ECHO OF GUILT (a 6 page short horror script) by Dave Lambertson

A haunting tale in which modern technology serves as Judge and juror.

Despite Alexa’s popularity, convenience, and resourcefulness, I never owned one personally. Sure, you can get an answer to any question and gain access to information with a mere voice command. But there was always something about it I just never trusted. For one, once upon a time when I slept over a friend’s house, her Alexa turned on randomly in the middle of the night and kept playing creepy music. If I was considering purchasing an Amazon Echo before that, I sure as hell wasn’t after. Second, I never trusted its ability to recognize your voice and absorb information. I just always got this feeling that Alexa was ALWAYS listening.

But what if Alexa isn’t only cognitive to your voice? What if Alexa can hear things… that you can’t?

That’s exactly what Drew Jones begins to suspect in writer David Lambertson’s June, One-Week-Challenge 2nd place entry winner, Echo of Guilt.

Set in the near-future, the story begins as Drew Jones enjoys a football game on TV one night at his high-tech secured house, his abode stocked with all the latest innovations in technological appliances. Including the latest version of Alexa, an Amazon Echo Cylinder that projects a hologram while operating. Suddenly, the device turns on by itself.

Just a tad random. “Who the fuck are you talking to?” Drew wonders aloud.

Unbeknownst to him, his Alexa device is indeed communicating with the spirit of a deceased woman named Melanie…

Though we can’t hear what the spirit is saying to Alexa, we can get a sense of it through the seemingly random bits of information Alexa continues to spout aloud, further confusing our story’s only living character. But as the information becomes more and more specific, Drew begins to put the pieces together inside of his head, discovering more and more details about Melanie’s death.

Another function of Alexa (in this story as well as in real-life in today’s world) is that it can gain access to and control other electronic devices within the household. And as Drew’s device continues to operate seemingly on its own, other household appliances also begin to “malfunction”, operating on their own… building to a very satisfying ending to this spooky, futuristic take on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart – a very loose take, mind you.

BUDGET: Low. Two actors and one voice actor. It takes place in one house with modern appliances (Alexa-controlled fireplace factoring into the story). Though the script has a hologram version of Alexa, it can easily be adapted to fit today’s modern technology. And other shots can easily be cheated to fit a filmmaker’s budget, keeping it sensible.

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. Contact Dave via his website.

Read: ECHO OF GUILT (a 6 page short horror script)

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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.