Genre: Horror
Logline: A group of bullied, emotionally abused high school students take over a Haunted Hayride on Halloween night and make its horrors real. “Hayride” will do for the increasingly popular Haunted Hayrides what “Jaws” did for swimming in oceans and “Psycho” did for showers.
CAST LIST:
NARRATION: Julie C. Sheppard
Lexi – Vanessa Quagliara
Rose – Katelyn Vanier
Tommy – Trevor Marlatt
Get to know the writer:
What is your screenplay about?
When a bullied gay student is driven to suicide, his ‘outcast’ friends decide it’s time to exact payback by volunteering to help run this year’s Haunted Halloween Hayride. This year’s Hayride is going to be unlike any other. That’s because this year’s Hayride is…real.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Horror that taps into the growing bullying problem taking place in schools, and the country in general.
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Hayride can be made cheaply, under $3-5 million and with the right marketing could at least double its budget its first weekend because Haunted Halloween Hayrides have become enormously popular the past decade. It would do for haunted hayrides (and if a sequel, Halloween Horror Houses!) what Jaws did for swimming in the ocean and what Psycho did for taking showers.
How would you describe this script in two words?
Timely, scary.
What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Jaws
How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Off and on about 18 years in various forms and drafts. My first draft in 1999 was about to be sold and then Columbine happened and the deal fell through.
How many stories have you written?
Hayride was screenplay number 5. I have written three more since its completion. My first script, The Resistance, debuted at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
Wow, that’s a tough one. Favorite? “Bat out of Hell” by Meat Loaf. Listened to the most? “Cadillac Ranch” by Bruce Springsteen
What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Although I wasn’t happy with my first draft back in 1999 the producer loved it…until Columbine happened. Obstacle for me? Not compared to those who lost their lives or forever had their lives altered from the horrific tragedy. 16 years later, because of the ever growing popularity of Haunted Halloween Hayrides I decided to dust off the old script and majorly update it. This time, it flowed much better and I’m proud of it.
Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about Animal Rights and giving voices to those that don’t have any. And, because of Drumpf, I’m passionate about exposing his lies and getting him impeached.
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson
Camera Operator: Mary Cox
Festival for HORROR 