Christmas in Leningrad by Dustin Bowcott

A man, starving during the siege of Leningrad, goes to extreme measures to put food on the table.

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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

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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: 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

Where The Bad Kids Go by Sean Elwood

Like mother, like son

It’s been sixteen years since Jesse was taken away from his abusive, alcoholic mother after she had tried to kill him. When he hears of the news that she committed suicide, he returns to his childhood house for preparation to sell it, as well as confront his dark past once and for all. He soon discovers that something evil lurks within the depths of the house, and after all these years, it’s been waiting for him to return.

Where the Bad Kids Go begins with the BANG of a crawlspace door and doesn’t let go.

The entire script is packed with foreboding and slowly, over the course of events, fills with dread and tension in a cataclysmic finale.

The story delves into the mind of a man whose past comes back to haunt him, literally, and ends with a powerful finale that will both scare you and make you cry.

With moments of absolute terror, a wide character dynamic, and a haunting message, Where the Bad Kids Go can be the next big movie for this generation. Imagine The Babadook meets Hereditary, both successful horror movies that were also truly terrifying.

Production: This film can be made on a low to medium budget, apart from the big finale. There are three main characters (and eight smaller roles) and is the perfect character piece for up-and-coming actors. Male actor – Jesse at 8, 11 and mid twenties; Male actor – Marco at 11 and mid twenties; Helen – Mother – late 20s to mid forties; Other actors – Police, shitty boyfriend/father, and other minor roles. One primary location – dilapidated house and basement (and crawlspace!), with six locations total.

About the writer: Sean Elwood is well known for his knack of horror and suspense, creating a sense of dread and terror in the genre-specific screenplays he’s written. He has all the internets here: Website; IMDb; Twitter; Instagram; YouTube; SimplyScripts. He has written an anthology of short horror stories, AfterLife AfterDeath: Stories for the Dark, some of which have been turned into screenplays, including The Tooth Fairy and Emerald. Sean has previously been nominated and selected for his feature script I’m Still Here including a full script reading. He is currently working on a new feature, FLYTRAP, about six friends who take a trip to the mountains, only to find that the house they’re staying in is alive, and it needs to feed. Sean currently resides in Colorado with his dog, Henny; cat, Kit Kat; snakes, Lady Mondegreen and Noodle; and tarantulas, Felicia and Pumpkin.

Read Where The Bad Kids Go (98 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.

Script Contests: Horror Film & Screenplay Competition – Official Selection; WILDsound FEEDBACK Film and Screenplay Festival – Official Selection; Shriekfest – Quarter Finalist; Crimson Screen Horror Film Fest – Finalist

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All Things Blue (8 pages in pdf format) by Steve Miles

A fleeting moment of friendship leads a lonely young girl to a devastating truth.

In an everyday neighborhood, could be yours, there is danger, and it could come from a myriad of sources — a stranger, an errant vehicle or something as simple as a scraped knee.

But for six-year-old Iza and her mother, Adel, something fierce hides among the clouds. Something ready to pounce at any moment. It keeps them indoors, glued to the radio, with a heavy supply of bottled water and rations at the ready.

Adel says it’s a Dragon, with claws like icicles and eyes big enough to see anything that moves. That’s why Daddy had to go away and fight it. And this is what Iza believes.

But we know better.

The tension is palpable, as Adel struggles about her day, keeping up this charade. Something’s got to give, and it will happen sooner rather than later.

Stifled by being locked away from the world, Iza roams outside to a park across the street. There, she befriends a neighborhood boy, Ted, who’s not much older, but a world wiser. He, too, has grown tired of hiding indoors.

And for this one fleeting moment, they get to be kids again. Laughing. Giddy. Too lost in the moment to worry, they cheerfully take turns pushing one another on a roundabout.

It’s short-lived.

For as the Air Raid sirens scream in the distance, the children shoot a glance upwards to see the contrails of a warplane streaming across the sky.

This is Iza’s Dragon. But Ted knows the truth.

And so does Adel.

A coming of age tale at its core, screenwriter Steve Miles has weaved a heart wrenching narrative of a parent living in fear of the inevitable, coupled with the innocence of childhood on the verge of being lost forever.

If you’re a filmmaker, and you know your stuff, this is one you can read with your eyes closed. A festival ringer. A calling card of the highest order.

Production: The blueprint is meticulously laid out for you here. Two easy locations, and three good actors working on a small budget. Do this story justice, and it’ll do the same for you.

About the writer: 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

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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: 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. Check out his website BadRepScript.weebly.com and his other screenplays.

Parts Are Such Sweet Sorrow (7 pages in pdf format) by Dave Lambertson

A bad marriage can turn some people into monsters…

Ever wonder how the most famous couples in fiction made it work after happily ever after? Couples like Tarzan and Jane, Anna and Kristoff, or… Frankenstein and his bride? Well, it might not be as blissful as you’d imagine.

That’s just where we meet Frankenstein and his bride in Parts Are Such Sweet Sorrow: in marriage counseling, years after Mary Shelley’s story. Hey, even monsters have problems. He’s distant and literally emotionless, she’s tired of doing the same old things and just wants to go on a killer date (pun intended).

One thing they do agree on: they might be unhappy, but they’re not ready to be separated. “We were literally made for each other” Frankenstein pleads. So the marriage counselor dives in and a really monstrous couples therapy session begins.

As the truth comes out and secrets are revealed, the monster and his bride near a breakthrough… but it seems that every step forward leads to the couple taking two steps back. Will they make it? Not to spoil anything, but this story ends with a nice surprise… and this script is a bloody good time.

Characters: 3 – Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, marriage counselor

Budget: Low to Mid. Really only two locations, three actors, but you may have to increase the makeup budget to make sure your Stein’s look appropriately gory. That being said, an experienced director with a great crew can make this one look hideous (in the best possible way!)

About the Writer, Dave Lambertson: I took up writing rather late in life having already been retired before I put pen to paper (okay – finger to computer key) for the first time. My favorite genres to read and write are dramedies and romantic comedies.

In addition to this short, I have written four features; “The Last Statesman” (a 2015 PAGE finalist and a Nicholl’s and BlueCat quarterfinalist), “The Beginning of The End and The End” (a PAGE Semi-Finalist). Taking Stock (a drama) and a new comedy – “Screw You Tube”. Want to learn more? Reach Dave at dlambertson “AT” hotmail! And visit his website.

Read Parts Are Such Sweet Sorrow (7 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: Mitch Smith is an award winning screenwriter who offers notes, script editing and phone consultations. Reach him at his website, follow him on twitter @MitchScripts, or email him at Mitch.SmithScripts (a) gmail.

The Wall In The Garden (10 pages in pdf format) by Thorsten Loos

The all too perfect lives of Helen and Harold are shaken when they discover something strange in their garden.

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About the screenwriter: A German writer and computer scientist, Thorsten Loos is running his own software development company for a living. In his spare time, he primarily writes tales and scripts in the Science Fiction, Conspiracy and Paranormal genres. (Though he does drift into different genres with his shorts.) Thorsten’s currently working on episodes of an international TV series in development for a U.S. based production company. His pilot script Project Endolon made it to the semi finals of the Creative World Awards 2015, his pilot Mindwalker won ‘best TV Pilot’ in February at Wildsound Festival. Thorsten can be reached at loos.thorsten (a) web.de!

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Script Review by L Chambers

Ah, the quest for a perfect life – the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect lover. In Thorsten Loos’ The Wall In The Garden, Helen and Harold appear to be living the dream.

We open on a cozy cottage, sunlight streaming through the window into a warm and inviting home. Helen’s just woken from a perfect night’s sleep. Downstairs Harold is in the kitchen brewing coffee. When Helen joins Harold for breakfast it’s clear these two are very much in love.

Ever heard the phrase ‘too good to be true’? Well, there’s something about Helen and Harold’s union that’s just a little too perfect, and it’s enough to get your heckles up. Wouldn’t you know it, out of the blue, something big happens, something that threatens to rock these two to the very core of their foundation.

A wall suddenly appears in the back garden. Thing is, it wasn’t there before. Harold first notices it in one of Helen’s very delightful works of art. When the two of them investigate outside however they discover this ain’t no ordinary brick wall. It surrounds the entire house, not only that, it’s huge – as in verging on Great Wall Of China huge. Helen wants to turn a blind eye to it, nothing is going to shake her perfect world, but Harold’s not letting it go – he wants to know how the hell a wall could just materialize out of thin air, and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it… or rather to the top of it.

So, out comes a gargantuan ladder, or two, and Harold prepares to make his ascent.

And, you’ll never guess what he finds on the other side…

No, really, you won’t guess.

With The Wall In The Garden, Thorsten Loos deftly lulls his audience into a false sense of security, leads them down the proverbial garden path, then pulls the rug out from under them in a shocking denouement you won’t see coming.

If you’re a fan of the surreal tones of The Twilight Zone, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, and The Truman Show, where everything is never as it first appears to be, you’re going to love The Wall In The Garden.

Read The Wall In The Garden (10 pages in pdf format) Best Script Wildsound Festival

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.

Insomniac (12 page short thriller in pdf format) by David M Troop

A late night talk jock gets an unsettling caller.

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Hollywood and its inhabitants live in a crazy paradox. In one breath, they claim originality to be extinct. Yet they pan for it… daily. Then, when a true nugget of uniqueness is found, it’s immediately turned into a movie dating game:

“Think of it as Superman meets Super Fly!”

“The Godfather – meets George Burn’s Oh, God!”

“Mary Poppins Meets Mary Jane!”

(I think that last one actually happened. At least my hallucination-induced penguins say so.)

And David Troop’s hauntingly clever Insomniac could certainly be pitched in those terms. It’s “Play Misty for Me” meets “Se7en.” Now there’s an easy elevator sell. But I’d rather call it… screenplay gold!

Like many an evil tale, Insomniac begins at the edge of night. Late night talk show host Dave Burrows burns the late night oil in Philly – catering to listeners who’d rather not be listening, but have tuned in for multiple sorry reasons: “My husband snores.” “You catch the Eagles game, Dave?” In other words, they’re insomniacs. Sleep’s a distant memory.

But Dave’s rapport with his listeners soothes their woes… well, mostly. Treating each anonymous caller as a long-lost friend, his delivery is warm and glib. Especially when he gets a ring from “The Caller”, who tells him – “I’m having this nightmare. But I’m awake.” The Caller worries out loud that he’s gone crazy.

“No. Actually it sounds like my first marriage,” quips a weary Dave. “Get out and take a walk. Clear your head.” Spot on advice. Or so it seems.

Two weeks later, the “Caller” resurfaces. This time it’s to thank Dave for his sage advice. The Caller’s enjoyed his new practice of walking at night. Especially that time he met a freshman girl. “She looked young. Almost too young to be in college…”

The Caller trails off, his voice sinister. And Dave snaps instantly awake. Both he – and the reader – know immediately when this story’s heading. Details of a butterfly shaped toe ring. A foot tied to a bed. Muffled screams. And a bedpost slamming against a wall. Helpless to do anything, Dave (and his technicians) take the horrifying sounds in.

But ultimately – is it just a prank? A sleep-deprived man’s sick idea of humor? Or is the Caller horrifyingly real – leaving a mysterious trail of terror, wafting over the city like scattered radio waves? You’ll have to read Insomniac to find out. Inspiringly original, it’s a throwback to the golden age of terror and suspense. A case of “clever” meets “terrifying.”

Budget/casting: Locations minimal. A rented sound booth would be great, but any office setting will suffice. An apartment and a toe ring. Four actors…and a foot. Also, I immediately heard Kevin Spacey as the Caller. If you can get him, give HIM a call. Immediately!

About the writer: David M Troop resumed writing in 2011 after a twenty-five year hiatus. Since then, he has written about 50 short scripts, two of which have been produced. Dave would like to make it three. He was a regular, award-winning contributor to MoviePoet.com. Born on the mean streets of Reading, PA, Dave now resides in Schuylkill Haven with his wife Jodi and their two lazy dogs Max and Mattie. He can be reached at dtroop506 “AT” 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.

About the reviewer: An accomplished writer as well, Zack Zupke lives in Los Angeles. He can be contacted via email at zzupke “AT” yahoo

It’s summer and SimplyScripts is on a summer schedule which means at any time we can get pulled away to dress up as or favorite anime character, play video games or work on community service projects.

SimplyScripts was left in the care of P.H. Cook and there was a One Week Challenge. The challenge was to write a short script on the theme of Summer Heat (if you live in the northern hemisphere) or Cold weather (if you live in the southern hemisphere). The challenge: No dialogue.

There were 28 entries by 25 writers. We welcomed two newcomers to the challenge (trial by fire) and hope they continue to contribute.

The writer’s choice script was: A Beautiful Day by Alex (Anon) – A crash victim tries to escape her car before it cooks her alive. 2.5 pages. (Short, Action) pdf format

Please check out the rest of the entries on the Original Unproduced Scripts page. If you are looking for a script to film, while these are rough – first drafts – reach out now to the writers if you have an interest in filming. OWC scripts can go fast.

– Don

Trust Me (6 pages in pdf format) by P.H. Cook

A little girl in danger is happy to be saved by a police officer…

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