The Further
‘Pyromaniac’ – Fright-Rags Creates Faux Trailer, Shirt, Vinyl for ’80s Slasher Throwback
Where there’s smoke, there’s Pyromaniac. It’s not a real movie — but it could be.
Created by our friends at Fright-Rags, Pyromaniac is a faux trailer for a fictitious ’80s slasher about Jakob Stocker, a small-town fire chief who dies mysteriously in a blaze, only to return 15 years later seeking revenge.
The trailer release is accompanied by a 7″ record pressed on “Inferno Burst” colored vinyl, limited to 500, along with a shirt.
Fright-Rags founder Ben Scrivens composed the music, production manager Chris Tanski conceived the story, warehouse assistant Eric Maira wrote and directed the trailer, and illustrator Justin Osbourn designed the artwork.
“We would love to turn it into a full feature someday but at the moment it’s just the trailer, soundtrack, and t-shirt,” writes Scrivens. “That said, we’ve talked about expanding it with more footage, new story ideas, and more music. We will see what the future holds but for now, get ready to taste the fire!”
The Pyromaniac 7″ costs $15 and is expected to ship the week of December 12. The shirt, priced at $28, is custom printed on demand and ships in 2-3 weeks.
If I may, please check and change the batteries in your smoke detectors.
The Further
Killer Shorts Horror Writing Competition Open NOW With New Category for Feature Screenplays!
The annual genre competition dedicated to finding and launching the next generation of horror writing talent, this year’s Killer Shorts is now officially open for entries!
Founded in 2019, Killer Shorts has established itself as a premier industry launchpad. The competition connects screenwriters and prose authors directly with the executives, managers, and producers who actively greenlight and option dark genre cinema.
But this year’s competition isn’t only about killer horror shorts…
For this brand new season, Killer Shorts is expanding its categories to include feature-length screenplays alongside its traditional short script, one-page script, and short story divisions.
The Top 10 finalists across all categories are evaluated by an elite industry jury composed of over a dozen horror legends, literary managers, and producers. The panel includes:
- Barbara Crampton (Horror Icon, Actress & Producer — Jakob’s Wife, Suitable Flesh)
- John Zaozirny (Literary Manager & Producer, Bellevue Productions)
- Tananarive Due (Author, Producer & Horror Historian)
- Lucas Ford (Producer, Ford Films — The Backrooms)
- John Squires (Editor-in-Chief, Bloody Disgusting)
- Sophie Carroll (Creative Director, ALTER & DUST at Gunpowder & Sky)
- Gigi Saul Guerrero (Director & Co-Founder, Luchagore Productions)
- Aaron B. Koontz (Producer & CEO, Paper Street Pictures)
Yes, yours truly is joining the Killer Shorts judging panel for the first time ever!
Killer Shorts has a proven track record of transitioning undiscovered writers into working professionals. Alumni success stories include Season 2 finalist Vanessa Võ, who signed with Bellevue Productions, and Season 3 finalist Kelly Nugent, who secured representation at Wonder Street.
Additionally, screenplays submitted for coverage that receive a “Recommend” rating qualify for inclusion on The Scream List. This real-time tracking board is monitored by top-tier genre companies, including Screambox, Raven Banner Entertainment, Zero Gravity Management, and Grey Matter Productions.
Submissions will be accepted across all major platforms, including the official Killer Shorts website, Scrybe, Stage 32, FilmFreeway, and Network ISA.
For full guidelines, prize breakdowns, and submission details, visit the official website!
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