BIO
Joel McElvaney is a screenwriter specializing in taut thrillers and action comedies. Co-writer of the comedy/mystery short MURDER AT THE WRITERS RETREAT (IMDB). Known for taking a screenwriting workshop from William Goldman in college then waiting 25 years to start his screenwriting career.
A former high school English teacher and screenwriting instructor, McElvaney has garnered accolades for his fantasy/comedy DRAGONS OF THE GLOAMING, a Top 5 Finalist in the Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge; his dystopian thriller TWISTED JUSTICE, a Semi-Finalist in the Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition; and his risqué TV pilot THE PINEAPPLE CHRONICLES, a 2nd-rounder at the Austin Film Festival.
McElvaney is an active member of the Northwest Screenwriters Guild in Seattle where he lives with his wife Kate.
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On this site you’ll find thumbnail posters of his original screenplays, along with brief loglines. Click “Learn More” to see Synopses or Pitchdecks. You can also Click to Request the Full Script or just the First 15 Pages.
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FEATURES
LOGLINE: When three nerdy friends and one reluctant sister get zapped into a fantasy role-playing game, they have three days to discover a mystical castle and defeat a deadly dragon or be trapped in the game world forever.
LOGLINE: Ready to leave her husband after spying him with another woman, a skeptical wife instead goes on the run with him when his shady client sends a hitman to kill them both.
LOGLINE: After a video of a humiliating altercation in the school parking lot goes viral, the victim of the bullying asks his best friend to help him get revenge on the bully.
LOGLINE: In a near-future dystopia, the granddaughter of a Supreme Court justice, pregnant from a sexual assault, attempts to leave her forced-birth state to get an abortion, but is caught by a vigilante group and sent to a “Life Mall."
LOGLINE: When a trans teen on the run from her ultra-religious parents witnesses a crime she cannot ignore, she risks her own freedom to rescue a victim more vulnerable than herself.
LOGLINE: Forced to stay with their ex-convict dad for a summer, two boys discover a dark family secret that leads them to run away rather than return to their mom and abusive stepfather.
SHORTS
LOGLINE: A withdrawn woman with a facial birthmark discovers an unexpected joy and freedom when a global pandemic hits and everyone is masked. Then mask requirements end, testing her newfound happiness.
LOGLINE: A young van-life couple's peaceful weekend getaway is disturbed by news of an escaped serial killer with a terrifying prosthetic.
TV/streaming
LOGLINE: An overworked, sexually-frustrated wife
 convinces her reluctant husband to explore the bizarre, often hilarious world of swinging in order to stave off marital boredom and save their marriage.
LOGLINE: When cops get stumped, wives get suspicious, or someone’s life gets so disturbed they can barely function, the residents of this small town turn to Ivy, a fairy-obsessed eccentric with uncanny abilities.
MILESTONES
CLICK ON the BLACK BAR above,
then SCROLL DOWN to find Oct. 13 Interview
first PODCAST INTERVIEW
Matthew Toffolo of WILDsound interviews
screenwriter Joel McElvaney about his Top-5 Finalist
DRAGONS OF THE GLOAMING
on October 13, 2020.
CLICK ON the black bar above,
then scroll down to Oct. 13
FIRST IMDB CREDIT
Earned an IMDB CREDIT as Co-Writer (among several)
and Boom Operator for Murder at the Writers Retreat
Filmed at Kim Hornsby’s Screenwriters Retreat
on Whidbey Island, Washington in May, 2025
socials
NEWS
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THE PHROGGER named SEMIFINALIST in three 2025 competitions: StoryPros, Outstanding Screenplays, and Emerging Screenwriters
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THE HOOK named TOP 10 FINALIST in the 2025 HorrOrigins Film Festival