Scavenge
A backpacker stumbles upon an abandoned campsite only to discover he’s not alone when it comes to an appetite for scavenging.

All right, filmmakers, if you’re looking for something super-low budget to shoot while keeping social distancing in mind – and I know a lot of you are – look no further than “Scavenge” by writer, Steve Miles.

The story opens as a lonely backpacker (never a good thing to be in a horror movie) named Lars happens upon an abandoned beach – the perfect spot to post up for a few days. After setting up shop, he decides to explore the area a little bit while scavenging pretty much everything he can get his hands on – candy wrappers, bottle caps, beer cans, etc.

Lars hits the jackpot when he stumbles upon an abandoned campsite, camping gear and loads of trash (or treasure if you’re Lars) scattered around the remains of a campfire.

But where is everybody? And what happened to them? Not too concerned with any of those questions, Lars peruses the abandoned items like a kid in a candy shop, taking with him a cooking pot and nice camping chair. He even finds an unopened can of beer! Score!

However, Lars spots something else – fabric poking out from under the ground. As he pulls on the fabric, he discovers that it’s a tent buried under the sand. Oh, well, nothing Lars can take with him.

It isn’t until later that night when Lars realizes that something about this abandoned beach is very, very off…

I know this sounds like the set-up to a typical slasher film, but the way this story plays out may surprise you. I know I wasn’t expecting it. In fact, this may be the antithesis to the typical slasher film. For one, there’s no dialogue. Also, there’s no cheap jump scares. Everything is carried by raw tension, specifically a terrifying, visually arresting (yet simple) scene when Lars is in his tent and realizes that he’s not alone.

If you were afraid of camping before, this story definitely won’t help you get over any fears. Quiet, tense and visually horrifying, “Scavenge” is a perfect horror short to film during social distancing. But I wouldn’t recommend watching it alone.