We are excited to announce the winners of the 2023 Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition. These exceptional short screenplays were selected from over 1,033 submissions. Congratulations!
Overall Winner
’97 by Sarah Ward
When two video rental store employees discover an unmarked tape in their return box, they find themselves both audience and subject in a sinister game with an anonymous filmmaker.
2nd Place Winner
Merrow by Alexander Seltzer
A young boy is forced to grow up after his father brings him on his first fishing trip as part of a disturbing coming-of-age ritual.
3rd Place Winner
Cooking Lessons with Baba Yaga by Julia Diddy
An ancient witch and a battered wife cross paths.
1-Page Category Overall Winner
Followers by Chris Vanderhorst
A young girl’s pursuit for new followers may not be what she hoped for.
1-Page Category 2nd Place Winner
Duck Duck Goose by Jess Bartlett
In a circle, a group of children sit in terror as a grotesque monster partakes in a sinister game of Duck Duck Goose.
1-Page Category 3rd Place Winner
Phantom Cry by Alison Pringle
A strange sound emanating from their baby’s crib forces two parents to confront a paranormal phenomenon.
We’d like to thank again our esteemed jury that included: literary managers John Zaozirny (Bellevue Productions), Daniel Seco (Empirical Evidence), Scott Stoops (Good Fear), Scott Carr (Management SGC), Zack Zucker (Bellevue Productions) and Glenn Cockburn (Meridian Artists); senior programmers Sophie Carroll (ALTER) and Chelsea Lupkin (Short of the Week); horror filmmakers and producers Julian Terry, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Xavier Burgin, Jenn Wexler, Aaron B. Koontz and Jason Tamasco; plus legendary horror actors Barbara Crampton and Kane Hodder.
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 5. And if you’d like to receive a notification when we re-open for entries, subscribe for updates via Coverfly.
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