Screenwriting
I've always been interested in horror as a lens through which we can examine the things that make us deeply human: our darkest fears and desires, moral failings, traumas, and everything else that's simmering just below the surface. I try to ground these stories with a strong sense of place and fill them with characters who can no longer avoid the things they've tried to bury. The hope is that they end up somewhere that is, if not necessarily triumphant, at least a place of greater insight, catharsis, or understanding.
Nahual - Feature Script
By Jamie Cooper
A lone vampire with a strict moral code hunts cartel soldiers to survive, until a new threat (an experimental army of feral vampires) forces him into an uneasy alliance with a dangerous kingpin. As the lines between predator and protector blur, he must decide what kind of monster he’s willing to become.
About the screenplay:
Drawing loosely from Mexican folklore, Nahual combines my love of vampire movies with a story rooted in the violence and human consequences of the drug trade along the U.S.-Mexico border. At its center is a revenge-fantasy hero whose moral code forces him to confront a larger question: whether violence can ever be a force for good, or simply makes us complicit in creating more of it.
DIG - Feature Script
By Jamie Cooper and Jason Myers
After moving to small coastal community for a fresh start, a burnt-out musician must embrace her talent to save herself and her husband from annihilation.
About the screenplay:
In setting Dig at the Oregon Coast, where countless objects have been consumed by the surf and sand, my dear friend and writing partner Jason Myers and I wanted to explore themes of relocation as therapy, the critical nature of honesty in relationships, and the painful journey of extracting joy from trauma. If we stare long enough at the rhythmic pounding of the waves on the sand, we’re bound to see equal numbers of wonders and horrors, both new and old, exposed as the waters recede.
