THE SHADOWS (2-page short horror screenplay) by Matthew Taylor
A scared woman takes to the City’s shadowy alleyways to escape her pursuer.
Looks can be deceiving, at least in Matthew Taylor’s atmospheric horror micro-short, The Shadows, which was the 2nd highest rated script in the 1st round of the Simply Scripts May Writing Challenge (and my personal favorite).
The story opens in the dark, city streets where we meet Tabi as she runs for her life barefoot while wearing a cocktail dress. We don’t a lot but we know she’s running from someone… or something. We soon find out that she’s running from a hooded man but we don’t know why this man is chasing her. We can only assume he has evil intentions.
You ever watch a horror movie and yell at the screen when a character makes a questionable decision? Well, that’s exactly what Tabi does when she decides to dart into an even darker back alley with her pursuer not very far behind. She even trips and falls! For God’s sake, it almost seems like these people in these movies WANT to get caught! BUT…
While the setup uses very familiar horror tropes, the story takes us into a completely different direction, completely subverting our expectations as an audience and hitting us with a complete curve-ball. Even after the curve-ball, the surprises and twists keep coming… and all within two pages!
I can’t provide any more information about the story – it would spoil the fun of discovering the twists on your own. But I assure you, this one makes fantastic use of its two pages, packing in A LOT in such a short amount of time. This one is NOT short on thrills. And the creepy atmosphere and imagery elevate this even more above your average horror thriller.
If you’re a filmmaker looking for something budget-friendly that has serious viral potential, I recommend scooping this one up before someone else does.
BUDGET: Shoe-string.
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.
Read: THE SHADOWS (2-page short horror screenplay)
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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.
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