ScreenCraft Horror Competition |
2025
“The industry’s #1 horror screenplay contest.” – IndieWire.
Our jury is scary good, featuring talent reps from Zero Gravity, Gersh, Energy Entertainment, and more!
Placement
Genre
Format
Representation Status
Winners
Winner
Feature
· Horror
· 97 Pages
A fanatical religious family on a small rural farm spirals into insanity as they grapple with the terrifying effects of a world-changing, cosmic event.
Conway, Arkansas
Jason is a writer/director whose upbringing in a small southern town contributes to his stories about hardship and struggles of identity — often in the modes of horror and horror-adjacent, as with his 2023 directorial debut GHOSTS OF THE VOID.
After writing and directing several well-received short films throughout his time in film school, Jaso...
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Winner
TV Script
· Horror
· 38 Pages
Mel's trained to be a Final Girl her entire life-- and she gets her chance when her agnostic preacher father takes her to summer camp. Stakes heat up when they realize their ill-fated family trip is fated to begin the Apocalypse.
Valencia, California
Final Girl fanatic Sophie Mutiara Nova is a Queer, half-Indonesian, SLE-diagnosed Writer-Director. (Writing Fellow of Lambda Literary and the ACEX TV Initiative, Finalist of the Emmy's TV Academy Foundation Directing Program, Stowe Narrative Lab, and SAGIndie). Their TV series have won the Launchpad Pilot Competition, ScreenCraft Horror Competition,...
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Winner
Feature
· Horror
· 100 Pages
In a small village, the community holds a monthly lottery to determine which of their children will make a “small sacrifice” to the flesh-eating spirits of their dead ancestors, but after the death of her sister, a 16-year-old girl desperately seeks the truth and end the villagers’ suffering before they are slowly devoured by the past.
MD
Laura’s writing journey began in the bunny-eat-bunny world of children’s publishing. She published two middle grade novels before venturing into the indie world, where she published a series of paranormal mysteries. Always ambitious, she thought why not try her hand at screenwriting, because it seemed like a highly stable career choice. She’s a love...
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Finalists
Finalist
Feature
· Horror
· 103 Pages
Struggling to salvage their marriage, Andie and Caleb's getaway to Cedar Falls Bay spirals into a nightmarish survival ordeal when they discover they are prey for an annual “Hunt” that pits urban against rural.
Janet-Rose Nguyen is a filmmaker, writer, and actress based in Toronto. Her work explores the awful ways humans treat each other using comedy, horror, feminism, and queerness. Her work focuses on the Asian diaspora. Recently she was part of the inaugural Rising Voices Canada cohort presented by Hillman Grad, BIPOCTV & FILM and Indeed and pitched at ...
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Finalist
Feature
· Horror
· 98 Pages
A husband surprises his wife with a couples retreat on a remote Scottish island to soften the blow of an empty nest. Things rapidly unravel when one of the participants dies in suspicious circumstances and another becomes gravely ill. Unable to call for help, and with supplies running out, they face a desperate struggle for survival.
London, London, GB
Optioned Screenwriter.
I have worked in the film and television industry for twenty-six years both behind and in front of the camera. I strive to write scripts with strong female leads and have a particular interest in the horror genre. I have four completed feature screenplays available and two more in development.
Winner - 2024 Best unfilme...
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Finalist
Feature
· Horror
· 109 Pages
An aspiring “rise-and-grind” influencer moves into a new apartment to relaunch her brand, only to clash with the building's original tenants: a nest of evil bugs, now intent on ruining her life.
Los Angeles, CA
Tom Hartig is a disabled writer of genre-bending features & TV about the power of community and healing. 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 by Good Printed Things. He has been a finalist in the ScreenCraft Fellowship & WeScreenplay TV Pilot contests, an Austin Sec...
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Finalist
Feature
· Sci-fi
· 91 Pages
After their assisted suicide voyage fails to kill them, five spaceship passengers must fight for their lives against a parasitic alien organism in order to return home.
Los Angeles, California
Nolan is a graduate of USC School of Cinematic Arts' screenwriting program and has worked with multiple genre companies including Blumhouse, NEON, and Monkeypaw Productions. Growing up under gloomy skies and dense forestry of Portland, Ore. and a national award-winning stint as a journalist formed Nolan's love of monster movies and domestic dramas....
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Finalist
Feature
· Horror
· 105 Pages
A Chinese American comedian who portrays an offensive character on a popular late-night talk show is forced to confront long-buried demons when he meets an unexpected group of neo-Nazi fans.
Los Angeles, CA
Stephen Chen is a Midwest-born Taiwanese American who left his career as a classically trained civil engineer to pursue screenwriting after learning that his pipe dream was just a regular dream. He's dabbled in standup, improv, and sketch comedy, but found himself gravitating towards writing character-driven scripts that explore themes of loneliness...
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Finalist
Feature
· Horror
· 104 Pages
A final girl must confront the unexpected aftermath of killing a legendary slasher. A horror comedy.
Los Angeles, CA
Kevin Tavolaro writes fun, fast-paced scripts that are equal parts bloody and wholesome.
His feature film credits include Babysitter Must Die, Hunting Ava Bravo, and Give Me Your Eyes. His TV work includes Ancient Aliens and Wild West Chronicles.
Kevin's latest script, The Kill Clause, is a monster-slaying horror comedy, written with his partn...
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Valley Boy
Private
Finalist
Feature
· Sci-fi
· 97 Pages
This logline was hidden by the writer.
Toronto, Ontario, CA
Erik is a Toronto-based film crew-member, often hired as the “local assistant” for visiting writers, producers, and directors. Currently a camera trainee with IATSE 667; he likes being on set - be it swapping lenses or swinging coffees - but he’s trying to write his way off of it!
Semifinalists
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 98 Pages
As the Dust Bowl ravages their homestead, a family reeling from the grizzly death of their patriarch attempts to survive life on the harsh Arizona plains as a supernatural entity closes in on their land.
New York, NY
Winnie Soldi is a bilingual (Italian-American) writer and actor. He grew up in Florence, Italy, and subsequently moved to New York City to earn a BFA in Drama from NYU - Tisch. Growing up speaking multiple languages and having lived in different countries, his narratives often explore the nuance and meaning of a mixed and conflicting identity throug...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 96 Pages
When a young mother becomes trapped in an unsettling parallel world, she must decide whether to find a way back or stay in this new reality while discovering horrifying truths about her past and herself.
When Zoe isn't traveling, she writes high-concept genre pieces. Her writing and direction has been recognized by the Sundance Institute, Slamdance Screenplay Competition, CineStory, the Austin Film Festival, Launch Pad, the Moonshot Initiative, the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation Arts Residency, and the Dramatists Guild, among others.
A.P.
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 95 Pages
When a group of high school strivers take part in a satanic ritual to excel, the ceremony turns deadly and produces a demonic classmate hell-bent on revenge.
CM Barnes
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 90 Pages
A group of urban explorers uncover the Hansel & Gretel Gingerbread House and find themselves trapped inside an evil labyrinth.
San Pedro, CA
I'm Travis Seppala -- a produced screenwriter whose material has been reported on in Deadline, Fangoria, and a variety of other movie news and horror news sites. I've also published a book of screenwriting tips, placed in over 50 contests, and been hired to write films and TV.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Sci-fi
· 116 Pages
An ambitious PhD student investigates mysterious animal-made architecture in the Alaskan wilderness, revealing an out-of-this-world secret that redefines life as we know it.
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 96 Pages
Seizing a career-making opportunity, a troubled but talented jewelry designer finds herself in a fight for her life when an influencer retreat in the High Desert takes a sinister turn. THE CRAFT meets YOU’RE NEXT
Los Angeles, CA
Sasha Kai is a neurospicy writer, producer, and ex-techie with a knack for turning life’s plot twists into genre-bending stories. Raised blue-collar in rural Ohio, her path has been anything but straight—she broke away from a religious cult, became the first in her family to go to college, organized on the frontlines of national politics, and eventu...
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Cabin Retreat
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 93 Pages
The weekend getaway takes a turn when four moms stumble into a dangerous web of sex trafficking at their cabin rental.
No bio available.
Denied
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 101 Pages
This logline was hidden by the writer.
Philadelphia, PA
Brennan currently works as a narrative writer for video game developer Starbreeze Studios. His pilot DEFINITELY CURSED – cowritten with Erin Walsh – won the 2019 ScreenCraft Animation Screenplay Competition. His debut novel, BATTERY LIFE, was released in 2023 through Blackstone Publishing.
Semifinalist
TV Script
· Horror
· 56 Pages
Jake, who works for a deforestation company, visits the Hell Circle Hills.
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, GB
Andrew is a New York City native, now residing in the U.K. He has a Bacholors Degree in creative writing while double minoring in film and psychology at Pace University. He's also done work with TNT, SHOWTIME, and MTV. Andrew even wrote two award winning screenplays for Top Choice, THE SENSUAL FIGURINE and A GRAVE REQUEST.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 92 Pages
After a sudden Nor’easter strands them at an isolated seaside cabin, an all-queer college women’s swim team must spend their spring break fighting off deadly, cannibalistic sirens.
Durham, North Carolina
Brooke Solomon grew up as a bisexual Lebanese girl on a farm in rural New Hampshire. She graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Visual Media Arts and promptly went to work in the world of film development. Brooke has a special love for projects with a strong intersectional focus, as well as splashy action pieces, world building, and anything my...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 102 Pages
Desperate for purpose, a woman is seduced by a radical anti-aging multilevel marketing scheme, only to find herself trapped in a cult-like web of wealth and “sisterhood”—where escaping could cost her everything.
Washington, DC
An award-winning filmmaker and assistant professor of film at American University, Laura’s films have screened at the U.S. Congress, United Nations, Smithsonian National Gallery of Art and premiered at numerous global film festivals with broadcasts on PBS, WORLD, ShortsTV and Curiosity Stream. Laura’s film, As We Forgive, narrated by Mia Farrow, won...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 92 Pages
When the loving and doting father they’ve known all their lives is charged with being a vicious serial killer, a brother and sister retreat to their rural childhood home to try and make sense of it all.
Elijah Noble El is a SAG-e actor, director, screenwriter, and poet who hails from the snowy midwest. His romance drama Baby's Breath was a semifinalist at the 2023 ScreenCraft Film Fund and a quarterfinalist at the 2023 Golden Script Competition and the 2025 Los Angeles Screenplay Awards. His romance short Goodnight and Goodbye, which played at the ...
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HARE
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 101 Pages
While navigating a tenuous relationship with her daughter, an ambitious property developer embarks on a project in rural Pennsylvania, only to unwittingly awaken a centuries-old creature known as the Osterhase.
Los Angeles, California
No bio available.
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 99 Pages
A barren couple looking for a fresh start 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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Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 105 Pages
Two sisters—one emotionally drained, the other deliberately distant—discover an unconventional solution for their overbearing mother's crippling tinnitus.
Toronto, ON, CA
As a Toronto-based independent filmmaker, Daniela's work has garnered international recognition. Her recent short documentary, "Painting the Boogeyman," clinched the Best Documentary Short award at the Berlin International Art Film Festival. In 2022, her short film "Welcome Home" swept multiple categories at the Independent Shorts Awards in Los Ange...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 105 Pages
A dysfunctional liberal couple on a cross-country move are too busy breaking up to realize they're being stalked by a neo-conservative cult.
Los Angeles, CA
James is an actor, stand up comedian, writer and director who studied theater at NYU thanks to a buttload of predatory student loans. They're also queer, nonbinary, and HIV Positive (subjects they openly discuss in their stand-up). They were raised in a family of truck drivers and addicts in Bakersfield, CA. Featured for their comedy in NY Times, Ou...
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I'm Here Now
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 98 Pages
A former football star, working to get his life back on track, finds the past, present and future blend together to form one horrific night that he's forced to relive over and over again.
Reseda, CA
2x cancer survivor. Former stock broker/trader turned actor/writer/producer/stay-at-home-dad. Co-wrote and produced the horror feature ALIVE. which took home the 2018 Austin Film Fest Audience Award. His solo efforts as a screenwriter, FIRE PROOF SAFE and TYPHOID GARY, have finished in the top 75 in 2020's Launch Pad contest and The Script Lab's Sem...
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In His Name
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 103 Pages
Two priests are met with strange guests while stranded at a church during the Irish Potato Famine in which they are mysteriously provided with all the food they can eat.
Tyler Rigby
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 109 Pages
While trying to help a teen plagued by sleep paralysis, a sleep therapist and a coroner with a unique ability, uncover a series of unsolved murders.
Los Angeles, CA
winner of hbo/max's project greenlight. mysteries, thrillers, crime, noir, time travel.
Iris's Jar
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Fantasy
· 112 Pages
The lives of an uninspired artist, her deceitful girlfriend, and her grieving father unravel into surreal chaos when she discovers an injured tentacled creature with mysterious abilities.
Los Angeles, CA
Alicia is a filmmaker, writer, and educator originally from Buffalo, NY. Her writing has been recognized by various festivals, including the Austin Film Festival, Stowe Story Labs, and Reel Sisters of the Diaspora. She is currently in postproduction on a short documentary titled Don't Go Back to Sleep.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 89 Pages
A reclusive park ranger struggles to survive - and to trust her fellow rangers - when the park is attacked by a carnivorous cryptid that can mimic human voices.
Los Angeles, California
John is an award-winning writer/producer/editor who has spent the past decade building a successful career in entertainment marketing, but now finds himself yearning to make something more substantial than a two minute trailer. His half-hour pilot THUMBS DOWN won Top Comedy in the 2024 Launch Pad Pilot Competition, and his crime thriller feature 07 ...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 92 Pages
A recently freed convict joins an urban exploring group to gain entry into a sealed-off abandoned mall, where he is convinced his runaway little brother is hiding.
Los Angeles, California
Brian has been working in film packaging and distribution for over a decade, where he’s enjoyed traveling to film markets and festivals around the world. In the past year, he and his writing partner have had two different projects advance in major screenwriting contests - a half hour comedy and a horror feature. In his spare time, Brian co-runs an i...
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Show 1 more writers
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 94 Pages
Couples on a high-stakes matchmaking cruise soon discover that the most dangerous thing on board isn't love—it's the rules they agreed to follow.
Rebecca enjoys writing horror screenplays
while drinking copious amounts of coffee.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 117 Pages
In a remote, cult-like compound atop a mysterious mesa, a teenage girl discovers that her abusive father's claims of divine power mask an even darker truth.
Los Angeles, CA
Pam Covington is a writer and director originally from Dallas, TX, but is currently in LA. She received a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Southern California and an MFA in directing at the California Institute of the Arts.
Her work explores the space between genre, drama, and dark comedy through character-driven stories set in imaginative...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 97 Pages
Stranded on a remote Texas ranch after a crash, two siblings are stalked by a shape-shifting entity that weaponizes their trauma to infiltrate their lives.
North Hollywood, CA
Cody's high school football coach once boasted "he sure can act like a football player"; which is fitting considering he received his bachelor's degree in acting. However, acting was never enough for Cody, who found an immense passion for creating stories and building worlds.
His 2022 short film CIMIM, for which he wrote and directed, did well o...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 103 Pages
Soon after arriving at the Motherhouse of the Grey Nuns, a nurse’s kindness turns deadly as she finds herself haunted by the ghost of the church’s founder.
Los Angeles, CA
Jade Rona is a video game and screenwriter originally from Manhattan, shaped by a decade of constant moves on both coasts. Born to a Haitian/Puerto Rican mother and a Jewish father, she found stability in storytelling. A genre enthusiast, she creates richly textured worlds by combining charming yet unconventional characters with snappy dialogue and ...
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Semifinalist
TV Script
· Horror
· 38 Pages
The life of a neurotic Filipino American veteran turned suburban yuppie is upended when his unfulfilled Black tech executive wife gets transformed into an Aswang—a vampiric cannibal monster from Filipino folklore—and he must satisfy her cravings and keep a New Jersey mob boss from exploiting her power. BARRY meets WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS with a si...
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Jamaica, New York
First Gen Fil-Am Writer
Currently: Veteran Writing Project 2024-2025 mentee
Prose: Nightmare, McSweeney’s, Electric Lit, Split Lip, + more.
Playwriting: Manny Pacquiao Punches The World But The Earth Doesn't Even Flinch (Finalist with Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Arts in the Armed Forces). Move Fast and Break Things (Production, Westtown Sch...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 118 Pages
When a camp adventure goes wrong, four rebellious scouts must survive the night after a vengeful spirit awakens an army of the undead.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Hi! I am a filmmaker living in Indiana. In 2019, I directed and produced a short film that saw theatrical distribution. In addition to writing shorts and features, I have also worked on a few studio projects in development. I am currently enrolled in LAFS, graduating in 2026, and looking forward to a career in the industry.
Semifinalist
TV Script
· Horror
· 60 Pages
A high school theater star taps into the darkest corners of her psyche to protect herself from the wrath of a sadistic, ultra-wealthy classmate and as a result, her possession ignites a chain of uncanny events that unravel her family and world, revealing an unsettling origin story. A psychological horror thriller, set in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Queens, NY
Gilani Sumida-Moiseff (she/her) is a screenwriter from Honolulu, Hawaii. She began her career as a Location Department production assistant on the O’ahu, Hawaii sets of Kong: Skull Island. She then continued her career in episodic television and feature films on shows like Hawaii 5-0, Snatched, God
Friended Me, FBI: Most Wanted, Only Murders in the...
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Remember Ivy Court
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 105 Pages
After fleeing a personal tragedy, an Indian immigrant must confront the ghosts of his past when he discovers the house he’s renovating is haunted.
No bio available.
Show 1 more writers
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 100 Pages
On Halloween night, an isolated video editor/streamer is hired to cut together a horror movie made by a masked killer, only to discover that the cinematic "scenes" are real.
Glendale, California
Mitchell Vincent Slan is an award-winning writer/director from Austin, TX, with an undying love for Halloween.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 93 Pages
Gen Z-ers are dying in Chicago. It appears they have been scared to death! A young African American detective goes undercover and discovers a strange euthanasia service where depressed fright fans sign up to go out on a horror high.
Burbank, CA
Stan Evans is an Emmy award-winning writer/producer whose had screenplays optioned, sold and placed highly in all the contests you know about. Now he'd like to see one produced! His favorite genres are sci-fi, comedy and horror. He also helped create several reality shows you'd be proud to say you've never seen. Don't hold it against him.
Semifinalist
TV Script
· Horror
· 63 Pages
13 young women compete on a horror themed reality TV show to become the world's ultimate Scream Queen. But when haunting events begin to plague the cast, the lines between reality and reality TV blur with horrifying implications.
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 73 Pages
A desperate young woman takes refuge for the night in the farmhouse of a mysterious old woman who has evil intentions for her new tenant.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
I am a full-time engineer and part-time filmmaker in Philadelphia PA. I am a career desk jockey with a calculator and pocket protector by day, and by night and on weekends I team up with like-minded rebels to make short films, skits, and occasionally feature films. I've gone from Pennsylvania country boy to urban adventurer and I'm always looking fo...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 116 Pages
INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS. Dec. 1999, Samantha Reed travels to the remote island of Bald Head, North Carolina to investigate the mysterious circumstances of a police officer's alleged suicide. She quickly learns that the officer's case is far from the only strange death on the island. After Dec. 22, 1999, Samantha is never seen again.
Los Angeles, California
Award winning writer-director with extensive critical acclaim and notable achievements in advertising and film. Sune Sorensen holds numerous "Best Film", "Best Script", and "Best Direction" honors at Cannes, NY Festival, Phoenix FF, London FF, Clios, Andy's etc. and is best known for his heart warming and thought provoking storytelling.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 91 Pages
A disabled mother struggles to prevent her son from being bullied in school. When her young daughter secretly recruits help from a sinister force in mirrors everywhere, the mother soon fights to protect both her children from evil on all fronts.
New York, Ny 10001
Lukas studied acting at Trinity College in Dublin. Played Elias Vandyke on two seasons of NBC's,The Blacklist.
As a writer, he has won the Screencraft Fellowship, the CineStory Fellowship, Shore Film Fund, Flickers Film Festival, placed top 30 of the Nicholl’s Fellowship twice and many more. Recently won The Art of Brooklyn Film Fest.
His feature ...
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Semifinalist
TV Script
· Thriller
· 55 Pages
The son of an infamous serial killer must unmask the murderer haunting his new town in order to clear his name and save the day.
Los Angeles, CA
Nathaniel graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Dramatic Writing in 2018. Since graduating, Nathaniel has written for a prequel project in development at Cartoon Network Studios and worked as a freelance story writer at Hooked. His work has also been performed by the La Mama Experimental Theatre in NYC. By day he works as a Pro...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 87 Pages
On her way to 1 million subscribers, a young house flipping YouTuber encounters a basement that’s a helluvalot more work than she bargained for.
Los Angeles, CA
Ben spent over a decade working as an AC, operator, and occasional DP. Mostly commercials, but he was on a handful of TV shows and features as well. During this time he optioned a few scripts and directed a low-budget feature.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Action
· 117 Pages
To prove his faith, a desperate dissident time travels to bring back proof of Jesus’ divinity. He instead finds an anti-Roman rebel who has waked a flesh-eating demon, and he must join forces with the 1st-century locals to stop an ancient zombie apocalypse.
Los Angeles, CA
Emmy Award winning court tv producer, currently at Judy Justice. (Relevant experience to my latest script.)
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 92 Pages
In the final week before a tech company goes fully remote, an office manager and her remaining skeleton crew are thrust into a nightmare when a deranged killer turns the deserted office into a bloody game of cat and mouse.
Denver, Colorado
Hoss Carroll crafts horror-comedies that aim to terrify — while drawing big laughs. He is currently building a body of work that is uniquely his-fast, funny, and unhinged. Hoss is settled in Colorado, but he claims his Texas roots every chance he gets.
His feature The Bullpen, a female-led slasher set in a failing tech office, finished as a finali...
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