The 2023 Final Frame Short Horror Film Winners
The Final Frame
Horror Short Film Competition
In conjunction with our annual horror convention, StokerCon, the Horror Writers Association is proud to host the 8th Annual FINAL FRAME Horror Short Film Competition.
Each year, between ten to fifteen short-short films (13 minutes and under) are showcased as part of the StokerCon Horror Writers Convention. The coveted StokerCon Final Frame Award and cash prize will be awarded to one film and filmmaker, the best film shown at our event as decided upon by a panel of industry judges. We also present a variety of prizes to first runner-up, second runner-up, best writing in a short film, and the audience award.
The event is organized by director Jonathan Lees. Competition judges for 2023 include:
Daniel Kraus (NYT bestselling author of Whalefall, Co-Author of The Living Dead (with George Romero), The Shape of Water (with Guillermo del Toro) and writer of the graphic novel, The Autumnal
Jamie Flanagan (screenwriter, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, The Haunting of Bly Manor)
Izzy Lee (Award-winning filmmaker of Memento Mori, Re-Home and last year’s Final Frame Audience Award Winner for Meat Friend) *judging remotely
Jamal Hodge (writer/director, Mourning Meal, Alone, and the upcoming documentary Madness and Writers: The Untold Truth)
Lisa Morton (author of four novels and 150 short stories, a six-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award®, past President of the Horror Writers Association, and a world-class Halloween expert)
A popular event at StokerCon, the screening for convention attendees will transpire on FRIDAY NIGHT, June 16th, 2023, 8-10pm in the Grand Station Ballroom I-II at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh.
2023 WINNERS
- GRAND PRIZE – “The Queue”
- FIRST RUNNER UP – “The Weaver”
- SECOND RUNNER UP – “Gnaw”
- WRITING PRIZE – “The Queue”
- AUDIENCE AWARD – “Eric”
2023 FINALISTS
(in alphabetical order)
DITCHED
Director: Sloan Turner
Writer: Sloan Turner
UNITED STATES / 2022
An impulsive middle schooler playing a game of hide-and-seek soon realizes something is hunting him and his friends.
ERIC
Director: David Yorke
Writer: David Yorke
UNITED KINGDOM / 2022
Joshua finally gets to meet Eric, the beloved dog of a girl he’s been dating. As the evening evolves, Josh begins to get a sneaking suspicion that Eric isn’t your typical house pet.
GNAW
Director: Rosalee Yagihara
Writer: Meg Turner
CANADA / 2022
A pesky hangnail sends Cote into an obsessive state while creating a disconnect in her relationship with her girlfriend.
MICKEY DOGFACE
Director: Zach Fleming
Writer: Zach Fleming
UNITED STATES / 2022
Halloween night: Three friends get high in a van and propose a dare involving an urban legend — what could go wrong?
NIGHT WORK
Director: Savanna Hunter-Reeves
Writer: Savanna Hunter-Reeves
UNITED STATES / 2022
During another late night working from home, a new mother finds herself trapped in the house with something she must confront.
SHUT
Director: Niels Bourgonje
Writer: Bastiaan Tichels
NETHERLANDS / 2022
When Jonas visits his father after a long time, he is shocked to find him in a worrisome state.
SORRY SIS
Director: Kim Spurlock
Writer: Mai Spurlock
UNITED STATES / 2023
Put it on your head so you don’t get dead.
STOP DEAD
Director: Emily Greenwood
Writer: David Scullion
UNITED KINGDOM / 2022
When a detective and her partner try to stop a disheveled girl staggering down the middle of a country road, they discover something sinister follows with each step.
SUCKER
Director: Alix Austin
Writer: Alix Austin
UNITED KINGDOM / 2022
She’s dying to get under your skin…
THE QUEUE
Director: Michael Rich
Writer: Michael Rich
UNITED STATES / 2023
An internet content moderator confronts the darkness within the videos he screens.
THE WEAVER
Director: Øyvind Willumsen
Writer: Øyvind Willumsen
NORWAY / 2023
A nurse goes to visit an elderly lady at her home. No worries, right?
THREE DOORS DOWN
Director: Ty Huffer
Writer: Ty Huffer
UNITED STATES / 2023
On Christmas Eve, Tiffany learns that being on the naughty list means more than a lump of coal in your stocking.
WE FORGOT ABOUT THE ZOMBIES
Director: Chris McInroy
Writer: Chris McInroy
UNITED STATES / 2022
Two dudes think they found the cure for zombie bites.
