Screenplays

Please contact me for more information on any screenplay that grabs your attention. Some of the unproduced screenplays are available for option.



SANSON

Feature Screenplay
Status: Unproduced / Recently Submitted to Festivals
Written by Shiva Rodriguez & D. Duckie Rodriguez

Genres: Drama, Historical Drama 

Charles-Henri Sanson, the Paris executioner, finds himself in a unique position during French Revolution. Based on a true story.

I spent eight years researching the Sanson family of executioners and the world they lived in prior to writing the first draft of this screenplay.  D. Duckie Rodriguez came in on the second draft and Sanson became the first screenplay that they wrote together.

Read an excerpt from the screenplay Sanson. 




THE FATHER OF LIES
Feature Screenplay

Status: Unproduced / Recently Submitted to Festivals
Written by Shiva Rodriguez & D. Duckie Rodriguez

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Thriller 

Loki, the Norse Trickster God, leaves a path of death and destruction in his wake as he searches for the keys that will free his monstrous children and bring about the end of both the gods and humanity.

This feature script is an extension of the short film "Father of Lies" that was written with a much larger budget in mind. Duckie and I are both big fans of Norse mythology and were able to explore the legends more, as well as put our own spin on the gods, by expanding the story to feature-length.

The Father of Lies has recently been submitted to screenplay competitions around the world. We are exploring the possibility of producing this project ourselves, depending on how well the short film does after release.

Read an excerpt from screenplay The Father of Lies.




THE FAMILY WAY
Feature Screenplay
Status: Unproduced / Currently in Festivals

Written by Shiva Rodriguez & D. Duckie Rodriguez

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Dark Drama 

After springing their trap on a group of vacationers, a murderous family discovers that one of their intended victims may have the potential to become one of their own.

This screenplay was actually inspired by Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses. After viewing the film, I asked myself "Where the Hell did Otis come from?" and soon after I wrote the short story that would become the basis for this script.

This script is currently in development by Rogue Chimera Films and seeking financing.

Read an excerpt from The Family Way.

Visit the website for The Family Way 

See Awards for The Family Way

THE HAUNT

Feature Screenplay
Status: Unproduced / Currently in Festivals
Written by Shiva Rodriguez & D. Duckie Rodriguez

Genres: Horror, Thriller 

Four vacationers discover that a haunted attraction run by an eccentric showman has a dark secret to its success.

The idea for The Haunt was actually a true story from back in the days when Duckie and I were employed at a famous year-round haunted attraction.  It takes a certain personality type to work in such places 364 days a year, and there are a few superstitions that are unique to haunt workers. This story focuses in on one of the most popular of those beliefs.

Read an excerpt from the screenplay The Haunt.

See awards for "The Haunt".




FATHER OF LIES
Short Screenplay

Status: Produced in 2018 / Currently in Festivals
Written by Shiva Rodriguez & D. Duckie Rodriguez

Genres: Horror, Fantasy 

In a fit of rage over the kidnapping of his children and the death of his wife, the Norse Trickster God Loki murders Odin's favorite son Balder. As punishment, he is bound to a tree on Earth with the keys to his children's prisons dangling just out of reach. There he will stay hidden from the eyes of mankind until the trees lose their memory of Balder...

"Father of Lies" is a fantasy-horror story based on Viking mythology. Set in both the present and the past, the tale unmasks the Norse gods for the cruel beings they are and illustrates that the line between what is good and evil is often blurred.

See the trailer for "Father of Lies"




THE FAMILY WAY: COMING HOME
Short Screenplay
Status: Produced in 2016 / Released 2018

Written by Shiva Rodriguez & D. Duckie Rodriguez 

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Dark Drama 

An angry teenager commits a series of horrific murders, unaware that he is being tracked by a family who takes a special interest in serial killers.

This short film is a prologue to the feature screenplay The Family Way. It is based on the original opening that was cut out of later drafts.

See "The Family Way: Coming Home" on Amazon. 

Visit the website for "The Family Way : Coming Home"

See Awards for "The Family Way: Coming Home"




THE GUILD

Short Screenplay
Status: Produced in 2019 / Currently in Post-Production
Written by Shiva Rodriguez & D. Duckie Rodriguez

Genres: Horror-Comedy, Dark Comedy 

An ambitious novice serial killer runs into a big problem while attempting to murder an entire family on the orders of a mysterious organization.

This script was originally written as part of a 48-hour film challenge, making it the fastest short script Duckie and I have penned together to date. Once again, we took our love for 1980s slasher films and stretched the rules a little to explain how these seemingly mindless killing machines really operate.

This film is expected to start screening at film festivals in Fall 2019.




U.B. KILLER

Feature Screenplay
Status: Unproduced
Written by Shiva Rodriguez & D. Duckie Rodriguez

Genres: Horror-Comedy, Black Comedy 

An online horror show that lets its viewers vote on how the characters are killed off  finds itself in a pickle when an actress dies for real on the set during the live-streaming show.

U. B. Killer is joked as being a true story that almost happened. I had the idea of creating an interactive web show where the audience could vote on how the victim dies. Unfortunately, the legal issues for doing such a show were much more trouble than it was worth. So D. Duckie Rodriguez and I took the initial idea and turned it into a screenplay.




TERRIBLE SECRETS
Feature Screenplay 
Status: Unproduced
Written by Shiva Rodriguez
Genre: Horror, Anthology Horror

A group of strangers discover they all have something in common when confronted by a psychologist.

Terrible Secrets was written as a low-budget horror story that was inspired by Tales From The Crypt (1972).

Read an excerpt from "Terrible Secrets".

CUPID

Short Feature Screenplay

Status: Unproduced

Written by Shiva Rodriguez

Genre: Horror

A woman gets more than she bargained for when she employs a company that promises to discover how much someone loves their spouse.

This short screenplay was actually inspired by the Saw series and by watching true crime television shows where people are always talking about how far they will go for love.

PSYCHO CHICKS ANONYMOUS

Feature Screenplay
Status: Produced in 2010 / Released
Written by Shiva Rodriguez & D. Duckie Rodriguez

Genres: Comedy, Dark Comedy 

A mockumentary about a support group for men attempting to escape from dysfunctional relationships.

The screenplay was inspired by friends of mine who were in some pretty unbelievable relationship situations. It became the first feature film produced by Siren Productions Media and was released in 2010.




PREDATORY MOON
Feature Screenplay

Status: Produced in 2016 / Released
Written by Shiva Rodriguez 

Genres: Horror, Dark Drama 

When a man and his nephew are attacked while hiking in Florida, an animal behavior researcher suspects that there is something more sinister in the woods than just a bear. Unfortunately for him, there is someone who sees an advantage to having a stranger in town who cries "werewolf".

Predatory Moon was my first time in the director's chair and was the second feature film produced by Siren Productions Media. It was released in 2017.

See Predatory Moon on Amazon.



THE FIGURE

Short Screenplay
Status: Produced in 2016 / Released
Written by Shiva Rodriguez & D. Duckie Rodriguez

Genres: Horror-Comedy, Dark Comedy 

 Six campers visit Red Lake, a place rumored to be the hunting grounds of a legendary serial killer. This horror-comedy short pays tribute to the old-school slasher genre with a unique, modern twist.

Duckie and I came up with the idea for "The Figure" while watching a scary movie marathon on Halloween in 2015. We are both fans of the 1980s slasher/horror genre and wrote this horror-comedy as a tribute.

See "The Figure" on Youtube



REAL PEOPLE, NOT ACTORS

Short Screenplay
Status: Produced in 2016 / Released
Written by Shiva Rodriguez & D. Duckie Rodriguez

Genres: Comedy, Parody

A parody commercial depicting a world where real people have taken over all the jobs traditionally done by professional actors.

"Real People, Not Actors" started as a joke among a group of film-makers about how actors were not real people according to television commercials. Duckie and I decided to write and shoot a parody commercial based on the joke.

See "Real People, Not Actors" on Youtube. 



INTERVENTION

Short Screenplay
Status: Produced in 2010 / Released
Written by Shiva Rodriguez

Genres: Horror-Comedy, Dark Comedy

 

Roger has tried every trick in the book to get Craig to face up to his devastating addiction. When Craig continues to deny that he's been using, even when confronted with solid evidence, Roger knows that there is only one thing left to do to force Craig to admit that he does indeed have a problem.

"Intervention" was penned on the request of a director for a short film competition.

See "Intervention" on YouTube.

COFFEE

Short Screenplay
Status: Produced in 2008 / Released
Written by Shiva Rodriguez

Genres: Horror 

Three young hoodlums are in for a surprise when they rob a local coffee shop and discover the proprietor's secret.

"Coffee" was a short screenplay I wrote as a quick project for Siren Productions Media to film as one of their first short projects back in 2008.  I had gotten the idea from an urban legend I'd heard years ago about a thief breaking in to the home of a serial killer.

See "Coffee" on YouTube. 




MONSTER SAFARI: EPISODE ONE

Short Screenplay
Produced in 2007 / Released
Written by Shiva Rodriguez

Genres: Genres: Horror-Comedy, Dark Comedy, Parody Comedy
 

Meet Jake Helsing, the host of the show Monster Safari. Today he's on the hunt for one of the most popular but elusive creatures in the world... the vampire.

"Monster Safari: Episode One" was originally a stage skit and performed at live events. I converted it to a screenplay to use as the first film project for Siren Productions Media. It was shot on a budget of around $20.

See "Monster Safari: Episode One" on YouTube.