The following screenplays are the Top 30 Short Screenplay Finalists and Official Selections for the 2024 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 and one of these screenplays will become our eventual Best Un-produced Short Screenplay Winner, with several others being recognized via awards. If you would like to find out more about the screenplays, please feel free to reach out and we will put you in contact with the writers.
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$elf-Checkout
Written By: Kelsey Lane & Jonathan Riles
Synopsis: A down-on-her-luck teacher takes a shopping trip in hopes of finding an escape from her disappointing reality. Instead, she encounters a sentient self-checkout machine and enters into a moral debate that will leave her fighting for her life.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Comedy
Screenwriter’s Bio: Having grown up together in southeastern Ohio, Kelsey Lane and Jonathan Riles are now putting their heads together to write screenplays that explore the human experience through a wacky, humorous, and sometimes terrifying lens.
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ARBOR
Written By: Matthew Robinson
Synopsis: An arborist and his pregnant wife are sucked into a scheme by a predatory developer to fell an old growth forest, but soon discover a supernatural force within the forest that turns anyone trying to destroy it into trees themselves.
Genre(s): The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: MATTHEW ESTY ROBINSON is a Los Angeles based and award-winning filmmaker who grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana to a father with deep Southern roots, and a Colombian mother. He honed his skills at Florida State University, where he received an MFA in film production. His dynamic upbringing and love of genre inform his desire to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. His films have played all over the country, including Phoenix Film Festival, Los Angeles Cinefest, and WorldFest- Houston International Film Festival.
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BREATHE IN
Written By: Justin Carter
Synopsis: A supernatural monster is closing in on Mia as she follows instructions to avoid it.
Genre(s): Horror, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: I’m a born and bred Utahn with a love for fantasy. If the story doesn’t have some sort of creature in it, I probably didn’t write it.
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DAMNED
Written By: Lukas Anderson & Elio Andres
Synopsis: When a desperate father breaks his house arrest, his parole officer tracks him by his ankle monitor. But when the devil surfaces from hell to collect his soul, the father finds himself at the crossroads of a violent two-pronged chase.
Genre(s): Horror, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: Lukas and Elio met at Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts and love to tell absurd redemption stories delivered in high octane packages.
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DEADLOCK
Written By: Kristen Semedo
Synopsis: Strapped for cash, a young woman takes up a job as a ghost tour guide, where a strange tourist makes an offer she can’t refuse.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Kristen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Studies from Arizona State University and is a screenwriter and director residing in Los Angeles. Her love of horror is the cornerstone of her filmography. She’s also known for her Property Master work on Destroy All Neighbors (Directed by Josh Forbes and starring Alex Winter & Jonah Ray Rodriguez,) Scott Derrickson’s segment on V/H/S/85, and Aporia (Directed by Jared Moshe.)
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EAT ME
Written By: Jason Tostevin
Synopsis: An ambitious food influencer is cursed with an escalating hunger that can only be satiated with one terrible thing.
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy
Screenwriter’s Bio: Jason’s genre work has been been recognized around the world and in outlets from The New York Times to Short of the Week.
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EVERYTHING WRONG WITH PATRICK
Written By: Frederik Ehrhardt
Synopsis: After a violent altercation with his boyfriend David, Patrick finds himself drawn to a mysterious hitchhiker in Redondo Beach, California, sparking a newfound romance.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Costa and Mitchell have collaborated in the horror space for seven years.
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IN CRYO
Written By: Conner Stirling
Synopsis: In the near future, a man waits for the day that science is capable of bringing his cryogenically preserved daughter back to life.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi
Screenwriter’s Bio: Conner Stirling is a writer and director from Toronto who crafts genre films to explore complex dramatic themes. His work blends thrills with emotion to create stories that both entertain and provoke thought.
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JEKYLL AND PRYDE
Written By: Michael Clifton
Synopsis: To save his position at a conservative college, Dr. Jekyll develops a serum to suppress his gay desires, but when the rakish Rev. Pryde emerges, his toxic masculinity wreaks havoc on everyone’s life.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Michael is a recovering hillbilly who found his footing in the full-tilt world of contemporary art. Today, he writes stories about outsiders trapped between real and imagined horrors. In 2024, his coming-of-age thriller The Toy Collector entered a shopping agreement and his queer horror films, Bath Bomb + Gummies, screened at Fantasia, FilmQuest, MotelX, FrightFest, Panic Fest and SXSW.
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LEAVE IT BURIED
Written By: Rafael De Leon Jr.
Synopsis: Tiffany and Sasha dig up an old tape recorder from Tiffany’s late father’s backyard. They should have left it buried.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Rafael De Leon is an award-winning writer, director and editor born and raised in New York City. Since graduating from Fordham University, his short films have screened at festivals around the world including SXSW, Fantasia, Panic Fest, and the Nightmares Film Festival. His short horror film “Three Baths” is currently on the festival circuit.
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MORRIGAN’S TREE
Written By: Nicki Bosch
Synopsis: A grieving mother spirals into madness, while her husband, haunted by voices from beyond the grave, fights to save their marriage—and his sanity.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: I’m a mother of five and a photographer who thought, “Why not add more chaos to the mix?” So, naturally, I took up writing—because what’s more fun than a hobby that keeps your confidence teetering on the edge?
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NEXUS
Written By: Ivan Gartner
Synopsis: A neuroscientist opens Pandora’s box after her attempt to cure mental illness with a brain-linking implant clashes with her schizophrenic daughter’s fears of losing her identity… and her reality.
Genre(s): Horror, Sci-Fi
Screenwriter’s Bio: I was born and raised in Southern California and started acting at the age of 10 then slowly dipped into other creative areas over time. My passions for human psychology, comedy, music, and the darker elements of story telling have driven me to constantly dabble in different areas of creative work. Nowadays, I tend to be a storyteller that loves to “create in the dark:” My strengths lie in dark comedy, dark sci-fi, horror and grim fantasy.
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NIGHTMARES
Written By: Justin Nosler
Synopsis: A young woman struggling to overcome a traumatic childhood begins to think she’s manifested the monster from her nightmares into the real world.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Justin Nosler is a screenwriter and filmmaker just outside Kansas City. His screenplays have been recognized in several competitions, such as Screencraft and Filmmatic, as well as the Page International Screenwriting Awards. He currently serves on the board of the Independent Filmmakers Coalition in Kansas City.
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NO ONE MOURNS A VULTURE
Written By: Smith
Synopsis: An injured post apocalyptic wasteland scavenger stumbles into a trading village for medical attention while a gunslinging assassin hunts him down.
Genre(s): Sci-Fi, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: Born in Houston, Texas. Raised all over the world. Wrote first screenplay in 2002. it was bad. Very bad. have been honing my writing craft while handling life since that time. Since 2022, I have won 21 best screenplay awards, 2 best writer awards, have placed as a quarter-semi-or-finalist an additional 9 times, and have a further 10 official selections.
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PLASTICS
Written By: Victoria Fratz Fradkin
Synopsis: A 6th grade girl pursues her dream of becoming a surgeon at the expense of her classmates.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Victoria Fratz Fradkin is an American film producer, writer, and actress. She is the co-founder of Social House Films alongside partner, Aaron Fradkin. Her producing and writing credits include: Electric Love (2018), Val (2021), The Ballerina (2021), and the 3-part mini series Death Record (20222). Electric Love won Best World Premiere at the San Diego International Film Festival and sold to Hulu for release.
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PLEASE HANG UP
Written By: Andrea Tellez & Sophie Tellez
Synopsis: A customer support worker tries to stop the brutal murder of a client trapped in a company owned time loop.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Based in Utah, Andrea and Sophie are daughters of a Honduran immigrant who learned English through movies, and as such, desire to write and direct films that transcends language and cultural barriers.
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RACCOON SEANCE (OR, THE ONE TRUE VEGAN)
Written By: Tova Weinberger
Synopsis: Four vegan women run over a raccoon and perform a seance to apologize.
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy
Screenwriter’s Bio: Tova Weinberger is an actress, content creator, cosplayer, singer-songwriter and now screenwriter born in Brooklyn NY and now a Jersey girl. She is thrilled to return to Filmquest with her own original short screenplay, when previously she attended as co-writer and lead actress in a short film she produced and wrote with her brother Avishai Weinberger.
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RETURN
Written By: Stephonika W. Kaye
Synopsis: An estranged father and daughter find themselves separated in a labyrinth of tunnels. Plagued by lost souls and their own demons, they brave the depths in search of freedom, and the only one who could offer salvation may also be the one they must escape.
Genre(s): Horror, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: Cincinnati based filmmaker specializing in fantasy, sci-fi and psychological horror.
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SHUTTER COUNT
Written By: Presley Paras
Synopsis: Shutter Count is a supernatural coming-of-age piece based on my Filipino family mythos that if you take a photo and your face is distorted, you’re going to die a horrible death.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy
Screenwriter’s Bio: Presley Paras is an MTVu nominated, and VEVO featured music video director. His short film Buffalo and Trout has found acclaim with Downright Creepy touting it as one of their top ten genre short films. His previous slasher short film, QUAD, was sold to HULU and distributed by Gravitas Ventures as part of the Fun Size Horror.
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SLEEPWALKER
Written By: Matt Moeller
Synopsis: A woman, a tower, a memory machine. Can she get to the top to save the hostage before she forgets?
Genre(s): Sci-Fi
Screenwriter’s Bio: Matt Moeller is a human dorodango who lives in LA now.
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TAGA
Written By: Jill Sachs
Synopsis: When western volunteers scorn the customs of a rural Filipino community, an ancient evil comes knocking.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Jill Sachs is a mixed Filipina-American writer-director, passionate about using genre to challenge oppressive narratives and amplify the voices of those whose fears and desires are often overlooked. Jill earned her MFA in Directing from AFI, and is a recent Finalist of the Disney-AFI Underrepresented Storytellers Initiative and 2023 CAPE Julia Gouw Short Film award. She won 2nd place at the 2024 Screencraft Short competition, with her travel/folk horror, Taga. Her films have won awards at festivals like BendFilm, Cinequest, Mallorca, Filmquest and more. Jill currently works in animation at Psyop, and enjoys backpacking, art and all things spooky.
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THE EXORCISM OF FATHER GABRIEL
Written By: Pierre Langenegger
Synopsis: An old priest wakes to find himself in a home ready to perform an exorcism on a young girl, but he soon realizes all is not what it seems as the demons in the girl are the demons from his past who have returned to judge him.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: I have been writing for close to 20 years and have won or placed in multiple competitions.
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THE NEUROINFERNAL FRIEND
Written By: Melissa Balint
Synopsis: Melanie is a demon from the bowels of hell and her new-ish human friends have no idea. On a girls trip together, she hears a story about an old friend being cruel to Isabella and takes it literally when all the pals talk about murdering this cruel old friend.
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy, Comedy, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: Melissa Balint is a Los Angeles based award-winning Writer/Director known for holding a nerdy level of information in her head and a sassy positive attitude. Her passion is writing and directing stories that are witty, inclusive, and often magical. Her love for genre is reflected all throughout her life including her Star Wars themed wedding, her fantastical tattoos, and the covertly otherworldly names of her twins. Melissa is mastering the techniques of episodic directing through assisting and shadowing on TV shows she adores both in and out of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy realm.
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THE NEW HIRE
Written By: Matthew Summersgill & Mark Palgy
Synopsis: Mike’s beloved “Office Family” dynamic is ominously disrupted by a strange new hire who threatens to upend everything Mike has built.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Hoping for a second act, Mark Palgy went from music to filmmaking and screenwriting. This is his 4th short, and one he hopes to make as a feature. Matthew Summersgill and Mark Palgy have been best friends since they were children. They both share a passion for horror movies and are now regularly writing features and shorts together.
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THE SHADOW OVER CHRISTMAS
Written By: Marc Roussel
Synopsis: A year after her mother’s death, a grief-stricken girl comes home on Christmas to discover clues behind how the tragic event occurred.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Writer-Director of short films that are featured on Alter and Bloody-Disgusting TV (Remote, The Last Halloween). Film/TV Picture Editor (Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, Apple Tv’s Chief of War, Orah).
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THE SURVIVOR
Written By: Kevin Machate
Synopsis: The lone survivor of an alien mining camp attack, Kel must wait out the next four days until a rescue shuttle arrives to take him home. Until then, he must deal with power fluctuations and failing systems with his only assistance coming from the AI computer system of an orbiting satellite.
Genre(s): Horror, Sci-Fi
Screenwriter’s Bio: Kevin has directed 8 short films and his credits and has more than 50 producing credits. Currently in production, is “WORST ENEMY” Which began filming in April 2024 and should be completed by early 2025. 3-time Emmy nominee Barry Corbin plays “Jim”, the father of the lead character (who is played by me.) He is a disabled veteran of the US Air Force and a 3 time Guinness World Record holder.
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THIRST
Written By: Lulenoxx
Synopsis: In 1974, Lauren, an isolated desert mechanic, meets the strange and mysterious Cammie when her car breaks down. Over the course of a night, the pair form a connection that forces Lauren to choose between their mortal life and the new kind of freedom Cammie can offer through vampirism.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Lulenoxx (they/them) is a queer, non-binary, screenwriter and director. Their work focuses on the liberation of queer characters and the celebration of all things strange. They aim to use stories to center queer joy, community, found family, and the magic of self-discovery. As a writer, Lulenoxx won CineStory Foundation’s LGBTQIA+ Scholarship, PANO’s Marilyn Horowitz Screenwriting Award (2nd Prize) and has received development opportunities and fellowships from Stowe Story Labs and Athena Film Festival’s Writers Lab (Finalist for the Chinonye Chukwu Emerging Writer Award).
They have been featured as an Industry Selection with Golden Script Competition, have placed in over 30 screenwriting competitions, and is a three-time Best Unproduced Screenplay Finalist at FilmQuest. As a director, Lulenoxx was a part of the Sundance Collab’s Fall 2020 Cohort, is a member of the She Collective and is an Alumni of Lincoln Center’s Director’s Lab.
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TOWNIE
Written By: Ashley Thomas
Synopsis: When Riley returns to her hometown and unexpectedly reunites with a childhood friend, a frog-like creature from their past reappears.
Genre(s): Horror, The Beyond
Screenwriter’s Bio: N/A
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WAX
Written By: Paranoid LA
Synopsis: When a racist record buyer steals a cursed vinyl from an unsuspecting seller, he finds himself in a nightmarish reality of his own making.
Genre(s): Horror
Screenwriter’s Bio: Ben Nicholson is a director/writer based in LA and one half of the production duo, Paranoid LA with Garrett Johnson. Even though he is an avid record collector, Ben tries very hard not to be as terrible as the person in his script.
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YOU WON’T KILL ME
Written By: Fayna Sanchez
Synopsis: Desperate to end her life, a woman retreats to a secluded cabin in the woods to commit suicide, only to find herself fighting for survival as she unwittingly becomes the final girl in this twisted dark comedy.
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy
Screenwriter’s Bio: Fayna Sanchez is an award winning actor, producer, and writer. As an actor Fayna most recently completed filming a period gothic for Shudder. She is currently gearing up for the festival circuit with her first feature starring role as Mia in House of Ashes, directed by Izzy Lee. And this fall will prove to be a busy time, as Tenants, a brand new horror anthology is releasing under Cranked Up Films.
In 2023, Fayna made her mark as a writer with A Good Scream, an award-winning horror-comedy short that she wrote, co-produced, and starred in, earning her a “Best Actress” award. As a new writer, Fayna has found a deep passion for storytelling, enjoying the creative process both behind and in front of the camera.
