As the grand prize winner, Lichelli won a $1,000 cash prize as well as a consultation with manager Kailey Marsh, founder of The Blood List.
Lichelli Lazar-Lea was born in Trinidad & Tobago and raised in England. She received a scholarship from BAFTA Los Angeles to earn an MFA in film producing at UCLA. Her script VERA was chosen as the grand prize winner of the ScreamCraft Horror Contest from hundreds of screenplay entries by a panel of development executives at 3 major studios. The screenplay will be recommended to the voting members of The Blood List, a list of the top 13 most liked dark genre screenplays of the year. Each year over a hundred creative executives vote on their top three favorite scripts in the horror, thriller, sci-fi, and dark genres.
The Blood List has quickly become a go-to industry source for fresh and noteworthy unproduced screenplays. Vera has solid writing, and is an interesting take on the female psychological horror/thriller genre, said manager Kailey Marsh.
The story centers on a young, traumatized woman who encounters the spirit of her six-year-old half-sister Vera after inadvertently getting her killed in an accident she cant remember the details of. While everyone around her questions her sanity, she must uncover the truth about what happened that fateful night and determine just what Vera’s spirit is after.
“I’m very honored and proud to have won ScreenCrafts “ScreamCraft Horror Contest” as the judges have literally read hundreds of good horror scripts and they really know what constitutes a successful genre film, said Lichelli Lazar-Lea.
“VERA is an engrossing and naturalistic horror-thriller that features a complex and sympathetic underdog female protagonist, says ScreenCrafts Cameron Cubbison. It channels quintessential staples of the genre into a fresh framework that’s full of voice and atmosphere. All of the elements of an effective horror narrative are present: mystery, ample internal and external conflict, terrifying images, jump scares, earthly and otherworldly threats, tight pacing, and powerful reversals. What really sets the script apart is the blending of tension with dramatic character work and expert layering of universal themes.
VERA does exactly what a good script should: it draws you in and makes you want to keep reading. It’s a sharp and skillfully-crafted piece of writing that knows how to engage an audience. It deserves to be singled out and celebrated, adds ScreenCrafts John Rhodes. Were very excited to help VERA and Lichelli garner attention.
The runner-up prize goes to horror-thriller Roadside Assistance by David Sakmyster, while the following screenplays comprise the rest of the top ten finalists:
- High Stakes by Kelly Goodner
- The Fad by Michael E. Bierman
- Noir of the Dead by Kevin Lenihan
- Pawns by Vanessa Hawkins
- Suicide Shift by Alexander Walsh
- The Bonewalker by Brian Lee Johnson
- The Gaslight Horror by Jeremy D. Christensen
- Thicker Than Blood by Katelyn Morey
The contest is operated by ScreenCraft, a boutique screenwriting consultancy, dedicated to helping screenwriters and filmmakers master their craft and connect them with studios and producers who need good material.
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