SELECT ACCOLADES

Rachel’s work as an independent filmmaker, screenwriter, director, and producer has been widely recognized both in the screenwriting and directing arena. Her character-driven genre films that use horror and suspense to explore themes of trauma, identity, repression, and transformation have garnered over 70 nominations and 50 awards to date.

Having noted that, Rachel would never rest on any laurels because she understands that the joy in storytelling lies in the (often painful) process of creation and there’s always another story waiting to be told.

Some highlights of her career include:

  • 2026 Female Filmmaker of the Year, Austin Revolution Film Festival

  • Women in Horror Award, Happenstance Horror Festival

  • Writer/Direction of the Year, ARFF

  • Named one of the International Screenwriters' Association (ISA) Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch.

  • Recipient of multiple filmmaking honors, including Female Filmmaker of the Year at the Lonely Seal International Film Festival and the Michelle Mower Female Filmmaker of the Year Award.

  • Grand Prize winner of the Emerging Screenwriters Shoot Your Short Contest, 

  • A Pushcart Prize–nominated writer and a board member of Women in Film & Video New England, as well as a member of the Alliance of Women Directors.

Her notable films include:

  • Dissection Day (2025) – A psychological horror short about a college student forced to work alongside her assailant in a biology lab, blending realism with dark fairy-tale imagery. The film screened at major festivals including Dances With Films.

  • Fenwick (2024) – An award-winning horror short recognized on the international festival circuit.

  • Penny (2022) – A horror short that earned multiple awards, including Best Writer/Director honors.

  • In the Company of Crows (2021)  - Winning the Grand Jury Prize at Film Invasion Los Angeles, Best Woman Director and Women Director in Short Film at the American Filmatic Arts Awards, and Best Folk Horror Short at the Shawna Shea International Film Festival. The film was also selected as a finalist for the $25,000 Haydenfilms Institute competition. 

  • The Squirrels in the Attic (2020) – Her breakthrough short, which screened at numerous festivals and won multiple awards, including Best Director.

In addition to filmmaking, Rachel has worked as a writer and editor and has taught and spoken about genre storytelling, emphasizing how horror can illuminate real-world issues through metaphor and emotional character arcs.