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Dane

Specialty

Horror/Thriller mixed with Sci-Fi

Bio
I am a thriller/horror screenwriter and former CAA assistant who blends psychological trauma with supernatural terror to create stylish, character-driven genre films Originally from Colorado and now based there, I spent several years working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles after college, gaining valuable experience as an assistant at both Gersh and CAA. I’ve been writing screenplays consistently for over a decade, with a strong passion for emotionally grounded, concept-driven storytelling. My background in talent representation shaped my understanding of the business, and my writing is informed by a deep love for cinema and character-focused genre work.
Denver, CO
Available Now
horror, thriller, sci fi

Some of my Scripts

R R R R C
Thriller Horror Mystery Drama Sci-Fi

APEX

When a buried Army bio‑lab wakes the mountain, a Colorado wildlife ranger discovers she is genetically linked to the pathogen and must choose between saving humanity or becoming the living apex of a new, terrifying ecology.

Thriller Horror Mystery
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When a buried Army bio‑lab wakes the mountain, a Colorado wildlife ranger discovers she is genetically linked to the pathogen and must choose between saving humanity or becoming the living apex of a new, terrifying ecology.

Audience Emotional Journey
Writing Craft Metrics

UNIQUE SELLING POINT

APEX distinguishes itself through its sophisticated blend of ecological horror, military conspiracy, and body horror, creating a unique 'mountain horror' subgenre. Unlike typical creature features, it explores themes of human interference with nature through a scientific lens, with the infection serving as both physical threat and philosophical metaphor. The script's strongest selling point is its atmospheric tension and the compelling transformation of its protagonist from hunter to apex predator, offering a fresh take on the monster movie that resonates with contemporary environmental anxieties.

STANDOUT FEATURES

  • Unique Hook: The connection between Clare's infection and her father's past experiments creates a compelling narrative thread.
  • Major Twist: Clare's transformation into a hybrid creature blurs the lines between human and monster, adding depth to her character.
  • Distinctive Setting: The remote and eerie Rocky Mountains serve as a haunting backdrop that enhances the story's tension.

R R R C C
Thriller Horror Mystery Drama Action

APEX

When a buried Army biolab awakens a fungal hive that weaponizes wildlife, a Colorado wildlife officer (daughter of the lead scientist) must decide whether to destroy what her father helped create—or become the living bridge between human and mountain.

Thriller Horror Mystery
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When a buried Army biolab awakens a fungal hive that weaponizes wildlife, a Colorado wildlife officer (daughter of the lead scientist) must decide whether to destroy what her father helped create—or become the living bridge between human and mountain.

Audience Emotional Journey
Writing Craft Metrics

UNIQUE SELLING POINT

APEX combines environmental horror with body horror in a unique way - it's not just monsters in the woods, but the woods themselves becoming monstrous. The protagonist's gradual transformation into what she hunts provides a compelling psychological journey rarely seen in creature features. The script elevates the genre by exploring themes of human interference with nature, legacy, and what it means to become the apex predator in an ecosystem we've corrupted.

STANDOUT FEATURES

  • Unique Hook: The integration of ecological horror with personal transformation, as Clare evolves into a creature connected to the mountain.
  • Major Twist: The revelation of Clare's father's involvement in creating the infection and the implications of her own transformation.
  • Distinctive Setting: The Rocky Mountains serve as both a beautiful and terrifying backdrop, enhancing the story's themes of nature's power.

R R R R R
Thriller Horror Mystery Drama Action

APEX

After investigating a brutal attack in Colorado’s high country, a wildlife officer discovers a buried Army lab and an evolving fungal-hive that rewrites nature — and learns her own family’s past may be the key to either stopping it or becoming its queen.

Thriller Horror Mystery
View Analysis View Read Script Read

After investigating a brutal attack in Colorado’s high country, a wildlife officer discovers a buried Army lab and an evolving fungal-hive that rewrites nature — and learns her own family’s past may be the key to either stopping it or becoming its queen.

Audience Emotional Journey
Writing Craft Metrics

UNIQUE SELLING POINT

APEX distinguishes itself through its sophisticated biological horror premise—a fungal infection that rewrites animal DNA and creates a hive-mind ecosystem—combined with a protagonist's literal transformation into the apex predator. Unlike standard creature features, it explores themes of ecological vengeance, scientific hubris, and human evolution through a visceral, character-driven narrative that culminates in the protagonist joining rather than defeating the threat.

STANDOUT FEATURES

  • Unique Hook: The transformation of Clare into a hybrid creature, exploring themes of identity and connection to nature.
  • Major Twist: The revelation that Clare's father was involved in dangerous experiments that led to the current crisis.
  • Innovative Ideas: The integration of environmental themes with horror elements, highlighting the consequences of human actions on nature.

R R R C C
Thriller Horror Mystery Drama Sci-Fi

APEX

When a buried Army bio-lab reawakens a fungal hive that turns wildlife into a single, monstrous intelligence, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer with a secret bloodline to the lab must decide whether to destroy the thing that’s her father’s legacy — or become its apex.

Thriller Horror Mystery
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When a buried Army bio-lab reawakens a fungal hive that turns wildlife into a single, monstrous intelligence, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer with a secret bloodline to the lab must decide whether to destroy the thing that’s her father’s legacy — or become its apex.

Audience Emotional Journey
Writing Craft Metrics

UNIQUE SELLING POINT

APEX distinguishes itself by blending ecological horror with military conspiracy through a deeply personal transformation story. Unlike typical monster movies, it explores the protagonist's gradual assimilation into the hive mind, creating a unique psychological horror experience. The script's strongest element is its atmospheric tension and the protagonist's compelling journey from wildlife officer to apex predator, offering a fresh take on the 'man vs. nature' genre with sci-fi elements.

STANDOUT FEATURES

  • Unique Hook: The integration of genetic mutation and environmental horror, where the protagonist's transformation is tied to her father's dark legacy.
  • Major Twist: Clare's acceptance of her transformation and connection with the Alpha creature, leading to a profound shift in her character arc.
  • Distinctive Setting: The juxtaposition of the beautiful yet ominous Rocky Mountains with the horrors of human experimentation and environmental decay.

R R C R C
Thriller Horror Mystery Drama Sci-Fi

APEX

When a remote mountain’s ecosystem mutates into a hive mind, a Colorado wildlife officer (whose father once worked at the secret lab) must confront her family’s past and a rising apex predator — and ultimately decide whether to save the town or become the mountain’s new guardian.

Thriller Horror Mystery
View Analysis View Read Script Read

When a remote mountain’s ecosystem mutates into a hive mind, a Colorado wildlife officer (whose father once worked at the secret lab) must confront her family’s past and a rising apex predator — and ultimately decide whether to save the town or become the mountain’s new guardian.

Audience Emotional Journey
Writing Craft Metrics

UNIQUE SELLING POINT

APEX distinguishes itself through its sophisticated blending of eco-horror, military conspiracy, and biological science fiction with a deeply personal transformation story. Unlike standard creature features, it explores themes of human interference with nature through the lens of a protagonist who becomes part of the ecosystem she's trying to control. The script's unique selling point is its commitment to making the protagonist's transformation both terrifying and thematically inevitable, creating a memorable anti-hero arc that resonates with contemporary environmental anxieties.

STANDOUT FEATURES

  • Unique Hook: The connection between Clare's infection and the mountain's supernatural elements, blending body horror with environmental themes.
  • Major Twist: Clare's transformation into a more primal being, embracing her connection to the Alpha creature, which challenges traditional horror tropes.
  • Distinctive Setting: The remote and eerie Rocky Mountains serve as both a beautiful backdrop and a menacing character in the story.

R R R R C
Thriller Horror Mystery Drama Action

Apex

When a buried Army bioweapon wakes the Rocky Mountains, a Colorado wildlife officer discovers she is the key to the contagion—and becomes the mountain’s new apex in a brutal choice between human survival and evolutionary ascension.

Thriller Horror Mystery
View Analysis View Read Script Read

When a buried Army bioweapon wakes the Rocky Mountains, a Colorado wildlife officer discovers she is the key to the contagion—and becomes the mountain’s new apex in a brutal choice between human survival and evolutionary ascension.

Audience Emotional Journey
Writing Craft Metrics

UNIQUE SELLING POINT

Apex uniquely blends ecological horror with military conspiracy and body horror, positioning nature itself as a sentient, evolving antagonist. Unlike typical creature features, it explores transformation as symbiotic evolution rather than mere infection, with a protagonist who doesn't fight the monster but becomes its apex. The script's environmental commentary and psychological depth elevate it beyond standard genre fare, offering a sophisticated take on humanity's relationship with nature and scientific hubris.

STANDOUT FEATURES

  • Unique Hook: The transformation of Clare into a predatory creature, exploring themes of evolution and survival.
  • Plot Twist: Clare's realization that her father's experiments have led to her current condition, intertwining personal and environmental horror.
  • Distinctive Setting: The remote and eerie Rocky Mountains serve as both a beautiful backdrop and a menacing character in the story.

R C R R
Horror Thriller Supernatural Mystery Psychological

Dream Boy

When a pastel board game called Dream Boy awakens a fifty-year-old sorority curse, a trauma-scarred college senior must face the stalker who haunted her past and the house's monstrous bargains to save her sisters and reclaim her life.

Horror Thriller Supernatural
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When a pastel board game called Dream Boy awakens a fifty-year-old sorority curse, a trauma-scarred college senior must face the stalker who haunted her past and the house's monstrous bargains to save her sisters and reclaim her life.

Audience Emotional Journey
Writing Craft Metrics

UNIQUE SELLING POINT

The script for "Dream Boy" offers a fresh take on the haunted house/supernatural horror genre by grounding the story in the very real trauma and vulnerabilities of its protagonist, Riley. The exploration of how the past can haunt us, both literally and figuratively, gives the script a depth and emotional resonance that sets it apart. Additionally, the script's unique blend of psychological horror, occult mythology, and sorority sisterhood creates a compelling and distinctive narrative that would appeal to a wide audience seeking an intelligent, unsettling horror experience.

STANDOUT FEATURES

  • Unique Hook: The incorporation of a cursed game that ties the characters' fates to their past traumas.
  • Plot Twist: The revelation that Sue has been manipulating events and is connected to the malevolent entity.
  • Innovative Ideas: The use of Polaroid photos as a means of surveillance and supernatural connection.

R R R C C
Horror Thriller Supernatural Mystery Psychological

Dream Boy

After a stalker’s release, a college survivor and her housemates find a retro board game called 'Dream Boy' that promises desire—but playing binds them to a century-old bargain; to survive, she must dismantle the house’s ritual and reclaim what was stolen.

Horror Thriller Supernatural
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After a stalker’s release, a college survivor and her housemates find a retro board game called 'Dream Boy' that promises desire—but playing binds them to a century-old bargain; to survive, she must dismantle the house’s ritual and reclaim what was stolen.

Audience Emotional Journey
Writing Craft Metrics

UNIQUE SELLING POINT

The script's unique selling proposition is its blend of supernatural horror and character-driven drama. The premise of a cursed board game that traps a group of college students in a haunted sorority house is both compelling and original, with the potential to appeal to a wide audience interested in horror and psychological thrillers. The script's focus on the characters' personal struggles and trauma adds depth and emotional resonance, making it stand out from more conventional horror fare.

STANDOUT FEATURES

  • Unique Hook: The incorporation of a cursed game that ties the characters' fates to supernatural forces.
  • Plot Twist: The revelation that the house has a cyclical curse that repeats every fifty years.
  • Innovative Ideas: The use of Polaroids and hair dolls as supernatural elements that connect the characters to their fears.

R R R R C
Horror Thriller Mystery Supernatural Psychological

Dream Boy

When a college girl whose stalker has just been released returns to her sorority house for winter break, a retro board game called 'Dream Boy' awakens an ancient hunger—forcing her to confront the monster who once owned her and fight to reclaim herself before the house claims her and her sisters forever.

Horror Thriller Mystery
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When a college girl whose stalker has just been released returns to her sorority house for winter break, a retro board game called 'Dream Boy' awakens an ancient hunger—forcing her to confront the monster who once owned her and fight to reclaim herself before the house claims her and her sisters forever.

Audience Emotional Journey
Writing Craft Metrics

UNIQUE SELLING POINT

The script's unique selling proposition is its fusion of real-world stalking trauma with supernatural horror mythology, creating a metaphor where personal demons become literal ones. The 'Dream Boy' game mechanic provides a fresh take on occult horror, while the sorority house setting adds layers of institutional history and female vulnerability. The final meta-twist (Sequence 33) creates memorable ambiguity about reality versus supernatural experience.

STANDOUT FEATURES

  • Unique Hook: The integration of a supernatural game that ties into the characters' fears and traumas.
  • Plot Twist: The revelation that the house has a dark history and is tied to the characters' pasts, particularly with the missing sorority girls.
  • Innovative Ideas: The use of Polaroid photos as a supernatural element that reveals hidden truths and escalates tension.

R R R C R

APEX

After a grisly attack in the Rockies, two wildlife officers uncover a Cold War-created predator mutating the ecosystem — and must stop it before it spreads beyond the wilderness.

View Analysis View Read Script Read

After a grisly attack in the Rockies, two wildlife officers uncover a Cold War-created predator mutating the ecosystem — and must stop it before it spreads beyond the wilderness.

Audience Emotional Journey
Writing Craft Metrics

UNIQUE SELLING POINT

APEX stands out from other horror-thrillers by grounding its supernatural elements in a plausible scientific premise and using the natural setting of the Rocky Mountains as a character in its own right. The screenplay's exploration of the blurred line between man and beast, and humanity's role in disrupting the natural order, gives it a thought-provoking thematic depth that sets it apart from more conventional genre fare.

STANDOUT FEATURES

  • Unique Hook: The transformation of Clare into a hybrid creature, blending human and animal traits, adds a compelling twist to the survival narrative.
  • Plot Twist: The revelation of Clare's father's involvement in dangerous experiments that led to the current crisis.
  • Distinctive Setting: The remote and eerie Rocky Mountains serve as a haunting backdrop, enhancing the story's tension.

R R R C R
Horror Thriller Supernatural Mystery Psychological

Dream Boy

When a vintage board game called "Dream Boy" is unearthed in her sorority house, a trauma survivor must fight through a parade of perfect, predatory boyfriends and a pact-bound past to stop the house from devouring her sisters — and finally reclaim her life.

Horror Thriller Supernatural
View Analysis View Read Script Read

When a vintage board game called "Dream Boy" is unearthed in her sorority house, a trauma survivor must fight through a parade of perfect, predatory boyfriends and a pact-bound past to stop the house from devouring her sisters — and finally reclaim her life.

Horror Thriller Supernatural Mystery Psychological Psychological Thriller Drama Psychological Drama
Audience Emotional Journey
Writing Craft Metrics

UNIQUE SELLING POINT

The screenplay for "Dream Boy" offers a unique blend of psychological horror and supernatural elements, exploring the lasting impact of trauma and the dangers of obsession. The story's focus on the complex relationships and personal struggles of the college-aged characters, set against the backdrop of a haunted sorority house, sets it apart from more traditional horror fare. The screenplay's strong character development, atmospheric storytelling, and thematic depth make it a compelling and commercially viable project for fans of the genre.

STANDOUT FEATURES

  • Unique Hook: The incorporation of a supernatural game that ties the characters' fates to their past actions and traumas.
  • Major Twist: The revelation that the house must be fed every fifty years, linking the characters' struggles to a larger, sinister history.
  • Innovative Ideas: The use of Polaroids and mirrors as supernatural elements that reflect the characters' fears and traumas.