Killer Shorts Names Semifinalists

Semifinalists have been selected from more than 1,000 submissions to the 2026 Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition.

Main Category
TINO GARCIA GROSS, (Wash) Cycle of Violence
MICHELLE CAMPBELL, Amarillo
LUCY FOSTER, ANSWER MAN
OLIVIA LOCCISANO, Be Not Afraid
HELOISE CHUNG & BRANDY CARIE, Bibi
BENJAMIN LUK, Buttons
ELAINE FROST, By Yourself
NOLAN LAMPSON, CAPTURE
MELISSA PEREZ GELT, Changing
KES NAVE, Crisis
SEAN KENEALY, Cut
MATTHEW HILL, CUT!
EISLINN GRACEN, Deerest Darling
CLAUDIA BARCENAS, DEI Murders
JOSE CRUZ, Dress Up
TODD JONES, Emancipation
ROSS LOVELL, Feeding The Foxes
RICHARD GARRY, Food Chain
MARISA MARTINEZ, Got Milk?
RYAN CURTIS, GRAVEN
JOSHUA DAVID MATTHEWS, Grim
SAPPHIRE SANDALO, How Was Your Day?
KYLE HARRIS, In Recline
KATIE WALKER-COOK, In Sheep’s Clothing
SHERICE GRIFFITHS, Jinx
STEVEN LEE, Kathy and Jeb
MICHAEL SHEETZ, Keepsake
CATHERINE CASEY, KILLJOY
MATTHEW YONGUE, Limbo
CHRISTOPHER GUERRERO & RYAN GILMOUR, LOCUST GROVE
COLE MCCABE, Lovebirds
LEE BACON, Lure
MICHAEL CLIFTON, Lyla’s Last Dance
SANCHEZ TAYLOR, My Other Half
MICHAEL PISATURO, No Faces
SEBASTIAN WATSON, No Fishing
SETH KELMAN, Only You
TOPE OGUNDARE, Orchid Thieves
MICHELLE IANNANTUONO, Recycled
SALVATORE LIUZZI, Riding with the King
TEX GRESHAM, Sara
MITCHELL ALAN BANKS, Shredded
FRANCESCA PAZNIOKAS, Super Absolutely
DARREN BAILEY, The Bellows
SCOTT A. WEISS, THE BIG DARK
TAYLOR SHOFNER, The Cockatrice
GREG KACZYNSKI, The House of Man
MIKE UNDERWOOD, The Last Dance of Victor Hall
MICHAEL HAAS, The Monster Within
RENUKA SINGH, The Offering
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
BRIANNE NORD-STEWART, Tricky Me
CHRIS VANDERHORST, TV-MA
ANDREW MARON, We’ll Be In Touch
SHANE THOMPSON, Welcome to Our Cabin
SAM DAS, What Remains
WALKER MACDONALD, Wookalark

Page 1 Semifinalists
P.M. RAYMOND, A Pretty Smile
ROSS LOVELL, Always
ANDREW DUNSTAN, Amma
WILLIAM DREW, Arke Takes the Stairs
CASS COOPER, Beaming
JOSE CRUZ, Bed and Board
GIOVANNA UMPIERREZ, Blackberry
EVAN BAUGHFMAN, Constant December
ANNIE WILDER, Fallen Man
JASON TURER, Glug Glug
LIAM FITZPATRICK, Guess Again
TOM SCHRACK, Instructions
PAUL STARKEY, Loose Lips
COLBY HELTON, Nothing Yet
JAMES ALLEN, PARTY BLOB
JUSTIN BURFORD, Peeping Tom
OLIVIA LOCCISANO, ProtoTyke
ROSE VATEL, School Shopping
INÊS REIS, The Homebody
MAUREEN TRINH, The License Plate Game
CYLE BROOKS, The Merging
JOSE CRUZ, The Shaft
ILIAN MANDEV, Time’s Up
TJ BERRY, Weakness Leaving the Body
STEPHEN CHEN, What Big Muscles You Have!

Short Story (Prose) Semifinalists
RACHEL MCCAULLEY, A Massive Catastrophe of Epic Moral Proportions
NICHOLAS THOMAS, A.Eye
ARIC HARRISON, Alligator Boy
AUSTIN LANGLEY, Apple Tree
ANDREW NEWALL, Broken Image
AKUORKOR ALLOTEY, Doggy in the Window
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.
MARTIN DELANEY, Nothing Is Scary Any More
CHARLES WILCHER, Only When It Rains
SHANNON WESTON, Rendered Speechless
P.M. RAYMOND, Rent Party
JULIE ANN SLABY, Ruby Writes Her Name Across the Sky
TRAVIS WILLIAMS, Shattered
BROOKE SOLOMON, Texas Tea
TRAVIS WILLIAMS, The Lamb
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: 03/02/2026

Additional Contest Info: The Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition