I wanted to get into the subject of screenwriting for Horror films. First, I want you to look at the famous picture above. Allegedly taken within the famous house in Amityville, NY ; The picture above (taken some time after the De Feo murders), shows what appears to be a child with glowing eyes peering over the railing of the stairs at the photographer. The claim is that no children were there at the time of the photo.
Now, I want you to envision yourself staying in that house overnight. Horror to some. Folly to another. Which is it for you?
If you want to write good horror, you MUST write something that scares you to your innermost core. Writing is a very introspective process. The horror genre is no different, in my opinion. Sure you could reproduce the next silly high school slasher movie just to get your name in the credits, but you are not doing yourself a true service as a writer. Go to the depths of what scares you.
Next, go to your friends, associates, family and run your idea past them. What do they think? Are they frightened at your premise? If they are, its a good chance you struck a chord.
I will throw in this last step because I think screenwriters, especially new screenwriters, want so much to show how talented they are that they will veer towards complicated plots and detailed twists and turns. While this is very good, it is also enormously complicated and much harder for a new screenwriter to sell.
My opinion is to keep it simple. Some of the best Horror movies of all time have run, very successfully on simple plots and characterizations. In fact, it seem almost to evoke more visceral emotional response from the audience.
If you still do not see my point take a look at the following titles you mhm recognize;
”Jaws” - Big Shark in the water / will eat you / DON’T GO IN THE WATER. I wouldn’t swim in a swimming pool for weeks after seeing this movie.
“Buried” - Wake up / you are buried alive / WHAT DO YOU DO? Stifling, claustrophobic. Terrible.
“127 Hours” - Accident while rock climbing alone / your leg gets stuck in the rocks / WAIT FOR HELP OR SAW PART OF YOUR LEG OFF? How long would you kick that idea around in your head? Horrifying.
“30 Days of Night” - Where would you go if you were a vampire? Hmm. How about Alaska where there is 30 days of pure night and a human population to feed off of? As the lone lawman, how far would you go to protect the people you have been charged to protect?
These all have simple premise and simple plots, but also showcased high quality concepts and/or writing.
So, when you are thinking of the next great Horror movie to keep people up for weeks, remember many times the movies with the simplest plots and premise are the most frightening.
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