The Horror Section and WeShort today announced the winners of HorrorShorts, a global competition for original horror short film scripts created to champion bold new voices and develop original IP in the horror genre.

The inaugural competition drew more than 100 submissions from filmmakers across Spain, Italy, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, France, India, and Brazil, underscoring the global appetite for innovative horror storytelling. Following a highly competitive selection process, three standout screenplays were reviewed and chosen by The Horror Section and WeShort teams for their originality, craft, and cinematic potential:

HorrorShorts Winners

• 1st Place: WeShort Originals Full Production Award BURN IT ALL by Domenico De Feudis & Giulio Rizzo:

  • The story follows a young couple that buys a confiscated vineyard, only to face the true cost: defying a mafia monster just released from life in prison

  • Awarded $25,000 grand prize: funding both rights acquisition and full production of the short film

• 2nd Place: WeShort Originals Co-Production Award LOCUST GROVE by Chris Guerrero & Ryan Dee Gilmour

  • When their daughter is given months to live, a desperate young couple hires a witch to perform a dangerous healing ritual in the East Kentucky hills

  • Awarded $10,000 prize: this award supports both the rights acquisition and co-production of a short film

• 3rd Place: WeShort Originals IP Award TEACHER ANDY by Giulia C.Borges & Federico Fasulo

  • A kindergarten teacher on the verge of menopause struggles to look over the restless children in her class, until an old metronome grants her a dark power

  • Awarded $2,500 prize: this award is designed for the acquisition of a complete rights package for the screenplay, without including production

The winning scripts will be produced as official WeShort Originals, with the opportunity to be optioned for short-to-feature development by The Horror Section, a media company founded by Eli Roth focused on creating the world’s premier genre brand. Production will begin in Q1 2026.

HorrorShorts Finalists

• GRINDHOUSE NATION by Nestor López Ferreira

• FILLERS by Adam Ethan Crow

• WHERE GOES THE NIGHT by Daniela De Francesco

• THE EXHIBITION by Lauren Kent

• NO ONE’S HOME by Alexander M.Edwards and Matteo Andreolli

• CANCELED by Camilo De Cabo

• THE BODYCOUNT CHALLENGE by Justin Gilbert

“HorrorShorts was an idea that emerged from my very first conversation with Eli Roth, when we met and began discussing the strategic partnership between WeShort and The Horror Section,” said Alex Loprieno, Founder & CEO of WeShort. “From the beginning, our shared goal was to create an observatory to discover new talent and original IP, starting from short films that could potentially evolve into successful feature films. This first edition of HorrorShorts clearly demonstrated how ready and eager talented filmmakers are to put their work out into the world.”

“It’s been a pleasure to work alongside the WeShort team to build HorrorShorts, creating a direct line to the next wave of filmmakers,” said Eli Roth, Founder of The Horror Section. “The competition shows how many bold, original ideas are out there, and we’re thrilled to support these filmmakers’ visions, and give them the platform to show their talent.”

Alex Loprieno added: “The selection process was the most exciting part, and I was personally involved alongside the same WeShort team that, over the past five years, has curated more than 3,500 short films and co-produced and distributed 25 WeShort Originals. Choosing the finalists and winners was genuinely difficult, because we could see real value in every single project. I want to congratulate not only the winners and finalists, but also all the filmmakers who took the risk and submitted their work. No success ever happens without taking that first step.”

More information can be found here: https://filmfreeway.com/HorrorShorts