FLEE THIS ROOM (13 page short horror script) by Rob Herzog

Are you ready for this? – The story’s opening line of dialogue almost feels like the author is preparing us for the insanity that lies ahead in Flee This Room, a trippy, David Lynch-esque horror tale from writer, Rob Herzog.

The opening line of dialogue is what Amelia asks her hopelessly love-struck new boyfriend, Jay, before introducing him to a very odd group of friends. Ready for what, exactly? Jay isn’t quite sure, though Amelia describes it as an “experience”. An experience indeed, as Jay finds out soon enough.

Jay and Amelia are greeted at the door by the host of the party, Jericho – a spiritual guru of sorts. He leads the new couple into his apartment where we meet Ferd and Sissy, who we come to know as Jericho’s “followers”, I guess you can say. High as kites, the two hippies look like they belong on Spahn Ranch with the rest of the Manson Family.

            JERICHO
Jay, today’s experience will combine
elements of improvisation, spirituality,
self-realization, group dynamics, kinesiology
and pseudo sorcery. Are you ready?

Sipping on glogg (a Scandinavian alcoholic beverage), Jay still hasn’t the slightest clue of what’s about to happen. But he’s willing to roll with the punches – for Amelia.

Jericho kicks things off with what seems like some kind of acid-induced improv exercise.

            JERICHO
Okay. Let’s start out by being flamingos.

He, Amelia, Ferd, and Sissy immediately lope like flamingos, flapping their arms. Sissy stands on one leg and squawks. An exercise straight out of an acting class.

Strange, yes. But nothing out of the ordinary if you’ve taken an improv class before.

The flamingo parade continues until Jericho calls out–

            JERICHO
Boy band.

They whirl in unison/lock step – all except Jay.

Uh … okay. A little stranger. But nothing crazy. That is until the exercise quickly takes on a darker tone…

            JERICHO
And now – human sacrifice.

Instantly, the group jumps up, gathers around Jay, and starts to stab him with imaginary knives. They chant–

            SISSY
Accept this sacrifice!

            FERD
Accept this sacrifice!

Amelia takes her imaginary knife and slits Jay’s throat. She does not smile at all. Complete seriousness.

And, if that wasn’t disturbing enough, a homemade, life-sized dummy named Bertram is brought into the picture as part of the odd ritual.

Everyone in the room except Jay bows down before Bertram.

WT-actual-F?

After Jay finds out that his glogg has been spiked with hallucinogens, the ritualistic exercise continues to get stranger and stranger – reaching nightmarish levels of weirdness.

If my description of the story hasn’t given you enough anxiety, I haven’t even scratched the surface of just how delightfully bizarre Rob Herzog’s script actually is.

Outside of his surprise short film on Netflix, “What Did Jack Do”, David Lynch hasn’t released anything new in a very long time. But, if you’re a Lynch-starved movie fanboy like me, “Flee This Room” should be enough to satisfy your appetite. It’s an acid-trip gone totally right and would be a fantastic pick-up for any filmmaker looking to create something truly unique — something audiences will remember and talk about long after the closing credits.

BUDGET: Shoe-string. Six actors and a room.

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. He has a master’s degree in English composition from Northeastern Illinois University.

Read: FLEE THIS ROOM (13 page short horror script)

^*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.