Well, it’s official. Yesterday, the American Screenwriters Association announced the five winners of their 11th Annual International Screenplay Competition and my script for All Hallows Eve took the fourth prize. The script was selected as a finalist out of the 1,400 screenplays that had originally been submitted to the industry-leading contest in October.
According to the ASA’s executive director, this year’s competition was the toughest they’ve had to date and selecting the five finalists was no easy task. Here’s some of the comments that the judges had for my script:
“This historical horror movie is high on atmosphere and thrills and gives us another angle on the Salem Witch Trials explored so deftly by Arthur Miller. It’s a good old fashioned ghost story, layered in plenty of solid period detail. The world of the late eighteenth century, just beginning to emerge from a dependence on superstition and hearsay into the light of Reason, is plausibly invoked. The narrative itself demonstrates a good understanding of conventions, and keeps tension levels high, providing plenty of spooky twists and turns to keep the audience engaged. The heroine, Alice (a great part for a scream queen looking to graduate to older roles or even a ’serious’ actress looking to add some horror to her resume) represents a different kind of Final Girl and makes a refreshing change from the usual teen airheads who drive this kind of genre piece”.
While the judges’ comments also included some very helpful and accurate criticisms on how the script could be improved, I’d say this was a pretty encouraging review.
In total, taking fourth place is worth about $3,200 in cash and prizes and includes a valuable script critique by award-winning writer Ken Rotcop. For me, the greatest part of being a winner in this contest is the exposure it is giving me and my work and the doors it is opening for me in an industry that is notoriously hard to break into. Since the ASA announced the finalists yesterday, I’ve already received a call from a production company to see what else I’ve written!
You can check out the other finalists as well as a bio and photo of me on the ASA website here.
Rock on, y’all!