Recommended by Greg Mandryk

Dark and twisted, but possibly with a healthy dose of social commentary, Special Peppermint is an excellent holiday-themed short play! Its premise may seem ridiculous at first, but there are plenty of real-world parallels concerning first world comfort being fed by third world suffering to give Evan Baughfman's short play some serious teeth.

Conventionally, when a horror story is narrated retrospectively by the protagonist, one may assume that they have survived their ordeal intact and are now sound enough in mind and body to relate their horrific encounter. Burdick brilliantly defies this trope with TATTOO: A Tale of Terror. Tense, atmospheric, and creepy, this would make an excellent addition to any evening of horror radio plays!

Mike Brannon makes a nifty little addition to zombie lore in Let the Dead Bury the Dead. Throw in a protagonist whose methods are as morally appalling as they are understandable and a gritty last stand, and you have a delightful horror gem that will haunt you. And yes, the Gather by the Ghost Light podcast does an excellent job bringing this one to life ("undeath"?).

I especially like the way Hilder portrays his protagonist's mental illness. It is both a toxic imaginary friend (who kept reminding me of Mr. Applegate from Damn Yankees for some reason) and an atmosphere that grows sicklier the further Matt slips into its embrace. The latter provides the play with an engaging sense of urgency. I'd love to see this one realized by a skilled tech director.

A ghoulishly good bit of body horror. Williams peppers the first half of his script with hints of the threat his two young protagonists are destined to encounter. When the terror strikes and the panic kicks in, you'll be left squirming in your seat. And yes, the Gather by the Ghost Light podcast is superb!

Well worth the half of a minute it will take you to read. I would even go so far as to say it would be worth reading even if doing so required four minutes or even slightly more. It’s cute!

There’s so much fun to be had in this takedown of beer snobs. Some sure-fire laugh lines and a hilariously over-the-top ending make this one a heavy contender for anyone planning a night of one-acts in a drinking establishment.

This is great modernization of classic fairy tale horror! Lindsay Kennedy expertly doles out just enough warning signs to keep you in suspense.

This is a fun take on a classic fable (with cameos from other fairy tales) that would work well for younger crowds. It requires a fairly large cast, yet gives each character a moment to shine, making it perfect for schools striving to introduce children to theatre.

This is a fun one. Boone is an extremely enjoyable character. He’s the simple bumpkin who’s seen some s***, and would be an absolute hoot to portray.