We are excited to announce the winners of the 2025 Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition. These exceptional short screenplays and short stories were selected from over 1,200 submissions. Congratulations!
Main Category
Overall Winner
Kegel by Marisa Green
After plain Jane is ghosted one too many times, she muscles a feral vagina-driven revenge spree.
“It’s difficult to be original in the world of horror, as everything is a riff on something that’s come before, but I truly have never read anything like this one.” Jed Shepherd, Writer/Exec Producer of HOST
2nd Place Winner
Squeak by Evan Schullery
After being tossed into the backyard, the beloved squeaky toy of an abused golden retriever gets infested by a mysterious fungus and seeks revenge.
“It’s tightly written, smartly paced, and manages to juggle tones with ease: bio-horror meets vengeance meets pitch-black comedy…Genius.” – Sophie Carroll, Director of Creative, DUST & ALTER
3rd Place Winner
Baby Tooth by Tania Luna
A young boy turns to supernatural forces in a twisted attempt to mend his broken family.
“This was wonderful. So sweet. So thoughtful. It’s poignant without being overt. Perfect length. I want to see this. Gateway horror.” – Aaron B. Koontz, Paper Street Pictures
1-Page Category
Overall Winner
Surprise, Surprise by Phillip Dishon
A man’s low-key birthday celebration comes to an unexpected end.
2nd Place Winner
Submerged by Lisa Jay
When a woman encounters a distressed boy by a riverbank, she does her best to help until she realizes she’s put herself in danger.
3rd Place Winner
Home Birth by Adrian Kennedy
A woman grieving the death of her husband finds new life in new life.
Short Story (Prose) Category
Overall Winner
Hotline to Heaven by Andy Farrant
A psychic medium with real horrifying visions of the afterlife finds the only way to monetize his skill is by lying.
2nd Place Winner
Identity Theft by Caleb Dillon
After visiting a high school reunion and not being recognized, a man slowly begins to realize he is being erased from his own life.
3rd Place Winner
Dear Nora by Montserrat Luna-Ballantyne
An advice columnist corresponds with a mother who’s experiencing increasingly strange events in her new home.
We’d like to thank again our esteemed jury that included: literary managers John Zaozirny (Bellevue Productions), Matthew Dartnell (Writ Large) and Glenn Cockburn (Meridian Artists); senior programmers Sophie Carroll (ALTER) and Chelsea Lupkin (Short of the Week); horror filmmakers and producers Julian Terry, Jed Shepherd, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Xavier Burgin, Jenn Wexler, Aaron B. Koontz, Melody Cooper, Seth M. Sherwood, and Jason Tamasco; plus legendary horror icons Barbara Crampton and Gregory Nicotero.
Congratulations to these winning writers, and thank you to our judges and to everyone who submitted projects. View the Quarterfinalists, Semifinalists, and Finalists here. You may now purchase our Short Script Coverage to prepare for Season 7. And if you’d like to receive a notification when we re-open for entries, subscribe for updates via Substack and Coverfly.
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