Synopsis:
Samuel tells his friends the horrors his grandfather Isaac suffered at a concentration camp during the holocaust and how he took revenge against a sadistic Nazi prison guard named Heinrich.
A Dreidel is a four-sided spinning top, played during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Mostly a game of chance for children.
Our Review:
One gets equally curious and serious like the 13 year old Rob, Ales and Kristen as Samuel narrates the experiences of the his grandfather in the Nazi concentration camp. Its still shocking and chocking no matter how many narratives we read about the world War and the Nazi's atrocities. The armpit Dreidel add a new idea to the old story and gets the narrative even more trilling. Then when every one gets down to play the Call of duty, the unexpected twist in the tale adds horror. What happens when the foot step gets closer? Is Heinrich back? Can't wait to watch this as a film.
Writer Biography
I was born in Hollywood…well, not that Hollywood, but Hollywood, Florida where I was adopted by a nice family from NYC. We moved from NYC to NC when I was 7 for a heavy dose of culture shock, but it is where I continue to reside with my “wife-like” unit and two rescue mutts. In addition to spending as much time as I can with friends at the Alamo Drafthouse in Raleigh (sans pandemic), I continue to work as a clinical social worker with 17 years’ experience including 10 years doing individual therapy with adults and teens. Aside from that, I spend an inordinate amount of time collecting 80’s and 90’s music. As a kid, my family exposed me to the arts, but I was mostly fascinated by movies and in particular comedic performances. Consciously or not, I emulated these characters as much as I admired them. The power of a well-constructed comedic performance lasted with me longer than any car chase or explosion filled Bruckheimer vehicle. I didn’t think about writing screenplays until after I was accepted to graduate school for the very unrelated Masters in Social Work program at UNC-Chapel Hill. Then I got a little side-tracked. During the summer between the first and second year, a roommate challenged me to do stand-up comedy at Charlie Goodnight’s in Raleigh. I did and then continued to perform off and on for about 10 years. During that time, I focused more on comedy than writing screenplays until I moved to Hollywood to pursue comedy…the actual Hollywood, where I lived and struggled to survive and perform for about 2 and a half years. During that time, I did complete my first short screenplay. After leaving LA, I moved to Austin, TX for a year, stopped performing, rekindled my interest in TV/Film, and finally focused a bit more on writing. It was years before I finished my first couple of feature length scripts. Initially the writings were more auto-biographical, but in recent years, I have challenged myself to create things that have little or no connection to my own experiences. I decided to explore the horror genre. I love all kinds of horror movies and wanted to add something to the genre, so I started by writing a feature and then followed that with several shorts. Dreidel is one of those shorts, which I am proud to share with you. Glenn Lissner - author of the horror short Dreidel
Writer Statement
This short, mostly set in a concentration camp, culminates in the origin of a supernatural, malevolent force.
Credits
Glenn Lissner Writer
Specifications
Project Type: Short Script
Number of Pages: 13
Country of Origin: United States
First-time Screenwriter: No
Student Project: No
