I'm an independent filmmaker with a passion for 80s style horror. Inspired by the era’s practical effects and eerie atmosphere, I create films that bring that nostalgic terror to life. Horror isn’t just a genre for me, it’s what I love to make.
Mark A. Williams is a writer-director and retired U.S. Army Major who served 23 years as a combat engineer before turning to filmmaking. Based in Sumter, South Carolina, he founded MAWilliams Films, a disabled veteran-owned production company focused on independent features with strong visual storytelling and practical effects.
Williams's feature debut, Mary's Lake (2025), is a supernatural camp slasher inspired by the classic tradition of Sleepaway Camp and Friday the 13th. The film has earned seven festival awards to date, helping establish his voice as a filmmaker who blends character-driven emotion with crowd-pleasing genre craft. His influences include John Carpenter, Sam Raimi, and Tom Savini, and his work favors an '80s-era tactile aesthetic updated with modern pacing.
Committed to his community and to mentoring new artists, Williams collaborates with local theaters and regional crews to build sustainable, South Carolina-based productions. Upcoming projects include the WWII psychological thriller Wolf: 1945, the funeral-home chiller Open Casket, and Mary's Lake 2. He lives in Sumter with his wife, Lindsay, and their two children.
Best Screenplay Feature
Mary's Lake 2
The Dunwich Horror Fest
2026
Best Screenplay Feature
Mary's Lake 2
Crimson Screen Horror Film Fest
Columbia, South Carolina
2026
Official Selection
My Boyfriend, My Prince
South Carolina Underground Film Festival
Columbia
2025
Best Feature Film
Mary's Lake
The Dunwich Horror Fest
Dunwich
2025
Official Selection
Mary's Lake
ScreamU Film Fest
Atlanta
2025
Finalist - Best New Filmmaker
Mary's Lake
Clown International Film Fest
Paris
2025
Best Narrative Feature
Mary's Lake
New Jersey Film Awards
New Jersey
2025
Best Horror Feature Film
Mary's Lake
Moonless International Film Fest
Sumter
2025
Audience Choice Award
Mary's Lake
Crimson Screen Horror Film Fest
Columbia
2025
College
Command General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth KS.
Operational Studies
20192020
Birth Date
September 7, 1979
Birth City
Goldsboro, NC.
Current City
Sumter, SC.
Hometown
Sumter, SC.
Height
79"
Gender
Male
Ethnicity
Caucasian
Eye Color
Blue
Zodiac Sign
Virgo
Married To
Lindsay Williams
Children
Paisley and Mavrick Williams
"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." - George S. Patton
"Don't let perfection get in the way of progress" - Engineers
I'm an independent filmmaker with a passion for 80s style horror. Inspired by the era’s practical effects and eerie atmosphere, I create films that bring that nostalgic terror to life. Horror isn’t just a genre for me, it’s what I love to make.
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