Listed below are the Quarterfinalists of the 2025 Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition. These exceptional screenplays and short stories were selected from over 1,200 submissions. Congratulations to the writers who have made it this far and thanks to all for submitting!
Stay tuned for future announcements here and on our Bluesky, X, Instagram and Facebook pages within the next few weeks! Subscribe for updates via Coverfly and/or our Substack newsletter. Looking for feedback? Purchase Short Script Coverage now.
Here are the Main Category Quarterfinalists:
| WRITER/S | TITLE |
| JON-CARLO DIAZ | A Light Shined Down and All I Could See Was Darkness |
| KYLE ENSRUDE | A Stirring in Saint John’s Wood |
| KELSEY NERRIE | An Addition to the Household |
| FRANK MALDONADO | Baby |
| TRAVIS USHER | Baby |
| TANIA LUNA | Baby Tooth |
| BRYCE CARLISLE | Below the Basement |
| JON DI ROCCO | Bird Mama |
| VINCE GATTON & ALLAN PIPER | Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed |
| CHARLIE T SAVAGE | Cell Tell Heart |
| MARGARET BOWMAN | Citizen Workshop for Artisan Crafts |
| JORDAN ANDREW | Creature |
| ERIC MILLER | Culling the Herd |
| JO BUDZILOWICZ | Dead Inside |
| CECILIA KIM & MELANIE CRISTESCU | Death is a Favor |
| CHAD MICHAEL WARD | DESOLATION HEART |
| CAMARA AARON | Dou-dou |
| NATHAN D. LUDWIG & JONATHAN STRAITON | Dover |
| SHAUN O’LOUGHLIN | Drinkwater |
| JASON TOSTEVIN | Eat Me |
| SHAUN BALAND | Eternal Canyon |
| COSTANTINO CIMINELLO & MITCHELL SLAN | Everything Wrong With Patrick |
| J. PHILLIP WILKINS | Far From The Barbarous Coast |
| BRIAN LIEPE | Feather the Trigger |
| DEREK LADD | FLIES |
| RICARDO BRAVO | For the Record |
| NAT ANGLIN | Ghosting |
| AMY T. MARTIN | Gone Song |
| JENNIFER MILNE | HEARTWARMING HORROR SHORT |
| LISA KRÖGER & LARISSA ZAGERIS | Hissy Fit |
| IRENE CHEN & FRANCISCA ZAPATA | How to be The Perfect Housewife |
| HADLEY DION | Hysterical |
| TOBY MARKS | I was here |
| LEE BACON | In the Bones |
| NISHANTH R. & NATHAN XIA | Indian in a Box |
| CHRIS MITCHELL | Inkling |
| MARTIN PHILLIPS | Insomnia |
| VANESSA BLOOM | Interfaith Exorcisim |
| MARY KURYLA | Invasive Species |
| GEOFF COX | It’s Yours Now |
| JADE JIAO | Jester’s Privilege |
| MARISA GREEN | KEGEL |
| CATHERINE CASEY | Killer Clown on Roller Skates |
| STEVE MITCHELL | Last of the Vegans |
| LAKEISHA JACKSON | Last Seen |
| LISA OVIES | LIFE |
| JASON FINK & BRANDON FINK | Lit Up |
| RYAN CULLEN | Longtime Companion |
| TIJUANA RICKS | Mama |
| RHITUPARNA BASU | Mark of the Ghoul |
| DONNE COPENHAVER | Masterwork |
| ANDREW WILLIAM WEAVER | Maya’s Room |
| SALVADOR MEDINA | Meztliapan |
| MIGUEL MARTINEZ | Migrant Spirits |
| JEREMY JACKSON | MILK AND COOKIES |
| GIOVANNA UMPIERREZ | Mirrored |
| HARKER JONES | Mistletoe |
| ARRAN CRAWLEY | Mother Wound |
| ELIZABETH WATSON | Motionless |
| RODOLFO SALAS | Nightmare Mine |
| VALERA RODION | Nice Jacket |
| TARYN CRANKSHAW | NO FEELINGS WERE HURT IN THE MAKING OF THIS FILM |
| RENUKA SINGH | No Guts, No Glory |
| AIDAN PETERSHACK | Opus |
| PIMVENUS CLARK | Period Products for the Apocalypse |
| NICOLAS HOSEA CHRISTIANTONO | Phantasmagore: Body of Lewy |
| PHILLIP MCSWEEN | Phosphorous |
| EVA LOUISE HALL | Pluck |
| ANOOP B. SINGH | PRION |
| LUCY FOSTER & PETER STEAD | Provenance |
| HEATHER SHIELDS | Pythia Falls |
| TOBY MARKS | Quiet Minds |
| TOVA WEINBERGER | Raccoon Seance (or, The One True Vegan) |
| TYLER BLOMSTROM-MOORE | Raven Feeder |
| AROOJ SHAH | Reptilian Sisterhood |
| AUSTIN LANGLEY | Royal Beast |
| CALEB GEORGE | Secrets, Secrets |
| HYTEN DAVIDSON | She Looks Just Like You |
| CHARLIE AINSWORTH | She Who Hears Monsters |
| ZOE KERR | Shock Collar |
| JON PLATT | SKELETON CREW |
| MATTHEW YONGUE | Sleigh |
| GREYSON WYATT | Small Fry |
| JEFFERY THOMPSON JR | Soul Walker |
| SAM FOWLER | SPREAD THE WORM |
| EVAN SCHULLERY | Squeak |
| KIERAN GLEESON | Steps |
| DUSTIN MOORE | Still Echoes |
| JASON SHEEDY | Tapestry |
| TANIA LUNA | Teeth |
| CALEB DILLON | The Ardent Ball |
| ANWEN BULL & LUCA FANGEAUX | The Bunyip |
| JUSTIN STALEY | The Cavity |
| BEN RAMSAY | THE FINAL TEN |
| GJ HARVEY | The Flip and the Dead |
| BRIANA COX | The Good Neighbors |
| LELA CERMIN | The Hatred |
| GUILHERME FEITOSA | The Labatut |
| SIMON TATUM | THE NIGHT ROAD |
| WREN VALENTINO | The Playhouse |
| JUDY KLASS | The Poe-ster |
| JOSHUA POTTER | The Sixth Passenger |
| MBUGUA MUCHOKI | The Wheel of Destiny |
| BRENDAN BYRNE | Thunk |
| CHRIS MURPHY | Time Based Coding |
| TANIA LUNA | Travelers |
| WALKER MACDONALD | Twice Shy |
| ANNA XIQUES | Under the Bed |
| WILL EMUSS | UNDYING LOVE |
| ANDREW PARKHILL | Until You Wake Up Dead |
| ALLEN ADKINS | Vigilant |
| DEREK LADD | Vision in Red |
| DARRELL LAKE | We are not safe |
| NEHEMYAH GRAY | When it Comes |
| WARREN MYERS | White Light / White Heat |
Looking for feedback on a horror short screenplay? Purchase Killer Shorts Short Script Coverage. Actionable notes from professional readers in 7 days or less. Our coverage impacts your Coverfly Score and increases your script’s chances of landing on The Red List.
Here are the 1 Page Quarterfinalists:
Here are the Short Story (Prose) Quarterfinalists:
| WRITER/S | TITLE |
| MICHAEL KEENER | …within a dream |
| TOM BROWNGARDT | A Dangerous Stretch |
| JASON TOSTEVIN | A Lullaby for Night |
| TOM BROWNGARDT | A Moveable Haunt |
| MERE WALTON | A Nightime Visit |
| JEREMIAH BLACKMAN | All That’s Left |
| GABRIEL SERRANO DENIS | Behemoth |
| TIARA SMITH | Besties |
| J.J. HILLARD | Bug Boy |
| AZZURRA NOX | Comets Tear the Skies |
| MONTSERRAT LUNA-BALLANTYNE | Dear Nora |
| ROB ULITSKI | Decay |
| MICHAEL PEARSON | Dog Toothed |
| P.M. RAYMOND | Don’t Drink the Water |
| JOHN BIAS | Dream or Reality? |
| TIYAN NEWMAN | Eden |
| JULIE ANN SLABY | Erasmus Book One: First of May |
| ANDY FARRANT | False Idol |
| MATTHEW BRADY | Fishers of Men |
| ASABI LEE & PAUL HART-WILDEN | FORGET ME NOT |
| JERRY J SAMPSON | God’s Future Soldiers |
| ASH DURAI | HER |
| JEFF SEEMAN | Horror Business |
| ANDY FARRANT | Hotline to Heaven |
| KAMARIA WILLIAMS | Hypnagogic |
| CALEB DILLON | Identity Theft |
| RHONDA JACKSON GARCIA | Important Things |
| ANTHONY LABRIOLA | Insatiable |
| TERESA HAINO | Jezebel in Hell |
| ANDY FARRANT | Jinglewood Junction |
| JIMMY HAMILL | Keening |
| ALLIE NELSON | Last Seen |
| LUIS AREVALO | Masters of Earth |
| EMELIE CLAXTON | Mother’s Day |
| JACKIE FENN | Nurture |
| CAROLYN LENZ | Party Animal |
| ANNA LABRIOLA | Please Take One |
| AKUORKOR ALLOTEY | Quis ut Deus |
| ZITA GRANT | Razor Blood Vine |
| JERRY J SAMPSON | Sans Sucres |
| BRIAN EWING | Scree |
| JERRY J SAMPSON | Sleep Demon |
| ROBERT CREEKMORE | Sole Survivor |
| RHONDA JACKSON GARCIA | Sweet Sunday Supper Smile |
| ANDY FARRANT | The Best Coffee in the World |
| SURINA BELK-GUPTA | The Boy Who Fell |
| ARIC HARRISON | The Far Side of the Veil: In the Quiet Depths of Glass |
| JONATHAN CLARK | THE HOUSE OF BONES, SELF-GUIDED TOUR |
| KATIE WRIGHT | The Man in the Mirror |
| ANTHONY ROBERTS | The Mineshaft |
| CARTER FRIEND | THE NUT CRACKER |
| FREYA JENSEN-BRANDT | The Red Glove |
| C.T. ROEMER | The Sacrifice |
| CK LOVE | THE SILENCE OF WAR |
| MATTHEW JACKSON | The Stream |
| BRIAN BRENNAN | The Whole Truth |
| MORGAN TEGTOW | They Will Turn Me into Them |
| P.M. RAYMOND | Things Are as They Should Be |
| DEREK ANDERSON | Under the Mistletoe |
Big thanks to our sponsors Final Draft, Rue Morgue, Stan Winston School of Character Arts, Horror Pack, QWERKYTOYS, Seed & Spark, We Make Movies, Book Brush, Stage 32, Robert McKee’s Horror Webinar Series, Ghoulish Gary, The Script Butcher, Coverfly, Filmfreeway, Script Hive, ISA, Script Hop, Script Revolution, Scrivener and Fright Rags.
Thanks also to our festival partners, and the following Womxn & BIPOC organizations: The Write or Die Chicks, Women Make Movies, Ladima Foundation, NYWIFT, African American Women in Cinema, The Light Leaks, Hedgebrook, Rianne Pictures, Alliance of Women Directors, LIFTT, Black Screenwriters, and Indigenous Australian Filmmakers.
