Chicago Screenwriter Lands on The Grey List Once Again with ‘The Lot’

Chicago-based screenwriter Eric Anderson celebrates his third consecutive honor from The Grey List with The Lot, a campy, action-packed horror-comedy that puts an ancient Mayan bat-god front and center in a delightfully twisted small-town invasion.

The Grey List, which spotlights high-caliber scripts from writers over 40, recognized The Lot for its “bonkers horror-comedy tone” and imaginative spin on vampire lore. Having also made the list with the coming-of-age thriller Oriole Park and the resurrection horror June in previous editions, it’s clear The Grey List values Anderson’s inventive approach to storytelling.

A Screamingly Good Time

Described in recent Black List coverage as “channeling Evil Dead or Zombieland vibes, with a dash of From Dusk Till Dawn (Mayan edition),” The Lot follows disgraced TV host Steven Pratt back to his bizarre hometown—only to discover a cursed statue has unleashed a legion of vampire townsfolk under the power of the bat-god Camazotz.

“I love horror comedies that lean on the laughs—like Shaun of the Dead, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, and Zombieland,” Anderson says. “That playful spirit is what I aim for. Yes, there’s supernatural chaos, but it’s the humor, the quirky characters, and the ridiculous scenarios that keep things entertaining.”

With this newest recognition, The Lot underscores Anderson’s continued dedication to crafting inventive genre stories.

Three Years Strong on The Grey List

Although The Lot showcases Anderson’s taste for humor-fueled horror, his track record spans a broader spectrum. One of his previously recognized scripts, June, is a stark, dark father-daughter horror tale in which grief leads a researcher down a terrifying path in hopes of resurrecting his lost child. Veteran producer Sonny Mallhi (The Strangers, The Dark and the Wicked) is currently shopping June to investors, while director Emily Bennett (Alone With You) has joined the project to shape its atmospheric dread. Casting discussions are already underway.

Meanwhile, Anderson’s other Grey List honoree, Oriole Park (co-written with his wife and frequent collaborator, Amelia Dellos), veers away from the standard true-crime formula often associated with serial killer stories. Rather than diving into a killer’s psyche, this coming-of-age script focuses on a neighborhood left reeling from mysterious disappearances. Oriole Park won the inaugural “The Pitch” award at the Chicago International Film Festival and has indie filmmaker Jordan Galland (Ava’s Possessions, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead) attached to direct.

To contact Eric or for more information, please visit cornbredfilms.com

And for the full 2025 Grey List, you can click right here.

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