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The Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition
Killer Shorts Horror
Contact
Web:
https://www.killershorts.com
Email:
info@killershortscontest.com
Contact: Alison Parker, Contest Director
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| Feedback: |
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(4.0/5.0) |
| Signficance: |
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(4.5/5.0) |
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Objective
Got a horror short screenplay or short story? We want to read it.
Our Top 10 finalists will be read by a jury of over a dozen literary managers, producers, filmmakers, and absolute horror legends. Prizes include guaranteed industry reads, career consultations, mentorships, a killer trophy, and so much more.
"Killer Shorts played a pivotal role in me finding representation at Bellevue. Thanks to the competition, I was connected with John who later connected me with my current manager, Maddy." - Vanessa Võ, Season 2 2nd Place Winner
"Killer Shorts has changed my life. It is so much more than a contest. It is a network of brilliant writers working to hone their craft. Winning is always the goal, but even placing in Killer Shorts opens so many avenues for writers to connect and grow. Show More
Deadline/Entry Fees
Expired. Previous Deadline: 12/31/2025WinningScripts Pro 25% Off Coupon
Notification: February 15, 2026
Eligibility
Anyone in the world. If under 18, with parental consent.Rules
Screenplays entered must 20 pages or under, be written in English, and adhere to industry standard screenplay format. For a full list of rules, please visit the official website.Awards
This year's jury includes:- John Zaozirny - Literary Manager // Producer - Bellevue Productions
- Gregory Nicotero - Director // Producer // Special FX Make Up Creator (The Walking Dead, Creepshow, The Hateful Eight)
- Tananarive Due (The Twilight Zone, Horror Noire)
- Xavier Burgin - Director (Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror)
- Gigi Saul Guerrero - Director // Co-Founder Luchagore Productions (Satanic Hispanics, Culture Shock, El Gigante)
- Aaron B. Koontz - Producer // CEO Paper Street Pictures (Shelby Oaks, Scare Package I&II, The Pale Door)
- Melody Cooper - Producer // Writer (Beasts of Prey, Two Sentence Horror Stories, Law & Order: SVU)
- Julian Terry - Filmmaker (Whisper, The Nurse, They Hear It)
- Chelsea Lupkin - Senior Programmer at Short of the Week // Filmmaker (Flagged, Lucy's Tale)
- Glenn Cockburn - Literary Manager - Meridian Artists
- Barbara Crampton - Actress // Producer (You're Next, From Beyond, Chopping Mall, Re-Animator)
- Jenn Wexler - Filmmaker (The Sacrifice Game, The Ranger, ABC's of Death 2)
- Sophie Carroll - Programming Manager - ALTER
- Jason Tamasco - Producer - Traction Pictures
- Circulation and recommendation to our network of Hollywood managers, agents, producers and development executives.
- Final Draft 13 Screenwriting Software.
- 1:1 30 minute Crowdfunding Consultation call with Seed & Spark's Head of Creator Success
- Waived entry to multiple other contests and festivals.
- Career consultations & a 60 minute Career Development call with a Stage 32 industry professional.
- Access to Robert Mckee's 3 Part Horror Webinar Series, including three 90-minute lessons where McKee teaches the sources of horror, the hidden worlds within reality, and the secret to writing a monster that will terrify your audience.
- A skull-shaped typewriter trophy, hand-sculpted and designed by celebrity FX artist Tyler Green (Syfy’s Face Off).
- Killer swag courtesy of Rue Morgue, Fright Rags, and Ghoulish Gary.
- ISAConnect Memberships (6 months, 3 months, 3 months)
- 1-Year Premium Subscription to ScriptHop
- 1-Year Rockstar Membership to Script Revolution
- Plus, our 3rd Place Winner will receive 5 pages of in-depth analysis and actionable advice from The Script Butcher!
- Finalist Laurels
- Final Draft license
- 1:1 30 minute Crowdfunding Consultation call with Seed & Spark's Head of Creator Success
- Stage 32 short script coverage from an industry professional
- Plus, your script will be read by our panel of industry judges.
- Semi Finalist Laurels
- Stage 32 Next Level Webinar of your choice
- Plus your screenplay will be made available by request to potential producers and filmmakers.
- Quarter Finalist Laurels
- 20% off of Stage 32's Search For New Blood Screenwriting Contest
1 Page Script Category
We recognize that shorter scripts have a slight disadvantage when it comes to impressing literary managers, so we are thrilled to continue our new ‘1 Page Category’, with prizes geared towards helping you produce a horror micro-short film.
Can you tell a horror story in just one page?
The Best 1 Page Script Will Receive:
- An all-access 1 year subscription to Stan Winston School, including their Course library by The Masters of FX.
- Final Draft 13 Screenwriting Software.
- A QWERKYWRITER® Best-In-Class Typewriter Inspired Mechanical Keyboard. $500 Cash.
- 6 Month ISAConnect Membership.
- 1-Year Premium Subscription to ScriptHop
- 1-Year Rockstar Membership to Script Revolution
- A skull-shaped typewriter trophy, hand-sculpted and designed by celebrity FX artist Tyler Green (Syfy’s Face Off).
- Publication on Website
- Industry Circulation
- Chris Hicks Career Mentorship Call
- Scrivener Writing Software
- A skull-shaped typewriter trophy, hand-sculpted and designed by celebrity FX artist Tyler Green (Syfy's Face Off).
The winner of the Short Story (Prose) category will receive a 30 minute, one on one zoom meeting with Chris Hicks, professional screenwriter and author of I Am Not Alone. Chris will answers general questions about the business, how to take your career to the next level, and navigating Hollywood.
Chris is the author of I Am Not Alone – the record breaking short story sold to Netflix. Misha Green has attached to write the script, direct and produce. Jessica Chastain attached to star and produce. Simon Kinberg producing. His story “All You Can Eat” is currently in development as a television series by Wonder Worldwide and Big Light Productions. His stories have been read by millions of readers on Reddit’s NoSleep where they are among the most popular stories of all time. As a screenwriter, he made the quarterfinals of the 2022 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship and was selected to the 2020 Bloodlist. Chris Hicks is a #killeralum with his script "THE BUTTER STREET HITCHHIKER" coming in 3rd Place in Season 1. Chris is represented by Peter Katz of Story Driven.
Killer Shorts Horror
Contact
Web:
https://www.killershorts.com
Email:
info@killershortscontest.com
Contact: Alison Parker, Contest Director
Report Card |
||
| Overall: |
|
(4.5/5.0) |
| Professionalism: |
|
(5.0/5.0) |
| Feedback: |
|
(4.0/5.0) |
| Signficance: |
|
(4.5/5.0) |
| Report Cards: |
|
|
|
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card
|
||
Categories
Contest Comments
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The Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition
Contact
Web:
https://www.killershorts.com
Email:
info@killershortscontest.com
Contact: Alison Parker, Contest Director
Report Card |
||
| Overall: |
|
(4.5/5.0) |
| Professionalism: |
|
(5.0/5.0) |
| Feedback: |
|
(4.0/5.0) |
| Signficance: |
|
(4.5/5.0) |
| Report Cards: |
|
|
|
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card
|
||
Categories
Contest News
Killer Shorts Announces Quarterfinalists
Quarterfinalists have been selected from more than 1,000 submissions to the 2026 Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition.
Main Category Quarterfinalists
TINO GARCIA GROSS, (Wash) Cycle of Violence
MICHELLE CAMPBELL, Amarillo
LUCY FOSTER, ANSWER MAN
MATTHEW LAYDEN, Back Piece
LYNDA HILLIKER, BE MY BABY
OLIVIA LOCCISANO, Be Not Afraid
SHAINA AIDAN, Behind Closed Doors
HELOISE CHUNG & BRANDY CARIE, Bibi
ANDREW GIBBS, Black Candy
BENJAMIN LUK, Buttons †
ELAINE FROST, By Yourself
JEAN FERNANDEZ, CAIN
PHILLIP MCSWEEN, Can I Borrow Your Demon?
MATILDA SZYDAGIS, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW
NOLAN LAMPSON, CAPTURE
MELISSA PEREZ GELT, Changing †
PIERRE DEMERY, Closing Time †
MARCO RODRIGUEZ, Collector
KES NAVE, Crisis
SEAN KENEALY, Cut
MATTHEW HILL, CUT!
ERIC GORODETSKY, Dead Air
LEON MASTERS, DEAD DAUGHTER
EISLINN GRACEN, Deerest Darling
CLAUDIA BARCENAS, DEI Murders
SEBASTIAN WAVERLY, DORMANT
JOSE CRUZ, Dress Up
VILDE ØKSNES, Drive Safe
CALEB GEORGE, Eat Me Alive
MARY ROBERGE, Elevator Jack
TODD JONES, Emancipation
JUAN GOMEZ JR & DANIELLE OMELAS, Enmity
ROSS LOVELL, Feeding The Foxes †
RICHARD GARRY, Food Chain
ED O’GOWER, Gnomey Gnutkins Is Out Of Copyright
ADAM WARD, GONE FISHIN’ †
ANTHEA JONES, Good Child †
MARISA MARTINEZ, Got Milk?
RYAN CURTIS, GRAVEN
JOSHUA DAVID MATTHEWS, Grim
KARELINE CASTOR, Hangtown Fry
STEPHEN TRAMONTANA, Hidden Treasure
MARK ROCHON, High Stakes at Sundown
SAPPHIRE SANDALO, How Was Your Day? †
PAUL STARKEY, Hyde and Seek
KYLE HARRIS, In Recline
KATIE WALKER-COOK, In Sheep’s Clothing
CHRIS WILTZ, In the Freezer
CARA MARSHALL, In With the Storm †
JENNIFER LYNN WARREN, Jimmy
SHERICE GRIFFITHS, Jinx
MIKE MURPHY, JOEY SALAMI’S HALLOWEEN
STEVEN LEE, Kathy and Jeb
JOHAN SPIROLAZZI, Keep Digging
MICHAEL SHEETZ, Keepsake
CATHERINE CASEY, KILLJOY
MATTHEW YONGUE, Limbo
CHRISTOPHER GUERRERO & RYAN GILMOUR, LOCUST GROVE
COLE MCCABE, Lovebirds
LEE BACON, Lure
MONICA CROWELL, Lure
MICHAEL CLIFTON, Lyla’s Last Dance
MICHAEL MORRA, Mercy
STEPHEN GRAVES, Mister Mittens
ARRAN CRAWLEY, Mother Wound
SANCHEZ TAYLOR, My Other Half
MICHAEL PISATURO, No Faces
SEBASTIAN WATSON, No Fishing
KERMET MERL KEY, Nyarlathotep
SETH KELMAN, Only You †
TOPE OGUNDARE, Orchid Thieves
CARLOS TKACZ, Outside
IAN BAASKE, Polaroid
CONOR KILLMURRAY, Puppy Love
JASON RICE, QuickBites
MICHELLE IANNANTUONO, Recycled
RICK ARGIRO & KOLE HICKS, Reverie
SALVATORE LIUZZI, Riding with the King
VIKTOR HERRMANN, RockABilly
ROSE VATEL, Saint Arnold †
TEX GRESHAM, Sara
KEN TEUTSCH, Second Honeymoon
MATT FINLAY, SEVERED
MITCHELL ALAN BANKS, Shredded
FRANCESCA PAZNIOKAS, Super Absolutely
KEV DOOLEY, Terms & Conditions
DAKOTA LASKY, That’s Not Mason Gladwell
ARI DONNELLY, The Ballad of B9-G
DARREN BAILEY, The Bellows
SCOTT A. WEISS, THE BIG DARK
SEAN REIDY, The Boy in the Orchard
JEREMY FEIGHT, The Buggerer
TAYLOR SHOFNER, The Cockatrice
LIAM FITZPATRICK, The Frame
CHERISE KEOWN, The Hind Woman
GREG KACZYNSKI, The House of Man
PATRICK KOEPKE, The Lantern Man
MIKE UNDERWOOD, The Last Dance of Victor Hall
CHERELLE ANN SARAH HIGGINS, The Little Black Boy
MICHAEL HAAS, The Monster Within
JULIA DIDDY, The Offering
RENUKA SINGH, The Offering
RACHEL YELDING, The Stopping House
JACK CAMPION, The Toadman Cometh
EDWARD ROWETT, The Village Witch
JESSICA MCLAUGHLIN, The Widow’s Itch
LEE COTMAN, There Were Signs
JOAN MAO, THEY STILL REMEMBER
JOHN BURDEAUX, This Vehicle Has Been Checked for Sleeping Children
SARAH RICHARDSON, Toe to Toe
BRIANNE NORD-STEWART, Tricky Me
MARISA GREEN, TRUNK
RACHEL RICHARDS, Tulpa
CHRIS VANDERHORST, TV-MA
CHRIS LEE, Wagashi
ANDREW MARON, We’ll Be In Touch
SHANE THOMPSON, Welcome to Our Cabin
SAM DAS, What Remains
BIANCA BINA, Who’s there?
WALKER MACDONALD, Wookalark
1-PageQuarterfinalists:
KIMBERLY DIVAD, A Paralysis
P.M. RAYMOND, A Pretty Smile
ROSS LOVELL, Always
ANDREW DUNSTAN, Amma
SANCHEZ TAYLOR, Appeal
WILLIAM DREW, Arke Takes the Stairs
GIOVANNA UMPIERREZ, Backbone
CASS COOPER, Beaming
JOSE CRUZ, Bed and Board
GIOVANNA UMPIERREZ, Blackberry
KELLY ASHER, Canvas
MICHAEL BRENNAN, Carla’s New Suit
EVAN BAUGHFMAN, Constant December
TANNER CALL, Dead Line
IAN DELEÓN, Donna’s Summer: An Abduction Story
ANNIE WILDER, Fallen Man
JASON TURER, Glug Glug
LIAM FITZPATRICK, Guess Again
JOEY MILLER, Hunger
SHAUN BALAND, Hush, Little Baby
SEAN REIDY, I Hate Camping
TOM SCHRACK, Instructions
DEREK MCHUGH, Jukebox
AVI HEIKKINEN, Laundry Day
PAUL STARKEY, Loose Lips
TARYN CRANKSHAW, NO FEELINGS WERE HURT IN THE MAKING OF THIS FILM
COLBY HELTON, Nothing Yet
JAMES ALLEN, PARTY BLOB
JUSTIN BURFORD, Peeping Tom
OLIVIA LOCCISANO, ProtoTyke
EMMA HUANG, Ritual
ARTHUR MOLLENHOFF, Rubber Duckie
ROSE VATEL, School Shopping
OTIS HAMMER, Sensory Deprivation
HUGO DABAS, Shadowboxing
CHRISTOPHER WHITE, SKINNY
CALEB DILLON, TALKBOY
ZACHARY LENTZ, The Cookout
DAVID HO, The Daughter and the Doll
INÊS REIS, The Homebody
MAUREEN TRINH, The License Plate Game
CYLE BROOKS, The Merging
RICK J. LUCAS, The Rending
JOSE CRUZ, The Shaft †
DEVIN GARDNER, Think Tank
ILIAN MANDEV, Time’s Up
RICK ARGIRO, Tools
TJ BERRY, Weakness Leaving the Body †
STEPHEN CHEN, What Big Muscles You Have!
DARREN HINCHY, WOKE
Short Story (Prose) Quarterfinalists:
RACHEL MCCAULLEY, A Massive Catastrophe of Epic Moral Proportions
NICHOLAS THOMAS, A.Eye
ARIC HARRISON, Alligator Boy
AUSTIN LANGLEY, Apple Tree
ROBERT CREEKMORE, Bristles
ANDREW NEWALL, Broken Image
NICHOLAS PALILUNAS, Creature In The Black Night
C.T. ROEMER, Death Socks
AKUORKOR ALLOTEY, Doggy in the Window
P.M. RAYMOND, Don’t Drink the Water
TIYAN NEWMAN, Eden
MARK RENSHAW, Fungi
TOM BROWNGARDT, Gravestone Concussion
MILLIE PRICE, Harold aka Fed by Pain
MIKE AD, Hulled Out
SAINT LAZARE, La Jambe Rouge (The Red Leg)
NICK BUCHHEIT, WAKE. LOOK. DREAD.
AARON STURGEON, Mama Ruth’s Drawer
ROSEMARY MINUCOS, No Takesies Backsies
MARTIN DELANEY, Nothing Is Scary Any More
CHARLES WILCHER, Only When It Rains
ROB ULITSKI, PSA
SHANNON WESTON, Rendered Speechless
P.M. RAYMOND, Rent Party
SCOTT PIERANGELO, Room 08051212
JULIE ANN SLABY, Ruby Writes Her Name Across the Sky
JORDAN ANDREW, Runaway
TRAVIS WILLIAMS, Shattered
DANIEL BODDICKER, Shucked, or The Gay Corn Demon Story
RUARIDH CURRIE, Swifty Brown
MARY KURYLA, Taunt
BROOKE SOLOMON, Texas Tea
K FERNANDEZ, The Hallway Hallucination
TRAVIS WILLIAMS, The Lamb
MARK RYAN & HARLEY ADAMS, THE LAST SHEAF
ALEC KLUSZA, The Photographer
TJ BERRY, Things That Came Through with the Baby
GABRIEL COFIELD, To Reach New Horizons
NOA SARACEN, Withering in the Wasteland
C LENZ, Yesforatu
Updated: 02/16/2026
The Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition
Contact
Web:
https://www.killershorts.com
Email:
info@killershortscontest.com
Contact: Alison Parker, Contest Director
Report Card |
||
| Overall: |
|
(4.5/5.0) |
| Professionalism: |
|
(5.0/5.0) |
| Feedback: |
|
(4.0/5.0) |
| Signficance: |
|
(4.5/5.0) |
| Report Cards: |
|
|
|
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card
|
||
Categories
Submit Report Card
You must login to read or submit report cards.
First-time user? Register now to receive FREE email contest updates, news, results, deadline reminders and more. Rest assured, information submitted here is held in strict confidence. MovieBytes never sells or in any way distributes email names or addresses. We promise!
