The following screenplays are the Top 50 Feature Screenplay Finalists for the 2021 FilmQuest Best Un-Produced Screenplay Competition. If you are a producer or filmmaker, collaborating with these writers may produce your next film, so feel free to explore these great projects waiting to be made. Featured here are some of the best un-produced genre screenplays on the circuit today.
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A FAMILY FARM
Written By: Sean Mannion
Synopsis: A young couple takes an apprenticeship on an organic farm that seeks to restore the land and soil. The farm operates under the philosophy that they can only eat food that has been harvested on the property. They come to find that humans are the only thing that’s harvested.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Sean is a filmmaker based in Colorado. His work has screened at festivals around the world including the FIC Autor, Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival, Solaris Film Festival, and the Underground Cinema Film Festival.
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A WEEPING IN THE WOODS
Written By: Cailin Tamplin
Synopsis: A troubled divorcee is called to an arcane village where the trees have eyes, and his lost love seeks revenge.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: My first step into cosmic horror led me to watch John Carpenter’s The Thing. I was seven. I didn’t sleep for weeks, but I was hooked. Shortly after, I traded my nerf gun for a camcorder and became “that kid that makes movies.” And I never stopped.
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ALICE
Written By: Tom Albanese
Synopsis: A curious girl living in a remote cabin begins to unravel the truth behind her sheltered world.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Fantastic
Screenwriter’s Bio: Tom’s films have played at festivals including Cleveland, Brussels Fantastic, Virginia, HollyShorts, Brooklyn, Rhode Island, LA Shorts and have won awards including “Best After Hours Short” at the 43rd Cleveland International Film Festival, “Best Short Film” at Germany’s 33rd Fantasy Filmfest & “Best Screenplay” at FilmQuest.
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ARKONA
Written By: Angus Watts
Synopsis: In an Antarctic storm, a toothfish trawler is forced to seek shelter on a remote island, when a crewmember is attacked by an unseen creature. A frantic rescue mission ensues, but when more crewmembers are found slain at sea, it becomes clear a voracious shapeshifting predator is among the crew, and the 3000 mile voyage home becomes a nightmarish struggle for survival.
Genre(s): Horror, Sci-Fi
Screenwriter’s Bio: Angus Watts is an award-winning Australian writer and producer, picking up numerous awards for his debut feature ‘Locusts’ including Melbourne Independent Film Festivals Best Feature Screenplay 2020 and OzFlix Independent Film Awards Best Screenplay nominee. Locusts was released theatrically in 2019, and was picked up by Amazon Prime North America in 2020. Angus has won numerous awards for his screenwriting including 14 awards for ‘Legacy’, and his TV series concept ‘Bleach’ was a finalist in the Screen Qld/Stan production finance program in 2020. Angus plans to develop ‘Arkona’ to production in Queensland, Australia in 2022 with award winning cinematographer Allan Hardy (Hype Republic). We are taking it to the international genre festivals to build momentum towards production.
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ASSIMILATED
Written By: Christopher Guerrero
Synopsis: When Valeria and her girlfriend visit home to plan their wedding, she discovers an alien invasion replacing the Latinx community with mindless duplicates.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi
Screenwriter’s Bio: Christopher is a Latinx filmmaker and writer of ASSIMILATED. Originally from a racist town near Fresno, CA, he ousted a Mayor as a KKK member by taking photos of him at a rally and sending them to a local newspaper. After experiencing how stories can fight injustice, he turned to cinema and received his MFA from USC. Currently, he brings his outsider vision directing A-list talent, top brands, studios and continues his commitment to the community through teaching directing at USC. His films were screened at hundreds of festivals, including Hollyshorts, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Cinequest, Cleveland International Film Festival, and Nantucket International Film Festival. The screenplay of ASSIMILATED is a finalist in the ScreenCraft Film Fund and Oaxaca Film Festival. It was a 2nd Rounder at Austin Film Festival, a semi-finalist in Killer Shorts, WeScreenplay Diverse Voices, Official Selection of Coverfly Pitch Week, and top 4% of all Coverfly’s projects.
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BeTwIxT
Written By: Kathryn Orwig
Synopsis: After a girl vanishes in the forest, five teens facing allegations of murder and betrayal must come together to battle the real threat: a dark creature they summoned that night is after them as well. Inspired by a true experience.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantastic
Screenwriter’s Bio: From her rich imagination inspired by her midwestern roots, Kathryn writes primarily action-adventure dramas where characters work together to overcome impossible odds. Kathryn’s won or placed highly in multiple screenwriting competitions (Top 5% Nicholl’s, Page Awards, Screencraft, etc.), acted as a final-round judge at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth in 2019, and wrote 20 scripts for a media company to turn into an animated TV Web Series. Besides writing, she enjoys spending hours researching long-dead ancestors and imagining their lives, learning languages such as Russian, Scottish Gaelic, and Swedish, and can often be found outdoors.
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BFFS NEVER SAY DIE
Written By: K. Jennifer Ilagen
Synopsis: With the aid of her best friend, a ballsy cheerleader tries to solve her own murder and stop a gruesome high school crime spree but the killer might be a lot closer than she thinks.
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy
Screenwriter’s Bio: I am an award-winning television producer and screenwriter. I enjoy horror and all things cheesy. I’m passionate about what I do. I enjoy breaking out in song at the airport.
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BITING SILENCE
Written By: Julie Hindkjær
Synopsis: Unable to face the trauma a friend inflicted on her, a happy-go-lucky high schooler is pushed to the limit as she attends a horror house made by a fraternity, that doesn’t go according to plan.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Julie Hindkjær is an aspiring screenwriter from Copenhagen, Denmark. At the age of 15, she was accepted into Station Next Film youth film school from 2009-2012, igniting her passion for filmmaking. While studying abroad in Los Angeles, she had an internship at Randal Kleiser Productions (2013-2014). Along with finishing her bachelor’s degree in Film and Media Studies, she had an internship at SF Studios Production (2018-2019), and during her master’s degree, she had an internship at Creative Alliance (2020-2021). Both internships were hands-on and focused on pre-production, and she received instrumental insight into the script development process. Through her education, internships, and working on various tv-shows, films, and short film projects, she has garnered industry insight, and she has utilized this knowledge in working on short film projects and in writing feature-length screenplays.
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BLOOD MAPS
Written By: Brian K
Synopsis: When her only child mysteriously vanishes, a reclusive woman embarks on a surreal odyssey, spiraling into a nightmare-filled netherworld where she struggles to overcome her own shattered past, while fighting to save her son from the insidious evil that’s taken possession of him.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: A lifelong movie lover – the weirder, the better – Brian K wrote, directed, and edited three short films while attending film school at UCLA. Recently Brian rededicated himself to writing screenplays, resulting in a feature dark fantasy script, Blood Maps (Semifinalist/Top-10 Horror Feature at the 2020 Austin Film Festival) and a horror short, Consumed (2020 Killer Shorts Finalist).
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BOYS
Written By: Michael Klug
Synopsis: It’s the summer of 1982. Following their parents’ bitter divorce, 13-year old Mickey and his older brother Wade stay in the country with their farm-hand father, Acre. This season of unexpected self-discovery for Mickey coincides with some mysterious and violent changes to the world at large.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Born and raised in South Dakota, Michael Klug is a screenwriter, actor, screenplay consultant and film critic. He lives in Los Angeles. His feature screenplays have won, placed or been selected in over forty film festivals and script competitions.
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BY BLOOD
Written By: Cherie Julander
Synopsis: Caught in a violent marriage in the 1840’s, a woman sizes an opportunity for freedom, and finds herself in the middle of a murder investigating with an unusual method for determining guilt.
Genre(s): Fantastic, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: Cherie Julander is a writer, director, and actor. She has produced several short films, one of which, “Honey Do,” premiered at FilmQuest in 2018.
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CONFECTION
Written By: Christa Boarini
Synopsis: A gifted cake decorator feels uninspired as she struggles to grow her business. But when a freak accident triggers an unrelenting drive to decorate her cakes with human body parts, she’ll try everything to appease her new creative urges without bloodshed, or risk getting lost in her macabre inspirations and ruining the “normal” life she’s worked so hard to build.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Christa Boarini is a Guatemalan director and producer, currently living in Florida. After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with BFA in Film & Television production, Christa worked in commercial and branded content before moving to Los Angeles to work on feature films. There she worked her way up the production ladder to Producer, with credits such as THE OLD WAYS (Sitges ‘20) which hit #1 horror film on Netflix worldwide, and ALL THAT WE DESTROY for the Hulu/Blumhouse INTO THE DARK. Previous directing credits include the award winning short MARADENTRO, the TEEN MOVIE music video for artist Kaleb Rudy, and her upcoming horror short release, BRACKISH. She is currently in development on her first feature film, CONFECTION which was selected as part of the 2021 Frontières International Co-Production Market.
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CONTROL
Written By: Carroll Brown
Synopsis: After a scientist is stranded alone on a scientific outpost near Jupiter, the newly arrived relief crew must uncover what happened to the previous mission, and whether the remaining scientist is actually who or what she says she is, in order to stop a possible alien adversary.
Genre(s): Horror, Sci-Fi
Screenwriter’s Bio: Carroll Brown is a screenwriter, author of fiction and poetry, former entertainment journalist and film and literary critic. His noir thriller script, “The Cheshire Cat” was produced as an independent feature and played at film festivals across the country and in Europe, and other scripts have won and placed in numerous competitions. He wrote and directed an award-winning science fiction short film, was hired to write an action-thriller for an A-list action star, and the pilot for a forthcoming historical drama about the Mafia in Cuba. Among other recent projects are dramatic thriller short film, The Caddy, starring Ron Perlman, and another feature was just greenlit by a major production company.
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DUNGEON DEEP
Written By: Harry Kakatsakis
Synopsis: A discredited wizard, investigating the disappearance of a royal platoon, discovers a dungeon inhabited by unspeakable horrors, uncovering a conspiracy that could plunge the kingdom into a holy war.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy
Screenwriter’s Bio: Harry started early growing up with Academy Award-nominated mother, June Squibb. He has directed many projects, the most accomplished being the multi-award-winning short, “Admissions,” starring James Cromwell. He is currently concentrating on writing socially conscious horror/SciFi/fantasy with a dramedy tone, sharing that which thrilled and terrified him as a child .
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FEAR THE DARK
Written By: Lewis Taylor
Synopsis: In 1969, grief-stricken former child psychologist NIA ALLEN is partnered with the charming police officer OWEN MURPHY to investigate a family’s claims of a ghostly haunting. However, nothing is what it seems as the two officers find the very fabric of their realities torn apart. A dark POLTERGEIST-like twisting thriller/horror that evolves into a WELLSIAN nightmarish exploration of grief, set in the backdrop of 1960’s London England.
Genre(s): Horror, Sci-Fi, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: Not to be mistaken with the famous Pop / Jazz Musician also named Lewis Taylor, Lewis Taylor is an award-winning London born writer/director and trained animator. Lewis has worked extensively in all aspects of the film and television industry for the last five years. Whether it’s helping develop scripts for Hammer Films or creating costumes for Transformers, his energy and enthusiasm for film is as extensive as his collection of laser-discs.
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GHOSTIES
Written By: Julie Sharbutt
Synopsis: When two best friends escape for a weekend to oversee a family rental property, they stumble on a terrifying presence that changes the way they see each other. Literally.
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: JULIE SHARBUTT is a filmmaker and writer from New York City, now living in Los Angeles. Recent credits include CUPIDS, a short comedy film she co-wrote with director Zoey Martinson for Tribeca Studios’ 8:46 Films Program, which will premiere in 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. 2018 Time Warner (WarnerMedia) OneFifty New Storytellers Initiative Artist. Co-Writer of SWIPE NIGHT: SEASON TWO (2020) for Tinder and 72 & Sunny (dir. Karena Evans). Julie’s short horror film 3 DAYS, screened at over thirty film festivals including 2019 Fantastic Fest, San Francisco Indie Fest and Atlanta Shorts Fest (Best Screenplay), and is now streaming on premiere horror channel ALTER. Her debut feature film debut as a writer and director, MOVED, was distributed by 1091 in 2015. The feature film she co-created and starred in, THE WEEKEND, was distributed by 1091 in 2019.
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HYSTERIA
Written By: Jenna Payne
Synopsis: Tired of being dismissed, a chronically ill, undiagnosed patient takes matters into her own hands, murders most of her doctors, and blows up an insurance company. A dark comedy/medical revenge inspired by my own battle with autoimmune disease and the US healthcare system.
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy
Screenwriter’s Bio: I rented Robert Wise’s THE HAUNTING for my 2nd grade slumber party and have proudly creeped out friends, family, and colleagues ever since. My hobbies include: buckets of blood, fast talking, and dangerous women. For the past few years, I battled the US healthcare system in addition to autoimmune disease and channeled my rage into a feature-length dark comedy/medical revenge called HYSTERIA. I was eventually diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, hypermobility/Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s, and more after 2+ years of begging for help and being dismissed, all while my health declined and I became disabled. I hope I’m one of the last patients to suffer this long and hard under the tyranny of a supposedly advanced country’s heartless – and sometimes brainless – healthcare system, and I’m ready to exact fictional revenge! I am now launching a production company and genre incubator for emerging filmmakers called Disaster Capital with a focus on fresh, inclusive talent. HYSTERIA is one of our first three projects.
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INVERSION
Written By: Suzy Stein & Fernando Perez
Synopsis: A time traveling Federal Marshal discovers his new hot shot partner was responsible for the death of his old partner and vows to bring him to justice. But when he learns of a conspiracy involving diverging timelines, he must determine who is behind it before time is altered forever.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi
Screenwriter’s Bio: N/A
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JESSE JAMES VS. JACK THE RIPPER
Written By: Alasdair James McMullan
Synopsis: Thought dead, Jesse James has a chance at a new life, but his plans are interrupted when his mistress is killed by Jack the Ripper. Can Jesse stay ahead of the law long enough to take his revenge?
Genre(s): Horror, Fantastic
Screenwriter’s Bio: Alasdair McMullan is a native NewYorker transplanted to Los Angeles. A long time entertainment lawyer and executive, his passion is the movies.
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JUDGEMENT HOUSE
Written By: Alan R. Baxter
Synopsis: When her father turns ill, an ambitious law student returns to her rural Texas town and discovers her baby sister joined a notorious church. Desperate to save her, she infiltrates the church’s main attraction, Judgement House, an extreme haunted house that uses graphic violence and crime to scare up conversions… which may not be entirely for show.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantastic
Screenwriter’s Bio: N/A
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MILLENNIUM BUG
Written By: James Howells
Synopsis: On the stroke of midnight, New Year’s Eve 1999, an isolated Washington border station is ripped from this time and space and plunged into darkness. A darkness full of horrific and ravenous creatures.
Genre(s): Horror, Sci-Fi
Screenwriter’s Bio: I’m a human who thinks it’s best to grow his hair out before it falls out. I’m from the UK but I live in Vancouver because it’s nice and racoons walk the streets at night. I write stories inspired by the things my parents let raise me, namely rickety sci-fi movies and VHS schlock. I work in network TV as an actor’s assistant because I like actors, they make hack writing come to life somehow.
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MONTANA
Written By: Brendan Steere
Synopsis: After a lonely man in rural America is gifted a videocamera, he decides to drug, kidnap, and imprison a female college student so he can train her to be a good wife.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Brendan Steere is a filmmaker and musician from Montana, currently based in Pasadena, CA. He is the writer/director of the 2014 horror feature Animosity, and the 2019 viral sensation The VelociPastor.
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MOON CHILD
Written By: Brendan Butler
Synopsis: A deranged child grows into a murderous freak after getting locked in the basement for ten years. But he escapes for one night of hell.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: N/A
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MORBIDLY
Written By: Don Stroud
Synopsis: A young physical therapist slowly loses his grip on reality as he succumbs to the seductiveness of his only patient, a morbidly obese woman with a grisly secret.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Hailing from the wilds of North Carolina, I spent my formative years drawing my own comic books, and crafting galaxy-spanning sagas with my homemade toys. After a lengthy detour with a career in the software industry, I decided to dust off my artistic dreams and get back to creating. I became an editor in Hollywood, working on low-budget horror movies and award-winning documentaries. But after time spent playing with other peoples’ toys, I decided to craft my own, and transfer the stories in my head to the written page. Over the last several years I have dedicated my energies towards screenwriting, producing several almost-award-winning original screenplays in the process. My goal is a lofty one: sitting in a darkened theater and seeing my work up on the big screen.
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NEED TO KNOW
Written By: Simon Craven
Synopsis: When Hitler’s deputy defects to war-torn Britain, the psychiatrist sent to investigate uncovers a conspiracy at the top of government and royalty
Genre(s): Fantastic
Screenwriter’s Bio: I’ve been writing television and film for five years, building on a career as a professional writer in journalism, politics and corporate life experience in journalism and corporate life.
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NEW COVENTRY
Written By: Matt Devino
Synopsis: Amy, a teenage girl from a secluded New England town, and her four best friends go searching for her younger brother after he vanishes in the woods. In doing so, they discover a supernatural creature that threatens to consume her brother’s life, and unleash a plague of evil on their small town.
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy
Screenwriter’s Bio: Matt is a writer and director originally from a small New England town, now living in Los Angeles. His films have been heavily influenced by his early years in New England, which he believes is the scariest place in the world, seeping with superstition and myth.
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NORTHWARD DAMNED
Written By: Bryce Vails
Synopsis: Wanted for a string of murders in late 19th century Michigan, the grizzled Emmaline Jacobs races for the Canadian border with her niece Clara, in an attempt to get to safety before the young girl succumbs to an unearthly sickness. Standing in their way is frigid wilderness, shadows of Emmaline’s criminal past, and Clara’s monstrous new tendencies.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Bryce Vails is a person who likes movies and also making them occasionally. A recent graduate of La Sierra University, he studied under fellow screenplay finalist Carrie Specht. That’s kinda neat.
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OLIVIA’S WAR
Written By: Avishai Weinberger
Synopsis: Trapped in a time-looping dorm building with bloodthirsty monsters, one college student must relive the horror again and again as she struggles to save the life of her crush.
Genre(s): Horror, Sci-Fi, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: Avishai is an Orthodox Jewish horror/sci-fi screenwriter from New York. This will be his third year at FilmQuest.
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PREYTA
Written By: Jerry J Sampson
Synopsis: When adult siblings Valerie and Patrick return to fix and sell their family home, they awaken PRETYA a malevolent ancestral entity with quenchless thirst. As PREYTA siphons away their life force they both begin to experience the re-emergence of traumatic childhood memories. Eventually they start to question the validity of their memories – are they real or imagined or something PRETYA is imprinting on them?
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Jerry Sampson is a horror screenwriter and journalist. Her love for film and the horror genre leads her to explore and question the darkness that lies in the shadows of human existence. She studies the concept of inherited trauma and finds that theme coming up unconsciously in much of her work.
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PRODUCT 125
Written By: Jim Falletta
Synopsis: In a future where the government has extended life, destroyed natural resources, and outlawed pregnancy, one mother attempts to escape the wrath of the megalomaniac scientist in charge of protecting the establishment’s greatest secret before her daughter and her unborn child are put to death.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi
Screenwriter’s Bio: Jim earned his MFA in Screenwriting from Chapman University. Since then, he has gone on to receive a variety of film and television recognition through both contests as well as 2 separate feature film options.
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SINder
Written By: Danielle Erlich
Synopsis: After losing her father to her evil stepmother, Cinder teams up with a female band of warriors to keep her stepfamily from murdering their way to the throne.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy
Screenwriter’s Bio: A Top 10 Sci-Fi Screenwriter @ AFF Danielle grew up sickly. She read & watched films to escape her symptoms. 3 yrs ago, she was told she had a rare autoimmune disease. She wrote her saga LEGACY while ill & undergoing chemo. She has won 56 awards, and 90 noms. She was invited to Imagine Impact & Stuart Lowder and Brian McKissick joined her team. Danielle writes fantasy & action-adventure scripts.
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SOMETHING WICKED
Written By: Allison Hanna
Synopsis: A witch, uninterested in inheriting his family’s evil legacy, is forced to confront his destiny when his evil mother kidnaps his girlfriend.
Genre(s): Fantasy
Screenwriter’s Bio: Vegas-born, med school dropout that’s been writing since 8 years old. Graduated from UNLV’s film department in 2020 with an emphasis on screenwriting.
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STARCROSSED
Written By: Jeffrey Howe
Synopsis: When a sheltered scientist and a rootless space pilot take a week-long ride-share to Earth, their years of forced solitude collide with love, even as the greedy schemes of the scientist’s father threaten to knock them out of orbit.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi
Screenwriter’s Bio: Jeffrey Howe lives and works in the scenic Black Creek Bottoms area near St. Louis, Missouri. His feature and short screenplays have won or reached the finals of over 100 competitions since June 2015. His drama feature script “Flat-rate Frank” was a top 50 semifinalist for the 2020 Academy Nicholl Fellowship.
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TENANTS
Written By: Maegan Langer
Synopsis: A regular dad, recovering from a terrible accident, must protect his family from a colony of sinister creatures living under his old house.
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy
Screenwriter’s Bio: Maegan Langer has been a horror fan since the age of seven, when her mom let her stay up late one night to watch Alien on TV. She was going to be a veterinarian, but then swerved to screenwriting and never looked back.
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THE CORRUPTION
Written By: Alyssa Stevens
Synopsis: A troubled couple living at an isolated ranch are torn apart after a fracking incident awakens an evil entity that feeds on selfishness and turns the husband and wife into hunter and prey.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: A latchkey kid, Alyssa was left alone to watch and read all sorts of horror, action, and trashy romance that influenced her from an early age. Now, she writes screenplays and books in those same genres, featuring smart and fierce women leads. In addition to being a writer, she’s a badass baker, a mom to two rescue horses, a kidney donor, and a lover of all things 80s.
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THE FAERIE RINGS
Written By: Zina Brown
Synopsis: A story about the promise of visionary plant medicines to heal those in need, and the cruelty of those who would outlaw them. A grim society constrained by powerful tyrants is disturbed when a desperate young artist enters the forbidden realm of Faeries.
Genre(s): Fantasy
Screenwriter’s Bio: Zina’s unique visual and narrative style has been screened in film festivals across the world, including the FICMA Barcelona International Environmental Film Festival, the Miami Short Film Festival, the Jaipur International Film Festival in India, FilmQuest, and New York City’s VisionFest. His short film, Dreams of the Last Butterflies, was screened at 50 Film Festivals in 13 countries on 5 continents, as well as winning many awards and appearing on RollingStone.com.
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THE HUNGRY GHOST
Written By: Trinity Shi
Synopsis: A skeptical graduate student visits China for her grandmother’s birthday celebration, only to discover her family is trapped in the clutches of an insatiable demon known as the Hungry Ghost.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Trinity Shi is a Chinese-American writer who focuses on horror, sci-fi, and mysteries featuring AAPI protagonists. She produced her first feature while attending the graduate film program at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. She is the writer and creator of a 6-part mystery mini-series acquired by Alibaba/Youku. Outside of film and TV, Trinity writes and creates content for the popular plant blog Cube House Jungle and has been featured in Apartment Therapy, The Spruce, and Domino Magazine. She is currently developing a dark comedy feature based on the elusive plant community and her experiences as a plant-fluencer.
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THE IVORY BUCK
Written By: Jason Von Godi
Synopsis: A peaceful husband and father turns executioner after a family gathering falls siege to a clan of backwoods psychopaths.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Jason Von Godi is a writer and filmmaker from Dallas, Texas. He works in the photo industry by day and spends his free time writing and working on film projects. An avid lover of horror, he spends the rest of his time with his family, forcing them to watch slasher movies and obscure genre films. He is the co-creator of The Hoot Owl, a slasher film currently in film festivals and the co-author of Slaves For Gods, a graphic novel published by Hermes Press.
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THE LONG AND THE SHORT
Written By: Julie Fergus
Synopsis: After being trapped for months with her husband and three children, Izzy gets the opportunity to reconnect with her creative soul. But returning to her hometown to make a horror short film with her “indie bro” friends might just be the scariest story of all.
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy
Screenwriter’s Bio: Julie Fergus is a writer, director and actress with a degree in theatre from USC. When not chasing her three children around, she runs the production company Penguin in a Parka with her husband Mark.
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THE MILLHAVEN CHRONICLES
Written By: Rachel Searcey
Synopsis: In dead end Millhaven, Mildred’s magical powers don’t do her any favors. When her girlfriend is kidnapped by the Cult of Azazeroth, Mildred must confront her abilities and mysterious past- to prevent the apocalypse!
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: I made my first horror film as a teenager back in the early 2000s, and then graduated from film school at Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX) in 2005. Since then I’ve produced and written multiple short horror films, and I’m ready to move onto my first feature! The Millhaven Chronicles represents my lifetime love of the genre, while transforming Lovecraft’s cliches for a modern audience.
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THE PUPPET
Written By: Steven Fierberg
Synopsis: A drama/horror film about Samantha, a young woman who tries to escape her horrific past by running away to California, but finds that a witch of her bigoted, abusive mother is literally on her back, controlling her. Can Sam free herself from this evil lineage before it subsumes her?
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Steven Fierberg is an award-winning cinematographer and director, receiving an ASC Award for best cinematography and a Latin Grammy. Last year, he shot the premiere season of Darren Star’s hit series, Emily in Paris (Golden Globe nom for Best Comedy), and completed shooting the fifth season of The Affair (Golden Globe winner for Best Drama), directing two episodes.
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THE STRANGE TRANSGRESSIONS AND ODD DEPRAVITY OF PECULIAR CITIZENS
Written By: Isaiah Mouw
Synopsis: The newly appointed Sheriff of Peculiar, Missouri and his poorly funded department struggle to contain the criminal wrongdoings from local citizens that snowball into one violent afternoon.
Genre(s): Fantastic
Screenwriter’s Bio: Isaiah’s passion for film began when as a kid, living in Japan, he stumbled upon a worn-out VHS tape of Star Wars: A New Hope. Since then, he’s taken in movies by the thousands. As a screenwriter, Isaiah uses his knowledge of cinema and unique upbringing abroad to tell his stories. He enjoys writing small town dramas and science fiction, and occasionally enjoys writing small town science fiction dramas. His major screenwriting influences are the Coen Brothers, David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino.
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THE VIRGIN
Written By: Trysta A. Bissett
Synopsis: A nun with a troubled past searches for a missing child, triggering a series of mysterious deaths at an isolated Catholic orphanage in the 1950s.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Trysta A. Bissett is an award-winning writer and producer. She co-wrote and produced AMC’s Shudder Exclusive RUIN ME, which screened at over 40 film festivals worldwide, including FrightFest London, Austin Film Festival, and Seattle International Film Festival. RUIN ME won the 2017 iHorror Award for Excellence in Horror. With writing partner Preston DeFrancis, Trysta co-wrote THE BIG PRODUCTION, which received a Student Emmy. Their thriller script A TEACHER’S OBSESSION was produced by Mar Vista Entertainment and aired on Lifetime. They are currently writing horror-thriller AFTER THE SUMMER, which they plan to film in 2020. Trysta’s feature animation script PONY AT LARGE was an Academy Nicholl Fellowships semi-finalist. She was the writers’ assistant on MANHUNT: LONE WOLF for Lionsgate Television. And she produced several feature films for SSS Entertainment, including WHITE RABBIT, ALL MISTAKES BURIED, and BLOOD HEIST. Trysta is a BS Telecommunications graduate of Ohio University and holds an MFA in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California.
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TIME, SPACE, AND THE POET
Written By: John Turner
Synopsis: A poet tries to awaken society to the evil plans of the international task force known as, The Organized Awareness Agency
Genre(s): Sci-Fi, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: John Turner was born in a small town in Ohio in the sixties. He grew up with many siblings in somewhat poverty. But days sitting the dark without electricity gave him the light of imagination which in part has contributed to the success of his becoming an author as well as screenwriter.
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TRAPPED IN PLAIN SIGHT
Written By: Tammy Klembith & George Klembith
Synopsis: In a quest for answers about his father’s mysterious disappearance, a 20-something hacker finds himself trapped inside a jigsaw puzzle, where he struggles to stay alive while his friends have to finish the puzzle in the real world in order to free him.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Fantasy, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: Tammy Klembith is an award-winning Writer/Director/Producer. A graduate of New York University (Tisch) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Film/TV, she specializes in horror, comedy, fantasy and Sci-Fi. Tammy’s horror short films have received 50+ awards to date in festivals. The feature screenplay she wrote with her partner, George Klembith, TRAPPED IN PLAIN SIGHT, made The Red List and is in the Top 2% on Coverfly.
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VINLAND
Written By: Bryan Ricke & Melissa Vitello
Synopsis: A Viking clan from Newfoundland sails further into the unknown in order to escape their enemies and a hostile environment. When the ship is tossed onto the shores of a desolate island populated with horrific creatures, the crew’s young leader must decide how to help his people survive.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy
Screenwriter’s Bio: Bryan Ricke and Melissa Vitello have been a filmmaking/writing duo in the industry for over ten years. With four features and countless short films under their belt, the two have a variety of experience in producing, writing, directing and cinematography. They have worked with prestigious filmmakers such as William Butler, and currently Melissa is in development for a feature film to be directed by Eduardo Sanchez.
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WHEN NOVEMBER ENDS
Written By: Michael Yurinko
Synopsis: After losing his wife to an accident, a woodsman struggles to raise his two sons and teach them the value of all life around them, even the demonic hellhound that pushed into their world.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Michael Yurinko is a produced screewriter with several horror films such as ENTITY, starring Holt Boggs and Nick Mancuso and IMPURATUS filming in November – December 2021 starring Tom Sizemore, Robert Miano and Lew Temple.
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WHERE SHADOWS LIVE
Written By: Grace Presse
Synopsis: After a short stint in a mental clinic, Leila joins her friends on a celebratory camping trip to a secret part of a forest. As Leila grapples with her grasp on reality, the friends soon realize they’re not alone in the woods, and must each face their own battles or survive.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Grace Presse is an Australian writer and director currently living in Los Angeles. She started her writing journey in sketch comedy, and shortly after watching It Follows realized comedy and horror aren’t so different. She made her first horror short film and became completely obsessed with creating horror stories. Her screenplay Where Shadows Live is an ode to her demons and she hopes you are doing okay.
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YOUNG BOY
Written By: Rachel Jacob
Synopsis: A young boy of color with an incredible inner world encounters two dark mysterious figures outside of his treehouse in the woods with his best friend Howie; these figures take him on a journey as he deals with his dying mother, an intense father, and school issues. One creature haunts him, the other offers him a gift, will he accept it?
Genre(s): Fantasy, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: A New Orleans native, Rachel Jacob is an award winning writer/director who has worked in the industry for over 12 years. Coming up through the AD and Casting departments, she has directed many award-winning short films as well as produced a short-form web series. She is now taking her experience and love of cinema and channeling it into writing, directing, and producing feature-length projects. Rachel’s aim in filmmaking is to have her films make deep impacts, not only in storytelling but in society at large by partnering with organizations that want to help make the world a better place and who provide the resources to make that happen!
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YOUR GUARDED HEART
Written By: Ryan M. Lange
Synopsis: The shipwrecked son of a famous Spanish explorer must unlock the secrets of a treacherous island in order to break a curse cast upon his former love.
Genre(s): Fantasy, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: Ryan Michael Lange is a screenwriter and multi-instrumentalist music producer. He’s written a full season of television, four features, and adapted episodes of television. His screenplays seek to blend character-driven drama with thrilling mysteries and have placed in contests like AFF, ScreenCraft, Scriptapalooza, Stage 32, and Unique Voices.
