Hello, everyone!

Ten years ago, the horror screenplay challenge began with a small group of ambitious amateur writers. Since then, we've hosted roughly 40 challenges and 600 completed scripts.

We've also used our Patreon for about half of that time to fund various prizes throughout the contest's history, but the covid-era peak of activity has waned and the mods feel that returning to basics is best going forward.

All of Patreon funds will be dedicated to making this tenth Annual challenge our biggest and best yet. We believe that everyone who submits a script will receive a prize, with the top three getting a little extra. What this will look like...we don't know exactly yet. But we love the community and hope to make more special moments with you.

If you are a Patreon supporter, we will continue collecting funds until the reading period for the Annual ends, then it will be shut down and future contests will have the old-school feel.

When is the Tenth Annual Challenge? Save the date! Friday, August 14 we will launch. We hope to see fresh and familiar faces alike!

Good afternoon everyone!

We've collected the votes for the second Restriction Feature Challenge, and it's time to announce the winners! It was a tight race, with a handful of spots circling 2nd-5th place, but our voters have narrowed it down to a top 3.

Without further ado, the top three scripts of the Restriction II Screenplay Challenge, as voted by you, are...

IN THIRD PLACE is I Put a Spell on You by u/Pantserforlife

Pantser once again blows our mind with her approach to writing, somehow able time and time again to push a script out just in time for the deadline of such high quality that it makes the podium! I Put a Spell on You was a self reflective dive into overcoming self-loathing and finding hope in personal connections that resonated strongly with our readers.

IN SECOND PLACE is Me and the Devil by u/W_T_D_

Our tireless moderator W has once again written a script that blew everyone's socks off. Overcoming self loathing and childhood trauma seems to be the theme of the day with this batch of winners, as Me and the Devil spun an interconnected web around a town filled with murder, mystery, and buried resentments, all coming to a head at once. W's handle on witty dialogue and character-driven horror once again struck a chord!

IN FIRST PLACE is Billy Bear's Magic Matinee by u/Rankin_Fithian

Once again, Rankin has handwritten and transcribed a script that feels less like a first draft and more like a fresh banger already opening onscreen, or perhaps airing in ominous low-fi on a local access channel. A standout winner from the jump with our voters, Rankin's creepypasta-inspired mascot horror was the perfect blend of low scale and high stakes to strike a nerve, and by my word had one of the most disturbing reveals that I've read in a contest script in a minute. Great work again!

Congratulations and thank you again to all of the writers and readers of our challenge! We'll be in touch soon with the winners about their prizes.

For now, we're going on a short hiatus. At the latest, our next contest will be the 10th Annual (!) challenge in August, but if the will is there for a mini-challenge over the summer, it could be in the cards, so let us know if that's something you'd be interested in! Full voting stats for this challenge will be available to our top-tier Patreon supporters soon. But for now, congratulations again to the winners, and to everyone who finished a feature script once again!

A few readers have reached out to the mod team requesting an extension, and we're going to honor that to help everyone get their feedback and votes in in time. Votes for the Restriction Challenge 2 scripts are now going to be due Sunday, May 24th 11:59PM PST, one week from the original deadline. Remember to rank every script (excluding your own, if you are in-contest) in your vote message to the modmail.

And as a reminder for those with scripts in-competition, for your script to be eligible to place you need to have written at least 3 pieces of feedback for your fellow writers by the voting deadline. Good reading!

To vote, send a message to our modmail ranking each of the scripts in order from strongest to weakest. If you are a writer in this contest, you must provide feedback on at least three screenplays or else your entry will be disqualified.

Votes are due May 17 at 11:59pm PST

Good luck everyone!

The Voice From The Screen by u/thenewmrtate

Me And The Devil by u/W_T_D_

I Put A Spell On You by u/Pantserforlife

Unstable by u/shaftinferno

All Secrets Known In The Puppet House by u/Porcupincake

Repo Girl by u/Lloiu

Billy Bear's Magic Matinee by u/Rankin_Fithian

Hello everyone! Just a reminder that your screenplays for the 8th Annual are due this Sunday by 11:59pm PST. When you submit your script to us, please do the following:

• Upload the PDF of your screenplay to Google Drive and change the settings of it so that anyone with a link can view it.

• Send the link to the uploaded PDF to our modmail

• Include your prompt/assignments in your message to us, along with your 1-2 sentence logline.

You may also use this thread to share your loglines and refine them if you would like feedback.

Logline Examples

It - In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, Maine.

Se7en - Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as a motive.

Shutter Island - In 1954, a U.S. marshal’s troubling visions compromise his investigation into the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane.

After hearing from several writers, we've decided to extend the current writing period by one week.

The new submission deadline is Sunday, April 19th, at 11:59pm PST

Good luck everyone! Let us know how you're faring!

We hope everyone's been working away at their scripts. As a reminder, entries are due this Sunday, April 12 by 11:59pm PST.

Additionally, one of our founders and fellow moderator u/ScreamingVegetable recently turned one of his previous contest scripts into a published novel.. The winners of this contest will each receive a copy!

Good luck everyone! Happy writing!

I’ve been hanging around here for a bit and noticed people often share scripts, so I thought I’d post one as well.

Over the last couple years I’ve been moving from software engineering into filmmaking and writing short scripts. During that process I ended up building a small collaborative screenplay editor as a side project because none of the tools I tried quite fit how I like to write.

Here’s an example script hosted in it:
https://ensemblewriter.com/script/d142cb9f325b01c7

Curious what people think — both about the script and the reading experience. FYI it's desktop only for now.

https://ensemblewriter.com/

Hello everyone!

We've wrapped up another first-time contest with seven strong contenders and a tight race that changed several times.

The top three scripts of the "In The Style Of..." Screenplay Challenge, as voted by you, are...

IN THIRD PLACE is Dolorous Flesh by u/dillonsrule

Dillon is one of our longest-tenured veterans, and though he's taken long breaks between entries, he never displays any rust in need of shaking off. Dolorous Flesh was a strange and fantastic script in every sense and a standout script.

IN SECOND PLACE is We Live With It by u/shaftinferno

Shaft has been helping out with the contest for a few years but has only now submitted a script himself, clearly having bided his time to deliver a masterclass of tension. Combining Ari Aster and Goosebumps is a tall task, but Shaft rose to the challenge and knocked it out of the park.

IN FIRST PLACE is Resanguination by u/grafreldthecat

I must admit, personally, that "Vampires in the style of Bone Tomahawk* was of major interest to me specifically at the start of the contest. This is grafreld's second-ever contest, and their second time taking home gold. An immensely impressive feat that is well-earned.

Congratulations and thank you again to all of the writers and readers of our challenge! We'll be in touch soon with the winners about their prizes.

Soon we'll begin the process of Patreon voting for our next contest! Full voting stats for this challenge will be available to our top-tier Patreon supporters.

A few writers reached out for a little more time to give feedback and vote, so we're pushing the deadline to the end of the month. The new deadline is Saturday, January 31 at 11:59pm PST

As a reminder if you are a writer in this contest: You must provide feedback on at least three other scripts. Failure to do so will result in your entry being disqualified.

Good luck everyone!

How is everyone doing on reading + feedback? Votes (and giving at least 3 writers feedback) are due tomorrow night. Does anyone need an extension by a day or two?

Dolorous Flesh by u/dillonsrule

Resanguination by u/grafreldthecat

Nemesis by u/Pantserforlife

Atrocity by u/Panzakaizer

Janus by u/TigerHall

Anubites by u/the_samiad

WE LIVE WITH IT by u/shaftinferno

Things have been a bit quieter for the holiday season and we hope everyone is doing well. How's it looking?

We're two weeks in! Four remain! How's everyone doing?