Do you have issues writing horror?

[jodymichelle]

Currently I am having issues writing horror. Or maybe I am just having issues :lol:

I'm writing a short horror script, and when I asked some people what they (morally) thought of the plot, they shrugged at me saying things like, ... I don't know why you would write that. ... I couldn't.

But let me explain. Not that the ideas are necessarily perverted, if that's the right word -- no spatterpunk, no hardcore horror, no gore.

... Just that some people who I mentioned the plot to could see that kind of story possibly happening in real life - and they found it unusually scary and not enough fantastical.

My response was, I know - that's the point ... and I'm going for just a hint fantastical.

... And when I get these kinds of ideas, I just want to what else, write it down ...

I don't see myself as good enough to write fun horror -- fun-movie-big-soda-big-popcorn-in-your-lap-you-could-eat-while-you-watch type of horror that people could get some good (and moral) subliminal messages out of while not having an ounce of cheesiness or preachiness.

Anyway, for a while, I didn't think that other people's interpretations should be my problem. I just wanted to have fun writing horror. But now that my plots are becoming more realistic than surreal, I do think that other people's interpretations are my problem, and I don't want to give anybody bad ideas.

And scary images coming from the dorkiest horror movies that I've been watching lately have been scary me in the middle of the night -- and day. Maybe it's a sign that I should spend my energies writing better things ... or just that I'm becoming an old fogy.

It's guilt.

Just a casual chat topic. What are your thoughts?

 

[MarkG]

I have fun in the script killing off people I don't like . The only thing that really bugs me is gratuitous sadism that doesn't advance the plot.

 

[Zenmaster4]

It depends on what you mean by ¨issues¨. Take Texas Chainsaw Massacre for example. It was a psychological horror, with few scenes of gore. But Saw...very disturbing. Some people could consider the writer sick, or a genious.

If you mean actually spilling out a scary script with gore (like you have a weak stomach) then that´s a different story. It´s really about the story, I admit. But both Chainsaw and Saw (hah, 2 saw movies) had things that made us put down our popcorn and really get into the movie. So, I think you can try to avoid having someone´s head getting chopped off with a flying axe, and get to the story, but a true horror is real. Blood HAS to be somewhere. At least, that´s what I think. Some people might have a different opinion, but it´s all about perception.

HINT: Go for the story, and THEN incorporate the blood and guts. 1st draft, 2nd, then flushing it out with the 3rd.

 

[jodymichelle]

Interesting comments above.

I have been having issues writing horror in that I wouldn't want to put any bad ideas in people's heads, more specifically, I would NOT want to in any way encourage or inspire any kind of criminal behavior. But I like writing horror. Now what?

Also, I have been having issues writing horror in that lately, not to flatter myself, but images from my story outlines and rough drafts have been scaring me a lot lately and during the most unexpected times of the day. Horror images every now and then have been popping up in my mind, sometimes in the room, sometimes in anything giving off a reflection.

When I'm typing in the middle of the night, I always have to look behind me to make sure nothing is there. No feng shui could change that right now. Wherever I move the computer, there is always enough space for something to creep up or already be sitting behind me. My friends could laugh at me, each giving me a few good reasons to not practice writing horror and a few good reasons to practice writing horror, and then laugh at me some more. But lately no matter how many times I even say that my fears are ridiculous fears, I am still afraid of something.

 

[MarkG]

I can't help but feel that nutters who'd do the kind of things shown in horror movies probably have a far more fertile imagination than I do .

 

[jodymichelle]

contains Saw movie SPOILER

contains Saw movie SPOILER



Speaking of the movie, "Saw,"... **SPOILER ahead**

I loved the movie, the characters, the story and the way the story was shown. Watched the movie when it was playing in the theatre, and quickly thinking back at one of the things I appreciated about the story in relation to this string is that "Saw," as disturbing as it was and a horror flick with elements of gore and lots of blood, could be considered an example of responsible horror writing, taking into consideration the story elements and comparing them to horror movies that are really nothing but senseless gore and splatterpunk. Also, rather than [only focusing on] sharing some memorable eerie and nasty horror images to have nightmares about, the story gave some things to think about a little, that is, not deeply dissecting the work of art:

1) appreciate life, your loved ones and that you're alive

2) be aware of your surroundings at all times

 

[Manuel Marino]

Hello, yes, you are right about Saw. I've seen it recently. I don't remember if it arrived in our theatres in Italy, but I've seen it in DVD.

I wrote some interesting horror novels (but in italian) and one has been published in an italian magazine. It is also available here:

http://www.clubghost.it/narrativa/s-.htm

title is: Se solo avessi una lente d'ingrandimento! (If I could only have a magnifying glass!)

In the future, I would like to write screenplays... well, I'm good at writing and I've got sufficient english language skills.

Any of you read italian? 8)

 

[bollywood]

unless people are not fooled, its ok

unless people are not fooled, its ok

well, as far as i think, i have seen a number of films, where i have seen that people are scared just for the heck of sending that chill down the spine... wel, unless u just dont create excitement for the heck of it, then i think hororor films are a very challenging way of cinema. we have had so many horror films over the years, that today, people just dont get scared at all..! thats something that needs to change.. the young people should get hat experience, just like any other.. the chilling Damien is a friendly reminder!

 

[Manuel Marino]

Right... but I think that horror movies must be a way to relax and don't think about daily problems... as everything in the entertainment industry, the goal is to create a dream where people can go for few hours, and don't think about life and its problems.

So horror movies must be scaring, but must not terrorize too much and also have references to fantastic. If they are too realistic, better to see tv news. World is terrifying as it is, we don't need more terror. We just need to relax and enjoy a good film.

 

[fleshsuits]

Replica of the Current.

Replica of the Current.

Today horror movies are a replica of the current demand which is some good ol fantasy driven attempt at pleasing audiences. Personally I think the pleasing factor is moving in the wrong direction. Movies are supposed to dictate and satisfy the most dormant of needs, the needs that the viewers aren’t always consciously aware of. Today the audience says that they don’t want horror movies too realistic, they don’t want to feel as if that could be them- to me, that seems like foolish talk. The truth is that’s what they want. The entertained and the entertainer are playing this love quarrel of give and take, while never trying to say or do too much. The movies that work are the ones that sometimes seem the most controversial, the ones that don’t fall onto the tracks of the current desire.

 

[MarkG]

I think it's probably true that one of the reasons for the resurgence in horror is that people want a distraction from the horrible things going on in the real world. Certainly I do tend to prefer 'fantastic' or funny horror movies to the more realistic ones, but then I always have.

One of the nice things about horror is that provided there's blood, boobs and gore, you can pretty much get away with any kind of cross-genre writing and still be marketable. Of the two horror features I have that have at least reached a first draft, one is a costume drama, the other is a 'social realism' movie on a council estate full of people on welfare. Among the half-finished scripts are a western and a romantic comedy.

None of those would necessarily have much marketing potential if they were solely those genres, but throw in a few people getting their heads bitten off and it opens up one of the largest markets in the world (at least at the low-budget end of the movie scale).

Anyway, I was meeting with a couple of aspiring producers last night who want to get a low-budget horror feature off the ground in the next few months, so I'll have to get writing again .

 

[Manuel Marino]

Anyway, I was meeting with a couple of aspiring producers last night who want to get a low-budget horror feature off the ground in the next few months, so I'll have to get writing again .

Awesome congratulations... hey, do your producers friends need a custom scoring? 8)

 

[bollywood]

u dont always need twisting heads!!!

u dont always need twisting heads!!!

well, these days, people have grown immune to twisting heads, blood, gore, and wierd people walking on walls! there's even more horrifying stuff on our news channel! thats reality 'horror' for u! we need something that will force the viewer to think instead of just a scream. that ways, we can have better horror films. try this, mute the audio when u r seeing a horror film, and play kenny g on ur cd player as the background score... its hilarious!... but some films like '6th sense'... even if u mue them, they r equally spine-chilling!!!

 

[MarkG]

Awesome Smile congratulations

Thanks .

hey, do your producers friends need a custom scoring? Cool

I'll know in about six months . One of the producers is also a musician, so I don't know whether he'd want to do the music himself, or whether it would work with the movie. Plus they have contacts in the music industry so there might be a chance to get some music that way.