THE LIST (one-page short drama screenplay) by Steven Clark

A troubled man visits a park with a friend he must always make excuses for.

All right, filmmakers. If you’re looking for something safe and easy to shoot while keeping social distancing in mind, look no further than Steven Clark’s poignant and poetic micro-short, “The List”. Although this one is only a one-pager, Clark packs a lot into this brief yet very emotional journey.

We open the story at a park early in the morning as Don, a middle-aged man suffering from severe depression, sits on a bench, contemplating suicide. Though we’re not sure exactly what he’s been through, we get a sense of it as we hear painful memories flash by inside his head as he stares off during the early-morning sunset…

And hold this moment. Hold as the sound of VOICES are heard – men, women, children. Talking. Shouting. Arguing. A SLAP. A GUNSHOT. The CRASH of a car. The whisper of a LOVER.

Then silence.

While reliving those painful memories, he stares at a gun, seriously considering ending it all. That is, until a songbird landing on a nearby tree branch grabs his attention, its melodic chirping distracting him for just a moment. Getting lost in the beautiful simplicity of nature.

He brings out a notebook, a list of various things written down in it, mostly simple things such as, The sun shined today and My daughter called. Once he writes down, The call of a songbird, we realize that these simple yet beautiful things are the little things in life that has kept him from ending his own life despite all of the pain and tragedy that continues to haunt him daily.

Depression is indeed an everyday battle.

BUDGET: Shoe string. One actor and a park bench.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Based in upstate, NY, Steven Clark is the writer of over 30 short scripts, several of which are under option, in pre-production, or have already been made into films. On A Clear Night, a family Christmas feature aimed at a Hallmark Channel-type audience, is currently in the works. Steven can be reached at Steamroller138 (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.

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

And the September 2020 Killer Dialogue Challenge has begun!

Coming Soon: An anthology series that celebrates the ridiculous excess of ’80s horror. Eight separate terrifying stories, each told by horror fans, specifically for horror fans.

Not sure how I missed this FYC script of The Incredibles, but here it is. Thanks “John” for the heads up.

The Incredibles – undated, unspecified FYC draft script by Brad Bird – hosted by: Cursos de Guion Online – in pdf format

Mr. Incredible is a superhero; or he used to be, until a surge of lawsuits against superheroes submitted by the people they’ve saved forced the government to hide them in witness protection programs so they could lead normal, anonymous lives. Now known exclusively by his secret identity, Bob Parr, he lives with his wife Helen, formerly Elastigirl, and their three children Violet, Dash, and Jack Jack.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

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Thanks Jake for the heads up on this blast from the past.

Krampus – October 17, 2014 unspecified draft script by Todd Casey, Michael Dougherty, Zach Shields – hosted by: Kupdf – in pdf format

When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) gets disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Meanwhile, this lack of festive spirit unleashes the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for one another if they hope to survive.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

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AND THEN HE COMETH (11-page short horror screenplay) by Warren Duncan

A Halloween party descends into chaos for a young girl and her partner when they take center place in an ancient ritual.

One lesson I’ve learned in life; never go to a party unless you’re personally invited or you know people there who were invited. Especially when it’s at some creepy farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately for Lily and her boyfriend Axel, they learn this lesson the hard way. And that’s putting it very gently.

While strolling around the city during Halloween festivities (Lily in a sexy devil costume, Axel dressed as a demon), they conveniently receive a flier for a “Demons & Devils” – themed shindig. Why not, right?

They hop in an Uber and, next thing you know, they’re at a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. It’s pretty much just as advertised – everyone’s dressed as devils and demons, just like them. But something about the vibe seems terribly off – all eyes seem to be strangely focused on Lily. Could it be the sexy costume? Who knows? But Lily and Axel aren’t feeling it. As they attempt to ditch the party, a demon-dressed party-goer practically pressures them into staying for at least one beer. “One drink and we go!” Axel tells her, yelling over the loud music.

Things don’t go quite as planned and Lily ends up waking up on the couch without Axel and without her cell phone. It seems like the party’s over, a demon-dressed man sweeping the floor around her. Even stranger, it’s not even midnight yet.

Lily wants to leave and it seems as if the demon-dressed man, the only other person who seems to still be there, is trying to help her by calling an Uber. But it turns out that he (along with everyone else at the party) knows much more about Lily than she knows about them.

If you’re a fan of films like “House of the Devil”, you’re going to LOVE this, especially the awesome “gut punch” of an ending. Uniquely horrifying visuals really elevate this one over your average demonic cult film.

BUDGET: Low. One location, three main actors and extras in robes and demon costumes. Oh, and some practical effects (blood, mainly).

ABOUT THE WRITER: Warren Duncan writes screenplays and comics in his spare time and has been lucky enough to have several shorts produced and the first issue of his comic book series published. Warren can be reached at: Warren_duncan(a)hotmail

Read AND THEN HE COMETH (11-page short horror screenplay)

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

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

Subscribe to Michael’s YouTube Channel.

Forgot who gave us the heads up on this one. Apologies. But thank you.

Bringing Up Baby – Undated, unspecified, badly formatted draft script by Dudley Nichols and Hager Wilde – hosted by: Daily Script – in pdf format

Dr. David Huxley has two reasons to be excited. He is about to be married and the final piece to a brontosaurus, the showpiece to his museum exhibit, will soon be in his possession. Furthermore, if he plays his cards right, a wealthy donor will donate $1 million to his museum, to aid his palaeontological collection. Unfortunately, he meets Susan, a woman who seems destined to unintentionally destroy his life. Huxley soon finds himself playing nursemaid to Baby, her leopard.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

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SCAVENGE (5-page short horror screenplay) by Steve Miles

A backpacker stumbles upon an abandoned campsite only to discover he’s not alone when it comes to an appetite for scavenging.

All right, filmmakers, if you’re looking for something super-low budget to shoot while keeping social distancing in mind – and I know a lot of you are – look no further than “Scavenge” by writer, Steve Miles.

The story opens as a lonely backpacker (never a good thing to be in a horror movie) named Lars happens upon an abandoned beach – the perfect spot to post up for a few days. After setting up shop, he decides to explore the area a little bit while scavenging pretty much everything he can get his hands on – candy wrappers, bottle caps, beer cans, etc.

Lars hits the jackpot when he stumbles upon an abandoned campsite, camping gear and loads of trash (or treasure if you’re Lars) scattered around the remains of a campfire.

But where is everybody? And what happened to them? Not too concerned with any of those questions, Lars peruses the abandoned items like a kid in a candy shop, taking with him a cooking pot and nice camping chair. He even finds an unopened can of beer! Score!

However, Lars spots something else – fabric poking out from under the ground. As he pulls on the fabric, he discovers that it’s a tent buried under the sand. Oh, well, nothing Lars can take with him.

It isn’t until later that night when Lars realizes that something about this abandoned beach is very, very off…

I know this sounds like the set-up to a typical slasher film, but the way this story plays out may surprise you. I know I wasn’t expecting it. In fact, this may be the antithesis to the typical slasher film. For one, there’s no dialogue. Also, there’s no cheap jump scares. Everything is carried by raw tension, specifically a terrifying, visually arresting (yet simple) scene when Lars is in his tent and realizes that he’s not alone.

If you were afraid of camping before, this story definitely won’t help you get over any fears. Quiet, tense and visually horrifying, “Scavenge” is a perfect horror short to film during social distancing. But I wouldn’t recommend watching it alone.

BUDGET: Shoe-string. All takes place outdoors at an abandoned beach with two actors (one main actor).

ABOUT THE WRITER: Steve Miles 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. Fortunate to have a number of shorts produced (some of which can be seen at Steve Miles’ Short Scripts alongside a range of scripts) with short films Forever Red and A Cool Green Place soon to be released, and The Cold Season which you can watch on Amazon Prime. Steve can be contacted via his website.

Read SCAVENGE (5-page short horror screenplay)

Discuss this script on the discussion board

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

Find more scripts available for production.

About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

Subscribe to Michael’s YouTube Channel.

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

And, 21 years ago today SimplyScripts came to life.

– Don