Introduction: Welcome to the Nightmare
1. Why do we like to be scared? On the Abject and the Unknown
2. Horror history and literary/film background
3. Subgenres. The Undead. Monsters. Demons and possession. Serial
Killers, Slashers, Werewolves, Bad science and Body Horror
4. Staging horror. Five tropes. Unease, dread, terror, horror &
disgust
5. On creating the Nemesis: Norman, Hannibal, Freddie and
Jigsaw
6. Forming the idea. Writing exercises. Fears and phobias. Notes on
the screenplay. Short, visual and credible
7. The First Act: Unease and dread. Character and milieu
8. The Second Act: Modulating fear, terror and horror
9. Third Act. Resolutions. Tragic and redemptive endings
10. Writing the horror sequel/franchise
11. Adaptations. From page to screen. Short stories and novels
12. On Cross-genre. Where can you bleed into other genres? Zom-Com,
Thriller/Horror, Vampire romance, Horror and comedy
13. World markets. Horror in the US, the UK and European Horror.
Asian, Thai and Hong Kong horror
14. Lo-budget Horror. How Blair Witch, Colin and Paranormal
Activity became box office gold
15. Case studies. Selling the scare. Interviews with
Writer/directors Chris Smith (Creep, Severance), James Watkins
(Eden Lake). Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, Descent, Doom), Adam
Gierasch (Autopsy, Night of the Demons) Mark Ezra and more....
16. Producer Interviews. What producers are looking for?
17. Marketing. Frightest and Sitges. Interviews with directors of
the world's leading Horror festivals and conventions
18. Fifty Essential Horror movies. Synopses and analysis of each
subgenre.
A practical, theoretically savvy guide to writing a horror movie.
A practical, theoretically savvy guide to writing a horror movie.
Marc Blake has written for the Independent on Sunday, the
Evening Standard, The Mail, Express and the Scriptwriter as well
being a freelance writer on Eagle Moss’ ‘The Horror Collection’. He
now teaches horror film at Southampton Solent University, UK, on
their graduate programme. He is the author of three novels,
Sunstroke, Big Time, and 24 Karat Schmooze.
Sara Bailey is Course Leader for Screenwriting at Southampton
Solent University, UK. She has worked as a screenwriter and is an
experienced researcher and lecturer.
The truth is that the screenplay is a bastard form of literature.
It is not a play nor book nor movie, and not just simply a
blueprint for a film. All movies, regardless of genre, depend on
the screenplay. However it is the director who makes the movie by
realizing the printed words of the script on film. I have seen
mediocre screenplays made into very good films. And I have seen
excellent screenplays made into bad movies by incompetent
directors. Again, it's important for people to understand that the
screenplays essential role in film making is the same regardless of
the genre of the film. --John Landis, 2012
Writing the Horror Movie is written in particular for anyone
interested in writing a screenplay for a horror film, and in seeing
that screenplay turned into reality. But it's also full of
fascinating nuggets of analysis and useful information more
generally for scholars, students and fans of the genre - whether
this is musing on the aesthetics of disgust, offering nifty
psychological profiles of major horror monsters, or advice on how
to exploit your film and turn it into a lucrative franchise. Two
dismembered thumbs up for Marc Blake and Sara Bailey!
*Darryl Jones, Professor, School of English, Trinity College
Dublin, Ireland*
A lucid, well-structured and thought-provoking introduction that
ranges widely across the genre. Intelligent and perceptive
throughout. Recommended for aspiring writers and critics.
*George Green, Senior Lecturer, Department of English and Creative
Writing, Lancaster University, UK*
Co-authors Marc Blake and Sara Bailey have penned a magnum opus
entitled Writing The Horror Movie, which aims to do exactly what it
says on the tin. Every little piece of useful advice can be found
in this book, from analysing the history of on-screen horror to
defining the types of sub-genres to what tropes can usually be
found in any scary movie....They seem to have put their utmost into
making this book for the casual film lover and have come out
shining with a witty, knowledgeable book to call their own. Quite
simply, Writing The Horror Movie as written by Marc Blake and Sara
Bailey is a must-read for any hardcore horror fans, and definitely
worth checking out for many film fans in general.
*Film Feeder*
There are hundreds of books about screenwriting, but precious few
aimed at the would-be horror film author; this volume is a
noteworthy addition to the literature. Both Blake and Bailey have
written horror films and teach the process at Southampton Solent
University, UK. This volume covers horror films from the world over
and is packed with examples. The breadth of the films noted makes
this book almost a course in horror history. Through each chapter
on structuring the screenplay, the reader is led through the
succession of tropes: unease, dread, terror, horror, and finally
disgust. The style is engaging, but the authors make no bones about
the effort involved in all aspects of filmmaking – a fact
reiterated in the appendix of interviews with writers, directors,
and a producer. There are chapters on the international market; the
ins and outs of the prequel, sequel, and franchise; and the trick
of blending or crossing genre lines. The writing exercises are
comprehensive, but beginners might profit from sharing their
attmepts with a trusted reader. The volume includes a 425-item
filmography and a tightly focused bibliography. A solid resource
for film buffs and budding screenwriters. Summing Up: recommended.
Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; two-year program
students; general readers.
*CHOICE*
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