SpearmanKramer60

This is a really quick, no fluff, blueprint of how to create a horror script.

A horror movie has certain guidelines. If you break too a lot of the audience will be disappointed.

This is a very quick, no fluff, blueprint of how to write a horror script.

1. The Hook. Begin with a bang. Step correct into a suspense scene. ("Scream" opens with a terrifying sequence with Drew Barrymore on the phone with a killer)

two. The Flaw. Introduce your hero. Give him a flaw. Before you can put your hero in jeopardy we must care for him. We must want our hero to succeed. So make him human. (In "Indicators" Mel Gibson plays a priest who has lost his faith soon after his wife died)

three. The Worry. A variant of The Flaw. The hero has a fear. Maybe a worry of heights, or claustrophobia. (In "Jaws" Roy Scheider has a fear of water. At the finish he has to conquer his fear by going out onto the ocean to kill the shark)

four. No Escape. Have your hero at an isolated location exactly where he can't escape the horror. (Like the hotel in "The Shining")

5. Foreplay. Tease the audience. Make them jump at scenes that seem scary -- but turn out to be totally regular. (Like the cat jumping out of the closet) Give them some much more foreplay ahead of bringing in the true monster.

6. Evil Attacks. A couple of occasions in the course of the middle of the script show how evil the monster can be -- as it attacks its victims.

7. Investigation. The hero investigates, and finds out the truth behind the horror.

8. Showdown. The final confrontation. The hero has to face both his fear and the monster. The hero utilizes his brain, rather than muscles, to outsmart the monster. (At the finish of "The Village" the blind girl tricks the monster to fall into the hole in the ground)

9. Aftermath. Everything's back to the way it was from the beginning -- but the hero has changed for the better or for the worse. (At the finish of "Indicators" Mel Gibson puts on his clerical collar once more -- he got his faith back)

ten. Evil Lurks. We see evidence that the monster might return somewhere..somehow..in the future..(Nearly all "Friday The 13'th"-films end with Jason showing indicators of returning for an additional sequel)

Go for it. Excellent luck! monster mass