SLEEPOVER (9 page horror short) by Curtis James Coffey

A young girl is terrorized in the middle of the night during her first ever sleepover at a friend’s house.

Ah, to be a kid again. We can only wish, right? Back when our imaginations were pure and full of magic; Santa would bring us presents, a giant bunny would hide eggs and some tooth-obsessed fairy would leave cash under our pillows. We had our whole lives ahead of us. The world was full of endless possibilities. Sure, there was a laundry list of rules, restrictions and responsibilities, mostly bestowed upon us by our parents. But it’s BECAUSE of those rules that the little things were so fun – like sleeping over a friend’s house. Especially when that friend had super cool parents. You got to stay up way past your bedtime, pig out on junk food you weren’t normally allowed to eat and hang out with your buddies without the supervision of your own parents and their stupid rules. But what happens when your friend’s parents are… weird?

That’s the premise behind Curtis James Coffey’s nightmarish horror short, “Sleepover”.

As magical as being a kid can be, it can also be a very scary time. As fun as Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy were, this was also a time when there were monsters hiding under the bed and a Bogeyman living in the closet. And, as fun as sleepovers were, there was always that one kid who would freak out because they were scared to be away from home.

Meet 10-year-old Allison, on her way to her best friend, Cassie’s house for her very first sleepover. Though a little nervous, Allison’s mother, Becky, tries to be reassuring.

            BECKY
You’re going to be fine. It’s not different
than sleeping at home in your own bed.
It’s even better, in fact, because you’ll
be with your best friend. You’ll get to
stay up late and watch movies and eat junk food!

Allison doesn’t seem so sure.

            ALLISON
But what if I can’t sleep?
Or what if I snore? What if SHE snores?
She might not have a nightlight. You know
I have a hard time sleeping with a nightlight.

            BECKY
That’s just something you’re going to have to
deal with. I’m sure she’ll protect you. And her
parents are going to be there the whole time. Right?

            ALLISON
What if they’re weird? Or mean?

When Allison arrives at Cassie’s home and meets her parents, Jack and Julie, everything starts off okay… ish. Meeting new people, especially adults, can be awkward for a child. But Allison’s skepticism seems fairly warranted. Though nice, there seems to be something a little off about Cassie’s parents. It’s almost as if they’re TOO nice. Not to mention those creepy “Stepford Wives” smiles that seem to be pasted to their faces.

Cassie seems pretty normal, however, embarrassed by her parents’ lame jokes and overly-gracious hospitality. And, as Allison settles in, she becomes more comfortable, even seeming to warm up to Jack and Julie a little bit.

            ALLISON
Your parents are nice.

            CASSIE
Yeah, they’re okay, I guess.

But it’s not until the “sleepover” part of the sleepover that Allison’s deepest, darkest fears begin to take over and she finds out that Jack and Julie might not be quite as “okay” as Cassie says they are.

Is it just Allison’s imagination? Or is there is something terribly, terribly wrong with Cassie’s parents?

Fully of creepy moments ala M. Night Shayamalan’s “The Visit”, heart-pounding jump-scares and chilling imagery reminiscent of a Marilyn Manson music video, “Sleepover” will make you glad to be an adult.

BUDGET: Low. One location (a house) and 5 actors (2 of them children).

ABOUT THE WRITER: Curtis James Coffey was born on May 28th, 1990 in Binghamton, NY and raised in Sarasota, FL. He self-published a novel titled, A Call Beyond, and did extensive writing for the tabletop RPG Machina Arcana. He currently resides in Saint Petersburg, FL and aside from film, enjoys games, comics, cooking, and all things spooky. He can be reached at de_cafe6914 (a) yahoo.

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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.