She's Out There follows Maalik, a quiet, introspective fourteen-year-old boy, who struggles with PTSD, manifesting in sleep paralysis, paranoia, and a constant sense of unease. One night, he wakes up trapped in a terrifying episode of sleep paralysis. Unable to move or speak, he watches a hooded woman emerge from the darkness of his bedroom, gripping a hunting knife — terrorizing him in his sleep.

His therapist believes the approaching anniversary of a traumatic event is resurfacing old fears. Four years earlier, after Maalik's father killed a man in self-defense, the victim's grieving mother known only as The Shadow began stalking their family, seeking revenge. One Halloween night, she came after them. Though Maalik and his family escaped, The Shadow was never caught.

Now living in a new town and trying to navigate adolescence, Maalik leans on his best friend, De'yon, for a sense of normalcy and solace. But when he experiences a horrifying encounter with the woman from his past inside a Halloween costume store, he becomes convinced she has finally found him. With no evidence and no witnesses, everyone around him — including his mother, Bridget — believes he's suffering a panic attack brought on by years of unresolved trauma.

As Halloween approaches, reality and paranoia begin to blur. Maalik must determine whether he's reliving old wounds or whether the nightmare that nearly destroyed his family has finally returned to finish what she started.

"She's Out There explores the lasting impact of trauma through the lens of horror. The film is inspired by a traumatic experience I endured as a child in 2005, when my family and I became the targets of a violent stalker seeking revenge. The aftermath left me struggling with PTSD and sleep paralysis for years. What began as a terrifying chapter of my life became the foundation for a story about fear, survival, and the things we carry long after danger has passed." -Maalik Evans

Through a classic suspense-driven horror story, the film examines the fragility of safety, the loss of innocence, mental health in the Black community, and violence in middle-class suburbia, while transforming a deeply personal experience into something both frightening and universal.

We’re treating this project as a proof of concept for a feature-length film. She's Out There is "Halloween" meets "I Know What You Did Last Summer" — a love letter to the thrillers and horror films of the 1990s, where the past isn't just haunting you... it's hunting you.

In 2022, my feature screenplay THE LOCK-IN was selected for The BloodList and received recognition from The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Fangoria as one of the year's notable unproduced horror screenplays. She's Out There represents the next step in that journey: an opportunity to bring this story to the screen, introduce audiences to its world, and showcase the potential of a larger horror franchise.

"The most terrifying things in this story isn’t just a murderous killer but the dangers of lingering trauma poking holes in our self trust. My approach to this film will be from my appreciation of the restraint of classic horror. I want to create fear from atmosphere, performance, sound and our protagonist’s imagination.

At the core of this film, it will ask: what happens after a teen survives an act of unimaginable violence?

Trauma doesn’t end when the danger is over. It’s reshaped in every shadow, every sound and sleepless nights that feels like a warning. Maalik never questions whether the Hooded Woman could come back, but whether he can trust his own mind long enough to survive when she does.

The Hooded Woman is intentionally hidden, existing through fragments of memory and conversation. Her complete identity exists entirely in Maalik’s fractured perspective, where fear is built from what is remembered, imagined and unresolved. This horror film is about trust: trusting your instincts, trusting memory, and trusting when a black boy tells

you something ain’t right!" -Sherean Jones

MAALIK

A thoughtful, guarded 14-year-old freshman haunted by a traumatic event from his childhood. Four years ago, a woman seeking revenge attacked his family on Halloween night. Though they escaped, the experience left Maalik struggling with recurring nightmares, anxiety, and a fear that she'll one day return. He wants to believe he's safe—but deep down, he can't shake the feeling that she's still out there.

DE'YON

An outgoing, funny, and fiercely protective 14-year-old, who is Maalik's loyal best friend. De'yon serves as the emotional heart of the story and the one person who treats Maalik like a normal kid instead of a victim. While he jokes about being Maalik's "bodyguard," his friendship provides genuine comfort and stability.

BRIDGET

Maalik's mother. Loving, protective, and exhausted from carrying the weight of the family's past. Bridget desperately wants her son to move forward and heal, but her desire to protect him often manifests as denial. She genuinely believes the threat is over and struggles to separate Maalik's fears from the trauma he's endured.

THE SHADOW

A mysterious hooded woman driven by grief and revenge. After her son's death, she lost the ability to distinguish justice from vengeance. Years later, she remains fixated on the family she blames, willing to wait as long as necessary to make them suffer. She is not a supernatural force or a masked killer looking for victims. She is a mother who never moved on. Quiet, methodical, and terrifyingly patient, The Shadow weaponizes fear long before she ever picks up a knife.

Atmospheric. Suspenseful. Menacing. Intimate.

For years, I've been trying to get my feature screenplay The Lock-In made. The script was selected for The BloodList in 2022, received industry recognition, and opened doors I never imagined when I first wrote it. But like many independent filmmakers, I've learned that a great script alone isn't always enough to get a movie produced.

Rather than waiting for permission, I've decided to take a different approach. She's Out There is an opportunity to bring the world of The Lock-In to life and share it with audiences now. It allows me to showcase the tone, suspense, and emotional core of the feature while telling a complete story that stands on its own.

As a Black filmmaker, I feel compelled to make this film now because our stories are often expected to justify their existence through trauma. In horror especially, Black characters are frequently defined by racial violence, historical pain, or social commentary. While those stories are important, they are not the only stories we deserve.

Growing up, I loved films like "Scream", "Halloween", and "Friday the 13th". But, I rarely saw Black kids at the center of those stories. And when I did, they often weren't allowed to simply exist as ordinary teenagers navigating friendship, fear, first crushes, family conflict, and survival.

With She's Out There, I want to create the kind of horror film I rarely got to see growing up: a suspenseful, character-driven slasher centered on Black characters whose identities are not defined solely by their suffering. Our protagonist isn't fighting racism -- he's fighting a monster from his past. He's dealing with nightmares, friendship, family, and fear—the same universal experiences that have driven some of the most beloved horror films for decades.

At its core, She's Out There asks a simple question: Are we more than the worst thing that ever happened to us?

For me, making this film is about proving that Black characters deserve to occupy every corner of the horror genre. We deserve our own Scream. Our own Friday the 13th. Stories that are thrilling, emotional, scary, and unapologetically ours. These are the stories my community is looking for and wants to see.

That's why I'm making She's Out There now.

Not only because it draws from my personal experiences, but because I believe in taking ownership of my creative future and value authentic storytelling. Rather than waiting for someone else to decide this story deserves to exist, I'm choosing to bring it to life myself.

Sherean Jones

Director

Sherean D. Jones is a writer-director from Philadelphia. She got her start directing the New York indie feature The List for Queen Pen Productions.  Sherean graduated from USC School of Cinematic Arts with an MFA in Film and TV Production. She’s also an inaugural fellow of the Tribe Writers’ Program and a part of the 2022 class of Black Boy Black Girl Writes Mentorship Initiative. During her tenure in those programs, Sherean directed her first short film, Honest/Fluff, produced by SuperSpecial Productions. Upon graduating, Sherean was staffed on Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest final season and has also written on AllBlk (AMC) romantic dramedy, A La Carté.

Maalik Evans

Writer/Producer

Maalik Evans is a New York City–based screenwriter and filmmaker originally from the Washington, D.C. area. His work frequently explores the intersections of identity, sexuality, coming-of-age, violence, family dysfunction, mental health, and trauma, often through genre-driven and character-focused storytelling.

His breakout feature horror script, The Lock-In, was selected for The BloodList in 2022, earning recognition from The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Fangoria. Most recently, Maalik was commissioned by independent producer EJ Joseph to write a half-hour comedy-drama pilot based on Joseph’s original story idea. Produced by Best Sellers Studios in Los Angeles, the project, titled Orevwa, is a vertical series currently in post-production.

His latest short film Things Left Unsaid premiered at the New Faces New Voices Festival in 2024.

Kailey Marsh

Producer

Kailey Marsh is a Brooklyn-based literary manager and producer. After managing at Brillstein Entertainment Partners for 6 years, Marsh went back out on her own once more and formed FIVE LINE. Marsh represents writers and directors across film and television, as well as podcasters and creators. Kailey created and ran the annual BloodList for fifteen years. The list and platform served as a place for discovery for writers and creators in the horror and dark genre world.

Kailey served as the Co-Executive Producer on Hulu's supernatural horror series Light as a Feather.

Making a film takes a village. From securing our cast and crew to locations, equipment, production design, and post-production, every dollar helps us bring She's Out There to the screen. Our estimated production budget is $19,500, including $8,500 to support our hardworking crew, $2,500 for camera equipment and support, $2,000 for production design, props, and wardrobe, $2,000 to compensate our cast, $2,000 for post-production, $1,000 for locations, $800 for transportation, meals, and craft services, $500 for festival submissions, and $200 reserved for miscellaneous expenses. 

After consulting with a line producer, this is the budget needed to comfortably bring this vision to life.

*After consulting with a line producer, these figures represent estimations to make this film a reality*

If we don't raise a minimum of 80% of our Seed&Spark funding goal, we won't receive any of our funding

1.  Contribute and pledge to our Seed & Spark campaign or even fulfilling goods on our wishlist. Seed and Spark requires at least 80% of our goal in 30 days to receive any of the funds we raise. We have a number of incentives for all budgets. Every contribution, no matter the size, gets us closer to creating something meaningful and terrifying. Your credit card will not be charged until the campaign ends on and ONLY if we hit our goal. If we don’t hit our goal, no credit cards are charged. You can always add more to your pledge as the campaign progresses if you’d like. Your support is greatly appreciated!
2. Follow this campaign and stay up to date with any news and goals we may share! You can also follow us on Instagram: @shesoutthere.film
3. Spread the word. Even if you can’t contribute monetarily, sharing our campaign is a great way to support us and our project. Please share via social media, email, word of mouth, or however you can! Seriously, your shares are so powerful in expanding our reach and helping us reach our goal! Feel free to copy/paste these sample Instagram posts:

The hunt has begun... 🔪 I'm supporting @shesoutthere.film a new independent horror-thriller short film. Check out the campaign and join us on @seedandspark https://seedandspark.com/fund/shes-out-there?token=54ac40426bd1bdaf16dbdc70b07f9df1673ffcd39c47b615dac9035a883a4213

I'm excited to support  @shesoutthere.film a new horror-thriller short film from director @andthewinnerissherean and writer/producer Maalik Evans. If you love independent horror, check out the @seedandspark campaign and help bring it to the screen! 🩸🎬🔪 https://seedandspark.com/fund/shes-out-there?token=54ac40426bd1bdaf16dbdc70b07f9df1673ffcd39c47b615dac9035a883a4213

I'm terrified to see the horror project @shesoutthere.film by director @andthewinnerissherean and writer/producer Maalik Evans! Support them if you can on @seedandspark https://seedandspark.com/fund/shes-out-there?token=54ac40426bd1bdaf16dbdc70b07f9df1673ffcd39c47b615dac9035a883a4213

Independent horror only gets made because of community. I'm supporting @shesoutthere.film a new horror-thriller short film. Check out the campaign and help bring this story to the screen! 🩸🔪 https://seedandspark.com/fund/shes-out-there?token=54ac40426bd1bdaf16dbdc70b07f9df1673ffcd39c47b615dac9035a883a4213