Emily suffers from extreme anxiety. Her younger sister, Meredith, is the only one who can calm her but when Meredith dies unexpectedly, Emily's anxiety takes a dark turn exposing terrifying secrets from her family's past and creating a sinister way of dealing with her fears.

CAST LIST:

Narration: Julie Sheppard
Lori: Val Cole
Father McMann: Shawn Devlin

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?

After witnessing a gruesome family death, a single mother and her twin daughters are haunted by terrifying events—where past trauma, buried family secrets, and a thirst for vengeance begin to blur the line between mental illness and a supernatural nightmare.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Horror

3. Why should this screenplay be produced?

My film, Anxiety, is a tightly written, low-budget project that delivers high emotional impact with an unexpectedly terrifying edge. It's a story that resonates on multiple levels, can be produced efficiently, and leaves audiences with a powerful, lingering experience.

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

Beautifully Distrubing

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

Parenthood or The Princess Bride

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

2 Years

7. How many stories have you written?

10

8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

A film producer asked me to write it for him.

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

After finishing the script, the producer who asked me to write it got hired to produce a children's show so he was unable to produce a horror film. It then sat for a year before I picked it up again and began reworking it.

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

Personal growth. I've worked in personal growth for over 10 years and am now co-teaching a course at UVA's business school on making intentional life decisons that create joy and purpose while minimizing regret.

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

It looked like a great festival that helps writers get their work seen.