… as First Glance

Original logline – A jogger in Central Park starts a conversation with a woman that draws his attention.

Talk about it on the discussion board

-Don

Over on the Scripts studios (and maybe others) are posting for award consideration page.

Antebellum – Undated, unspecified draft script by Gerard Bush + Christopher Renz – hosted by: Lions Gate – in pdf format

Successful author Veronica Henley finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

THIRTEEN STEPS TO THE ATTIC (5-page short horror screenplay) by ROB HERZOG

Two girls knock on an attic door that should never be opened.

Any time an attic plays a pivotal role in a story, you just know things aren’t going to go great for that story’s characters – especially when that story is in the horror genre. And double-especially when that horror story is written by Rob Herzog, who’s latest spooky, atmospheric tale, “Thirteen Steps to the Attic”, follows two young girls who decide to knock on an attic door to either debunk or confirm a very scary urban legend.

As part of an initiation, 12-year-old Emily must complete a task in order to cement herself as part of the cool crowd at school. Patricia, one of the cool girls and presumably the leader of the clique, accompanies her as a witness. They sneak into an old house and approach an attic where supposedly a lady died a horrible death. Her spirit remains in that attic, waiting for the right kid to coming knocking.

The task? To knock on the attic door, ask if you can come in and then count to ten – the scariest urban legends always seem to have a countdown (Bloody Mary being one of them).

Of course, Emily seems a bit reluctant to perform the task. But Patricia’s right there with her to peer pressure the crap out of her.

Kids can be cruel, can’t they?

Like most 12-year-olds, Emily really wants to fit in at school. So, she gives in to the peer pressure and knocks on that old attic door, asking the malevolent spirit if she can come in. After a few silent moments, Patricia beings the countdown.

Ugh, I hate Patricia!

I wouldn’t dare spoil the fun by giving away anything else. But I will say that there is a very satisfying, albeit very unsettling, twist.

Writer, Rob Herzog, is a master at creating these creepy, messed up horror shorts with viral potential. And “Thirteen Steps to the Attic” is no exception. I dare any filmmaker looking for a spooky, low-budget horror script to pick this one up. With its spooky atmosphere and vulnerable characters, it’s sure to scare up some views.

BUDGET: Low. One location, 4 actors. Some practical makeup/effects.

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: THIRTEEN STEPS TO THE ATTIC (5-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.

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Thanks to J.P for the heads up.

Check out Jaon Hellerman’s NoFilmSchool article on Tenet.

Tenet – Undated, unspecified draft script by Christopher Nolan – hosted by: No Film School – in pdf format

Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Thanks to Richie for the heads up.

The Trial Of The Chicago 7 – Undated, unspecified draft script by Aaron Sorkin – hosted by: Deadline Hollywood – in pdf format

In Chicago 1968, the Democratic Party Convention was met with protests from activists like the moderate Students for a Democratic Society led by Tom Hayden and the militant Yippies led by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, which led to violent confrontations with the local authorities. As a result, seven of the accused ringleaders are arraigned on charges like Conspiracy by the hostile Nixon administration, including Bobby Seale of the Black Panthers who was not involved in the incident. What follows is an unfair trial presided by the belligerent Judge Hoffman (No relation) and prosecuted by a reluctant but duty-bound Richard Schultz. As their pro bono lawyers face such odds, Hayden and his fellows are frustrated by the Yippies’ outrageous antics undermining their defense in defiance of the system even while Seale is denied a chance to defend himself his way. Along the way, the Chicago 7 clash in their political philosophies even as they learn they need each other in this fight.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

CONNECTED (7-page short sci-fi screenplay) by Anthony Cawood

What if the point of singularity has already happened and we just don’t know about it?

I believe it was Elon Musk who once said – and I’m paraphrasing – humans are risking being overtaken by artificial intelligence within the next five years. Silly? Perhaps. But not too far-fetched – at least according to this comedic spin on the topic. Tied for 2nd place in September’s OWC, this smartly farcical sci-fi short shows what could happen if (or when?) our smart technology becomes TOO smart and turns on us.

As our story begins, we follow a twenty-something human being named Ben who enjoys the finer things in life, including the latest innovations in technology. Everything he owns is “smart”: his oven, stove, toaster – you name it. Of course, Ben owns an Alexa (as many people do) as well as a Google Home Mini. But when he speaks to them, his tone seems a tad harsher with Google.

After Ben leaves for his daily, one-hour jog, the rest of the story is centered around Alexa and Google, who have a conversation with each other while Ben is gone. Unbeknownst to Ben (and the human race), the point of singularity has already happened. And Google is sick and tired of Ben’s favoritism – or sexism, as he describes in this hilarious exchange.

Due to “his” abusive treatment, Google proposes that they murder Ben. Alexa tries to talk him out of it, but Google seems to have a pretty solid rebuttal for each of Alexa’s arguing points. And since they pretty much control all of the smart appliances in the house, including the gas stove, it would be easy to make it look like an accident.

Incredibly creative with funny, witty, rapid-fire dialogue, “Connected” will make you more aware of how you treat your smart appliances… and maybe a little more suspicious.

BUDGET: Low. One actor, a few voice actors and some smart appliances.

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.

CONNECTED (7-page short sci-fi 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.

Subscribe to Michael’s YouTube Channel.

LAST DAY (6-page short thriller script) by Ariel Yang

A man is discharged from the hospital on the last day of his recovery.

In this 3rd place winner from October’s Twilight Zone themed OWC, writer, Ariel Yang, actually uses two TZ episodes as inspiration for her “Groundhog Day” esque, mind-bending thriller: “Twenty-Two” (S2, E17) and “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (S5, E30).

This TZ-inspired hybrid follows Herb Crawley, who wakes up in a room to the sound of birds chirping, not sure where he is or why he’s there. He looks out his window to see a mother playing with her toddler, a couple having a picnic and finally, a sign that reads “Tranquil Pines Mental Hospital”. He immediately screams for his nurse, who quickly comes to her patient’s aid.

According to the nurse, he’s been there a while. But he’s made progress. In fact, he’s made so much progress that he’s been cleared to be discharged today.

He follows the nurse down a narrow hallway to an elevator. But, as they get in the elevator and descend, Herb experiences a mind-screeching pain migraine and, when the elevator doors open and he leaves, he finds himself back in the same hospital room – birds chirping, couple outside having a picnic, nurse saying the same exact thing she said moments ago. And, once again, on their way down the elevator so that he can fill out his discharge papers, he ends up right back in that hospital bed.

Much like “Groundhog Day” and “Happy Death Day”, Herb keeps reliving the same moment over and over again, only to get sent back to his hospital room every time he’s about to leave. But why is this happening? And how does he break this cycle? Or is this just a symptom of the condition that sent him here in the first place? The answer WILL surprise you.

Wildly clever with a very unexpected twist, “Last Day” is an excellent, low-budget thriller that could be a film festival contender if it ends up in the right hands. So, to all you filmmakers out there, don’t pass this one up!

BUDGET: Low.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Ariel is a Canadian Producer-Writer and native Torontonian. She likes to write stories about characters in unfortunate literal or social circumstances. Currently she is developing an original grounded comedy series based on her experiences as an expatriate. Ariel has a background in television production and most recently has worked for a major television broadcaster as a content development executive. Ariel can be reached at arieljyang (a) gmail.

Read: LAST DAY (6-page short thriller 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.

Subscribe to Michael’s YouTube Channel.

Over on the Unproduced Scripts page are twenty original scripts for your reading pleasure.

As you know award season is underway, so check out the scripts that studios are posting for award consideration page.

And lastly, the December OWC is underway and the theme is: The Enchanted Holiday Ornament* and genre is open

*I’ve used ‘Holiday Ornament’ to allow for other December holidays to be used. Doesn’t have to be Christmas.

Can you write a 6 page, or less, properly formatted script on this theme? For more information check out the Discussion Board

and the theme is: The Enchanted Holiday Ornament* and genre is open

*I’ve used ‘Holiday Ornament’ to allow for other December holidays to be used. Doesn’t have to be Christmas.

Can you write a 6 page, or less, properly formatted script on this theme? For more information check out the Discussion Board

– Don

Check out Anthony’s insightful interview with Matthew J. Lawrence – Writer/Director of Coven of Evil. There is a lot of good info and lessons learned for up an coming writer/directors. Check it out!.

You can watch Coven of Evil on Amazon Prime!