Feature screenplay by Jeff Mahacek

Hurt People is a razor-wire tense, character-driven psychological thriller set against the eerie backdrop of an isolated countryside estate. When ten strangers are summoned to the grand Dunhaven Cross under the guise of a will reading, they quickly discover there is no inheritance—only reckoning. As confessions unfold, each guest is forced to confront the pain they’ve inflicted on others. One by one, the façade of civility collapses, and the line between victim and perpetrator blurs, culminating in a deadly spiral of guilt, revenge, and moral reckoning.

Unflinching in its exploration of trauma, complicity, and the consequences of cruelty. Hurt People is written with razor-sharp dialogue, cinematic precision, and a structure that feels like Knives Out meets The Haunting of Hill House. Hurt People weaves social commentary into genre storytelling with biting clarity. The characters are deeply flawed yet hauntingly recognizable, and the writing refuses to let anyone—audience included—off the hook. It’s a bold, disturbing, and deeply human story that sticks with you long after the final fade to black.