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LAST SHOPPER STANDING
A bitterly divorcing couple competes in a deadly game of survival on Christmas Eve when a disgruntled big-box store manager locks them inside with five other players and stages a twisted competition as punishment for their consumer misdeeds.
THE STORY On Christmas Eve, estranged parents Tessa and Jason arrive separately just before closing at BuyMore, desperate to score the season’s hottest toy, the MyloGlow Unicorn, for their daughter Claire. Their rivalry lands them in front of Langston Gray, the store’s long-suffering general manager, who reveals that they, along with five other unlucky shoppers, are to compete in a deadly game of "Last Shopper Standing."
As the store locks down, Langston orchestrates a series of challenges across various departments designed as a cruel reckoning for consumer entitlement, aided by his unstable protégé Jolly. One by one, contestants are eliminated - security footage exposing their past consumer misdeeds. Forced into alliance, Tessa and Jason confront their failed marriage while fighting to survive. When Langston discovers Claire’s existence, the game turns personal, and after police narrowly miss intervening, he abandons the promise of a winner altogether.
The showdown culminates in Santa’s Workshop, where Tessa skewers Langston with the unicorn, giving them a chance to flee. As explosives rip through the store, Tessa and Jason escape, battered but reunited, blissfully unaware that the toy has since been recalled for “injuries, deaths, and one alleged attempt to weaponize glitter.”
WHY NOW Last Shopper Standing satirizes holiday consumerism, corporate burnout, and the illusion of the perfect American family. It’s a fast-paced, genre-bending holiday action film. Think Die Hard meets The Menu -- but with fluorescent lighting, marital baggage, and a tinsel-striped detonator.
PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS Budget: Mid-range; single primary location (the department store) Cast: Three juicy lead roles (Tessa, Jason, Langston) Tone: High-concept with emotional depth and rewatchable holiday chaos Comparable Projects: Ready or Not, Violent Night, The Hunt, The Menu
Ready or Not
The Hunt
Steffany has studied her craft with Tab Murphy, Stowe Story Lab, and the Jacob Krueger Studio, placing in screenwriting competitions, such as the Austin Film Festival and PAGE International, and currently has two projects in option.
(Finalist, ISA Top Read Winter 2025) [2025]
Emerging Thriller (Semifinalist) [2026]
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