A teen romance thriller that takes place in a world in which everyone has nine lives. In this world of nine lives, an aspiring football player must risk all of his lives to rescue his girlfriend from the ruthless leader of a gambling syndicate who�s trying to fix the college football championship game.
Watch the July 2016 Winning Feature Screenplay Reading.
FIEND, by Jeff York
SYNOPSIS:
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Crime, Mystery, History
When famed Jekyll & Hyde author Robert Louis Stevenson turns out himself to be a dangerous split personality, the only one who can save him and London from his fiendish alter ego is a maverick American psychiatrist with daring, unconventional methods.
It’s historical fiction, based upon two men who were contemporaries of each other in 19th century Europe. Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scotsman living in England who wrote the famous story about split personalities called “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.” And Dr. Morton Prince was an American psychologist working in Salpetriere Hospital in Paris treating split personalities and other psychosis. The two never met, but with so much in common, I deemed that they should.
2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
“Fiend” would make for a elevated thriller that the Cineplex could use more of these days. It’s kind of a cross between “Sherlock Holmes” and “The King’s Speech” and it has a lot of smarts and a lot of heart.
3. How would you describe this script in two words?
Historical faction.
4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
“Jaws” is one that I watch all the time, even when I come across it on TV, and see something new and amazing in it every time. It in itself is an elevated horror movie that has so many layers and nuance, in addition to being very primal.
5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
All told it took me about a year to get “Fiend” into tip-top shape to start entering it into contests, where it has done very well, but I still tinker with it here and there. One never really stops rewriting until it’s filmed and in the can. And even after that, there may still be reshoots and additional rewriting!
6. How many stories have you written?
I’ve written 8 feature scripts, 3 television pilots, 1 short film script and a play.
7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I am a history buff and was drawn to Stevenson’s history as a man who was sick most of his life and longed for a life where he wasn’t hampered by his frailties. Hence, he wrote things like “Jekyll and Hyde”, as well as “Treasure Island.” His writing about mental illness and dissociative personality disorder (split personalities) in “Jekyll & Hyde” was incredibly insightful, such that there were those who wondered how he could grasp it all so well. Then, when I found out about Prince’s work in the same area and how Salpetriere wanted the rest of Europe to follow suit in bettering their treatment of the mentally ill, it struck me that there could be a entertaining juxtaposition in those two stories.
8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
The balance of fact and fiction. Most movie bio’s take a ton of liberties with the real story, and because this one was clearly made up, I didn’t have to be quite so faithful. Still, I wanted to be true to the actual history known of the two men, and striking the right balance between reality and fantasy is what presented the biggest challenge.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I love movies, theater, art, reading…most anything from the arts world. I have an orange tabby so I’m partial to cats. And I find current events and politics to be endlessly fascinating and spend a lot of time watching MSNBC. (I’m quite the liberal at heart.)
10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I love those that embrace horror, and it seemed like a wonderful opportunity to connect with similar fans of the genre. The notes I received were superb, and I incorporated all the terrific suggestions into the rewrite of the script that was recorded. So thanks for making it better!
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Breaking into Hollywood is very difficult, and you’ll run into a lot of pretenders and wannabe’s. Gravitate towards those who remain positive in their response to your work, or at least encouraging, and realize that not everyone is going to do cartwheels over what you’ve written. Still, if you really enjoy writing and want to be a cinematic storyteller, keep at it and you will find advocates. You just need to find that one who also has money to make your script into a movie. That is THE struggle, but if you’re good, write a lot, and remain persistent in learning, rewriting, writing more and more scripts, and keeping the faith, you’ll find yourself getting closer and closer. And hopefully that day when you get the dream call, you’re ready for it all.
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Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson
Watch the June 2016 Horror Best Scene Screenplay Reading
LONG IN THE TOOTH, by Mark Wasserman
SYNOPSIS:
Genre: Horror, Drama
Lonesome, irritable widower Fred Pierce is a senior citizen with bad teeth who lives in a depressing retirement community in a small New England town. One evening, while conversing with his dead wife in the town cemetery he meets Goth kids Bo and Tana.
The story involves an elderly man who gets tricked into believing that blood is the fountain of youth and then starts preying on the young people who befriended him.
2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
For me, the most effective horror films involve anxiety about something specific, whether it’s THE SHINING and alcoholism; ROSEMARY’S BABY and pregnancy, or more recently IT FOLLOWS and sexually transmitted diseases. Certainly those films are much more but still…I like to think that LONG IN THE TOOTH uses the fear of aging in a similar way.
The story features three-dimensional characters; an intriguing setting (Autumn in a small New England town) and a script that can be produced inexpensively.
3. How would you describe this script in two words?
Character-Driven Horror
4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Sunset Boulevard
5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I have worked on it off and on for several years.
6. How many stories have you written?
I have written six feature scripts and eight short scripts.
7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I wanted to create an original villain with an unusual modus operandi.
8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Like a lot of people, I’m tired enough of vampire stories that I wasn’t particularly keen to write one of my own. Thus I had to remind myself it was an original take on the subject. I hope it is.
Another tough moment was when a wonderful, established actor “attached” and then “unattached” himself to the project. That was very disheartening.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Reading, traveling, teaching
10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I was curious about the “Horror scene” in Canada and wanted to visit if I won. I found the feedback very instructive and encouraging.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Give your scripts to several readers for feedback, then look for consensus. If enough people are saying the same thing about your work.
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Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson
The screenplay is about the survival of eight kidnap victims by a group of nine killers who play an evil game as part of their ritual for a death cult. However, one of the victims is the undercover “IX” :the best killer of the cult. The rules are: Stay in the room…you endure the fear. Leave…and be massacred.
2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
IX is a dark and chilling take on an “escape the room” scenario. It’s filled with an intriguing backstory on the cult’s motives followed by the harsh survival methods one has to use is desperation. It’s variety of characters with ranging personalities make you root for some but hate others. There are a mix of horror elements from slow creepiness to shocking jump scares to frantic chase scenes and also tense torture sequences. The surprise ending takes on a supernatural tone while the audience is left wondering the entire movie of who the “IX” is. I feel it will bring big scares and tension on the big screen.
3. How would you describe this script in two words?
Twisted Suspense
4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Fight Club
5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
At least six months
6. How many stories have you written?
Around twenty
7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I love the horror genre because you can get away with anything creatively and suspend some form of reality. I wanted to mix different elements from movies I love from: Saw to Cabin in the Woods to Scream.
8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Trying to keep track of eight main characters in a single room and nine killers while sometimes mixing them by mistake became an obstacle. Also, trying not to seem like another movie’s rip-off was a huge goal of mine.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Working with people for physical rehabilitation, video games, fantasy, science.
10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I love the fact that the winners would have the scene or movie acted out and read by professional actors. To see it come to life like that was a big draw. The feedback is always helpful even if you don’t agree with it initially. Sometimes you get tunnel vision and miss things that are obvious to others. I always take feedback on the notion that someone is trying to help you and you must see it from their perspective.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Never stop writing no matter what someone says about your writing. Take feedback with an open mind. You will get a thousand “Nos” but only need one “Yes” to make it.
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Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson