After finding her fiance with another woman, Lisa and her friends all head on vacation together to celebrate Galentine's Day. However, they were not prepared for the dangers they came to face.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Geoff Mays
Jim: Steve Rizzo
Lisa: Hannah Ehman
Elderly Woman/Female Voice: Val Cole

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?

Valentine's Day is etched in Lisa's memory as a day of betrayal. Four years ago, she embarked on a journey through a relentless snowstorm to surprise her fiancé, Jim, only to stumble upon a scene that shattered her – Jim with another woman.

In the wake of that devastating revelation, Lisa's friends — Debbie, Mandy, Jenny, and Katie — fashioned Galentine's Day, a cherished retreat where solidarity among the women reigns supreme. But nothing lasts forever. This is the final Galentine's Day because the women each have busy lives and romantic partners they'd rather spend Valentine's Day with. So the women get together for one last hurrah at a secluded lake house in the Ozarks.

Ultimately, Galentine's Day is about friendship, love, betrayal, and how people slowly grow apart and change, no matter how hard they try to stick together.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

It's a slasher horror movie.

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

Galentine's Day would make an excellent movie because it's a female-led, action-packed, slasher film full of exciting twists and turns. What starts as a relationship drama, morphs into a buddy comedy, before becoming a murder mystery whodunit, and ending as a full-blooded, thrilling slasher.

The screenplay is a small ensemble full of engaging and distinct characters, each with unique voices and clear character arcs. Galentine's Day wears its influences on its sleeve. It's Scream meets Girls' Trip meets Knives Out.

From a production standpoint, Galentine's Day could be made on a limited budget. There are only six characters, one main location, and a handful of other smaller locations to consider.

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

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

Probably the original Star Wars (or as it's called today Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope).

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

I wrote a detailed outline and the first draft of Galentine's Day in about six weeks. Then, I spent about two months revising, rewriting, and polishing it.

7. How many stories have you written?

I've written two graphic novels (Pretentious Record Store Guy and Blood on the Tracks, illustrated by Brian Atkins), a collection of comics (SHORTS + LOSSES), a handful of comic books, five screenplays, six pilots, and two spec scripts.

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

"Bastards of Young" by The Replacements.

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

I wrote Galentine's Day in a fever pitch after watching a bad horror movie with my wife on Halloween night that started well but quickly dovetailed into unwatchable territory. I thought it was terrible. She said it wasn't that bad.

I went through the ways I thought the story could have been improved, the various plot turns made not so obvious, and the scares more suspenseful. She said, "Well it sounds like you should write a horror movie."

So I did. I had the nugget of an idea, so I wrote a 15-page treatment to serve as the outline for the story. After that, the script wrote itself. The biggest obstacle I faced was having it done by my self-imposed deadline of... Valentine's Day.

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

I am a cartoonist who loves making art and telling stories. I'm passionate about movies, art, and design. My office is jam-packed with too many books on painting, design, architecture, screenwriting, and filmmaking.

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

Submitting to the contest was very easy, and I enjoyed the experience.

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

Horror fans are the most passionate, vocal, and supportive community of movie lovers around. As I was looking for horror-specific contests to submit my screenplay to, the Horror Underground Festival checked all the boxes and felt like the perfect fit.

The initial feedback I got from the contest was not only insightful but was actionable. The feedback came from a fan of the genre and they made a few good recommendations on how best to improve the script within the confines of the horror genre.