A census enumerator finds herself trapped in a mysterious mansion, where she attempts to help two children in peril while evading their cruel caretaker. CENSUS is a short horror thriller inspired by genre classics from several eras: 1960s television, 1970s cinema, and 1980s literature!

The fictional suburban community of Appleton is turned upside down thanks to Harvey McGraw, an annoying census taker who's in charge of checking the neighborhood's population. When Harvey visits George and Martha Dade, they reluctantly invite him in, but when the questionnaire turns too personal for the couple, they accidentally shoot him in the forehead. They are then forced to hide his body from their company, Martha's sister Eva and her husband Pete, a former detective. When he discovers Harvey's body in the kitchen closet, a bright future is very unlikely for George and Martha.

The once-every-five-years Australian Census is upon us (Census night is August 9, 2011). Which means the vexed 'What is your religion?' question will raise its head. This, in turn means thousands of pranksters will write down Jedi, Matrixist or Metal Head. Over the years John Safran has heard claims that far from being a joke, young people were combining spirituality with popular culture. Safran wants to hunt down these spiritual innovators. "I thought I'd potter off around the world and try to find people who sincerely and unsarcastically synchronise spirituality with popular culture. Is it good, is it trivialising, is it even spiritually dangerous?"