Master of suspense Wes Craven has been orchestrating horror for more than four decades. It began with The Last House on the Left (1972), continued with Freddy Krueger and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and went mainstream with the Scream series (beginning in 1996). Now, you have an opportunity to get a little payback.

We want you to create a super-short horror movie. Craven will judge the challenge. The theme, which he picked, is “young genius.”

Your entry must be 30 seconds or less. That may sound tough, but as Craven tells Kurt Andersen, “today the attention span of most kids is about five seconds. To keep them there for ten seconds is going to be tough.” Other advice from the master: break all the rules you think you should be following.

The deadline to be considered for our contest is March 2, 2014 at 11:59pm ET. 

UPDATE: The winner of our contest is Jake Jarvi for his film ...Jake.

See Wes Craven's shortlist here.

“I was really impressed and entertained by all that I saw,” says our judge.

Thanks to everyone who shared their work with us! 

→ WATCH: all the submissions

→ WATCH: Kurt's scary short, This is Not a Test