G-man and Greg are just two guys trying to get through the day by doing the bare minimum. However, when a vampire hunter appears at their place of business, the pair start to suspect that their sunscreen-loving coworker Kevin is her target. After a few near-misses with the hunter’s traps, G-man and Greg decide to put their lives on the line to save Kevin from her murderous plot—even if he is undead.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Val Cole
G-Man: Geoff Mays
Greg: Steve Rizzo

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?

"Kevin's Not Dead" is about two small town mechanics who are suddenly roped into helping a Romanian vampire hunter fulfill her quest for revenge. However, when her target turns out to be their strange but seemingly harmless coworker, they start to question whose side they're really on.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

This screenplay is a horror comedy (emphasis on the comedy).

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

I'm a bit biased, obviously, but I think the biggest draw for this screenplay in terms of production value is just that it's fun! This screenplay offers a campy take on the vampire film that offers a nod to the classics while also keeping a more lighthearted contemporary tone throughout that I think works well for attracting both horror and non-horror fans alike. It's a relatively self-contained script, as well, which is hopefully appealing in terms of set and budget demands. I think it strikes a good balance of being a low-budget option with a fairly broad audience appeal.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

Campy and fun.

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

I truly have no idea but it's probably either Dogma or The Departed.

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

I wrote the screenplay in about a week and have revised it twice since then (each major revision takes about a day, I think). I've been submitting to festivals over the past few months so, all in all, it's existed for about half a year.

7. How many stories have you written?

That's a difficult question! In total, I've written three feature-length screenplays (this is the first I've sent to festivals); about four or five short screenplays (a couple of which have been made into short films); three stage plays (two of which have been produced); one novella that was published in September 2023; four yet-unpublished novels; and I don't even know how many short stories (nine of which are published, I believe).

8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

I've been really hooked on the band Bad Omens lately, so probably either their song "Death of Peace of Mind," Matt Maeson's "Hallucinogenics," or "Tessellate" by alt-J.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

No obstacles, really. The only tiny one was just getting the automotive details right, but this script was inspired by my father who works as a technician, so it was easy enough to ask him or his coworkers to clarify things.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Writing is pretty much my life, to be honest! It might be a bit of a cop-out, but I'm also really passionate about helping other people reach their creative potential. Aside from working as an English professor, I also am the editor for the West Trade Review's Visual Poetics and am the editor-in-chief of For Page & Screen Magazine where we publish online issues featuring other people's short stories, scripts, and films. I think the world can always use more stories, so whether I'm writing them or someone else is, I just enjoy finding a way to share them.

11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platform site?

I've always had good experiences with FilmFreeway. I received my first ever festival win several years ago with a festival I submitted to through Without-A-Box, so I'll always be a bit sad that they're no longer a submission platform, but, otherwise, FilmFreeway is very user-friendly, so I have no complaints.

12. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

The fact that the festival provides feedback was a huge draw for submitting. This is only the second feedback festival I've submitted to and it was really interesting to see the differences in the notes from each one. I actually rewrote a portion of the script following the first feedback festival, so I was glad to see that the same concerns were not raised a second time. Overall, I was happy with the feedback I received from this festival!