The round one finalists for AACTA Pitch: BITE  in partnership with Monster Pictures have been announced. These 20 filmmakers have submitted remarkable horror and genre pitches and have proceeded to the next round of judging for a chance to receive $10,000 in development funds and a distribution deal with Monster Pictures.

The 20 finalists submitted an outstanding pitch demonstrating originality and strong storytelling in the horror-genre theme, around the theme of “BITE”. These shortlisted entries have the opportunity to participate in the second round of the initiative where they will be asked to meet challenges that exist in the real world of feature film development. Clear planning around financing, marketing and audience development will be critical as is the demonstration that they have a clear understanding of what it takes to take the project to market in a fresh, innovative and exciting way.

Up to eight filmmakers will get a chance to pitch their project to a panel of judges comprised of established horror film-makers, screenwriters, and producers such as Kathy Charles (CASTLE FREAK, JAKOB’S WIFE), Chris Brown (DAYBREAKERS, BAIT, THE RAILWAY MAN) and co-founder of Monster Pictures, Grant Hardie. The eight finalists will be announced in November. Please see below for the loglines from our 20 talented round one finalists!

BAD MOON RISING - Scott Hamilton

Trapped inside a bank after a botched robbery, a group of criminals must fight to survive the night when their hostages become werewolves.

BLEEDING HEART - Nick Delatovic

When she is lured into the Outback by a hunter bent on revenge, a vampire cursed with conscience must decide what deadly lengths she will go to to escape the coming sunrise.

BLOOD RED SUN - Michael Hearle

Early settlers hunt a vampire across the Australian Outback.

BLOODED - Andre Muller | James Cripps

An alienated teen learns he can save his dying mother by becoming a human blood runner in the ruthless vampire underground.

CHEW - Angus Attwood | Rachel Wilson | Vanessa Cox 

A young woman’s attempts to start a new life are thwarted by her overbearing family and a new high-pressure job, reinvigorating the nail-biting habit from her childhood. When she ingests a home-made remedy from her mother, a toxic component combines with her worsening anxiety and causes her body to decay.

DEADPOINT - Matthew Buss | Keren Anne Schlink | Ryan Svirac 

A group of travellers struggle to survive after a tunnel collapse traps them in a sea cave with a hungry shark.

DOMAIN - Christopher Morrison | Benno Thiel

Naomi rents a remote, luxury beach house in search of solitude and catharsis. What she finds instead is three intrusive strangers and a house with a disturbing secret.

DRIVERLESS - Samuel Galloway | Oscar Axel Thorburg

The night before their best friend’s wedding, Rose and Flo are picked up by a driverless car service. But when the locks engage and the vehicle detours suddenly, the girls must escape before they arrive at their mysterious destination.

DROP BEARS - Josh Sambono | Laura Sambono

A bullied Indigenous teenager and an international marsupial expert must protect a baby koala from a hoard of vicious Drop Bears. Humans set their world on fire... now they want revenge!

LIMPINWOOD - John Prescott | Trevor Hawkins

When the Nightcap Ranges come alive to the sound of music, three students must fight to survive a mutant Thylacine beast, hunting for a mate.

MOULD - Lizzie Dingle | Juliette Beck

To prove herself to her friends in a game of truth or dare, a teenage girl eats a piece of rotting fruit. She becomes paranoid that the mould is a creature with malicious intent that seeks to possess her body… and her boarding house.

ONE OF MY KIND - Steve Bannano | Ben Howling

Under cover of darkness, runaways Lilly and Amarande are pursued across the suffocating expanse of western NSW, haunted by their abusive vampire step-father; terrifying nightmares; and the trauma of their lost innocence.

SAVING MICHAEL - Kathy Luu | Louise Dodge

Three women embark on a journey to save Michael….who also happens to be a Zombie.

SCORN - Abel Robinson

In the confines of her home, a woman holds her abusive husband captive at gunpoint, looking for him to answer to his past transgressions, but unbeknownst to them both, the true test of their relationship waits just outside their door.

SKINBAGS - Adam Dunn | Jeremy Brull

A man struggles with his social identity in the aftermath of a zombie attack when he realises that while his body is undead, his mind is still very much alive.

STAKEOUT - Shannon Marinko

A demoted, dejected policewoman and a nerdy medical examiner investigate a series of suspicious gangland murders, only to uncover a growing army of vampire-criminals poised to take back the streets.

THE AUSTRALIEN - Stu Stanton | Karen Elgar

When an alien spaceship crash-lands in the Australian bush, a handful of oddballs must band together in a homestead to kill the creature before it destroys the planet.

THE REVIVED - Clea Frost | Robbie Studsor

After discovering her new partner is a supernatural being, an insomniac paramedic embraces the ultimate sacrifice in order to save her troubled half-sister.

TO KILL THE PIG - Lachlan Hannah | Chris Bell | Izaac Marrinan

A controversial ''internet celebrity'' hunter takes his begrudging production crew out to film his latest web series. During their hunt, the crew are intercepted by a mysterious bloodthirsty creature that begins to prey on them one by one.

WOLFCAT FEVER - Josh Collins

The ultimate rock and roll animals