THE INFERNAL DEVICE (11-page short horror screenplay) by Jesson Kinder

Writer’s block becomes the least of a novelist’s worries after she buys a cursed typewriter. Each story she completes leads to more blood on her hands. Can she escape the curse?

As a writer myself and a massive fan of the horror genre, I was immediately drawn to Jesson Kinder’s clever slasher/supernatural hybrid, The Infernal Device, after checking out the log line. I’m always up for a good “cursed item/totem” horror story – Child’s Play, Annabelle and Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell come to mind. But, while I’m drawn to movies that explore curses, hexes and voodoo, the fascination carries over to real life. Now, I don’t really believe in that kind of thing, but there’s definitely a what if factor that scares the hell out of me. I searched Ebay for cursed items and found listings for dolls, Dybbuk boxes, paintings, coins, jewelry, Ouija boards, you name it. Again, I don’t believe in that sort of thing. But would I ever purchase any of these items? Hell no. I wouldn’t want any of those things anywhere near me. It’s highly unlikely, in my opinion, that these items carry curses – but just in case I may be wrong, I’ll pass. It’s just not worth the risk.

But what if you didn’t know an item was cursed? Well, that’s exactly what happens to the story’s protagonist, Mallory Chambers, a best-selling author who stumbles upon a cursed typewriter at a yard sale.

The story opens with Mallory furiously typing away on said typewriter. Under a lot of pressure to follow up her last best-selling novel with another hit, she seems to be suffering from a little case of writer’s block. It’s almost as if she’s FORCING herself to write. Sure, most writers usually do the same, but there seems to be a life-or-death sense of urgency motivating her. That’s when an intruder breaks into the room with one goal in mind – to kill Mallory.

But just as she’s about to get killed, we cut to Mallory in a cafe, staring at her laptop. It turns out that the opening scene was either a dream or a possible excerpt from her new book… so we think.

With the 4th of July coming up, Mallory and her successful actor boyfriend, Javier, hit up a yard sale at a trailer home to purchase some fireworks. But Mallory has her eye on something else there… the typewriter. The typewriter that its seller, Gene, who looks like he hasn’t slept in years, is more than happy to get rid of.

Immediately using the typewriter with hopes of being inspired, Mallory gets back to her next novel, Killing King – it’s about Stephen King’s creations coming to life, as she describes it to Javier. But sure enough, in very cleverly executed meta-horror fashion, her own creations come to life and innocent people start getting killed off by a psycho wearing a paper-mache mask… an almost perfect replica of Mallory’ s face!

Once she discovers that her story is coming to life and innocent people are getting offed, she tries to get rid of the typewriter. But whether she’s tossing it into a dumpster, smashing it to bits or setting it on fire, it always seems to mold back into shape and return to her.

After more casualties, Mallory tries returning it to its seller, Gene – who, of course, doesn’t take the typewriter back. But he breaks down the rules for her – which I won’t reveal here because it’ll spoil the fun of finding out on your own. The script does follow a formula we see in a lot of books and films about curses and cursed items, but it’s a proven formula. And writer, Jesson Kinder, executes it so damn well. Insanely entertaining and immensely clever, The Infernal Device will have you on the edge of your seat all the way through to its chaotic finale. A fun ride throughout, it will be impossible to wipe the grin from your face while reading.

BUDGET: Low. There are a few locations, but they’re mainly simple – a coffee shop, an apartment and a trailer home. The priciest part of the script is probably the ending (there’s a fire/explosion involved).

ABOUT THE WRITER: Jesson Kinder has been writing teleplays, shorts, and a feature length movie scripts over the past several years. Though he has yet to “break in”, he continues to work hard at his craft and improve as a writer, still typing away and creating stories. Regardless of the genre, Jesson love a good story with memorable characters – applying that very same love to his own works. Jesson can be reached at jessonkinder (a) mail.com.

Read THE INFERNAL DEVICE (11-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.

LET ‘ER RIP (5-page short drama screenplay) by John Staats writing as “Weak Won”

An outlaw’s last words are more befitting than he intended.

The SimplyScripts 2020 Writer’s Tournament is officially underway! The annual writer’s tournament kicked things off in its first week with the theme, Money Is the Root of All Evil. If you’re a casual or new visitor of the site, this year’s tournament paired writers off in teams, with each writer given criteria to meet in a two to six-page short screenplay – they’re given a genre along with other random items to include in their individual stories. Now, this may seem like a difficult task, especially considering that each writer was given only a week to complete their scripts. But, hey, that’s why it’s called a challenge. And after reading through the Week One entries, it was clear that the talented writers here at Simply Scripts were more than up to the task.

My favorite of the bunch for Week One and, coincidentally, the highest scoring entry, was Let ‘Er Rip, written by the immensely talented John Staats.

His genre? Historical. Which isn’t exactly my favorite. But my expectations were COMPLETELY subverted by the time I finished this delightfully morbid tale, of which the criteria included; a gavel, a reporter and a park. Which he seamlessly weaved into a very entertaining little gem… while being historically accurate.

The subject of this sharply-written historical piece was infamous cowboy turned outlaw/train robber, Tom “Black Jack” Ketchum of the notorious Hole in the Wall Gang that operated in America’s west in the 1880s.

The story opens with the judge banging a GAVEL (that’s one criteria item) before sentencing Ketchum to death by hanging. For what exactly? Felonious assault of a train – yes, you read that correctly. I know this may sound like a spoiler, but I’m sure you knew what happened to the Titanic before watching Titanic. This is merely historical fact – Ketchum was the first person to suffer capital punishment for the offense of “felonious assault upon a railway train” in New Mexico Territory (which did not become a state until 1912).

Ketchum was accused of attempting to rob a train – the conductor recognized “Black Jack” and shot him in the arm, which was later amputated. But as a REPORTER (criteria item No. 2) interviews him in jail, Ketchum denies the accusation.

That’s exactly how the U.S. government felt about the law – they later found it to be unconstitutional. Unfortunately for old “Black Jack”, the law wasn’t changed until after his hanging. Just his luck, huh? Well, karma might’ve been in effect in this instance – after all, there were numerous other robberies and murders. So, one couldn’t feel TOO sorry for the outlaw.

During his interview with the reporter, despite being sentenced to hang, Ketchum expresses a more positive view on his time in prison while rubbing on his plump belly.

Perhaps he’s been living a little TOO well – it’s been said the man packed on about thirty extra pounds while behind bars. Now, what relevance does his immense weight gain have in this story? That’s one aspect I won’t spoil for you. However, the ending stays true to historical fact while somehow being funny yet incredibly morbid without being gratuitous. You’ll have to see for yourself. But, interesting fact – the story is so historically accurate that a good portion of the reporter’s voice-over dialogue at the end was the actual reporter’s verbatim written account of the hanging – taken from an article written in the Denver Times back in 1901.

Its title taken from Ketchum’s last words, Let ‘Er Rip is an incredibly entertaining historical short that would be awesome to see on screen.

BUDGET: Low to mid budget. It’s a historical period piece, but there’s ways to keep the budget sensible in regards to props and costume. Historical reenactment groups can be a source to rent out stuff on the cheap. Also, vintage props in general can be pretty cheap to rent and even purchase. Though it may take someone good with their hands with carpenter skills to put together the gallows – perhaps one can be fashioned from an old, wooden swing set. It will be a great opportunity for the filmmakers and set designers to get creative!

About the writer: As a fly-fishing fanatic and skier living in the Arizona desert, John Staats has plenty of time for writing. After focusing on features and shorts for the screen, John has now ventured into writing for the illustrated page with hopes of eventually writing a full-feature graphic novel. His feature Impasse has also been published as an e-book on Amazon. John can be contacted at jestaats(a)hotmail.

Read LET ‘ER RIP (5-page short historial drama 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.

CC (a 6-page short horror screenplay) by Anthony Cawood

An Augmented Reality ghost hunt hits close to home.

I’m absolutely obsessed with the paranormal. I probably spend more time on Youtube watching ghost videos and listening to podcasts than I’d care to reveal. I’ve never really seen a ghost or any kind of paranormal entity, though I’ve had some eerie experiences that were enough to make me wonder and not completely dismiss the possibility. Though, in those same experiences, there were a number of logical explanations for each strange encounter. So, it wasn’t enough for me to conclude, without a shadow of a doubt, that ghosts are real, either. But I’d love to see one. It’s something I’d really like to cross off my bucket list. I even downloaded an EVP recorder app for my phone. So far, no such luck, however.

But, as cool as it would be to have a real paranormal encounter and as drawn as I am to paranormal Youtube channels, there’s a part of me that would freak the eff out if I did have an encounter. Fear is part of that curiosity. It’s a visceral feeling and part of the reason why so many people are drawn to scary movies, as well as shows like “Ghost Hunters” on TV and the litany of Youtube and TikTok channels devoted to things that go bump in the night.

The reason I was so drawn to Anthony Cawood’s eerie, June One-Week-Challenge entry, the aptly titled, CC, was due in large part to how relatable I found his main character, 17-year-old Rosie, to be. That, and the script was also effectively creepy and probably the easiest to film out of most of the wonderfully creative June entries.

The story takes place in real time, but it kind of felt like my daily routine – just sitting on the couch, listening to music on my ear pods while peeping paranormal Youtube videos on my television. This is the extent of my ability to multitask. And this is exactly what Rosie is doing as her 15-year-old brother, Dylan, lounges around, doing what little brother’s do best – annoying their older sister.

Set in the near future – sometime later this decade, I presume – Rosie checks out a Youtube channel called, “pARa LIVE” with the sound off, reading the closed captioning while listening to music. A poor man’s, lower-budget version of “Ghost Hunters”, Rosie watches the first-person POV-filmed show as its curious paranormal researcher tracks some sort of entity through a neighborhood using a downloadable smart phone app called the PARA-APP. Rosie nonchalantly downloads the app as she continues to watch the show, the tracker catching footage of a small, pale, impish, troll-like figure…

As she continues to watch the video, fully absorbed, a sudden chill tingles her spine once she realizes that the location of the live feed looks oddly familiar – just outside of her neighbor’s house. To make things creepier, the live feed follows the imp as it moves closer and closer to her home, forcing her to use the app as it seeks shelter within her once-comfy confines.

I won’t spoil the ending, but it’s an awesomely spooky example of classic, found-footage horror at its finest. As a massive horror fan, I can easily see this fitting into some sort of “VHS”-esque anthology while also racking up Youtube views as its own stand-alone film.

BUDGET: Shoe-string. Two actors, pretty much one location. And some camera trickery to capture the story’s creepy imp “character”.

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: CC (a 6 page short horror script)

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.

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

This weeks theme was “Nature vs. Nurture” 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.

But hurry. Already three scripts from the Writers’ Tournament have been optioned.

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

– Don

LITTLE RED (3-page short horror screenplay) by Daniel Piller

Alone on a rescue mission, Little Red Riding Hood ventures through a ruined fairy-tale world and encounters old enemies.

When we hear “fairy tale” being used in a sentence, it’s often used to describe something magical, surreal and fantastical – like a wondrous dream come true. Everyone wants that fairy tale wedding. People dream of meeting their “Prince Charming”. Or having some sort of fairy-tale ending to an important chapter in their lives.

When we think of fairy tales, we often associate it with something whimsical and innocent. I’m sure Disney’s interpretations of fairy tales over the past century or so such as Cindarella, Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty have something to do with that. But the origins of these fairy tales are much, much darker and much, much more frightening. Now, there have been some darker interpretations of these tales in recent years – 2019’s horror telling of Hansel & Gretel, for one. And there have been various modernized takes on Little Red Riding Hood – the R-rated, wildly violent 90’s flick, Freeway with Reese Witherspoon as “Little Red” and Kiefer Sutherland portraying the “Big Bad Wolf” in the form of a serial killer who picks up hitchhikers.

But I can’t say I’ve ever seen or read an interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood that combined modern and classical elements the way that Daniel Piller’s cleverly-written version of the classic tale, Little Red, does.

The story begins with a very light and whimsical tone, the warm delivery of its narrator introducing us to this magical, fairy-tale world where the forest is vibrant and full of beautiful colors, birds singing joyously…

Fast asleep on a tree stump sits LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, 12, with her picnic basket next to her.

That’s when Little Red snaps awake and we’re brought into the present day, where she wakes up in a gloomy, dying forest void of life – the grass littered with dead songbirds scattered around like dead leaves.I doubt Disney would approve of the world presented to us in this version.

Cut, bruised and bleeding, we follow Little Red through this dark, post-apocalyptic forest, the tone of the narrator’s voice changing as it continues to provide us with context as she trudges towards Grandma’s house to rescue her…

She holds out her open palm to catch some snowflakes, only to see–

She observes the blackish, twisted branches above her, then notices the fading sunlight. It is dusk.

But, as the narrator later states, in some ways, the tale has stayed the same as Little Red approaches Grandma’s house, wolves howling in the distance, their big, glowing, yellow eyes staring out at her as they lurk in the darkness.

But this version of Little Red Riding Hood isn’t some helpless, innocent little girl just waiting to be devoured by wolves – she’s adapted to this frightening, post fairy-tale world. And she knows that, in order to survive and save Grandma, she needs to be just as ruthless as the villains and monsters that wait for her in the darkness. We see that she means business when she expertly assembles a machine gun as if she were a trained soldier in the midst of war.

Though this is a very dark interpretation, the story does invoke a feeling of hope as Little Red gets herself ready for battle – she is a legit bad-ass. And we get the sense that she’ll be able to take on whatever comes her way.

Highly atmospheric and wildly creative, Little Red is an interpretation of the classic fairy tale that truly deserves to be SEEN and not just read.

BUDGET: Low to medium. This script would be a great way for any visual effects artist to have a field day and show off their stuff – mainly with the colorful surroundings of the forest.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Daniel Piller is an aspiring screenwriter from Germany, who has been in love with storytelling for most of his life. While he enjoys to explore different genres, his scripts often feature crimes and various hardships, with an emphasis on complex, yet relatable characters. In the last few years, he has become more serious about improving and sharing his writing and hopes to entertain readers and eventually viewers with his work. Daniel can be reached at: kid_threepwood (a) web.de

Read LITTLE RED (3-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.

CONFESSIONS OF A CADAVER (3-page short horror screenplay) by Matthew Taylor

As a surgeon dissects a cadaver, it tells him a story he doesn’t want to hear.

If you watch gangster films, you’ve probably heard some variation of this line before – “Dead men don’t tell tales”. But if you watch true crime films and documentaries – I highly recommend Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries reboot – you know that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sometimes, a cadaver can weave one hell of a tale… in great detail. A lot can be determined through examining a cadaver. Of course, cause of death is one of those things. And through toxicology reports and blood tests, you can also discover whether or not drugs were consumed leading up to their death… hell, you can even find out what the person ate the day of.

Now, I know what you’re thinking – What a grim introduction! Well, the script I’m reviewing is very grim and very dark. I’m sure you can tell by the apt title. But this isn’t just your everyday crime thriller or police procedural ala Criminal Minds, Law & Order or any of the CSI shows – this is a morality tale on a smaller, more personal scope that you’d see in an Alfred Hitchcock Presents reboot. And it all takes place in an autopsy room (or whatever the proper term is) where a surgeon examines a cadaver in front of a small group of medical students. And though they find out a lot about this cadaver in particular, its the surgeon that finds out more about himself during the examination in Matthew Taylor’s clever, sharply-written micro-short that’s just as grim as its title, Confessions of a Cadaver.

The story gets right to it, opening on a gloved hand making a Y-shaped incision into the abdomen of the title character, the cadaver.

All business, not a moment of emotional inflection in his voice, the surgeon is accompanied by an assistant/observer as the group of medical students watch attentively. As the surgeon continues to reveal more information about the cadaver while inspecting it, the observer seems to be a little bothered by his coldness and lack of emotion.

As the examination continues, the surgeon poking, prodding and showing the students the scarred organs (including the heart), we find out that the cadaver has endured drug abuse, alcohol abuse and even further self-harm made evident by the slash marks on its wrists – this was one depressed individual who was battling some serious demons.

But it’s through the observer that we soon find out the cadaver’s name – Henry. In fact, as the surgeon continues to explain every medical detail to the class, the observer, who’s continuously annoyed by the surgeon’s matter-of-fact disposition, reveals more and more detailed information about the subject’s personal life, far beyond the medical aspect.

As we continue to peel away at the onion, layer by layer, a truly shocking reveal is made. This intricately told story has a much deeper theme than what I’ve described so far, but to reveal that theme would be giving away the twist of the story.

I’m a huge fan of Matthew Taylor’s work – I previously reviewed a short of his, Inbox (1), which is still available, by the way. And Confessions of a Cadaver is a big reason why I admire this writer’s work so much. Excellent at creating an eerie tone, the writer also excels at exploring deeper themes that start off as subtle, slowly building to a gut-punch of a reveal. I highly recommend Confessions of a Cadaver to any filmmaker searching for a sharply-written, atmospheric tale that, not only gets under our skin visually, but also emotionally.

BUDGET: Low. Minimal cast (2 main characters), one room and some clever prosthetics.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Matthew Taylor is an accountant from Shakespeare’s county. Though fairly new to screenwriting, he is a naturally gifted storyteller hitting his stride as a writer, recently securing an option for one of his scripts. Though he’s always learning and looking to improve his craft, his skill level is far more advanced than most writers with similarly limited experience. Matthew spends his spare time reading scripts and books. His dream is to be able to make a living from screenwriting, specializing in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He can be reached at Taylor.MJ88 (a) Gmail.

Read CONFESSIONS OF A CADAVER (3-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.

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

This weeks theme was “Blood is thicker than water.” 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.

But hurry. Already two scripts from the Writers’ Tournament have been optioned.

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

– Don

LAW SCHOOL (6-page short thriller screenplay) by William David Glenn IV

A potential law student interviews an attorney about his craft, but as their discussion continues his true vengeful motives come to light.

Vengeance is a dish best served cold. And the vengeance in William David Glenn IV’s satisfying, one-location thriller, “Law School”, is served so cold, it’ll will give your taste buds frost bite. But like any plot for revenge, it is completely justified, especially in the eyes of the avenger – though it’s often a very thin line. Especially when the initial offender that originally sparked this act of revenge isn’t, sometimes, entirely at fault.

The offender in this tight little pot-boiler is a criminal defense attorney named Wilson Jacobs. As a criminal defense attorney, he is often seen as the scum of the Earth, making a living defending the worst of the worst – killers, swindlers, thieves, etc. Like many criminal defense attorneys, they’re often defending clients who are guilty. But, due to the law, they MUST do their jobs and DEFEND their clients to the best of their abilities, despite what their conscience might tell them. Although, in losing a case while defending a monster, sometimes it’s secretly a moral win for the defense lawyer. After all, justice was served, right?

Today, Wilson gets to take a little break from his normal conscience-challenging duties – his wife has set him up with an interview with a young lad who’s interested in attending law school named Logan Barton. But just as Logan enters the room with a couple cups of coffee for himself and Wilson, something seems off. As if Wilson recognized him from somewhere.

After a little small talk, the two get down to brass tacks with Logan openly recording the whole conversation (which Wilson agreed to).

Wilson looks back fondly on his 18-year career, though he’s had a few cases that took a toll on him due to the heavier-than-usual workloads they required. But at the end of the day, Wilson loves his job, telling Logan that “It’s tough, but rewarding”. He gives Logan a few golden nuggets of advice in regards to whether or not being a lawyer is something he should pursue or not.

But soon, their conversation gets a little more detailed and personal when Wilson tells the budding lawyer that he doesn’t regret any of the cases he took on – even the ones he screwed up.

And as the story slowly continues to unravel, we find out exactly who Logan is and why he’s there. And though we feel some sympathy for Wilson, the finale/act of vengeance feels earned and is completely satisfying, albeit twisted. Just goes to show, especially when your a criminal defense attorney, you should always do your job to the best of your abilities – the lives of others depend on it, and not just the defendant’s.

Crackling with tension, the payoff to this slow burn is worth the price of admission. Especially with social distancing in place, this would be a piece of cake to film.

BUDGET: Shoe-string. Just two actors, one location (a lawyer’s office).

ABOUT THE WRITER: William David Glenn IV is a filmmaker and screenwriter originally from Lexington, Kentucky and is now living in Los Angeles. He has been an avid (some may say obsessive) movie buff from his early days. Turning this passion for movies into creation, he has written, produced, directed, and/or edited a variety of independent projects; including a feature film titled “Ghost in the Family” which was picked up by ITN Distribution and is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video. There are multiple short scripts of various genres available to option from him on Simply Scripts (and more to come). William can be reached at: davidglennivscripts (a) gmail

LAW SCHOOL (6-page short thriller 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.

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.

Read STAY SIX FEET APART (2-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.