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denouement, HALLOWEEN, IT FOLLOWS, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, PREDATOR, teaser, THE EXORCIST, THE RING, THE WAILING, three-act structure -

HORROR STORYTELLING PART III: THE RETURN

HORROR STORYTELLING PART III: THE RETURN

Horror scripts are like any other screenplay; it’s of value to apply structure to the storytelling. However, I have a pet theory when it comes to structuring horror storytelling in particular. Which is this: Above and beyond the mechanics of standard three-act feature film narrative construction, there are three acts that correspond with the level of knowledge the in-world characters have about how haunted they are, and a teaser and denouement that are typically directed more toward the audience. To wit… Teaser. We open with a scene or sequence that acts as a “statement of intention.” It’s a horror movie,...

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ALIENS, Creature feature, DAWN OF THE DEAD, Each other, EVIL DEAD II, Family, Ghost stories, H.P. Lovecraft, JAWS, Ourselves, SNAKES ON A PLANE, THE EXORCIST, THE GRUDGE, The unknown -

HORROR STORYTELLING PART II: THE REVENGE

HORROR STORYTELLING PART II: THE REVENGE

In the first article we talked about the idea of starting with a base foundation of relatable human experience, and only then introducing the horror element. So then of course the question becomes: What should that horror element be? Just like the story that surrounds it, the horror element should be drawn from universal human experience. Even if it’s expressed within a supernatural or folklore-ish manner, the thing or idea we use to scare the audience carries the best punch when it is in some way relatable. Creature feature. A creature feature is any story in which our horror element...

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FRIDAY THE 13TH, HALLOWEEN, HELLRAISER, THE EXORCIST, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, THE SHINING -

HORROR STORYTELLING

HORROR STORYTELLING

A horror story might be defined as a story in which the primary intention is to scare the audience. Being scared (within the confines of a safe environment) is fun. People spend money to watch horror movies and ride roller coasters for roughly the same reasons. In the same way a comedy needs to be funny in order to be successful, a horror movie needs to be scary. Scaring the audience isn’t just the prime goal, it’s the film’s raison d’etre. A movie that isn’t at least trying to scare the audience isn’t a horror movie; it’s something else. However,...

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"Telling of the Legend", "The Campfire Story", CANDYMAN, DARK SKIES, INSIDIOUS, Professor Exposition, SINISTER, THE CONJURING, THE EXORCIST, tropes -

PROFESSOR EXPOSITION

PROFESSOR EXPOSITION

There is a trope character I like to call “Professor Exposition.” We often see Professor Exposition appear in horror movies. This is the character who explains to the leads (and by extension the audience) what is doing the haunting, perhaps a bit of backstory, and how to potentially stop it. He’s called Professor Exposition because this is a character whose primary story function is to deliver a pure blast of exposition, straight no chaser. Typically, exposition is a necessary evil, with an emphasis on evil, because exposition is boring, and it’s very hard to write and act this stuff in...

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Antagonist, BRAVEHEART, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, Darth Vader, DIE HARD, INGLORIOUS BASTERDS, STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE, THE EXORCIST -

MUSTACHE-TWIRLING

MUSTACHE-TWIRLING

The industry has a term for broad, uncomplicated antagonists: “mustache-twirling.” Mustache-twirling comes up, for example, if the script isn’t working to provide the antagonist with humanity or depth, if their motivations are just to be eeeeeeevil. The more likely it seems an antagonist might go “NYAH-HA-HA! NOW I’VE GOT YOU!” the closer we are to having a mustache-twirling antagonist. The best way to avoid mustache-twirling is to treat the antagonist with the same craft and attention with see with the protagonist. We should get a sense of personality, internal life, a background that has led the antagonist to these choices...

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