The Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition
Killer Shorts Horror
Contact
Web:
https://killershorts.com
Email:
info@killershortscontest.com
Contact: Alison Parker, Contest Director
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Categories
Objective
Killer Shorts: Short Scripts, Features, & Short Stories
Got a horror script or short story? We want to read it.
Killer Shorts is a premier launchpad dedicated to discovering, championing, and launching new voices in horror and dark genre filmmaking. Founded in 2019, our competition connects writers with the industry professionals who actually greenlight, manage, and cover genre cinema.
Whether you are a master of micro-budget proof-of-concepts or the creator of the next great studio franchise, your work belongs here.
Expanding to Feature Screenplays
We believe the short format is the ultimate industry equalizer. Hits like Lights Out and The Backrooms proved that Hollywood’s next viral obsession starts as a micro-budget proof of concept. Show More
Deadline/Entry Fees
| Deadline | Date Days till: |
Entry Fee |
|---|---|---|
| First Wave | June 5, 2026 | $20.00 |
| Earlybird | August 7, 2026 17 |
$25.00 |
| Regular | October 31, 2026 102 |
$30.00 |
| Final | December 4, 2026 136 |
$35.00 |
| Extended | December 31, 2026 163 |
$40.00 |
| Extended | December 31, 2026 163 |
$40.00 |
Submissions close at 11:59 PM PST on the listed deadline date. Questions can be directed to support@killershorts.com.
WinningScripts Pro 25% Off Coupon
Notification: February 15, 2027
Eligibility
Anyone in the world. If under 18, with parental consent.Rules
For a full list of rules, please visit the official website.Awards
This year's jury includes:- John Zaozirny — Literary Manager & Producer, Bellevue Productions
- Tananarive Due — Author & Producer (The Twilight Zone, Horror Noire)
- Barbara Crampton — Actress & Producer (Re-Animator, Jakob's Wife, Suitable Flesh)
- Lucas Ford — Producer, Ford Films (The Backrooms)
- Sophie Carroll — Creative Director, ALTER & DUST at Gunpowder & Sky
- Xavier Burgin — Director (Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror)
- Jed Shepherd — Filmmaker (Host, Flashback, Blair Witch Doc)
- Gigi Saul Guerrero — Director & Co-Founder, Luchagore Productions (Satanic Hispanics, Culture Shock)
- Aaron B. Koontz — Producer & CEO, Paper Street Pictures (Shelby Oaks, Scare Package)
- John Squires — Editor-in-Chief, Bloody Disgusting
- 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
- Jenn Wexler — Filmmaker (The Sacrifice Game, The Ranger)
- Jason Tamasco — Producer, Traction Pictures
- Melody Cooper — Producer & Writer (Beasts of Prey, Two Sentence Horror Stories, Law & Order: SVU)
HORROR SHORT SCREENPLAY CATEGORY - PRIZES
Top 3 Winners- The Killer Trophy & Winner Laurels.
- Industry Circulation: Your script sent to our network of horror producers.
- The Scream List: Elevated placement increasing visibility among industry professionals.
- Stage 32 Pro Package: 60-min Career Development Call, Short Script Coverage, and FREE “Search for New Blood” contest entry.
- The Winner’s Bundle: Final Draft 13, Shudder memberships, ISA Connect Memberships and access to Robert McKee’s Horror Webinar Series.
- Horror Fan Bundle: Rue Morgue Magazine Subscription and Fright Rags Gift Card.
- Plus all Finalist prizes below.
- Finalist Laurels & Script Directory Publication.
- Final Draft 13 Software License.
- Production Suite: Seed & Spark Consultation and We Make Movies Gold Membership.
- Stage 32 Access: Script Coverage, Next Level Webinar and 50% off “Search For New Blood” entry.
- Plus all Semifinalist prizes below.
- Semifinalist Laurels & Script Directory Publication.
- Stage 32 Package: Next Level Webinar and 20% off “Search For New Blood” entry.
- Quarterfinalist Laurels.
- Exclusive Discounts: Reduced rates for Stage 32 contests and partner services.
- $5,000 cash prize.
- The Killer Trophy & Winner Laurels.
- Bellevue Productions First Look: Guaranteed script review by literary manager John Zaozirny.
- Plus all Top 3 & Finalist prizes below.
- Industry Circulation: Your script sent to our premier network of horror producers.
- The Winner’s Bundle: Final Draft 13, Free Feature Script Entry to ScriptHop’s Gauntlet, and We Make Movies Gold Membership.
- $50 Deep Cuts Coffee Gift Card.
- Plus all Finalist prizes below.
- Finalist Laurels & Script Directory Publication.
- Seed & Spark Crowdfunding Consultation.
- Plus all Semifinalist prizes below.
- Semifinalist Laurels.
- The Script Directory: Logline publication in our curated industry database.
- Quarterfinalist Laurels.
- $500 Cash Prize & Winner Laurels.
- The Killer Trophy.
- 6 Month ISA Connect Membership.
- Plus all Top 3 prizes listed below.
- Industry Circulation: Script sent to our network of horror producers.
- The Scream List: Elevated placement increasing visibility among industry professionals.
- Final Draft 13 Software License.
- Creator Bundle: Stan Winston School Membership, We Make Movies Gold Membership, and Script Revolution Rockstar memberships.
- Stage 32 Pro Perk: 100% off “Search For New Blood” contest entry.
- Plus all Finalist prizes below.
- Finalist Laurels & Script Directory Publication.
- Stage 32 Access: Free Stage 32 “Next Level” Webinar and 20% off “Search For New Blood” contest entry.
- Placement Laurels (Semi or Quarterfinalist).
- Exclusive Discounts: Reduced rates for Stage 32 contests and partner webinars.
- The Killer Trophy & Winner Laurels.
- Pro Consultation: One-on-one 30-minute meeting with author and screenwriter Chris Hicks (I Am Not Alone).
- Official Publication: Featured story placement on the Killer Shorts website.
- Plus all Top 3 & Finalist prizes below.
- Winner Laurels.
- Industry Circulation: Your work sent to our network of horror producers and literary reps.
- Plus all Finalist prizes below.
- Finalist Laurels.
- Scrivener Software: Professional writing license for prose and screenwriting.
- Stage 32 Access: Free “Next Level” Webinar and 50% off “Search For New Blood” entry.
- Semifinalist Laurels & Script Directory Publication.
- Education & Discounts: Free Stage 32 Webinar and 20% off “Search For New Blood” entry.
- Quarterfinalist Laurels.
- Stage 32 Discount: 20% off Stage 32 “Search For New Blood” entry.
Killer Shorts Horror
Contact
Web:
https://killershorts.com
Email:
info@killershortscontest.com
Contact: Alison Parker, Contest Director
Report Card |
||
| Overall: |
|
(4.0/5.0) |
| Professionalism: |
|
(4.3/5.0) |
| Feedback: |
|
(4.0/5.0) |
| Signficance: |
|
(4.0/5.0) |
| 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://killershorts.com
Email:
info@killershortscontest.com
Contact: Alison Parker, Contest Director
Report Card |
||
| Overall: |
|
(4.0/5.0) |
| Professionalism: |
|
(4.3/5.0) |
| Feedback: |
|
(4.0/5.0) |
| Signficance: |
|
(4.0/5.0) |
| Report Cards: |
|
|
|
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card
|
||
Categories
Contest News
Killer Shorts Names Quarterfinalists
Killer Shorts has named their 2024 quarterfinalists from among more than 1,124 submissions.
Main Category Quarterfinalists:
JOSHUA DAVID MATTHEWS: …And Nothing On
SCOTT CARELLI & NICK JIMENEZ: A Better Place
ELIZA POWER: A Hand to Hold
VICTOR RIDAURA: A Holy Curse
MIGUEL TOLEDO: A Lamb Without Blemish
PHILLIP WALTON: A Manifestation
SUNNY KING: After Midnight
CLINT FORD: ALPHA OMEGA
JAKE WHITE: ANML
DEANE MCELREE: Anteater
ORLAGH BILLING: Back Bone
JULIA DIDDY: Beasts
KATE BERTASH: Betrothed
REN HSIEH: Black Puma
JACOB GALYON: Cactus
JOANNA DACK: Cam Girls
LEE BACON: CAN’T UNSEE
ALEX AYMARD: Cervid
ADISON OLIVERAS: Child of God
WILLIAM JEFFERY: CHIRKY’S
NATE KRIEGER: CHUM
JEFF SPEED: Clown Eyes
ERIC COOK: Crazy for Coco Chomps
VICTOR AGUILAR: Crimson Curse
JIM LOPEZZO: Cruising With The Undead
JULIO GAGNE: Decay
RICHARD DOYLE: Do Us Part
BEN WHITE: Don’t Pick Up
ANDREW MOOREHEAD: Don’t Read It
GINA DEANGELIS: Doors
AMANDA TORIGIANI: Duke
ALYCYA MAGANA: Earthling_Girl
SASHA DUNCAN: easybake
TONY HIPWELL: Erosion
KATHRYN WEBB: Essex Bird
WILLIAM MURRAY & NATHAN ALEXANDER: EX EX EX
MEL HORNYAK: Feel Better
SHANE HARBINSON: Freeborn
TONY AYALA FUENTES: Glass
PABLO CERVERA GUTIÉRREZ: Guess Who?
ALESSANDRO PULISCI: Hi I Just Moved Here
CARA MARSHALL: In With the Storm
SIMON LAURENCE DOYLE: Inpatient
BRIAN MENZ: It’s Okay. He’s Friendly.
JOE SAVAGE: Itch
KLARA CHMELAROVA: Jelloman
DURAN JONES: JULIA
PHILLIP MCSWEEN: Just Me
LACEY ANDREWS: Killer Marathon
JAY SLATER: Leave Our Kids Alone
BEN WOODIWISS: Linnea
DAVID HATFIELD: Midnight Oil
PAUL SHERIDAN: Midway
MELANIE ORTIZ: Motion Alert
MARQUES VILLARONGA: My Mother Says
GERARDO MARAVILLA: Niño de Vidrio (Child of Glass)
JESSE FOY: Nobody Knows
REBIN ZANGANA: North Dakota Rapture
KRISTEN MCNAULE: Nosebleed
R.J. LIAW: Offering
JESSICA MCLAUGHLIN: Pangs
ANOOP SINGH: Pareidolia
WALEY WANG: Passion of Ana
ETHAN EVANS & JESS BARTLETT: Pegs
STEPHEN KRESPEL: PET CEMETERY
EVAN PSENCIK: Phylactry
ELLA WEST: Pickles
NATHANIEL STOUGHTON: Pieces of a Man
MARYELLEN DEVIVO: Pinned
IAN SMART: Pitter and Patter
NINA DEVINE: Rat King
RYAN SCHWENNING: Saint Arnold
STEPHEN CHEN: Secret Admirer
LASHAWN KELLEY: She Comes To Me
KARINA DASILVA: Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God
RAMON PARADOA: Sinthwave
JEAN-PAUL DISCISCIO: Skin For Skin
CHRISTIANE LANGE: Stranded
MICHAEL ROGERS: Super Positive
NED THORNE: Swell
ANDREW KABERLINE: Tallahassee Twin
KIMBERLY DIVAD: Thank Mother
GUILLERMO ORTIZ & GEENA KARSAMA: The Avon Lady
SOPHIA PEASLEE: The Black Dog
MELANIE HAYWARD: The Blood That Binds Us
JESS C WHEATLEY: The Call Out
MERE WALTON: The Christmas Lottery
AARON LECK: The Coward
STEVE HANISCH: The Evil That Men Do
GARY SCOTT IRONS: The Fairchild Equation of Artemis Frost
MIKE LANGER: The Fluorescent Void
JOSH FOLAN: The Kilima Chain
NIKO BLANAS: The Killers on Ludlow Lane
SARA CALDWELL: The Knocker Upper
JOE KELLY: The Loo Leash
LOGAN DUNN: The Menagerie
RILEY SCOTT & MACKENZIE BREEDEN: The Praying Mantis
GUILE FEITOSAMOURA: The Rubudubles
MITCHELL BANKS: The Train Station
JASON WILLIAMSON: The Viewing
DAVID HATFIELD: The Visitor
LILLY SCOURTIS: Theodora and the Witch
JAKE MOSES: There’s Something Off About Gertrude…
TONY FRENCH: They Will Be Monsters
VICTOR RIDAURA: This Is Not The End
PAUL CLARKE: Through the Lens
CHRISTOPHER GUERRERO: TIMESHIFT
MARYELLEN DEVIVO: Tip Jar
JACK WARREN: Violent Delights
IAN BAASKE: Virginia Freyre
DAISY RYAN: Wax
CATRIONA DAVIDSON: What the Water Gave Us
KELLY ASHER: When the Bough Breaks
JOSHUA MATTHEWS & JASON SHEEDY: When the Flame Goes Out
MAX HALLAM: When The Stars Aligned
DAYNA NOFFKE: WhoDiedHere.Com
JADE JIAO: Wifey
MIMI LEE & VANESSA VO: YAOGUAI
TONI CUNNINGHAM: You’re Not There Yet
JOSHUA HEATON: You’re on Mute
JAMIE ALVEY: Your Husband Was a Good Man
1-Page Quarterfinalists:
GEORGE MORRIS: “Keep an Ear Out”
JOSHUA DAVID MATTHEWS: A Beautiful Dream
FRANCESCA PAZNIOKAS: Annunciation
AMELIA CLOVER: Another Mouth to Feed
JASON RICE: Breakfast with Bag Man
CHRIS MITCHELL: Check For Monsters
JOSHUA HEATON: D.O.A.
MATT GILBERT: DO-GOODER
JEREMY JACKSON: Don’t Bail
KELLY ASHER: Don’t Blink
VICTORIA HARRIS: Enjoy Your Stay
DAVE THORPE: Epilogue
COLE MCCABE: Fill ‘Er Up
TRAVIS WILLIAMS: Fish Special
BRADLEY AUSTIN: Garden of the Grafted
VICTORIA HARRIS: In the Depths of Dark Water
DARREN HINCHY: Joe’s End
SAM CARRUTHERS: Margaret’s Golden Birthday
CHRIS MITCHELL: Mirror Me
MOSES NEBRASKA: MUSCLE OUT THE DEMONS
NOËMIE MARTINEL: No Peeking
JEREMY WEINER: Not Again, Gary
FORREST LANGLEY: Paralyzed
PHILLIP DISHON: Reunited
EVAN BAUGHFMAN: Scary Larry
FRANCESCA PAZNIOKAS: Sea Child
JOHN ACQUAVIVA: Sheared Secrets
JANET LOFTIS: Shoe – Floating on Water
JOSEPH X CASILLAS: Ten Thousand
FRANCESCA PAZNIOKAS: Terminated
TONY HIPWELL: The Lure
MARKO PANDZA & JASON KERR: The Miracle
DEVI BHADURI: The Only Exit
EMMA HUANG: The Smile Room
JOSHUA HEATON: Tooth Fairy
NATHAN PATTON: TRAILER TRASH
STEPHEN CHEN: Uncle Roger’s Basement
KARELINE CASTOR: Watch This
LEE COTMAN: We Don’t Bite Our Friends
AIDAN KILPATRICK: Wet Dreamer
Short Story (Prose) Quarterfinalists:
DEREK LADD: A Shade of Scarlett
CHRISTINE RIFKIN: Alternates
GAVIN JOHN: Don’t Look Away
TIYAN NEWMAN: Eden
LARISSA ZAGERIS & LISA KROGER: Family Fun Night
KATHERINE SAINTE-MARIE: Fever Dream on Devil’s Lake
DEREK LADD: Flies
MARK RENSHAW: Ganglers
LEE MATTHEW GOLDBERG: INTERVIEW
BRYAN DEMORE: Jeremiah
RODDY MCCANCE: La Cara Del Tiempo
ANDY FARRANT: lofi beats to kill to
DANIELA KRÁLOVÁ: Maryja
JACKIE FENN: Nurture
J. ALEXANDER GREENWOOD: Obsidian
SHAINUR ULLAH: our teacher doesn’t call us by our real names but by our future potential
ADAM NARIMATSU: Out of the Mouths of Babes
CURTIS MATZKE: Puppets
C. E. SIMON: Red River Valley
LARISSA ZAGERIS: Something In the Night
LARRY SOLIDARITY: Space Hurricane
JEFFREY FREEMAN: Spirits
SHAUN O’LOUGHLIN: Stay on Trail
MELISSA SWEAZY: The Beach House
VASANTHI VARADARAJAN: The Birdhouse
SURINA BELK-GUPTA: The Burned City
LEN FORGUES: The Cat’s Meow
JOSHUA HEATON: The Faded Man
JULIE ANN SLABY: The Final Spectacle
GOVINDA JONES: The Guest Room
JON DOUGLAS RAINEY: The Kitchen Drawer
C.T. ROEMER: The Mercy
LARISSA ZAGERIS: The Strand
AZZURRA ROWLAND: The Unconventional Tea Party
CHARLENE CLARKE-TODORUK: The Wood in the Window
JERRY SAMPSON: The Wood Sprites Made Me Do It
P.M. RAYMOND: Things Are as They Should Be
ALYSSA DIPALMA: Tilly’s Testimonies
DAVID SHARP: Under the Moonbow
ALEEZA BENYONA: When I Call Home
Updated: 02/12/2024
The Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition
Contact
Web:
https://killershorts.com
Email:
info@killershortscontest.com
Contact: Alison Parker, Contest Director
Report Card |
||
| Overall: |
|
(4.0/5.0) |
| Professionalism: |
|
(4.3/5.0) |
| Feedback: |
|
(4.0/5.0) |
| Signficance: |
|
(4.0/5.0) |
| Report Cards: |
|
|
|
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card
|
||
Categories
Submit Report Card
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