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.

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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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PAUL (3-page short drama screenplay) by STEVEN CLARK

Sometimes, the best gift you can give is to just listen…

The world can be a very cruel and lonely place sometimes. As someone who lives in New York City, I see homeless people every single day, whether they’re on the subway begging for change or making their money as street performers. Either way, they spend most of their days alone, being ignored, neglected… and often mocked.

In writer Steven Clark’s heartfelt, slice of life dramatic piece, our title character knows this type of life all too well – he is a homeless street performer who spends his days strumming the guitar for passersby with hopes of collecting a little change. At night, he takes shelter in the basement of a local church. When he wakes up, it’s back to the street corner with his guitar. That’s pretty much every day for Paul.

Paul is a pleasant man, just trying to survive. Strumming the guitar seems like somewhat of a peaceful outlet for him, helping him forget about his hardships every time he picks up the guitar. Unfortunately, it seems like the guitar is his only friend.

But he has his fans. A passerby named Rory, for instance, seems to enjoy Paul’s guitar playing. Most people, however, ignore him. Or, like a pair of obnoxious teenagers at the story’s opening, make fun of him.

There’s a sadness in the tone of “Paul” and how he’s treated. He just seems like such a nice guy, we really do feel for him and empathize with his lonely existence. But, by story’s end, we see just how important making a connection with someone really is and how something as small as saying “hi” can make someone’s day. Kindness can really go a long way. It’s a shame there isn’t more of it the world.

SPOILER ALERT: You may shed a tear or two before FADE OUT.

BUDGET: Low. Minimal cast, minimal locations.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Based in upstate, NY, Steven Clark is the writer of over 30 short scripts, several of which are under option, in pre-production, or have already been made into films. On A Clear Night, a family Christmas feature aimed at a Hallmark Channel-type audience, is currently in the works. Steven can be reached at his website.

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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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I CAN’T GET NO SATISFACTION (4-page short comedy radio play script) Written by GARY HOWELL

A radio DJ tries his best to give away a cash prize over the air, but the listeners aren’t having any part of it.

People sure are stupid. Nobody knows this more than Nebraska radio DJ, Jamie Jameson, in this hilarious winner of April’s audio-only themed Quickie Challenge.

Jamie Jameson is a small-time, rock ‘n roll radio DJ for KROK-FM in Nebraska. You can’t help but think he’s had bigger aspirations in life. In between insults towards his hollow-brained callers, he sneaks in comments about how much he hates his life, blaming the stupidity he consistently encounters for much of it – and he does this using his most professional “Casey Casum” radio DJ voice, which makes it all the more hilarious.

Today, Jamie’s taking live calls as part of a contest in which he plays the opening to a classic rock and roll song and callers must guess what the song is.

He plays the opening to the Rolling Stones hit, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” and the calls immediately come pouring in… as does the stupidity.

With each horrible guess, Jamie’s comments get even darker and more depressing, to the point where he’s practically reflecting on the regretful path his life has taken.

But, there’s a glimmer of hope when he receives a call from a young woman who seems to be very close to getting the answer right…

We can’t help but feel for Jamie as he deals with idiot caller after idiot caller. But, at the same time, we can’t help but laugh.

BUDGET: Zero. It’s an audio script.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Gary Howell is an authentic Texan, yet still doesn’t own either a cowboy hat or a horse. He practiced law for 17 years, much to his chagrin. He finally scratched a life-long itch and began writing short and feature films and over the years has had four of his short films produced, had one featured optioned and has worked with Matthew George, founder of Acacia Filmed Entertainment (“LBJ”, “Wind River”). His TV Pilot, “Bounty” is in the top 2% rating wise of all scripts on Coverfly.

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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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Over on the Unproduced Scripts page are who wrote what and writer’s choice of of the April Challenge. And, stand by week of May 10th for the May Challenge.

– Don

DEER FRIENDS (9-page short comedy screenplay) by BRYCE SMINK

A teenage boy wants nothing more than to live out the rest of his life out in the woods as a Deer…but his Deer-hunting Father isn’t so accepting of his son’s new life style and a wild man-hunt ensues.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve read something as original as Bryce Smink’s bizarre aburdist horror/comedy, “Deer Friends”.

The story starts off with a bang (literally) as a high school teen named Debbie sitting parked outside of her friend’s house hears gunshots from inside. Her friend, Eric, runs out and jumps into her car as his father chases him with a shotgun, blasting away.

Did I mention that Eric is wearing a deer onesie?

So, why exactly is Eric’s father trying to murder his own son? Well, to follow up on the log line (which describes the story pretty accurately), Eric has decided to “come out” to his parents and identify as a deer. Eric’s father does not approve. Not only that, but Eric’s father is also an avid deer hunter, which immediately makes them mortal enemies.

Eric’s father chases after Debbie and Eric in his pick-up truck, all the way to a national park in the woods, where Eric plans on living his life as a deer.

Although this is an absurdist comedy, the story itself is surprisingly intense. It’s essentially one long chase scene with the feel of a horror-slasher almost. But it also has elements of a screwball comedy, at least in terms of the very strange, off-beat dialogue. It felt like an episode of “The Eric Andre Show” crossed with Quentin Tarantino’s “Death Proof”, at least tonally.

What really impressed me about this script wasn’t just the originality, but it was how it delivered its message using a bizarre, way-the-F-out-there premise. And once you understand the message (which is kinda/sorta obvious), you realize that maybe the premise isn’t that bizarre after all. There’s a real humanity and heart to the story… while also being absurdly entertaining.

BUDGET: Low. The story takes place in a car and out in the woods. Only three characters.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Re: Bryce Smink – “I’m a young writer about to graduate high school in a year. I love writing about the weird and absurd, and mixing it with the relatable aspects of life. I’m working a part time job at small production studio (Delivering Coffee, Yah!). But besides that, nothing has really changed at all. Still just write, write, writing all the time. I’m actually working on multiple web series as a comedy Staff Writer, which is something that I’m actively pursuing.” Bryce can be found at brycesmink (a) outlook.

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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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CELLULOID (10-page short comedy screenplay) by RICK 5E

Two lewd and crude high school teachers are taught a valuable lesson about the importance of being discreet.

It’s been a while since there’s been a really funny, R-rated raunch-fest comedy, hasn’t it? Movies like “Bad Santa”, “Porky’s”, “Van Wilder”, “40-Year-Old Virgin”… it just doesn’t seem like they make movies like that anymore. Well, strap the f**k in, because Rick 5e’s laugh-out-loud, profanity-filled, sex-crazed romp is bringing that s***t back!

The story is centered around two hard-partying junior high school teachers (Mr. Todd and Mrs. Granger) who are really bored with their jobs. Today, they’re supervising another boring field trip at a public park.

Unfortunately for them, someone else is in the bathroom with them, secretly taking pictures. And a few days later, both teachers find themselves being blackmailed. Is it one of their students? Another teacher?

Determined to find the culprit, Mr. Todd goes through all the yearbook committee photos that were taken during the field trip. And he finds a suspicious looking white van in one of the photographs. The decal on the side of the van reads: “SHAKES THE CLOWN – FUN PARTY SHOWS AND STUF! 555-1234”.

“Celluloid” was an entry from February’s erotic-thriller themed OWC. But as you can tell by this review, it is most definitely not an erotic-thriller. In fact, it’s nothing close. But I’m glad I read it. It really was my favorite of the bunch despite not following the genre or theme.The dialogue is hilarious, thesight gags are perfectly timed and the farce of a premise had me laughing about as hard as I’ve laughed in a while. “Bad Teacher” meets “Election”, this one will have you ROTFL.

BUDGET: Medium. There are group shots (it takes place during a junior high field trip), so the cast is a bit large. But this script also has feature film potential and will be well worth its budget.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Rick 5e (pseudo), is a part-time writer, musician, and landscape aficionado living somewhere above the 49th parallel. He has been writing enthusiastically for approximately 10 years, including feature screenplays, short scripts, and various instructional models regarding script structure and outlines. “Always try to capture the ‘absurd’ when writing” is his basic tenet, a primal drive whenever typing ‘Fade In’ that may also be viewed in many of his other works that are currently available online at his personal website of curios media – Obfuscation: Hand Crafted Screenplays. Rick can be through his website.

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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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A CHANCE ENCOUNTER (4-page short crime-drama screenplay) by JOHN STAATS

When guns are drawn, love ensues.

A chance encounter, indeed…

Well, this script was a fun one to read, especially if you’re familiar with historical crime figures from the 20s and 30s (more on that later).

The story opens at an old Texaco gas station way off the beaten path. It’s here where we meet a 19-year-old girl (only referred to as ‘Girl’ in the script) working the counter all by her lonesome, flipping through a magazine to pass the time.

That’s when a handsome fella in his 20swearing a snazzy linen suit and fedora (he’s only referred to as ‘Driver’ in the script) pulls up to a pump. And he seems to be in a bit of a hurry, fumbling around with the gas nozzle. Unbeknownst to him, the 19-year-old gas station clerk watches him from the front entrance, curious.

But after filling his tank with a few gallons, it appears as if ‘Driver’ is about to pull a gas-and-go without paying. And as delicate and pretty ‘Girl’ seems to be, she’s not about to let some stranger off the hook without paying.

The driver freezes for a moment to think. He slowly turns to face the girl with palms out and a wide grin. A toothpick twitches in his teeth. Damn, he is one handsome devil. Caught off guard by his good looks and swagger, she swoons.

Turns out ‘Driver’ is one hell of a charmer – and it’s probably been a while since ‘Girl’ has seen a man of his stature. Wearing a sly grin, ‘Driver’ approaches her, pretty confident that he’ll be able to talk his way out of this one… that is until she draws a pistol on him.

Outside of the charming characters and irresistible dialogue, what made this one so fun was the reveal at the end, which I shall not reveal here. And though it’s not 100% historically accurate, you won’t be able to help but smile.

BUDGET: Moderate. It’s one location (a gas station) and two actors. But, because it’s somewhat of a period piece (1930’s), most of the budget will go into making the gas station and car look like it’s from that time period.

ABOUT THE WRITER: As a fly-fishing fanatic and skier living in the Arizona desert, John Staats finds plenty of time for writing. His feature Impasse was a 2019 Filmmatic Season 4 Drama Screenplay Finalist and has been published as an e-book on Amazon. In addition to features and shorts for the screen, John has found a niche writing for the illustrated page (comics!). John can be contacted at jestaats (a) hotmail.

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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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AN EXCELLENT JUDGE OF CHARACTER (10-page erotic-thriller screenplay) Written by JAMES O. WILLIAMS

A desperate woman trying to escape her violent past brings a stranger back to her hotel room.

The whole concept behind a one-stand is that you go to a bar, meet someone you never met before… and then you go with them. It’s a rash decision by both parties involved and it amazes me that people still do that, especially with how popular true crime is these days. What doesn’t amaze is that alcohol is usually the deciding factor behind such a decision.

In James O. Williams’s ironically titled, February erotic-thriller themed OWC winner, we meet two lonely, troubled souls at a motel bar: Gary is a shy and lonely 42-year-old truck-driver who can’t seem to take his eyes off 33-year-old Cassie, who seems to be way out of Gary’s league. The ratio of men to women at this bar seems to favor the men by a wide margin, so Cassie is especially popular tonight. But she notices Gary and the two really hit it off.

Gary sure does have a point. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t follow his own advice.

Cassie is going through a nasty divorce and her violent ex seems to be having a hard time letting her go. And she’s willing to do anything to get him out of the picture… even if it means using the unsuspecting Gary as a pawn.

Full of double-crosses, twists, and smart dialogue, “An Excellent Judge of Character” is an erotic thriller with classic film noir elements that packs a lot into its 10 pages. And given its low-budget, I won’t be surprised if this one gets picked up very soon. I recommend filmmakers jump on it before it gets picked up by someone else!

BUDGET: Low. Two locations (a bar and a motel room) and four speaking roles.

ABOUT THE WRITER: James Williams was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. His passion for film started at a young age when he spent weekend evenings attending movies with his father. After some life changing events in his thirties, he began to pursue his passion for film by writing screenplays. His second feature, The Blood Loop, was an Academy Nicholl quarter finalist. After a few successful short scripts were produced by other filmmakers, James decided to pick up the camera himself. Self-taught from YouTube tutorials, reading books, and filling any spot he could on local film crews, James finally shot his first film, Cooper’s Monster with his wife and one year old son. One year later James has four films under his name and is progressing as a filmmaker. He gravitates towards making the type of popcorn horror movies he and his dad so loved at the cinema. James can be reached at: jdaddy6688 @ sbcglobal.net

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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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ZOOM (10-page short erotic thriller screenplay) by Anthony Cawood

A couple’s illicit affair is forced to go virtual due to a pesky global pandemic, and if that wasn’t bad enough someone else wants in.

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that being on lockdown makes it extremely difficult to cheat on your spouse. At least for unfaithful husbands such as Adam in Anthony Cawood’s uniquely clever found-footage/erotic thriller hybrid, “Zoom”.

But even during a lockdown, Adam has found a way to adapt and overcome the obstacles standing in the way of his infidelities… the same way many people have adapted to their jobs and socializing during these strange times: via Zoom.

While his wife, Sandra, is out of town, Adam connects on Zoom with a young woman named Domino who he’s had extramarital affairs with before the lockdown. But now, the only way he can “have fun” with her is over his computer.

Domino looks like she’s way out of his league. But she seems to be into him for some reason. And before we know it, things get a little steamy and their Zoom meeting becomes a game of “you show me yours and I’ll show you mine”. Just when Adam is about to see a whole lot more of Domino… he realizes that his bank account is frozen.

It turns out that Domino is an escort. And this sexy little Zoom soiree can’t go any further unless Adam finds a way to pay for his time. Talk about a buzzkill!

Well, it gets much worse when a message appears on the screen – Sandra has joined their Zoom meeting.

What ensues is a game of cat and mouse between Sandra, her husband Adam and Domino – with Sandra being the cat. And boy, does she have some serious dirt on both of them. The kind of dirt that could ruin their lives.

To reveal anymore would spoil the wicked fun, but let’s just say it gets pretty personal. A clever spin on the erotic thriller genre – I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a found-footage version – “Zoom” is a very budget-friendly script that I highly recommend to any filmmakers and producers looking to shoot a fiendishly clever revenge tale.

BUDGET: Shoe-string. This is essentially a “found-footage” film over Zoom with three actors.

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.

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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.

Subscribe to Michael’s YouTube Channel.