“Screenplays are not works of art. They are invitations to others to collaborate on a work of art.” — Paul Schrader
Listed below are screenplays currently available for collaboration, with links to more information and where they can be downloaded. The scripts are listed in alphabetical order.
THE ABBEY
sci-fi / fantasy / horror
LOGLINE: Inspired by Poe’s Masque of the Red Death: Fleeing a deadly pandemic, a security advisor infiltrates a luxurious floating city, hoping to find peace – but a friend’s needless execution forces them to take action.
NOTES: set in the near future, The Abbey broadens its focus away from “Prospero and his court”, to show the lives of the indentured people brought there to serve them – has shades of V for Vendetta, Snowpiercer etc – possibly a limited series, rather than a feature
GHOST & ZOMBIE (22-page SHORT)
fantasy / horror
LOGLINE: After dying from a zombie bite, a young woman discovers that her ghost is bound to her zombie body and she can’t move on. Horrified by this grim existence, she searches for a way to free herself.
NOTES: a “buddy” dramedy about a bodiless mind and a mindless body
HAIRY MAN CREEK
thriller / horror
LOGLINE: A self-involved teen’s boring weekend away in the Australian bush with her embarrassing family, becomes interesting in the worst way, when her step-dad is abducted by a monstrous assailant.
NOTES: imagine an adorable family like the characters in Poltergeist, but set in rural Australia – and instead of being under siege by a ghost in a new realestate development, the family find themselves in an isolated house, fighting for their lives against Australia’s vicious bigfoot, the Yowie
HOW AISHA FOUND PEACE (6-page SHORT)
fantasy / horror
LOGLINE: Soon after a small-town police officer learns that the CEO of the town’s largest employer (a firearms manufacturer), has been murdered, his home is invaded by a young girl suffering from fatal gunshot wounds.
NOTES: an innocent victim has her bloody revenge
THE LAST DISCOVERY
sci-fi / horror
LOGLINE: After making an extraordinary discovery, the small team at an isolated research facility in the Australian outback must struggle to survive, as one-by-one they become violently deranged.
NOTES: The Last Discovery asks the question, “What if the universe does have a purpose, but we’re not part of it?” – in addition to Nevil Shute’s novel On the Beach, which has been adapted into a movie in 1959 and again in 2000, the story has elements similar to Michael Crichton’s novel The Andromeda Strain and Carpenter’s The Thing – but with a likeable, multi-national cast, and without the need for a huge special effects budget
OUBLIETTE
sci-fi / horror / adventure
LOGLINE: A timid clerk and his workmates must enter a hell-dimension, where the landscape clings to the inner surface of a huge sphere, to rescue their friend and prevent a ‘god’ from escaping and devouring all life on Earth.
NOTES: set in the near future, but on a slightly darker timeline, Oubliette takes audiences to a unique location, where our unlikely heroes struggle to survive and win, while avoiding becoming like the monsters they’re fighting
OUTSIDE MY WINDOW (12-page SHORT)
horror
LOGLINE: A shy, young woman moves into a grungy apartment, only to be stalked by something floating outside her sixth-floor window.
NOTES: a brutal reminder of the principle, Chesterton's Fence, which states: “Do not remove a fence until you know why it was put up in the first place.”
POLLY (16-page SHORT)
supernatural thriller
LOGLINE: A woman hiding from her abusive ex, moves into a secluded, rural house, only to discover that it is haunted by a reclusive poltergeist.
NOTES: a domestic thriller with supernatural elements.
PURSUED
sci-fi / horror / action
LOGLINE: When a job ends with her boyfriend dead, a homeless getaway driver flees into the outback, only to find herself pursued by something far more terrifying than the murderous criminals she’s running from.
NOTES: Pursued is for fans of car chases, crime capers, creature features and buddy action movies ... in short, audiences looking for a fun time
RAIN DOGS
sci-fi / horror / adventure
LOGLINE: An estranged father, his ex and their 10-year-old daughter struggle to escape from a secluded valley infested with vicious, otherworldly creatures ... creatures only the young girl can see.
NOTES: think of movies like Poltergeist, A Quiet Place, Bird Box, Tremors and Attack the Block ... y’know, fun stuff – and then add a twist to the invisible creature trope, by allowing audiences to see the creatures, but only when a character comes into physical contact with them
RATTLING CHAINS (25-page SHORT)
thriller / horror
LOGLINE: An untrained newbie is sent to a remote secret facility, to help guard a deep pit, which is rumoured to hold a woman who has been bound in chains for over 150 years.
NOTES: the all-too-familiar experience of being dropped into a role you haven’t been properly briefed on
REDCAPS (11-page SHORT)
post-apocalyptic thriller
LOGLINE: Soon after the world narrowly averts destruction at the hands of a global cult, a scavenger and her precious loot are waylaid on her way home.
NOTES: a decidedly mixed, day-in-the-life of a survivor, soon after a Lovecraftian near-apocalypse.
SERIAL KILLER KILLER (7-page SHORT)
horror / comedy
LOGLINE: An actor, famous for portraying a serial killer in a successful franchise, is confronted by an actual serial killer seeking retribution for the actor’s multiple transgressions.
NOTES: a serial killer makes a case for his fellow murderers in the ongoing entertainment industry debate around who should be ‘allowed’ to play certain roles.
THIRTY-SEVEN DOLLARS (5-page SHORT)
crime / drama
LOGLINE: A grieving, middle-aged woman walking alone at night through a dark alleyway is confronted by a mugger with a gun.
NOTES: a short “dramatic sketch” with a twist at the end
PLEASE NOTE: Thirty-Seven Dollars has now been produced as a “radio play” by First Read Radio and you can listen to it here. That said, it is still available to produce, should you wish to have a crack at it.
TWINNED (9-page SHORT)
thriller / sci-fi / fantasy
LOGLINE: After being fatally wounded by a local bully while in her twin-sister’s body, a young woman realises the body-swaps she and her sister have been experiencing were not random, but orchestrated by her narcissistic twin.
NOTES: sibling rivalry gets a dark, fantasy twist in a post-apocalyptic world
UNSEEN (22-page SHORT)
horror / sci-fi
LOGLINE: When her ex-business partner begs her to resolve an issue with his new software, a hacker learns that the app actually exposes its users to a weird, parallel dimension that places them in grave danger.
NOTES: a contemporary riff on H.P. Lovecraft’s classic, short story, From Beyond
YOU’RE EARLY (3-page SHORT)
crime thriller
LOGLINE: Returning home late at night after class, a woman finds her partner at the mercy of a desperate burglar.
NOTES: a short “dramatic sketch” with a twist at the end
PLEASE NOTE: You’re Early has now been produced three times, but it is still available should you wish to have a crack at it.
The previous versions were directed by: Mark Hensley in the U.S.; Felix Wollner in Germany; and Will Maloney in the U.S.
YOUR FATHER IS A MONSTER (13-page SHORT)
fantasy / thriller
LOGLINE: A Reptilian passing as a human, and working as a bodyguard, is hired to protect a clueless exec bro from being kidnapped. However, her love of theatrics, jeopardises the assignment.
NOTES: the short features a pair of “odd couple” protagonists in a tense situation, with a supernatural twist at the end.