Screenplays

The following screenplays are the Top 50 Feature Screenplay Finalists for the 2020 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 NIGHT IN THE COUNTRY

Written By: Larry Hankin

Synopsis: “A Night In The Country” takes place in an old mansion, under a full moon, involving 28-year-old Darcy Brillig (lead), her greedy, new husband Ben, a beat-up, old satchel stuffed with cash, 3 bad guys, 1 very bad guy, and a cursed, pissed-off vampire. What could go wrong? A female-driven comedy-thriller.
Genre(s): Comedy, Thriller

Screenwriter’s Bio: “I’ve been a writer and actor most of my adult life. My first original film short (for which I wrote, acted, produced, and directed: “Solly’s Diner”, got an Academy Award nomination in 1980 and that set my sights on writing and acting from then on. “Solly’s” was made with the money I earned from my first major feature length movie, “Escape From Alcatraz” and ever since I’ve been writing film shorts and acting: from “Laverne and Shirley” and “Alcatraz” right up through “Seinfeld” as Tom Pepper, the guy who stole the raisins, to Mr. Heckles on “Friends”, up to Old and including Old Joe on “Breaking Bad” and “El Camino”, and The Russian Hit Man on “Barry”. This is my 3rd attempt at writing in the longer form of a comedy thriller feature.”

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BEAST OF VIRGINIA

Written By: Matthew Corley

Synopsis: During a harsh colonial winter, an outcast in a remote Puritan society must confront a mysterious beast that’s slaughtering villagers before she is executed as the witch responsible.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Matthew has a B.S. in R.T.F from the University of Texas, he writes original features of pulse pounding horror or side splitting comedy. Either way, his writing’s bound to have some form of impact on your bodily functions.

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BENNY B

Written By: Michael Hogan

Synopsis: A retired hall of fame baseball announcer in need of new purpose is abducted by aliens, throwing him back into the game to save a stadium full of fans from hungry extraterrestrials.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Comedy

Screenwriter’s Bio: Michael William Hogan is a screenwriter whose unusual trinity of genre specialties includes comedy, faith-based and horror. He wasn’t always so twisted.  For many years, Michael was a corporate executive-type. Until one day he woke up and realized that he was working for all the wrong reasons. And all the wrong people.  Alarmed but enlightened, Michael thought about checking himself into one of those outrageously expensive facilities in the hills above Malibu but discovered their practice didn’t include corporate executive-typectomies. Undeterred, he bought a tattered volume of Mid-Life Crisis Management for Dummies at a used bookstore in Brentwood only to then discover the chapter on transitioning from corporate hell to career heaven had been torn out. Left with only self-reliance, Michael managed to burrow into his own head, rewiring his grey matter to finally pursue what matters: faith, happiness, creativity, screenwriting.  In the time since—and somehow without the help of artificial intelligence or an MFA in Writing for Screen & Television—multiple short and feature scripts magically appeared on Michael’s hard drive. To-date, his scripts have garnered over 100 awards, including over two-dozen outright wins in competitions.

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BESTIAL

Written By: Clark D. Schaefer

Synopsis: A grieving couple travels to a small town to recover from the death of their child, but the wife’s inability to deal with her grief causes her to slowly lose her mind.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Award winning Filmmaker, Writer, Director and Producer. I have been writing for 10 years and have completed five short films and one feature. Planning on directing and producing this feature script – Bestial.

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CADICLE

Written By: James Fox & Darrell Gabonia

Synopsis: When a teenage girl from Earth begins training as an elite officer in the galactic military, her instant connection to a gifted young man places her at the center of a secret interdimensional war.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi

Screenwriter’s Bio: Native American and Californian, James Fox is a natural storyteller. Upon his graduation from the Academy of Art in San Francisco, with a BFA in both Directing and Producing, he became the Founder and CEO of Dawnrunner Inc. and has championed the company through numerous award-winning projects over the last fifteen years.  As a writer, Fox devotes his energies to the careful crafting of compelling characters and diverse worlds.  “Storytelling,” he says, “is the best way to influence change upon the Earth.  Let’s make sure we’re telling good stories.”

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CELLULAR MEMORY

Written By: Brian Erwin & Christine Hunsicker

Synopsis: From her hospital ICU bed, a transplant recipient must act upon memories lodged in the cells of her twin sister’s donated organ to solve her murder before she is slayed by the same killer a second time.
Genre(s): The Beyond, Fantastic

Screenwriter’s Bio: The screenwriting team of Brian Erwin and Christine Hunsicker have compiled 32 film festival honors.

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COVER CROP

Written By: Jeffrey Howe

Synopsis: On an isolated farm planet, a botanist used to playing it safe stumbles back into a relationship with an old flame—and onto a secret her corporate bosses will kill to keep.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Comedy

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 short fiction appears in One Teen Story, in the anthology Moon Shot: Murder and Mayhem at the Edge of Space, at UntreedReads.com, in the quarterly anthology The First Line, and at Smashwords.   His first produced script, “Past Partum” won Best Horror Short at the 2019 Toronto Independent Film Festival.

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CRAZY TIME

Written By: L. Andrew Cooper

Synopsis: A traumatized woman believes she suffers from a curse reminiscent of the Book of Job, but instead of responding with piety, she hunts down the horrors’ source, risking madness, the apocalypse, or both.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantastic, The Beyond

Screenwriter’s Bio: L. Andrew Cooper writes across genres and forms, often focusing on the psychedelic and strange. He studied the Gothic/horror tradition for his Ph.D. at Princeton and has since published 10 books that are somehow related. He has been working on screenwriting since 2018.

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DARKROOM

Written By: Levi Buchanan

Synopsis: When a quiet accountant develops a forgotten roll of film from her past, she unleashes the personification of a trauma that demands the justice she was once denied.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Levi Buchanan is a filmmaker and writer (screenplays, videogame narrative, and comic books), as well as an executive in the video game industry. He has been a syndicated columnist for the Chicago Tribune, an editor for IGN Entertainment, and an author for Random House.

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DIAMOND LAKE

Written By: Justin Michael Terry

Synopsis: During the last week of Summer camp, awkward tween, Anna, has her soul switched with a monstrous, hulking killer. In her new body, Anna must convince the other campers to help her fight the real killer… now in the body of a young girl.
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy

Screenwriter’s Bio: JMT is a writer and actor in LA. He’s done comedy for 20 years, now he writes horror. Figure it out.

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ERASED

Written By: Camille Huot & Ambrealys

Synopsis: From skilled criminals to misfit government agents, Elizabeth, Lolita, Katarina and Avah must dodge both terrorist bullets and political games to earn back their freedom.
Genre(s): Fantastic

Screenwriter’s Bio: Camille and Ambrealys met a few years ago, while Ambrealys was managing the parisian publishing company to which he submitted his first novel. Their relationship quickly evolved into a full-blown creative partnership.  Ambrealys eventually moved to New York in 2015, where she worked as a translator for the UN while simultaneously reconnecting with her first love: theater.  Then, in 2018, a small Boston-based production company contacted her, asking her to write a screenplay based on a concept they had. She accepted on the condition she could work with Camille, which they agreed on. Since then, Ambrealys and Camille write scenes for a New York company that create custom scenes for actors.

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FAITHFUL SHADOW

Written By: Kevin J. Howard

Synopsis: While trying to enjoy their summer employment, a group of young adults are terrorized by a mysterious creature. It isn’t until the creature takes up residence within the Old Faithful Inn, that a small group of rangers and firemen fake an evacuation to close the Inn and hunt it.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Kevin J. Howard is a world-renowned author/screenwriter with three published works and ten award winning screenplays. Two additional film festival wins for screenplays he adapted from client’s novels. He has received excellent coverage on his work from the Atlanta Screenplay Awards, the Chicago Screenplay Awards, and the New York Screenplay Awards.  He lives in Washington with his two sons.

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FIRST NATION

Written By: Thomas DiMassimo

Synopsis: A young indigenous girl discovers she has ancestral powers which might just save Earth from a Zombie-Alien outbreak.
Genre(s): The Beyond

Screenwriter’s Bio: Tommy DiMassimo is a writer based in Los Angeles California. He combines his background in activism and the arts to create revolutionary characters and dramatically exciting stories. You

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FRACTAL

Written By: Euroy Tan

Synopsis: With humanity extinct, a mysterious android spawns the first human beings in 2,000 years to repopulate Earth – but they turn against her and threaten humanity’s last chance at survival.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi

Screenwriter’s Bio: I am a self-taught Storyteller and Screenwriter from Australia. Since starting my Screenwriting journey 2 years ago, all of my screenplays to date have seen success in gaining placements and/or selections in various screenplay competitions. In 2018, my script ‘INFINITUS’ won Best Screenplay at the Other Worlds Film Festival. I particularly love genre films, especially Sci-Fi, though I enjoy writing, filming, and watching pretty much anything that has an entertaining and/or impactful story. I enjoy collaborating with filmmakers of all kinds, and hope to bring some of my stories to screen someday.

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GIFTS

Written By: Josh Kaukl

Synopsis: A young Korean-American girl afflicted with nightmarish visions must accept her true calling before it’s too late.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: I’m a psychiatric and ER living between science and non secular spirituality.

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GRAVEN

Written By: David Campfield

Synopsis: A malicious alien lands amid the Amish country, and now a pacifistic people will have to fight if they’re to survive.
Genre(s): Horror, Sci-Fi

Screenwriter’s Bio: Known mostly for his no budget comedy-horrors (Caesar & Otto’s Summer Camp Massacre, Deadly Xmas and Paranormal Halloween)   indie filmmaker Dave Campfield has always aspired for more dramatic fare. His latest screenplay Graven required countless hours of research to bring accuracy to a story depicting an Amish community’s struggle against a malicious entity.

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GUACAMOLE YESTERDAYS

Written By: Hudson Phillips

Synopsis: A quirky, grounded sci-fi feature film about a young cartoonist named Ames who meets with a therapist after a painful split from her husband Franklin. The therapist enters Ames into a trial run utilizing a new technological device called the CONFAB, which allows Ames to relive and even change her past memories in order to help her heal. But the technology comes into question when Ames loses her grip on reality—unable to tell fact from fiction.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi

Screenwriter’s Bio: Hudson Phillips is a screenwriter and indie film producer in Atlanta, GA. He wrote the feature film This World Alone, which is coming off of a successful film festival run where it won “Best Feature” at five festivals including Phoenix Film Fest where he also won “Best Screenplay”. The film will be released in Spring 2020. He previously co-wrote the screenplay Church League, which was optioned by Lions Gate Films and produced in 2013 with Executive Producer Jeff Foxworthy. Additionally, Hudson is the founder of ScriptBlast, an organization which cultivates community and creates resources for screenwriters.

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GULLUN DRIFT

Written By: Richard Clarke

Synopsis: Australia 1980’s. Grieving his lost daughter, police officer Jack Henderson hunts down Ryan Walker the headstrong son of murder suspect Cainan Walker. The relentless pursuit uncovers a savage war between a Gaelic clan and a preternatural soul eater. A soul eater intent on Jack’s daughter. And only Ryan can save her.
Genre(s): Fantasy

Screenwriter’s Bio: Richard is a writer and filmmaker from Brighton UK.  His first Screenplay: Airborne won Best Feature at the Amsterdam Int FF and has been a finalist at eight Int Film Festivals to date, including Oaxaca Int FF 2019 Mexico.  His short film ‘Cinema Mythica’ was selected for a number of international film festivals including an Italian version for the 10th River Film Festival, Padova, Italy. It won Best Music Award at MAC Underground Film Festival in Manaus Brazil.

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HOMETOWN

Written By: James Rees

Synopsis: In Harrow Hill, Bailey Wyndhurst celebrates her last night with lifelong friends, Nick and Vincent, before finally leaving town, and her family’s reputation, behind for good. Unfortunately, events take a sinister turn when their ride home mows down a jogger fleeing hooded, cult-like figures.
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy, The Beyond

Screenwriter’s Bio: James Rees is a screenwriter based in London, UK. He sometimes gets ideas for his stories hiking through ancient, foggy moors and forests of the English countryside. James has been hooked on the horror genre since being traumatised by BBC’s Ghostwatch at the tender age of 6. His dream is to one day write a horror film produced by Blumhouse Productions, and is currently building his body of nightmares as a writer.

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HURRICANE PARTY

Written By: James B. Cox & Robert Husted

Synopsis: Two high school girls are in deep when their revenge prank gets them trapped on a yacht in the middle of Hurricane Andrew with a mysterious killer murdering the passengers one by one.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: James B. Cox – Writer-director, comic creator, and FilmQuest alumnus, James B. Cox has made a career out of telling stories that are both outlandish and deeply personal. Previous FilmQuest official selection, Ctrl Alt Delete (aka Hacked) garnered several awards during its festival run and now can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video. His adaptation of Stephen King’s Gray Matter, produced while a film student at Chapman University, continues to screen around the world at festivals and conventions devoted to the author. James now lives in Orange County, CA with his marvelous wife, their two rambunctious boys, and faithful dog.

Robert Husted – Born and raised in the suburban wilds of Connecticut, Robert Husted attended NYU and eventually moved to Los Angeles, working for such companies as Disney, Technicolor, and now Netflix. His short film Lost Treasure of the Valley has won 45 awards to date, and he hopes to make another movie someday soon once the planet is healthy again.

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IN COUNTRY

Written By: Scott Peterman & Cat Davis

Synopsis: During the waning days of the Vietnam War, a squad of Special Forces soldiers embark on an illegal mission over the Cambodian border where they encounter a race of monstrous creatures living deep in the jungle.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Cat Davis & Scott Peterman met almost twenty years ago mounting oddball musical theater productions at Yale. Our partnership has always been a case of not just 2+2=5, but 2+2=spaceship. After pursuing successful creative careers on opposite coasts – Cat as a stand-up comedian and staff writer in LA, Scott as a rock and roll show and live event director in NYC – we have reunited to bring their joint superpowers to bear creating fresh and unique new IP for film and television.

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KELIPOT

Written By: Seth Nesenholtz

Synopsis: When a Jewish monster-hunter and her sorcerer brother pursue a young vampire through rural Texas, her increasingly reckless behavior triggers a crisis of faith and the loss of her supernatural powers.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy, The Beyond

Screenwriter’s Bio: Austin-based writer who gave up living in the “real world” years ago.

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KUDZU

Written By: Marisa Forrest

Synopsis: A recovering addict must rescue her estranged son from an “orphanage,” which is actually a front for a dangerous cult that turns children into murderous criminals.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy, The Beyond

Screenwriter’s Bio: Marisa Forrest is an LA transplant by way of Atlanta (after a brief stint in New York as a baby).  She has Northeastern sophistication and Southern charm, and, after a few drinks, the accent to prove it.  Marisa has immersed herself in the entertainment industry as a creator and consumer, voraciously watching films and television in both a historical and popular context.  In her world, Parasite and the “Housewives” peacefully coexist.  After beginning her career as a development executive, Marisa recently had the epiphany that screenwriting is her true calling.  She is extraordinarily proud that all five of her scripts (three features and two pilots) have been awarded in multiple competitions.  Marisa is insatiably curious and adores informed decisions, great punchlines, and Diet Dr. Pepper.

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LONELY PLANET

Written By: Karl Mather

Synopsis: The year is 2112 and Earth is powered almost entirely by solar energy sourced from the moon. When his ex-wife suddenly decides to remarry, Soichi is forced to smuggle his 8 year old daughter aboard the space station he works on, unaware that a crash on the surface of the moon has set in motion a chain of events that will change their lives forever.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi

Screenwriter’s Bio: Karl was born in Liverpool, England and is a lifelong supporter of Everton F.C.  He has worked as an advertising copywriter for several years in London, Tokyo and Sydney. Currently living in Brisbane, Australia he writes for himself whenever his job writing for other people lets him.

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METH GATORS

Written By: Jordan Miller

Synopsis: A corrupt sheriff pours experimental drugs in the sewers creating a horde of enraged alligators that swarm a local motel.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Jordan Miller is an award-winning filmmaker and musician from Maryland who has written and directed on feature and several shorts to festival praise, and is currently in production for feature length horror anthology.

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NO OVERNIGHT PARKING

Written By: Meg Swertlow

Synopsis: When a tough young woman and her closest girlfriends get locked overnight in a desolate roadside parking structure on their way to a Vegas girls’ weekend, they soon realize that a merciless masked killer is in the parking structure with them. As Dahlia and her friends now desperately try to escape, they must also fight back against their masked pursuer to stay alive.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Meg is an award-winning screenwriter/director. After studying theater at Hamilton College, she returned home to LA to perform comedy and train at iO West, UCB and Groundlings. After studying screenwriting at University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, Meg left her decade-long career writing celebrity news to pursue her dreams of filmmaking in 2018. In the past year, her first horror screenplay, No Overnight Parking, won the 2020 Emerging Screenwriters’ Shoot Your Sizzle Grand Prize, was the Nightmares Film Festival Feature Screenplay Runner-up, FilmQuest Finalist, Women in Film’s Production Program Semifinalist, Filmmatic Horror Awards Finalist. An earlier draft of the script also got her into the 2018 Hedgebrook Screenwriters Lab. Her other scripts have gone on to be a second-rounder in the 2017 Sundance Episodic Lab and Austin Revolution Film Festival Winner. Determined to be a strong female force in the male-dominated horror genre, Meg took on directing at the end of 2019. She’s already shot and directed four short films, one of which placed her in the second round of Ryan Murphy’s Half-Foundation 2020 Directing Mentorship. She was just selected to take part in Women in Film’s 2020 Mentor Program and her latest quarantine horror short, “Jenny,” was named a finalist in the 2020 Coven Film Festival. In a genre twist, she and Latin Grammy two-time winner Alisha Gaddis are currently developing a romcom with Matt Baer Films and Four Leaf Films.

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ORSON

Written By: Jared Egol

Synopsis: A withering Orson Welles recounts his notorious demise and final act to the last character he will ever play.
Genre(s): Fantasy, The Beyond

Screenwriter’s Bio: Jared Egol studied Creative Writing at the University of Florida with the intention of entering medical school. He instead went on to Chapman University, where he received his MFA, studying under Julie Kirkham, Tom Mankiewicz, Larry Gross and Ron Friedman, who later hired Jared to assist in the writing of his memoir: I KILLED OPTIMUS PRIME. Jared is repped by Derrick Eppich of Empirical Evidence.

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PALISADES

Written By: Richard P. Alvarez

Synopsis: A Civil War cavalry veteran reluctantly agrees to engage in a series of staged gunfights in a dying western town. The charade to bring in tourists turns deadly when the Army arrives, and our veteran risks losing his lady to the dashing young Cavalry officer. He and the Shoshone must join forces to bring the Army in on the plan. A final duel at high noon will determine the towns fate. Will the blood be real this time?
Genre(s): Western

Screenwriter’s Bio: Richard is an award winning screenwriter, filmmaker and professional jouster who began his career in television. He has optioned five features. This is his first entry to FILMQUEST.

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PRECIPICE

Written By: Avishai Weinberger

Synopsis: In a world without technology, a woman and her hunter-gatherer family must contend with the arrival of a mysterious outsider armed with futuristic weaponry and secrets from the woman’s past which threaten her future – and that of mankind.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi

Screenwriter’s Bio: Avishai is an Orthodox Jewish award winning writer-director from New York, with a focus on horror and science fiction. He attended Maale Film School in Jerusalem for a year, followed by four years at NYU Tisch. His thesis short film, a horror called THIRD DATE, was licensed by Alter after screening at festivals around the country, and his feature screenplay based on that short film garnered top awards at multiple festivals– including 3rd Place at FilmQuest! His award-winning screenplay DRIFT OFF was bought by Boulderlight Pictures. Currently, Avishai lives in Brooklyn with his family, where he enjoys singing with his family, making chicken soup for Shabbos, and writing a ton.

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SAINT SHARI

Written By: Dana Hammer

Synopsis: An atheist woman’s life is disrupted when she receives the stigmata.
Genre(s): Fantasy, Comedy

Screenwriter’s Bio: Dana is a writer of things and a winner of awards. She feels she would be taken more seriously if she received the stigmata.

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SALT WEST

Written By: Samuel Peirce

Synopsis: A failed heist leaves a cowardly, amoral bandit stranded in the Utah salt flats, where he must survive inhospitable terrain, unraveling sanity, and a relentless pursuer in order to reach safety.
Genre(s): Horror, The Beyond, Fantastic

Screenwriter’s Bio: Screenwriter. Other stuff writer. Horror enthusiast. FilmQuest alumni. My screenplay this year, Salt West, is a horror western set in the Utah Salt Flats, inspired by my travels attending the festival in previous years.

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SIEGE

Written By: Ian Neligh

Synopsis: An ambulance crew stuck in the middle of a deadly riot must fight for their lives when they become the target of a homicidal madman.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Ian Neligh is an award-winning Colorado author and journalist.

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SNARE

Written By: Neil Krolicki

Synopsis: A vigilante group who expose child predators are blackmailed into murdering their targets during a one-night sting operation and must outwit their ruthless extortionist to survive the night.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Neil Krolicki is a Bram Stoker Award nominated writer and Austin Film Festival semifinalist whose stories have appeared in Chuck Palahniuk’s Burnt Tongues, ThugLit and Shotgun Honey. His script Murderabilia won first place in the Filmmatic Thriller/Horror competition (www.murderabiliafilm.com). His noir comic ‘120 Doses’ is available now on Comixology.

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SOUL PASSAGE

Written By: Patrick Mediate & Kristin Illagan

Synopsis: When an ex-NYPD cop’s daughter is abducted he is forced to battle the demons of his past and journey into the dark underworld of Haitian voodoo to find her.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Kristin Ilagan is a Senior Producer for Discovery ID Network. Patrick Mediate is a veteran Creative Executive and Broadway Development Director and currently Senior Producer for the Globally recognized Production company Hayden5. Each of us have over 10 years of Development and Production experience in Film, programmatic Television and Online content.

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STEPHEN THE DEMON

Written By: Georgina Cahill

Synopsis: Stephen, the half-demon, half-goblin is tasked with collecting the “perfect soul. He quickly realizes this job is more difficult than he originally thought when he needs to compete with fairy god-mothers, monsters, and grumpy high-school latin teachers for it.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Comedy

Screenwriter’s Bio: Georgina Cahill is an animator and illustrator from Los Angeles.  A recent graduate from USC Film School, her animated films have been domestically and internationally.

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STUDY IN BLUE

Written By: Patrick Clement

Synopsis: Trapped for the Winter with the body of his dead wife, a man discovers a family secret, explores a mysterious mountain top and tries to live with the guilt of an infidelity.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Patrick Clement is a former newspaper editor and a University of Kansas alum. In May 2020 he graduated from the prestigious Screenwriting/Directing MFA Program at Columbia University in New York City. His short film Rabbits won Best Student Short at the New Hampshire Film Festival and Best Film at the Knoxville Film Fest. Most recently, his thesis film ‘Three Corner House’ (starring Orange is the New Black’s Michael J. Burg) won Best Actor at the Tallgrass Film Festival for newcomer Ty Baumann’s portrayal of a sexual adventurous teen in the subversive drama about family secrets. He is a seven-time Kansas Press Association Award winner, a Catwalk Artist Residency fellow and his book of rare William S Burroughs portraits won two Humanities Grants from the KU School of the Arts.

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THE BOX PONY EXPRESS

Written By: G.S. Leitgeb

Synopsis: 1981, Bermuda Triangle, Chaow Island: Keeping three oddballs in line inside an old mining cave, while following in the footsteps of her dead father, ten year old Agnes has to defend an egg shop, save a chicken named Rosalinde, dismantle a nuclear bomb and fight off an entire army. And all she’s got is a bloody mail order catalogue.
Genre(s): Fantasy, Comedy

Screenwriter’s Bio: Having written and directed numerous music-videos, commercials, short films – last not least his latest short-film The Secret Box – THE BOX PONY EXPRESS marks the international Feature Film Debut for Austrian creator G.S. Leitgeb. Following in the footsteps of well-known masters T. Burton, G. del Toro and W. Anderson, G.S. Leitgeb combines his work as writer, designer and director – moulding a fictional world filled with adventure, fantasy & mystery. Garnished with a sense of slapstick-comedy as the cherry on top. Writer-Director G.S. Leitgeb works with his Team of Creatives who were formerly involved in A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Hobbit, Alice in Wonderland, Penny Dreadful and The Dark Knight, to only name a few.

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THE BURGEONING DEATH

Written By: Chelsea Lutz

Synopsis: A young girl suspects her father’s sudden disappearance might be at the hands of a demon that possesses a serial killer who haunts her small suburb town killing young girls her age.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantastic, The Beyond

Screenwriter’s Bio: Chelsea Lutz Bauer is an exciting, young, female filmmaker with a penchant for dark, profound, and idiosyncratic character-driven stories, and stylized cinematography.  Her psychological horror feature screenplay, The Burgeoning Death, is an official selection winner at Les Femmes Underground Film Festival and an award winner at The International Horror Hotel Film Festival.  It has also been selected as a semi-finalist in the Women in Horror Film Festival as well as the SF Indie Fest Screenplay Competition. Chelsea also directed episodes two and three of the digital series, Managed, which has been featured in a few festivals including ITV Fest.  Her other short films she directed, Hometown and Chump Change, have been featured in a handful of festivals.

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THE CHAMBER

Written By: Sergio Pinheiro

Synopsis: Haunted by a recent personal loss, college student Harriet finds herself caught between rival college professors and the harrowing experiment they devised to settle their differing theories on the supernatural.
Genre(s): Horror, The Beyond

Screenwriter’s Bio: Sergio Pinheiro has been writing, directing & producing shorts, music videos, web series and mini-docs for over a decade. His award-winning horror short films have played in festivals around the world. In addition he is an accomplished freelance editor and motion graphics artist with feature, music video, title sequence design and VFX credits. On the writing side previous scripts have been optioned for development. “The Chamber” is his current script project which he hopes to be his feature directorial debut and is currently being adapted as a serialized narrative podcast.

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THE GREENHOUSE

Written By: Wylie Rush

Synopsis: A Chicago PD detective searching for a missing girl finds herself obstructed by an elite police force and involved in a web of corruption and murder.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi

Screenwriter’s Bio: Wylie has worked and interned for numerous production studios, including Marvel and Stonestreet Studios. After graduating from Pomona College, Wylie studied at CalArts in their MFA Film Directing Program. He currently runs his own production company.

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THE GRIP

Written By: Alex Gold

Synopsis: A gay cultist struggles with his sexual identity, while battling against a demon that threatens to destroy his family.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy, Comedy, The Beyond

Screenwriter’s Bio: Alex Gold is a professional video game designer and writer. Also, an avid lover of film. Especially horror.

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THE HORROR FILM KILLER

Written By: Michael J. Bowler

Synopsis: With someone recreating the kill scenes from their student-made horror film, aspiring teen directors Cassie and Donovan are forced to keep the production on schedule—under orders from the killer—while sorting through confusing clues to expose the psychopath before more people die.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning writer of novels and screenplays who’s made low-budget horror films, written/produced/directed stage plays, and taught high school. He’s also an adoptive single dad and lifelong volunteer with youth, especially incarcerated, disabled, and marginalized youth.

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THE LAST SCHUBERT HOTEL

Written By: Sean Hennessy

Synopsis: As a tornado rampages toward a small town in Illinois, the residents find their personal lives changing over the course of one night. Reverberating within the harsh winds over the town is Franz Schubert’s ‘Unfinished Symphony’, coming from a mysterious abandoned hotel…
Genre(s): Fantasy

Screenwriter’s Bio: Sean Patrick Hennessy is an aspiring screenwriter currently living in Chandler, Arizona. He received his bachelor’s degree in film production at Arizona State University and is the co-creator of the audio drama show on Apple Podcasts, ‘The Meat Blockade’.

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THEY HUNT AT NIGHT

Written By: Rob Walker

Synopsis: A rookie oilfield worker gets more than she bargained for when her crew’s latest job turns into a battle for survival against the bloodthirsty night-creatures that dwell in a remote corner of the Colorado oilfield.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Rob Walker is an independent writer based in Colorado. This project is the culmination of his love of horror films and spending over a decade working in the oilfields of Colorado. His writing has been featured in The Hard Times, Points In Case, and JumpKick.

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TOO MANY WADES

Written By: Stirling J. McLaughlin & Wilder Konschak

Synopsis: Hannah wants to be through with her ex-boyfriend Wade, but an otherworldly infection is turning everyone around her, including her fiancé, into the worst person she knows. Wade.
Genre(s): Horror, Sci-Fi, Comedy

Screenwriter’s Bio: Together Wilder Konschak and Stirling Mclaughlin (known collectively as Spaceship Town) have been making shorts, series, and features since Prince’s 1999 was still set in the future. Their debut feature film COLD WAR is currently available on most major streaming platforms through distributor Stadium Media. Wilder enjoys literary representation by Foundation Media Partners and Culture Creative, and was recently a writer on Syfy’s DAY OF THE DEAD series. Stirling enjoys bootleg oatmilk. They both find solace and humor in the dark, the surreal, and the absurd, and share an abiding love for the beauty of a good nightmare.

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TRIP

Written By: Michael Klug

Synopsis: Celebrating their 1-year anniversary, boyfriends Warren and Trip take a scenic journey across the US Southwest in Warren’s aging Jeep Cherokee. When Trip is bitten by an unknown creature and mysteriously begins to transform — ​absolutely no relationship secrets will be held back.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Born and raised in South Dakota, Michael is an actor, film critic and award-winning screenwriter.  He lives in Los Angeles.

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UNTIL DEATH

Written By: Alyssa Stevens

Synopsis: A woman and her mysterious neighbor must contend with a crime boss who thinks her dead husband stole money from him.
Genre(s): Fantastic

Screenwriter’s Bio: My name is Alyssa Stevens, and I’m a writer. My first book was published in 2015. I’ve branched out into writing screenplays with strong women leads. I write suspense, horror, paranormal romance, and action. My goal is to write badass women and men characters who support each other.

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VIDEO NASTIES

Written By: Cary McKnight

Synopsis: A group of teenage horror fanatics unwittingly unleash evil upon their town by way of a cursed VHS tape.
Genre(s): Horror, The Beyond

Screenwriter’s Bio: Cary McKnight is no stranger to the world of screenwriting and film making. His previous credits include writing and directing the short film “Safeword” as well as producing the award-winning short film “Polterstache.” With a collection of short films, animation, and screenplays under his belt, Cary plans to focus his talents on developing original content in the horror and comedy genres.

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WHERE THE DEVIL RESIDES

Written By: Travis Heermann

Synopsis: In the aftermath of the Civil War, a cowardly Yankee Minister must track down his kidnapped daughter in the Everglades with the help of a powerful Santeria Priestess, to save her from a gang of Confederate swamp rats, led by a cult leader with supernatural powers.
Genre(s): Horror

Screenwriter’s Bio: Freelance writer, novelist, editor, and award-winning screenwriter, Travis Heermann is the author of eight novels, including The Hammer Falls, Death Wind, and The Ronin Trilogy, plus short fiction in Apex Magazine, Cemetery Dance, and others. His freelance work includes contributions to the Firefly Roleplaying Game, Battletech, Legend of Five Rings, and EVE Online.

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WHY, ARIZONA

Written By: Isaiah Mouw

Synopsis: As a series of killings terrorize neighboring Phoenix, a wily small town conman stages shootings in order to drum up sales for his gun store.
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.

Isaiah received his Masters from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In addition to screenwriting, Isaiah works in the parking and mobility industry where he was recently named as the number one parking and mobility professional in the world. In August of 2013, he was commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  

Isaiah currently lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee with his wife Victoria and their two children – Noah and Luke. Mark Botts grew up in North Carolina. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Clint Eastwood westerns were his regular movie viewings. But during his freshman year of high school, Mark watched the Academy Award-winning film: Braveheart. That did it. He knew he wanted to work in the film industry.  An undergrad in Speech Communications gave him a few opportunities to develop his interest in the dramatic arts. He moved to New York City and studied acting. While in New York, he began screenwriting under the guidance of teacher/filmmaker: Jason Chaet. This spurred Mark on to further study the craft of screenwriting, so he entered Regent University’s MFA program and completed the tour in the spring of 2013. 

By day, Mark is a teacher. By night, he is a screenwriter – his major screenwriting influences being Wes Anderson and Tony Gilroy.  Mark and his wife Rebecca have three children – Ella, Sam, and Victor.

The following screenplays are the Top 35 Feature Screenplay Finalists for the 2019 FilmQuest Best Un-Produced Screenplay Competition. Featured here are some fo the best un-produced screenplays on the circuit today:

… A CHANCE OF RAIN

Written By: Alan C. Beard & Patrick Green

Synopsis: An astronaut from the future arrives in Present Day – New York to stop a terrorist before he strikes. When the mission goes awry, he’s forced to track down & protect the younger version of himself to make sure he can return home.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Patrick Green and Alan C. Beard met, while both pursuing their MA in Screenwriting from California State University, Northridge. They were fans of each other’s writing and decided to team up and bring the world “… a chance of rain”.

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6 FEET ABOVE

Written By: Summer Moore

Synopsis: Every mother remembers the intricacies of her pregnancy: the moment she learned she had a life growing inside of her, that tiny foot’s first kick, and the realization that she is the one and only defense to stand in the way of harm coming to her unborn child. When KENNEDY arrives eight months pregnant with her husband, at the isolated family lake house, she has no comprehension that she will have to become that defense.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Setting the stage for her performance and writing careers, Summer Moore was born into a southern military family and predominately raised in Colorado in a forest filled with animals. Even if it was only for her captive stuffed animals, she loved performing. She told her grandma that she was going to be a “star” and then never stopped acting like one after that.

Her dramatic acting career took life, when she learned her parents were getting something called a “divorce” and she cried so her brother did not hog all of the attention. She progressed to the stage, in a musical she had no business being in; but supposedly, kids are cute when they sing off key. The divorce sculpted her childhood and she began to write fueled by lots of material. Upon attending the University of Southern California, she joined a sorority, the antithesis of her altruistic spirit. Needless to say, a white girl who loves rap is not a great fit for sorority life in Los Angeles; she survived and received a BA in Environmental Studies and a minor in Theater. She then became well trained in Eastern Philosophy, as if her life was not weird enough already.

With her share of tragedies, friends ask upon occasion, “Are you sure this karma stuff really works for you?” Her house burned down. She was run over by a car on a blind date (not by her date!). She received the Heimlich Maneuver by her Executive Producer at a Harvard University film meeting with a captivated audience. She turned all of life’s material into good in her screenplay writing. Yet despite all this, Summer keeps a smile on her face and believes that a smile can change the world. Although, she does love a good scare from time-to-time!

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BLACKWOOD FALLS

Written By: Jennifer Nicole Stang

Synopsis: Two orphaned children, 16 year old Claire and 10 year old Amy Warren, are mysteriously invited to live with their aunt in the town of Blackwood Falls. Something about the town isn’t right; children begin to disappear and strange deaths occur inspired by brutal, Puritan torture. Once Amy disappears, Claire must uncover the sinister truth in hopes of saving her sister and ultimately herself…

Screenwriter’s Bio: Director/Writer, JENNIFER NICOLE STANG was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has lived in England, Canada, the U.S., and Spain. Jennifer founded her film production company, Round Table Pictures in 2011. With her company, Jennifer has directed award-winning music videos and short films.

Her short film, El Lago (The Lake) received various awards, including Best Fantasy Film at the Mexico International Film Festival, and 1st place at the Honolulu Film Awards. Her horror short, The Devil’s Snare, was nominated for best short film screenplay, best sound design, and best actor at the TERROR film festival in 2013. Jennifer directed Livvy Stubenrauch (young Anna from Disney’s Oscar-winning film, FROZEN), in her short film Les Nuages (The Clouds), which she wrote as well, and which was featured at Raindance Web Fest and Miami Web Fest, amongst other festivals.

Jennifer also completed a feature film for Dark Matter Studios that is currently in post-production.

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COVE

Written By: Thomas O’Malley

Synopsis: Fisherman Patrick Hennessey and his wife, Maggie, live an idyllic life with their two children in the remote New England fishing community of Cove Hill on isolated Garret Peninsula, but Cove Hill has a dark past. On the eve of the town’s 400-year anniversary, a pact their ancestors made with an ancient evil has come due, and Patrick and Maggie must risk everything to protect their family from the horror that threatens to destroy them all.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Thomas O’Malley was raised in Wexford, Ireland. He is the author of This Magnificent Desolation, a New York Times Editor’s Choice, featured in New Writing from Ireland 2013, and shortlisted for the 2013 Irish Novel of the Year Award, and In the Province of Saints, which received critical acclaim from The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal, among others. It was voted one of the ten best first novels by Booklist and chosen by the New York Public Library as one of the top twenty-five books of the year in their Books to Remember.

He is also the author of the noir, Serpents in the Cold, co-authored with Douglas Graham Purdy, which garnered praise from The New York Times Book Review, The Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist. It was a Boston Globe Special Feature and praised in Boston Magazine and on WBUR and NPR. Its sequel, We Were Kings (2016) was praised by the New York Times Book Review and Publishers Weekly, received a starred review by Booklist and was one of Kirkus Reviews 10 best Novels for Summer Reading. He currently lives outside Boston and is the Director of Creative Writing at Dartmouth College.

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CYBORN

Written By: Mark Renshaw

Synopsis: A cyborg private A.I. is working his last case. Infected with a tekvirus that is stripping away his abilities, he teams up with a sexbot operated by his estranged daughter to uncover a master criminal and find a cure before he shuts down.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Mark is a writer/producer and a Page awards semi-finalist with his TV Pilot Script for The Nearscape called The Survivors. He is also the winner of the 2018 Inroads Screenwriting Fellowship.

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DARKNESS VISIBLE

Written By: Christopher Lopez

Synopsis: A team of scientists working on a secret government project in New England discover the magnitude of the work they’ve undertaken far exceeds how much they’re willing to sacrifice, their life included.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Christopher James Lopez was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic and grew up in Queens, NY.  He is an Academy Nicholl Quarterfinalist, for “The Final Act”, currently in development. Christopher’s directorial debut America Adrift was produced by James Manos Jr., (creator of Showtime’s “Dexter”). The film is available worldwide. Christopher is currently working on his 2nd feature film, Control. Production started in April of 2019 and will go through January 2020.

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GOD WREST HIS SOUL

Written By: JT Seaton & Michael Varrati

Synopsis: When an estranged son travels to the home of his recently deceased father to handle the estate, he’s surprised to discover a stranger has taken up residence in the house. What’s more, as increasingly unnatural and unsettling occurrences begin to manifest around the home, the son learns that the stranger may not be who he claims, and that his late father might just have made a deal with the Devil himself.

Inspired by the short film “God Wrest His Soul” (2016). Official Selection of the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmakers Showcase.

Screenwriter’s Bio: JT Seaton is a graduate of the CalArts Directing program. Shortly after snagging a diploma, he wrote and directed the short gay themed horror film “Nightshadows”, which won several awards at various film festivals. His first leap into the world of feature films came with the horror/comedy “George’s Intervention”. “George’s Intervention” screened all over the world, winning multiple awards before landing a distribution deal with Breaking Glass Pictures. Next came “Divination”, a multi award winning short film. “Divination” found a home at the Hillbilly Horror Show (Vol. 3) and was seen during the 2014 Halloween season at amusement parks across the country, brought to you by HorrorHound! “The Peripheral” followed, a short horror film starring cult actress Lynn Lowry (“Shivers”, “The Crazies”, “Cat People”). “The Peripheral” screened at almost 100 film festivals throughout the world, winning over 20 awards.

In addition to terrifying people with his own creations, JT is also responsible for sharing the nightmares of other horror filmmakers. In 2011, he co-founded the NOLA HORROR FILM FEST (in New Orleans). Now in its 9th season, the NOLAHFF is growing and spreading fear throughout Louisiana… and the world.

Michael Varrati is an American screenwriter, columnist, and actor known primarily for his work within the horror genre and the world of TV movies. Outside of his film work, Varrati has used his platform to discuss pop culture and the horror genre as it relates to the LGBTQ experience, frequently writing about and arranging curated speaking events on the topic at such venues as San Diego Comic Con.

As a screenwriter, some of Michael Varrati’s notable works include Tales of Poe, The Sins of Dracula, Flesh for the Inferno, A Christmas in Vermont, A Christmas Reunion, and episodes of the popular audio series Darkest Night and Deadly Manners.

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GREEN YOYO

Written By: Kelsey Wilkins & Megan Kuntz

Synopsis: When the dark trauma of her childhood manifests into a malevolent being that hurts those around her, one girl must discover the truth or risk losing everything she loves forever.

Screenwriter’s Bio: N/A

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LAND LORD

Written By: Remington Smith

Synopsis: A black woman moves into an aging apartment complex while tracking a stolen bag of money, but is forced to choose between her job as a bounty hunter and saving a young African American boy after his mother is killed by the sun-obsessed, white vampire landlord.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Remington Smith is a working filmmaker and assistant professor of film production at the University of Louisville.

In 2009 he earned his MA in Film Studies from the University of Edinburgh in 2010 for his thesis, “Unsafe Horrors: A Critical Analysis of Horror Cinema, Torture Porn and
the Unsafe Horror Film”. While at Edinburgh he made his first documentary short, Last Good Thing, which spurred his eventual interest in pursuing an MFA in Film and Video Production from the University of Iowa, which he earned in 2014.

His MFA thesis film, Rubbertown, is now a feature length documentary of the same name, available on Amazon Prime. His arthouse horror short The Woods screened at film festivals, comic cons and art shows nationally and abroad, and has earned over 22,000 views on Vimeo.

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LAWSUITS, LOVE AND LUCIFER

Written By: Jeff Burke

Synopsis: Lucifer, immortal yet living on Earth without any special powers and without a demonic appearance, gets dumped by his girlfriend. Seizing on the reality that his likeness is unjustly used by companies to sell their products, he embarks on an ambitious plan to prove to mankind who he is so he can collect royalties as love glances in his direction for a second chance.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Entering the writing world at the age of 28, Jeff wrote his first short and first feature during his second tour of Bosnia as a Canadian peacekeeper in 2003. His films and scripts have been selected into numerous festivals while gathering numerous nominations. Having recently graduated from the UCLA Professional Program for Screenwriting, Jeff continues to write with an eye on returning to the director’s chair.

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M – DEMON KILLER

Written By: Mark William Hammond

Synopsis: A young Asian waitress discovers she is the last in a long line of Demon Killers when a billionaire/sorcerer opens a portal to Hell under City Hall in New York City. Local Native American demons hunt in the tunnels and, even more strangely, powerful Chinese warrior demons are sent to slaughter her before she can stop the invasion from hell. M is a New York City waitress but this may be asking too much.

Screenwriter’s Bio: New England born and raised. I live and write in New York City. I currently work for Tribune Media and most recently received an Emmy for Broadcast Excellence – Director.

My deep background includes stage performance, and also production work on music videos, low budget films, docs, commercials, soaps and network talk shows, mostly in NYC and some LA.

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MITZVAH CRASHER

Written By: Amy Axelson Capeci

Synopsis: Nora-a wannabe Pinterest perfect parent and Katie – a checked out single mom – discover that crashing Bar & Bat Mitzvahs magically gets their train wreck of a life back on track.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Amy Axelson is a trained opera singer and prolific opera director. She segued into filmmaking with the award winning documentary short Why We Wax. Written, directed and co-produced by Axelson, the comedy short had a very successful film festival run before it was picked up for distribution by 7th Art. It broadcast on Current TV for the North American market and Canal Plus for the European market.

When she took a sabbatical to raise her two boys she was inspired to write her first full length narrative script Mitzvah Crashers about a couple of burnt out moms who start crashing bar & bat mitzvahs to get their mojo back.

Axelson earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the School of Music at DePaul University, Chicago. Her secret super power is that she trained in improvisational comedy at no less than The Second City also in Chicago.

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MOM DIED

Written By: Michael Klug

Synopsis: Peter returns to his small hometown following news of his mother’s death. Estranged from his three siblings, he has also never met his two young nieces. When a zombie outbreak occurs, he becomes trapped with his family (and all of their strained histories) inside the funeral home where his mother’s wake was to take place.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Born and raised in South Dakota, Michael now lives in Los Angeles with his husband. He has a long history with all types of writing (his first short story was penned at age 10). He is also an actor and film critic.

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PERSONA

Written By: Jeffrey Howe

Synopsis: Years after the car crash that killed her husband and put her in a wheelchair, a black artist receives an experimental implant to make her walk again, paid for by her wealthy, white father-in-law–but to him, rehab is only a pathway to revenge.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Jeffrey stumbled into screenwriting from the prose world in 2015. Since then his feature and short scripts have won or placed in over 80 contests. His first produced short, “Past Partum,” is lurching onto the festival circuit this fall.

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ROCK & ROLL HIGH SCHOOL VAMPIRES

Written By: Scott Grady

Synopsis: A teenage vampire with his 18th birthday around the corner and a limited amount of time to make his first kill stumbles across vampires from a past life bent on using him to slaughter mankind.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Scott Grady is an award winning writer/director/actor. He began his career in entertainment bringing home the title of “Boise’s Funniest Person” (an amateur stand-up competition) in 2015. Since then he has studied acting at “Platform Boise” under the tutelage of April Matson. His first short film “Swipe” won “Best of Fest” at the “Idaho Laugh Festival”. His second short film “Blend In” which he co-wrote with April Matson, took home “Best Film” and “Best Screenplay.”

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ROMAN CANDLE

Written By: Derek Abbott

Synopsis: A group of misfit kids must battle against a monster with a mysterious connection to a low-budget horror movie on the last Friday of the Summer in 1995.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Derek Abbott is a lifelong film fanatic who is making his return to screenwriting. After studying filmmaking in college at LIU Post in New York and a few stints teaching filmmaking at the School of Cinema and Performing Arts, he got sidetracked for a decade in the world of Lighting Rentals. Now, Derek is writing genre screenplays on spec, with a focus on creating personal stories in fantastic environments. When not spending his free time writing, you can probably find him watching an old movie at Film Forum or Anthology Film Archives in New York.

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RUST

Written By: Guy Pooles

Synopsis: When sent to England to live with her estranged mother, a young, teenage girl has never felt more alone. Upon discovering an old workshop, secluded in the woods, she awakens an abandoned Robot. As she works to rebuild the rusted figure, she might have found the company she longs for, but was this robot shut down for a reason?

Screenwriter’s Bio: Guy was born and raised in England, where his study of Theatre, Photography and Literature nurtured a passion for the craft of Film. He moved to Los Angeles to study Cinematography at the American Film Institute Conservatory, where he earned an MFA in the discipline. The first short film Guy wrote, Dirty Laundry, went on to earn awards from the Directors Guild of America, The American Society of CInematographers & The Hamptons international film festival.

His next writing credit was on the short film The Light and the Little Girl, which went on to become an official selection of Short of the Week. Since then, Guy has had the privilege of shooting a multitude of narrative projects, from the CW series Two Sentence Horror Stories, to being hired as the cinematographer on the third season of the Sundance and SXSW selected series Snatchers. His cinematography has been screened at Tribeca Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, Palm Springs Film Festival, LA Film Festival and many more. Guy has now completed his first feature-length screenplay Rust. He looks forward to returning to England to direct this debut feature project.

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SHIFTER

Written By: Kenny J Wright

Synopsis: During a snowstorm in a small mountain community, a serial killer stalks a lonely man… but nothing is what it seems.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Kenny J. Wright, is a writer and producer living in Los Angeles.

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SICK

Written By: Sylvia Batey Alcalá

Synopsis: Amidst an outbreak of a mysterious, violent illness, an interracial couple takes solace in their work at a prestigious theatre company, mounting a production of “Othello.”

Screenwriter’s Bio: Sylvia Batey Alcalá is a Los Angeles-based writer/director/actor/slash enthusiast. She is the creator of the online miniseries Fame Dogs, which has accrued over sixty thousand views on Facebook alone. Her follow-up, The Spectacular Summer of Weredog and Amy, premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Cinequest Film Festival, going on to earn Best Comedy nominations at multiple festivals, as well as an Award of Commendation and Best Actor win. A classically-trained actress, Sylvia has appeared in projects ranging from Shakespeare to independent film, to her crowning achievement: getting cut from an episode of Mad Men. She enjoys stories about funny people in terrible situations.

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SOL

Written By: James Fox

Synopsis: In the year 2242 citizen and soldier alike are plunged into a dark and violent interplanetary civil war, the scale of which is unprecedented in Human history. Desperate for survival, leaders emerge to protect their families, friends, and futures.

Screenwriter’s Bio: James Fox is the Founder and CEO of Dawnrunner and brings with him the creative power of 12 action-packed years in the film industry. As the principal Director for Dawnrunner he has lead the company through numerous award-winning projects He has been recognized within the industry for his passion and determination to advance the industry through education and outreach, and has spoken numerous events.

His “breaking down barriers” approach to filmmaking, creativity and technical street-smarts have labeled him a visionary for the future of visual storytelling through new methods and technological innovations. He refers to his crew as family, and provides strong and charismatic leadership – and an inexhaustible well of excitement and energy.

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SPECTRUM

Written By: Jennifer Trudrung

Synopsis: A bullied 13 year old girl with autism and OCD goes on her first ever school camping trip where she has to rely on her wits and find her inner strength in order to survive when her classmates and teachers are infected by a strange zombie virus.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Jennifer Trudrung started acting six years ago and fell in love with being on set and seeing how worlds and stories are created on film. She has worked on Goosebumps, The Vampire Diaries, and numerous independent films and commercials. She began writing and producing her own screenplays a few years ago and has been enjoying figuring out the film festival circuit and most recently winning several awards for her short film “Unbearing.”

Her focus is on horror and thriller screenplays and she enjoys taking quiet everyday moments and twisting them into the macabre and horrific. Most of Jennifer’s films incorporate what she considers to be her most important job, motherhood, and often feature her children as actors in her creative works. Most recently Jennifer adapted “Here There be Tygers” based on a Stephen King short story. Plus her feature length horror screenplay “Spectrum” has been a quarterfinalist in the ScreenCraft Feature Screenplay Competition and the Blue Cat Screenplay Competition.

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THE COLDEST HORIZON

Written By: Jeffrey Howe

Synopsis: After an accident leaves a scientist stranded alone at the South Pole, the ghosts of four explorers appear to help her endure the loneliness–and when she discovers she’s pregnant, to help her survive the thousand mile trek across the ice to safety.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Jeffrey stumbled into screenwriting from the prose world in 2015. Since then his feature and short scripts have won or placed in over 80 contests. His first produced short, “Past Partum,” is lurching onto the festival circuit this fall.

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THE EATING GOD

Written By: Abigail Clark

Synopsis: N/A

Screenwriter’s Bio: N/A

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THE HOUSESITTER

Written By: Suju Vijayan & Dave Palamaro

Synopsis: A struggling writer discovers the gruesome corpse of a once famous 1940s starlet in a decrepit house and attempts to uncover the woman’s dark past before an evil specter kills everyone connected to the investigation.

Screenwriter’s Bio: In 2014 Writer/Director Dave Palamaro directed In Heaven There Is No Beer, a music documentary that Film Threat called, “One of the best films of the year”. Dave’s second feature film was Murder Made Easy, a one location murder/mystery which was released by Terror Films and Scream Team Releasing in 2019. Dave Palamaro’s short film, Grandfather, was nominated for a Student Academy Award.

Writer/Director Suju Vijayan’s debut feature film, The Playback Singer, is an award winning drama that was released in 2013. She is also a writer for numerous award winning scripted and non-scripted television shows. The Housesitter screenplay, a horror/ghost story, is Dave and Suju’s first collaboration together.

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THE INVADER

Written By: Phillip Hardy

Synopsis: When several women are murdered in Texas, a small-town lawman suffering violent dreams and premonitions tries to prevent a growing body count, while hunting for what could be a serial killer from another world.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Phillip E. Hardy is creative maverick, who can craft compelling stories in every genre. He is a nine time optioned screenwriter, who is currently having four projects shopped by producers including Shaun O’Banion, Richard Clark Jr, Sean Hoessli and has signed a shopping agreement with de Passe Jones Entertainment. His work has been in front of Tyler Perry Studios, Paramount Studio, Ridley Scott, William Morris Endeavor and many others. He has placed and won over seventy film festivals and contests including Page International, Austin Film Festival, Cannes Screenplay, Shore Scripts, Screencraft, Beverly Hills Film Festival and Harlem International Film Festival.

Phillip has obtained a bachelor of science in business management, a master of management and is a Stanford University Certified Project Manager.

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THE PRINCESS VENGEANCE

Written By: Kamran Khan

Synopsis: A woman goes on a rampage to save her kidnapped lover from an evil, corporate oligarch.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Kamran grew up in Peoria, IL, so knows very well the old vaudeville saying of what “plays in Peoria.” He’s taken this innate industry insight and funnelled it into his passion for visual storytelling through his writing, directing and award winning photography, which has been featured in Ron Howard’s Project Imaginat10n and Hasselblad’s Masters Competition. His scripts (pre-WGA) have placed in the American Zoetrope, Scriptapalooza, WorldFest Houston, Screencraft, New York Television Festival script contests and the New Hope Film Festival.

Kamran’s short film he wrote and directed, Brunch Wars, is currently on the festival circuit having played at the Adirondack Film Festival, the Chicago’s South Asian Film Festival, and the Northeast Mountain Film Festival. Kamran is also a member of the NY State Bar where his passion for fictional storytelling is not as enthusiastically received.

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THE QUICKSILVER PLEASURE CLUB

Written By: Matt Pacini

Synopsis: A National Geographic photographer on assignment discovers a child abduction conspiracy, exposing secrets of his own past.

Screenwriter’s Bio: N/A

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THE SUBURBAN KALEIDOSCOPE

Written By: Samuel R. Peirce 

Synopsis: As a family grieves the suicide of a son, their superstitious daughter convinces herself that her brother’s ghost has returned to haunt the family and must persuade her surviving brother to help investigate the haunting, before grief and the ghost can tear the family apart.

Screenwriter’s Bio: A lover of all things genre, with a particular fondness for Lovecraft, horror westerns, giallo, and bonkers third-acts.

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THE WEATHERWAY CONSPIRACY

Written By: Ryan M. Lange & Alan Peery

Synopsis: A series of strange deaths following the disappearance of a Nazi neurosurgeon-turned-author leads law officers on different sides of the globe to uncover a dangerous web of conspiracy.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Ryan and Alan met as co-workers at a Seattle gaming company four years ago, where they discovered a shared passion for screenwriting. After inviting friends and co-workers to table reads for a television series he created, Ryan enlisted the help of Alan in finishing its ten-episode first season, which they completed in 2017.

Alan began writing in college while he was a theatre actor at Western Washington University. During this time, WWU chose his play “Reunion” for performance. In the past four years, the team has written a feature-length screenplay and three episodes for two television series, with plans for many more to come.

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THIRD DATE

Written By: Avishai Weinberger

Synopsis: When a woman learns that her new boyfriend must feed her to a demon in order to survive, she chooses to cut off parts of herself to keep him, and their relationship, alive.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Avishai Weinberger is a writer-director from New York with an affinity for horror and science fiction. He attended Maale Film School in Jerusalem for a year, followed by four years at NYU Tisch, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in film and television production.

His thesis film, a horror-romance short titled Third Date, screened at festivals around the country, and two of his scripts have been optioned. Currently, Avishai lives in Brooklyn with his family, where he enjoys leading Saturday prayer services in his synagogue.

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UNIVERSAL INSURANCE

Written By: Jack Lilburn

Synopsis: When a rebel fleet is badly damaged in an enemy attack, a lowly insurance adjuster must embark on an intergalactic adventure to file paperwork and save the galaxy from the forces of evil.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Jack Lilburn is a screenwriter based out of Boston, Massachusetts. He credits every dead-end office job he’s ever had as the inspiration for Universal Insurance. Before discovering his calling as a storyteller, he got fired a lot.

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UNTIL DEATH…

Written By: Kevin Sluder

Synopsis: An estranged couple, attempting to salvage their marriage at a lakeside getaway, fight to survive an infection that turns people into creatures desperate for their blood.

Screenwriter’s Bio: A graduate of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill with a degree in Radio, Television and Motion Pictures, Kevin began his career as Director of Development with Esperanza Productions. While there, he marketed/developed projects by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jose Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries, On the Road) and Oxford Literary Award winning novelist Donald Harington (With), among others.

Soon after, he began screenwriting full-time, specializing in medium-budget sci-fi and low-budget horror. A Nicholl Fellowship Semi-finalist and two-time Script Pipeline top 20 finalist, Kevin received a Tracking-Board “Recommend” for his script, The Memory Sphere, in 2014. He subsequently placed on the Young and Hungry List, naming him as one of the industry’s top 100 “Screenwriters on the Verge”.

In 2015, Kevin founded Sunshine Boy Productions and produced his first short film, Play Violet for Me, with producer/director Matt Mercer. In 2017, Kevin stepped behind the camera for his directorial debut, the horror short, Heartless, which has been nominated for multiple awards (including Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Short Film) on the festival circuit.

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VESSELS

Written By: Levi Caleb Smith

Synopsis: Elaina wants nothing more than to bring a child into this world. Following a devastating miscarriage, her marriage deteriorates, leaving her mind and spirit struggling to adapt. All alone in the house she grew up in, Elaina discovers something unnatural blossoming within the walls.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Levi Caleb Smith grew up reading, writing, and watching horror. His fascination with the genre continued through college and in 2009 he moved to Los Angeles to make monster movies. He is currently writing and producing shorts and developing several feature concepts.

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WEREWOLVES FROM OUTER SPACE

Written By: Justin Nosler

Synopsis: On the night before Halloween, in a town that prohibits the holiday, a meteor crashes to Earth and unleashes an alien Werewolf. After surviving its initial attack, and being branded a murderer by the kids at school, Millie teams with her best friend and the local crackpot scientist to
take out the strange creature. Before the secret senior Halloween party, of course.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Award winning screenwriter and costume designer Allyson Adams is a third generation, Hollywood descendant and made her acting debut at one years old playing opposite Elizabeth Montgomery.

Flash forward and she finds herself writing thrillers with daring female protagonists to festival acclaim. Rusalka Revenge, 26 Stabs and Hand of Me have all garnered recent Best Short Screenplay awards. Adams has had over 30 plays produced. PINK, L.A. Weekly Pick of the Week drew sold out audiences. Los Angeles Times wrote, “PINK is a raw but searing drama about exploitation, double sexual standards and females under siege that is free of cliché and bawdily devoid of political correctness.” The L.A. Weekly said, “Besides her rich raw material, playwright Adams has both wit and profound honesty on her side.” An Addict Speaks selected and produced by Urban Theatre Movement One Act Festival Los Angeles. Duck Ugly, a musical produced by Orphan Girl Children’s Theater at the historic Mother Lode Theatre in Butte, Montana.

Adams wrote, directed and acted in the Montana PBS docudrama Peace is a Woman’s Job, about first Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin and toured the one-woman show for a decade. She published The Rebel & The King written by her late father, Oscar nominated actor Nick Adams, about his friendship with Elvis Presley and launched the book at Graceland.

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YELLOW EYE

Written By: Judy Bednarek 

Synopsis: A psychiatrist becomes a murder suspect when he joins a Vietnam veteran to search for his wife after Bigfoot kidnaps her.

Screenwriter’s Bio: Judy Bednarek is an award-winning screenwriter who was born and raised in Minnesota. She writes supernatural thrillers, action and dark historical. She has placed as a finalist and semi-finalist in contests with various scripts. Her first feature is in development with an award-winning director in Toronto. She has had offers from recognizable actors, directors, producers, crew and cast.