Filmmatic Horror Screenplay Awards |
Season 9
We're dying to get our hands on fresh writing talent!
All horror and thriller projects are eligible.
Horror Prod. Rudy Scalese - Guest Judge/Mentor.
Placement
1
Genre
Format
Representation Status
Quarterfinalists
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 90 Pages
In the grip of an ancient generational curse born from betrayal, a family descends into chaos as a sinister idol corrupts their eldest son, turning him into a vessel of vengeance. With love and blood on the line, the family must confront the darkness within and the haunting legacy that binds them, before it consumes them all
Kansas City, MO
Kole Akintujoye thrives in the dynamic world of movie production, blending his expertise in healthcare with his creative vision to bring compelling narratives to life on the screen. He is a writer and movie producer. He is the president of Give Us Our Daily Bread, a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating hunger worldwide. He is deeply comm...
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Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 23 Pages
15 is a psychological horror about a reclusive man haunted by his past, whose world is upended when his intrusive brother and enigmatic neighbor draw him into a web of paranoia. As reality blurs and buried secrets surface, he is forced to confront the chilling consequences of his actions. The film delves into themes of trauma, guilt, and the fragile...
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Davenport, IA
Ana Ziegler Loes is a dedicated filmmaker with a background as a script supervisor on major network shows, where she honed a keen eye for detail and storytelling continuity. Growing up in the Quad Cities, located on the Iowa/Illinois border, Loes’ exposure to the film industry happened in 2010 when the state of Iowa offered sizable filming tax cred...
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Show 1 more writers
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 103 Pages
When a bestselling author begins writing a dark new novel about demonic possession, she slowly realizes the story may be writing itself, and she may no longer be in control.
Seattle, Wa
Melissa has been writing ever since she picked up her Crayolas and defaced her Golden Books. She's won awards for her short stories, and her professional UX writing can be found all over the web (sadly, all over, such is the life of a contract writer). She's currently trying her hand at sitcom scripts.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 119 Pages
A troubled rural sheriff commits murder to protect his charismatic sister's church, while a peculiar investigator threatens to reveal its dark secrets that lead to insanity and an apocalyptic reckoning.
Albuquerque, NM
John M. Broadhead is a filmmaker and writer of scripts and novels. He loves deep dives into speculative fiction, often utilizing sci-fi, fantasy and dark humor to explore the human condition.
Quarterfinalist
Short
· Fantasy
· 8 Pages
On a dark night, a lonely man plays a game with an old friend.
Dallas, TX
A passionate writer with a penchant for weaving supernatural and fantasy tales, I craft narratives that challenge perceptions of mortality. My stories illuminate the idea that death is not the end but a transformative journey, blending imaginative worlds with profound human truths. Always aiming to inspire curiosity and reflection, I invite readers...
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Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 19 Pages
Francis succumbs to his dark inner turmoil when he loses out on a promotion to his female coworker.
Cleveland, Ohio
I’m a Cleveland-based screenwriter whose work explores surreal, often dark transformations at the edge of identity, sanity, and society. I write character-driven stories where the uncanny emerges in familiar places—an office, a pub, a protest—revealing the fragile boundaries we live within. My scripts are grounded in psychological horror, moral ambi...
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Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 10 Pages
Feeling lonely and ignored, an elderly woman discovers a unique but potentially dangerous use for a Life-Alert style device called "Life Whistle."
After graduating with a degree in film & television, I steadily made my way across the country in pursuit of my cinematic passion so as to arrive at the mecca of entertainment: Los Angeles. I've written professionally as a film critic, worked across all forms of production and currently work as a post-production scripting editor. I love writing, spe...
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Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 8 Pages
A downtrodden housewife's Halloween preparations turn out to be far more cathartic than she expected.
A young horror writer of French-Mexican descent based in the UK, her debut script "No Peeking" clawed its way to the Top 3 Winners of the Let's Make It competition, while her latest short, "A NICE BIG SMILE," was part of the official selection for the Be Afraid HorrorFest and the Hollywood Horrorfest.
Suspiciously keen on the morbid and the ghouli...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Sci-fi
· 114 Pages
In the near future Artificial Intelligence implants augment biological functions, but when a virus begins to replace people with emotionless duplicates, the scientist who created the implants struggles to code a patch and save humanity.
Baltimore, MD
Matthew is a U.S. Army veteran and currently employed supporting the government, as a private defense contractor, lending to a unique view on government, workplace, humor, and social interactions.
His scripts range from Comedy-Horror, Apocalyptic-Thriller, to Historical-Drama and have been awarded in nearly 30 different screenwriting competition...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 95 Pages
A young woman plunges into a seedy urban underworld to retrieve her suitcase after it's nicked at LAX by a serial killer.
Los Angeles, CA
Tom Hartig is a disabled writer of genre-bending features & TV about the power of community and healing. He has been a finalist in the ScreenCraft Fellowship & WeScreenplay TV Pilot contests and a two-time Austin Second-Rounder. In 2021, he was hired to adapt a sci-fi novel for Voyage Media, and in 2023, his poem “Ode to An Assistant” was published ...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 95 Pages
While his life is falling apart, a headstrong man is drugged and kidnapped by his cousin and taken to the dense swamps of Louisiana, where crazy locals and a bloodthirsty beast emerge, turning the trip into a fight for survival.
No bio available.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Sci-fi
· 87 Pages
A novelist on ‘work holiday’ in Bermuda indulges in a high-flying romance with a crypto-billionaire.
Corvallis, Oregon
As a director, I won a Gold Remi at WorldFest-Houston 56 and was a finalist at Malibu Film Festival for Disturbed, a short doc that premiered at Capri-Hollywood International Film Festival. My scripts have been Quarterfinalists and Semifinalists in many competitions, including American Zoetrope, Austin Film Festival, Dallas International Film Festi...
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Quarterfinalist
TV Script
· Fantasy
· 60 Pages
In a brutal world where magic has been exiled, young Bryn Blackskull undergoes the grueling Ten Trials to claim his family’s warrior legacy, only to discover he may be the cursed heir prophesized to bring ruin upon them all.
Born under the vibrant skies of Africa, M.J. embodies a rich tapestry of European and African heritage, with a bold dash of American cultural influence. Growing up amidst the challenges of a continent where dreaming often felt like a privilege reserved for the few, M.J. refused to let his aspirations be confined. With an unshakable belief that the ...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 93 Pages
While on a babymoon at a secluded cabin, a heavily pregnant mom-to-be must fight for her and her unborn child's life as she is hunted by a masked killer.
Maplewood, NJ
I am a filmmaker based in the New York area. My films have played at many festivals including Cannes, Rotterdam, SXSW, Slamdance, BFI London Film Festival and The New York Film Festival. In 2008, my short film “Small Apartment” won the award for Best Narrative Short Film at SXSW. In 2009 my short "John Wayne Hated Horses" was selected for Cannes Dir...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 98 Pages
A female contractor, scarred by reproductive trauma, solves the century-old deaths of a pregnant prostitute and her unborn child while renovating a historic New Orleans brothel.
Brooklyn, NY
C.M. Soto is a storyteller and performer based in New York. Her work has appeared in theaters, music venues, galleries, on the screen, online, and in publications worldwide.
Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 9 Pages
...
Lighthouse Point, FL
All works registered with WGA West.
Love, life, the human condition...
All stories based on truths.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 123 Pages
Her dead husband’s burner phone was bad. The Polaroids were worse. But the secrets Audrey uncovers next might set her entire world on fire.
Primarily a horror/thriller writer, but also has extensive experience in the western genre.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 101 Pages
The descendants of a powerful cabal, whose ancestors traded their souls for infinite wealth with the demon Mammon, are thrust into a perilous battle against demonic forces. To avoid eternal damnation, they must nullify the ancient pact and send Mammon back to hell.
Texas
I am an aspiring screenwriter drawn to themes and stories that feature isolation, loss, angst, and fear. Shocking visuals and character transformations (figuratively and literally) are among my favorite things to explore.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 91 Pages
Vera's joined a startup to get rich. A staff retreat tests what she's willing to do and who she's willing to become in order to obtain wealth.
Los Angeles, CA
No bio available.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 114 Pages
After the viral popularization of the Charlie Charlie challenge, a teenager begins to uncover his link to the diabolical game.
New York City, New York
Jose Manuel is a Puerto Rican actor and screenwriter born and raised in the Bronx, NYC. He is looking forward to bringing entertainment and art into big and silver screens.
Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 15 Pages
A nun yearns to be a priest but is haunted by past traumas. As
she delves into the present horrors around her, she uncovers
unsettling truths that intertwine her past with the darkness of
her current reality.
North Hollywood, CA
There is no horror movie out there that's scarier than growing up in Florida. I'm a screenwriter and director who just can't put the horror genre down residing in Los Angeles.
Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 9 Pages
A young boy discovers that his new remote control can show him monsters that aren't on TV.
Raleigh, NC
Robert Walcott, from suburban Chicago, was raised on Amblin-era movies. Inspired by his Amblin-rich childhood, he creates screenplays that champion imagination and encourage fantasy. His fantasy/comedy, Saturday Morning Siege, made a splash on the spec market and earned him meetings around town, including Steven Spielberg’s old Amblin offices on the...
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Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 10 Pages
In a small town, a seasoned criminal and a respected sheriff ignite a passionate romance, but their peace is shattered by chilling disappearances. As fear grips the community, he must confront his dark past and battle the malevolent force lurking in the woods before it claims everything he holds dear.
Atlanta, Georgia
I’m passionate about beautifully crafted stories that leave a lasting impression. I weave my tales in unique, thought-provoking, and inspirational styles to truly resonate with my audience. Writing brings me immense joy, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else!
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 112 Pages
A successful businessman travels to Seattle to settle a family estate only to meet up with a dark, deadly and unsettled spirit who makes his way into the fascination of this lonely man's mind.
AC Calloway is a poet, painter and screenwriter. His collections explore issues of adventure, emotional health, environmental concerns, sexuality and love. With a line of books and audiobooks, he looks to add a fresh voice in story telling with his work as he also looks forward to directing.
Calloway divides his time between Taos, New Mexi...
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Cosmic Cannibals
Private
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Sci-fi
· 86 Pages
Lizard-like cannibals orbiting Earth send a scout to sample human flesh in Las Vegas, Nevada. It kills and morphs into a young blonde biker babe, then bedazzled by motorcycles and the glitz of the Las Vegas Strip starts a string of macabre murders with a cataclysmic finale that rocks Las Vegas.
No bio available.
Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 8 Pages
When Alex tricks his way into an infamous funeral home to broadcast a haunting, he unfortunately gets exactly what he wanted.
Mesa, AZ
LOGLINE:
Aspiring horror screenwriter Shaun Baland attempts to write solid scripts while reruns and remakes threaten his very existence.
Curse of the Sicario
Private
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 118 Pages
A cartel hitman struggles with his sanity after a witch's curse leaves him haunted by his victims.
No bio available.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 102 Pages
Against the will of her misanthropic queen, a self-destructive vampire tries to find motherhood and humanity by fostering a young girl she orphaned after killing her vampire-slaying family.
Worcester, MA
I have written 9 scripts, including feature films and a TV drama pilot. I also teach in and direct my university’s Professional Writing program, where I developed our first screenwriting course and am helping to launch a film studies program. In a perfect world, I would teach forever while writing for film and television.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 111 Pages
A young boy's dark visions lead him and his friends to a forbidden cave said to be a gateway to Hell, where his long-dead Vietnam veteran father waits to possess his son's body and escape eternal damnation.
Los Angeles, Ca
Patrick Hale is an award-winning commercial and short film director based in Los Angeles, CA . He brings his love of world-building and innovative production design to help clients tell cinematic stories in commercial, documentary, and reality tv productions.
www.RooksProductions.com
Show 1 more writers
Dead Duck
Private
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 101 Pages
When a university film student with an AI computer animation process is killed by fellow students to prevent him from winning a career-launching competition his disembodied spirit seeks revenge in the form of a brilliantly psychotic CG holographic duck!
Jeffrey Scott
No bio available.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 107 Pages
Stranded in a ghost town after a freak bus accident, a group of college students and hardened criminals are forced to play a game of survival as an ancient spirit, in search of eternal life, hunts the blood of sinners. It’s Deadwood meets Scream
No bio available.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 97 Pages
As an enforcer for Vampire HQ, Kriss must survive and overcome defeat by her greatest fears when she is tapped by the human police to eliminate a supernatural serial killer.
Meriden, Connecticut
I have had two years of personal coaching from a professional in the screenplay writing industry. I am also a veteran member of the Online Writers Workshop for science fiction, fantasy, and horror. My work has been professionally published in these and other genres. At present, I have seven viable screenplays, which range from a prisoner-of-war stor...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 96 Pages
A PTSD-suffering alcoholic veteran moves into an isolated women’s sober house to get her life back on track, only to discover the home’s approach to recovery is dangerously unorthodox.
Produced screenwriter of a $1.5M horror feature currently in post with a late-2025 festival run and a short film that premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2022. Born in Massachusetts. Clemson University grad.
Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 12 Pages
When a compulsive "digaholic" unearths an imprisoned spirit that possesses a local recovery group leader, he get his hands dirty to finally face his own demons...
London, GB
Trained as an Actor but discovered I couldn't commit my life soley telling other people's tales. I write stories no one else will unless they steal my very soul- Thank god I'm a ginger.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 93 Pages
During the disco era, a jaded waitress must battle to survive when the nightclub she works at is overrun with zombies.
Vancouver, BC, CA
TOBY MARKS is a neurodivergent award-winning writer who has worked in London, LA, and Vancouver and pitched to media companies across the world, including Netflix, Shudder, and Neon. She likes the 3 M’s (magic, mystery and murder) telling stories with math/science motifs about smart dynamic women in dark, ominous settings. In 2022, her horror-comedy...
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Eel
Private
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 115 Pages
A group of campers come to suspect that one of them might be more dangerous than what lurks in the woods as they balance survival with what they came to do.
No bio available.
Elemental Threat
Private
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 119 Pages
Lil and her girls succeed in ridding the town of its true evil and restoring their brothel to its former glory.
Collis Maria
No bio available.
Show 3 more writers
Family Meal
Private
Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 12 Pages
A dysfunctional family eats themselves into oblivion when they visit a restaurant that only exists one night a year.
No bio available.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 117 Pages
After being shot down over war torn Romania during WWII, an American platoon must confront an ancient vampire and his undead army to escape with their lives.
Fresno, CA
From a young age, my imagination was shaped by the legends of horror—Carpenter, King, Craven, and Williamson. Their masterful storytelling ignited my passion for the things that haunt us and the fears that linger in the shadows. It was during my explorations of screenplays that I realized my true calling: to craft spine-chilling horror films that re...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 87 Pages
Out for a night of fun, five teenagers in the 90's visit a haunted house attraction only to discover the terror within is all too real.
Atlanta, GA
Graham Waldrop is an independent producer/writer. Waldrop produced and co-wrote the award winning independent feature film, "Release" directed by Edward Varnie and distributed by Global Digital Releasing in 2019.
Waldrop won the silver winner online scripted series Telly Award with fellow producers Mosley. and Deanna Newell for producing the ant...
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Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 5 Pages
A seductive predator lures her latest victim into a web of terror, revealing her monstrous nature.
Calgary, Alberta, CA
Brandon D. Reid is an award-winning screenwriter, photographer, and filmmaker based in Alberta, Canada. He began making films in 2006 and has accumulated various credits on over fifty student or independent projects since then. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in New Media, and attended the Vancouver Film School in 2018, where he earned an Honor’s Dip...
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Quarterfinalist
TV Script
· Comedy
· 27 Pages
An aging slugger joins forces with a vampire to boost his performance for one last quest for baseball glory
Colorado
Cam Eickmeyer writes about technology, social justice, and how people interpret the world. His work often explores the dark humor where those topics overlap. He's had two stage plays produced. His fiction and poetry has appeared in various outlets, and he has a screenplay optioned in 2022. Previously a journalist, he lives in Colorado with his famil...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 114 Pages
When Harper, a recently widowed geologist, is forced to take an oil drilling assignment in the Arctic, the greed of her abusive boss conjures evil specters from Alaska's colonial past, spelling danger for them all.
Denver, CO
Matthew Sawczyn currently resides under the shade of the Rockies. He has worked for such studios as Skydance Productions, Renovo Media, and Spirit Juice Studios.
He has written 10 scripts, many of which have received numerous awards. His period piece “Helvetian” is set to release in 2027.
He also authored the science fiction novel “A Tyranny ...
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Show 1 more writers
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 100 Pages
On a red-eye flight returning from a memorial service for passengers on a plane that mysteriously vanished, spirits of the deceased try to save their loved ones from an ancient entity that seeks to reclaim a stolen relic with deadly powers.
Kailua, HI
Rich Figel is an an award-winning screenwriter who lives in Hawaii. He has optioned feature screenplays and TV pilots to well respected producers and successful screenwriters and was formerly repped by the late great Cathryn Jaymes, best remembered for discovering Quentin Tarantino and launching his career. His last manager closed shop during the pa...
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Quarterfinalist
Short
· Horror
· 12 Pages
A woman and a young girl anxiously rehearse a musical piece in anticipation of a malevolent visitor – a poltergeist who can only be banished from their home by playing a forbidden song.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Amy T. Martin is intimately familiar with the behavior and peculiarities of ghosts and astral beings because for 25 years she lived in a very haunted house. She writes true ghost stories under her pen name, Annie Wilder, and has appeared on MY GHOST STORY and MONSTERS AND MYSTERIES IN AMERICA.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 109 Pages
On Halloween night, a group of teenagers seeks to unravel the mystery of vanishing locals, a horrific creature, and a legend as old as Halloween itself.
Los Angeles, California
No bio available.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 99 Pages
A struggling couple and a hanger-on brother fall prey to paranoia and violence when they discover their experimental housing development comes with an unexpected amenity - sounds that bleed through from the future.
Michigan
A quarter-life crisis helped put me back on my writing path after a meander into nonprofits, but 2020 lockdowns introduced me to screenwriting. It was love at first "Fade in".
I love all things sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, especially for their capacity to use extreme circumstances to tell stories about what it means to be a human being. Under ...
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Harvest of the Deviants
Private
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 91 Pages
A vigilante dog kennel owner, with hidden family secrets, successfully removes scum from society until she ensnares an undercover federal agent, who turns the tables on her deadly harvest.
Wilmington, North Carolina
Drina is a former theatre teacher, stage director, and a produced playwright. Her screenwriting started with a bang. She won contests, including Austin and a mentorship with Bill Wittliff (Legends of the Fall; Perfect Storm). Drina has been optioned and has taken writing assignments. She recently moved to Wilmington, NC where there is an active...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 123 Pages
A desperately wannabe bougie couple seeking social media fame attempts to renovate a forgotten West Texas town's famous, abandoned mansion only to find that the living who reside in the town -- and the dead who reside in the mansion -- stand in their way.
Austin, TX
Rob has written comedy for huge audiences since 2011. He's hosted, produced, and written for podcasts with millions of listens (including his show Softcore History).
His web series about college life, “Exec Board,” in which he also co-starred, has millions of views on YouTube and TikTok.
Rob loves writing jokes and characters that are crass, but c...
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Quarterfinalist
TV Script
· Horror
· 27 Pages
Teenagers read from a mysterious book and share its spooky inner-city tales on social media.
Los Angeles, CA
Cuban-Peruvian. I've been fortunate to shadow several Directors and Showrunners. I've been primarily focused on YA Horror. In the vein of Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark. It took me a while to figure out where I belonged. This is the space I know, this is the space for me.