally, after finding one, he hurries into the nearest cubicle and unleashes a stream that could crack a windshield. But, as he finishes up, something strange happens.

Ted thinks he’s on one of them hidden camera shows at first – which would be the creepiest hidden camera show ever. But he soon finds out what exactly he walked into.

In a rush to relieve himself, Ted unfortunately did not read the terms and conditions posted on the door before entering.

Ted tries to leave but finds himself locked in until the MediScan toilet finishes analyzing his urine sample for results – results that he probably would’ve preferred to find out about from an actual doctor. And as Ted receives the horrible news, he soon finds out that MediScan isn’t only cleared to run tests and deliver results – it’s also allowed to perform a “service” that’s apparently legal in the future. I won’t give away the fun of it (or horror in this case), but let’s just say Ted signed something without reading it, allowing this frighteningly blunt robot toilet to perform what it was programmed to do.

For some reason, while reading the toilet’s dialogue, I kept hearing the voice of Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Which kinda sent chills up my spine despite the screenplay’s fun nature – well, fun up until the horrifying conclusion. A very unique and original story, this would be a very memorable film to watch unfold on screen.

BUDGET: Low. One location, two actors. But some creativity on the filmmaker’s part will be needed to show the toilet functioning the way it does in the story.

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.

Read: TERMS & CONDITIONS (6-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.

Over on the Original Scripts page are thirteen original scripts for your reading pleasure.

– Don

Over on the original scripts page are fourteen original scripts for your reading pleasure.

– Don

Over on the Unproduced Scripts page there are seventeen original scripts for your reading pleasure.

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM (6 page short script) by ANTHONY RUSSO

A man encounters turns of fate during an excursion into a virus-ravaged world.

Not sure if you’ve seen the news, but there’s this COVID pandemic thing going on right now. Many of us, including myself, have been under lockdown for the past three months or so. And for those not under mandated lockdown or curfew, I’m sure we’ve all practiced some pretty strict social distancing and self-quarantining during that time.

All joking aside, I’m sure you’re all pretty tired of being locked indoors for the most part. I bet we’re all just chomping at the bit for some sort of normalcy. I, myself, can’t wait to live my life again and enjoy the small things that I took for granted. For instance, the first thing I’m going to do when businesses open back up is enjoy a nice scoop of ice cream – several scoops, in fact. In a huge, dunce-cap sized waffle cone. Yes, I hear the ice cream trucks outside, playing “The Entertainer” tune that come around my neighborhood often. But I want REAL ice cream. I’m talking like some Cold Stone Creamery. Or even a Baskin Robbins. I want that gourmet s**t.

But what if things get worse? What if that day never comes? Sure, that’s a very pessimistic scenario to consider… but who would’ve expected any of this to happen? You never know…

In Anthony Russo’s COVID-themed May – One Week Challenge entry, “I Scream, You Scream”, that’s exactly the kind of world we live in.

Set not too far into the future, the world has been ravaged by the effects of the COVID crisis; Businesses have been decimated, families have been destroyed and the world we once knew has become a post-apocalyptic ghost town, essentially.

We follow an unnamed survivor’s journey through his everyday routine that he was forced to adapt to as he drives through the barren streets wearing a Tyvek suit with a backpack respirator. We get a little context through an old news taping, revealing just how bad things have gotten via voice-over during this unnamed survivor’s journey as he gathers food and necessities…

Not only have people become infected with the COVID virus… but so has the plant life. Yes, you read that correctly – the God damn TREES have become affected by the virus!

A very grim glimpse into the future, indeed. Tis a very lonely existence for our unnamed protagonist, who has somehow found a way to adapt to this way of life – the sole purpose of his existence now is to survive.

But is surviving the same as living?

He reaches an existential epiphany after he happens upon an abandoned ice cream shop. And he makes a decision based on two choices– to “live” or to continue surviving.

Very well written, Anthony Russo’s entry almost feels like a stream of consciousness in its poetic execution. Though dark, “I Scream, You Scream” isn’t all gloom and doom. Yes, the journey is grim. But its cathartic, bitter “sweet” finale is very satisfying.

BUDGET: Low. With some creativity. It would be easy to shoot exterior shots of junkyards and abandoned houses to give that post-apocalyptic feel.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Anthony J. Russo is an aspiring screenwriter who graduated Summa Cum Laude from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia with a degree in Liberal and Professional Studies and minors in Philosophy and Political Science. His feature-length screenplay JOHN LENNON’S HEAVEN, available for production, explores religion, physics and philosophy in a way never before attempted on screen. His feature project GRAND AVENUE, culled from Anthony’s experiences growing up in the town of Maspeth, Queens, a blue-collar town known for its mob influence, is making the rounds in Hollywood. Anthony has also written several short scripts and has freelanced for Generocity, a Philadelphia based philanthropic organization which highlights charitable endeavors in the region. Anthony can be reached at ajrscreenworks (a) verizon.net.

Read: I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM (6 page short, drama, sci-fi script)

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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.