THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR WILL BE YOUR OWN
Written and Directed by Emily Bennett

After a week-long bender in Las Vegas, a group of road-tripping friends stumble upon a pay phone in the middle of the desert that allows them to talk to their future selves.

STATEMENT -

A payphone in the desert. That’s how it all started.

When Glass Eye Pix hired me to write and direct this piece, I was inspired by the mythology of the siren as well as classic social-experiment focused episodes of The Twilight Zone. I was also inspired by films such as Donnie Darko, Time Crimes, Coherence and Triangle as well as the delightfully evil desert-set horror anthology Southbound (which also happens to feature the great Larry Fessenden). Lastly, I was inspired by the films by Aaron Moorehead and Justin Benson

I molded each character to my talented cast and then I went into post with my amazing producer Jordan Gass-Poore’ supporting me throughout. I worked with friend and composer Graham Reznick to craft the uncanny siren-like song that rides atop the desert winds. I provided the vocals for this song, and Graham was masterful at layering and extending the tracks, stretching them into the darkening horizon.And my sound designer Shawn Duffy, with whom I work as often as possible, helped bring the rest of the world to life. This is the first time I’ve written for audio, and I quickly realized the best thing about audio drama is that you can go BIG. I wanted to begin this piece as a contained drama and social experiment and crank it up to blockbuster levels, embracing the full audio potential of films like Dune and Tremors in the end. The climax of this piece was really vital to the story, and Shawn masterfully drove it home with his design.

Glass Eye Pix continues to be a subversive yet joyful beacon of light in the darkening desert of media monopolies, empty franchises and AI driven content. I’m honored to join the long lineage of Tales From Beyond the Pale contributors and continue sharing grassroots, independent tales of terror with the audiences I love the most.

And next time, when your phone rings, maybe don’t let it go to voicemail. After all, you never know. The next voice you hear might be your own.

Written and directed by Emily Bennett
Featuring Madeleine Morrell, Nick Fondulis, Samuel Dunning, Rigo Garay, Larry Fessenden and Emily Bennett.
Sound design and mix by Shawn Duffy
Original score by Graham Reznick.
Additional music by Epidemic Sound.
Produced by Larry Fessenden and Glenn McQuaid along with Jordan Gass-Pooré and Rigo Garay.
Poster by Trevor Denham
© 2025 Tales From Beyond The Pale