...you're welcome!
FIRST THINGS FIRST...
I don't hate writing horror. But I've tried my hand at it, and I don't prefer it. As a writer, I tend to lean towards the Dramedy (comedy + drama) category, maybe splashing in a bit of speculative fiction here and there. I've attempted Mysteries, got bored and made it into a family drama instead; I've attempted comedy, and realized I wasn't consistently funny enough; and, I've attempted a Horror pilot that turned into a set-in-the-near-future Romance thing. But look, I've got some decent advice for genre writing, okay?
What I love to write isn't always what I love to watch. My favorite genre to watch? Horror all the way. Specifically psychological thrillers, the more meta the better. With breakout artists like Jordan Peele and production houses like Blumhouse creating some killer flicks in recent years, I'm super excited about the future of the horror industry! But there's also plenty to go wrong when it comes to horror -- unnecessary gore, the tired and often misogynistic Last Girl Trope, weak jump scares, and First Death Goes To (insert person of color here) are just a few things that tend to pop up in Horror that I could definitely do without. Nothing ruins a horror movie for me like killing off my favorite character within the first five minutes (hint: my favorite character is often the only POC in the group).
That, and terrible writing. I'm not saying that you have to follow a specific formula to the book, but when horror films or shows start veering off in all directions, it leaves me questioning what I actually came to see in the first place.
So for all of you Horror Writers itching to sink your teeth into your next story, here are some basic tips to follow:
NO, NO, NO! STICK TO THE STATUS QUO! (kinda)
When you go back the origins of the horror genre in film history, one of the earliest adopters would be the French filmmaker George Méliès, with his short film LE MANOIR DU DIABLE (The House of the Devil) in 1896. The Japanese film industry was also cranking out some pretty spooky stuff, releasing two of the earliest horror films ever documented in SHINI NO SOSEI (Resurrection of a Corpse), and BAKE JIZO (Jizo the Spook) in 1898.
Now, some film buffs may rebuke the Horror genre as catering to the masses of Blockbuster media, lacking depth, yada yada yada ... but I'd say, as you follow the genre from its roots into the present, you'll find that horror not only lends itself to Indie and DIY filmmaking, but it also includes some of the most diverse and creative sub-genres across any other film genre.
When you write a screenplay, strategize to work within a recognizable genre paradigm (a typical model formed by pre established audience expectations).
Ha. I can hear you guys complaining already.
"But I'm different!"
"I'm an Artist!"
"I go beyond the grain. I don't need a formula!"
Well I've got news for you, bud -- every piece of media, no matter how revolutionary an audience or critics proclaim it to be, follows some kind of formula. And once you get the generic formula down, that's when you find the creative freedom to change it, veer from it, and create something that's all yours. But that formula is the foundation.
Sorry!
So first, understand your genre. Then, all you have to do is fill in the blanks with the specifics of your narrative, showcasing your voice and inventiveness in the process. Writing a genre screenplay might sound painless, but it’s challenging to do with originality and flair.
THE HORROR FORMULA
The horror genre formula is relatively straightforward and easy to follow. For a feature script, the three acts can be boiled down to the protagonist:
1) encounters a threat
2) struggles with that threat
3) escapes the threat
Overall, your aim is to terrify the audience before rewarding them with the emotional payoff of the protagonist’s survival... Sometimes (I personally love it when they die! Mwahaha).
There should be tangible shifts from one act to the next, and, whether you opt for a slow burn or highs and lows, there should be a steady increase in tension until the climax.
The same can be said for television scripts, except your Acts One, Two and Three will stretch across multiple episodes, or even (gasp!) seasons.
DON'T CONFUSE ME, PELASE!
Chris pays what he hopes will be a brief visit to his white girlfriend’s family, only to discover they have no intention of letting him leave (GET OUT).
Rocky and her friends attempt to rob a blind man’s home, but soon discover he has killer defenses (DON’T BREATHE).
A gang of misfit kids decides to investigate the mysterious deaths and disappearances that are happening in their small town (IT).
These are all relatively straightforward scenarios and dependent on limited locations. The main action tends to be constricted in time and space.
That's right, folks! Introducing: Tension.
I've seen some horror films that struggle to set up an overly-complicated set of circumstances, introducing too many characters, or jumping between locations. You want to get your central narrative up and running as quickly as possible, without any distractions.
KEEP ME INVESTED!
Many horror screenplays start out well, establishing a disturbing set of circumstances that hint at trauma to come. However, many scripts also fall apart in the second act, due to one common enemy: a viewer's attention span. During the second act of a horror movie, things need to get worse for the protagonist in every scene, as they do for the unluckiest dudes in the world in GREEN ROOM.
Each turn they take should lead them deeper into danger, and inaction is not an option. Relax, you don't have to go the "Ooo! Let's go in that dark, spooky basement" route. But even if your protagonist tries their darnedest to avoid danger, you need to keep them trapped. There is no hiding and hoping the monster goes away, or, if there is, the hiding place is fraught with new perils, like untrustworthy companions or a slow decent into madness (*chef's kiss*).
To put it simply: keep the character in danger, but don't have them running through the haunted mansion when they could just...you know...go out the front door. By the end of Act Two, the worst has happened, and it should look like the protagonist isn’t going to make it out alive. Make me fear death! I crave the terror!
I DIE FOR AN EPIC DELIVERY
This sets the stage for the third act. If a lot of horror scripts break their necks in Act Two, still more fail to deliver in Act Three.
The final stage of the action should go all out, with the protagonist drawing on every resource they have -- physical, mental, maybe even supernatural -- to escape the Threat, which responds by attacking with a viciousness we haven’t seen before.
Think of the glorious mayhem in the last act of THE WITCH. Even better if it pays off set-ups from earlier in the plot, giving that full-circle satisfaction.
It’s always disappointing to see a deus ex machina or other random element tossed into the mix because the writer failed to use their existing set ups.
See? That's where the formula comes in handy! The planning stages are essential, y'all!
The main narrative is over once the protagonist triumphs over the Threat, but there’s a long tradition of ending a horror movie with one last, nasty twist. This should be short, and shouldn’t extend the action more than a couple of pages after the final confrontation -- there’s nothing worse than a convoluted twist that unnecessarily drags the screenplay out. I will forever be annoyed at the trope of "oh, you thought they survived? Well, the escape was just a hallucination!" Seriously. I'll throw the whole TV away.
I DON'T WANT MUCH...JUST YOUR VOICE!
A genre paradigm is a framework, not an end-all-be-all.
You’re free to populate the conventional structure with all kinds of innovative additions, from offbeat characters to brutal plot twists to self-aware one-liners. Your voice and ingenuity makes your story unique.
Many great horror films scare me precisely because they reverse expectations (like the ending of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD). So, honor the overall shape of the genre paradigm, but you'll always get the most screams from me when you come in for the kill and surprise me!
