We Are Finally Accepting Feature Screenplays (And Giving Away $5,000)
Killer Shorts Season 8 is officially open. Get your script in front of Bellevue Productions and an elite horror jury.
Killer Shorts Expands To Features
The Killer Shorts Contest is officially open for Season 8 submissions starting today, and we are marking this milestone with the biggest expansion in our history!
For the past seven seasons, this competition has focused on uncovering the best short-form horror scripts, micro-budget proof-of-concepts, and prose short stories.
Moving forward, we are opening our doors to feature-length horror screenplays.
To celebrate this expansion, our new Feature Category will award a $5,000 cash grand prize, presented by Deep Cuts Coffee! 🤯
Have you made the leap from shorts to feature?
Direct Pipeline to Hollywood Representation
Our core mission has always been to help unrepresented genre writers get their work noticed by the industry. With the launch of the feature category, we are establishing a direct career pipeline for the grand prize winner.
The Feature Grand Prize winner will receive a guaranteed script review from John Zaozirny, literary manager and president of Bellevue Productions. As an industry leader with a track record of landing clients on the Black List, Bellevue offers a rare opportunity to get your script directly in front of top-tier representation.
Furthermore, top-scoring scripts across all short script categories will gain automatic eligibility for The Scream List, our official industry tracking platform used by horror producers and development executives to scout new projects.
An Elite Genre Jury
The Season 8 jury features an array of celebrated horror filmmakers, producers, and literary managers who will review the finalist selections. This year’s panel includes:
Barbara Crampton (Horror Icon, Actress & Producer — Jakob’s Wife, Suitable Flesh)
John Zaozirny (Literary Manager & Producer, Bellevue Productions)
Tananarive Due (Author, Producer & Horror Historian)
Lucas Ford (Producer, Ford Films — The Backrooms)
John Squires (Editor-in-Chief, Bloody Disgusting)
Sophie Carroll (Creative Director, ALTER & DUST at Gunpowder & Sky)
Gigi Saul Guerrero (Director & Co-Founder, Luchagore Productions)
Aaron B. Koontz (Producer & CEO, Paper Street Pictures)
Submission Details
Submissions are now open on all major entry platforms. Writers can submit projects across multiple categories, including Feature Screenplays, Short Screenplays, and Prose Short Stories. To read the full rules, review deadlines, and submit your project, visit the official submission page.
The Earlybird Deadline is August 7th, 2026. Don’t sleep on it!
Not Ready to Compete?
…we can help.
Killer Shorts Notes is a professional coverage service for short horror, thriller, and sci-fi scripts designed to help writers and filmmakers sharpen their stories before submitting to screenwriting competitions, film festivals, or production.
Each report includes 1.5 pages of detailed notes, a Pass/Consider/Recommend rating, genre-specific story analysis, scores and percentiles, a logline, and your script’s unique Killer Moment identified. Turnaround is 7–9 business days, and if your script earns a “Recommend” rating from our team, it goes directly onto the radar of executives at companies like Screambox, Bellevue, and Zero Gravity Management.
Introducing the Script Directory!
“Where can I read the loglines?”
“How can I download the scripts?”
The answer is here: The Killer Shorts Script Directory.
Over the past seven years, we’ve uncovered the best unproduced horror short screenplays and stories. Our new Script Directory lets producers scout fresh projects and writers study the mechanics of the craft. Browse curated loglines and request scripts directly from the writers to start your next production. Check it out below!
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Keep it Killer!
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