The Ring RSS

denouement, HALLOWEEN, IT FOLLOWS, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, PREDATOR, teaser, THE EXORCIST, THE RING, THE WAILING, three-act structure - October 26, 2022

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,...

Denouement

The denouement is the final beat in three-act structure. It is the last scene or sequence in the story. The denouement is incredibly important. Because: the denouement is the last opportunity for the film to communicate with the audience before credits roll. It can determine how the audience feels as they leave the theater, and how they perceive the film as a whole. If the denouement lands with a wrong or sour note, the audience comes away with the movie dwelling on their freshest memory: of that wrong or sour choice. But if we end well, we send the audience...

Budgeting For The Aspiring Screenwriter

A dirty secret of trying to succeed as a screenwriter is that it often requires spending some money. This is a topic of fierce debate on the internet. Some would argue a great script will speak for itself, and no screenwriter should spend one dollar trying to get their work out there. Some people might disagree with that. They include: Dennis Curlett, whose rom-com JUST ONE KISS sold to Netflix in June of 2019 after being discovered through The Tracking Board feature competition (early entry: $65). Mickey Fisher, whose sci-fi pilot EXTANT was discovered through the TrackingB.com pilot contest, and...

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