Los Angeles, CA – June 1st, 2022: Calling all horror writers! The fourth annual Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition is accepting entries from June 1st, 2022.
The Killer Shorts Contest celebrates horror short screenwriters from around the world, connecting them with managers, producers, and filmmakers. The Top 10 scripts will be read by a star-studded panel of judges, with over $5,000 worth of prizes up for grabs including Final Draft 12 screenwriting software, Shudder subscriptions, Coverfly career consultations, memberships to Stan Winston’s School of Creative Arts, and a one-of-a-kind skull-shaped typewriter trophy, hand-sculpted and designed by celebrity FX artist Tyler Green (Syfy’s Face Off).
Season 4 Panel of Judges
Xavier Burgin 
Joe Bob Briggs 
Gigi Saul Guerrero 
Barbara Crampton 
Kane Hodder 
John Zaozirny
The Killer Shorts Season 4 jury includes Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Jason X, Hatchet I, II & III), Xavier Burgin (Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror), Gigi Saul Guerrero (Culture Shock, El Gigante), Joe Bob Briggs (The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs), Julian Terry (Don’t Peek, Whisper, They Hear It, The Nurse), Chelsea Lupkin (Short of the Week, Lucy’s Tale), Barbara Crampton (Jakob’s Wife, Re-Animator, From Beyond, You’re Next), Sophie Carroll (Gun Powder & Sky, ALTER), Scott Stoops (Good Fear Film + Management), Glenn Cockburn (Meridian Artists), Daniel Seco (Empirical Evidence), Scott Carr (Management SGC), Jason Tamasco (Traction Pictures), John Zaozirny (Bellevue Productions), Zack Zucker (Bellevue Productions), Jenn Wexler (The Ranger), Matthew Dartnell (Writ Large), and Aaron B. Koontz (The Pale Door, Scare Package).
1 Page Horror Short Category
We are thrilled to continue this budget-friendly ‘1 Page Horror Short’ category this season, with a locked-in $10 entry fee. Prizes include an all-access 1 year subscription to Stan Winston School, $500 cash, a 6 month ISAConnect Membership, plus the highly coveted skull typewriter trophy.
“We recognize that shorter scripts have a slight disadvantage when it comes to impressing literary managers,” said Alison Parker, Contest Director, “So we are thrilled to continue our new ‘1 Page Category’, with prizes geared towards helping the winner produce a horror short film.”
“Before winning Killer Shorts, I had no idea how much buzz a short script could create. I’ve since met with a couple managers and I’m working with two producers on getting my short made!”.
Alessandra Jara Del Castillo, Season 2 First Place Winner.
Success Stories
Season 1 Third Place Winner Chris Hicks signed with literary manager Peter Katz of Story Driven, after the success of his short script “The Butter Street Hitchhiker” landed him on Coverfly’s The Red List. Season 1 finalist Jeremiah Lewis’ script “The Rickety Man” was discovered by director Cameron Gallagher on the Killer Shorts website and is currently on the festival circuit. Connor Savage was inspired to write a feature version of his Season 1 semifinalist script “Saskia”, which reached the Top 10% in the Academy Nicholls Fellowship and garnered him acceptance to AFI’s Screenwriting Conservatory, the #1 Film School in America. Maria Wilson developed her Season 2 semifinalist script “Monnji” into a TV script which won the Grand Prize at Screencraft’s 2022 Horror Screenplay Competition.
“To all you scriptwriters out there, I cannot recommend Killer Shorts highly enough! My experience with Killer Shorts was awesome from start to finish!”
Andrew Yeremeyev, Season 3 Second Place Winner
How to Enter
Entry fees for the main competition category start at $25 for ‘Early Bird’ entries submitted by August 5, 2022, with a final deadline of December 16, 2022. Entries can be submitted via Coverfly, Filmfreeway or ISA.
New to the competition this year, Killer Shorts will accept entries from writers under 18 years old (with parental consent), revised screenplays via Coverfly, and an optional feedback add-on (via Coverfly and FilmFreeway).
The Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition is sponsored by Shudder, Final Draft, Rue Morgue, Stan Winston’s School of Character Arts, Script Butcher, Coverfly, FilmFreeway, Script Hive, ISA, Stage 32, ScriptHop, Robert McKee’s Horror Webinar Series, Ghoulish Gary, Horror Pack, Qwerkytoys, and Fright Rags.
For more information, visit: KillerShortsContest.com and follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
