Horror Screenwriting

Ink Tip site

On a blank line, write down a rule for the story world. This is a law that you, as the writer, are setting down. That’s not to say you won’t violate it later, but at least you’ll have a solid base to work from.

A “through line” is one of those terms not often seen outside of writing circles, but it is a strong gauge of how well your story is doing. If a through line for a story is “straight,” then it is considered a good read. If it is “wobbly” or “curved,” that means the story is veering off from its premise and into tangent territory. That’s not a good thing.

Think sideways and backwards about the story. I’ve left a lot of subtle hints and clues throughout the story for more hooks back in if you look closely enough. Originality comes from breaking the rules and trying out new things.

They’re not even sure how much time they have at this point, so the quicker they get out of the lab the better.
Again, we’re back to stress and pressure.

Stress and pressure are interesting plot devices. There’s a saying that goes something like “you can’t learn the full measure of a man until you see him under pressure.” The inner psychological makeup of each of our characters has begun to express itself.

Horror allows us to safely explore our darker nature as humans

conflict creates tension. Tension makes things interesting for characters. It helps shape the choices they make, which ultimately affects how the story resolves itself. And in screenwriting resolution is our end goal.

A piece of a turning point gives the audience a surprise. They want to know more about the character.

and new direction.
Surprise. Very much so. It usually is something we didn’t expect or wouldn’t have expected from our character, but it happens. After all they are human.
Increased Curiosity. What will happen next? How will our character react to this new situation?
Insight. We see a little more into the cloak that makes up our character. The scene tells us a lot more about him or her.
New Direction. What we thought we knew about our character is completely wrong or maybe we have been intentionally misled. Anything that this character does from here on is completely unknown to us.