How to Write a Horror Movie Script

You've watched every lame horror movie ever written. Now you're sure you can write the next horror story that will have Wes Craven knocking at your door. Horror movies may share many of the same elements, but writing the right script around them can be a difficult challenge. Here are a few tips on how to get started.

Instructions

1. • 1
     Choose a theme for the movie. It could be a classic good versus evil thriller, or you could be just wanting to kill as many characters as possible.
     
   • 2
     Pick a setting for the movie. Get creative: Don't go with the cliched abandoned house or campground. Try something never used before like a kindergarten class or an animal hospital--the more offbeat the better.
     
   • 3
     Choose the villain or monster. A supernatural creature like a vampire or wolfman is an option, but if you want your script to shine, go with something never used before. Think Stephen King--he's the master of creating villians out of thin air.
     
   • 4
     Decide how the monster will be destroyed. Make sure the heroes don't discover it until the end of the script. Or maybe the monster won't be destroyed at all. What's most important is getting the major plot points picked out so you can build off them.
     
   • 5
     Write an outline of the story. Starting from the end and going backward may work best, since the climax makes or breaks the story. Be sure to include plot twists, usually around a third and two-thirds of the way along. But remember, when you're in the process of writing the script, don't be afraid to veer off your outline. A good writer will know where to edit themselves as well as break away from their original idea.
     
   • 6
     Write the full script without stopping, don't worry if you think it's good or not. Getting your first draft on paper is what you want to do at this point. At that point, read it and tinker with it, adding whatever else you think is needed and removing what isn't.
     
   • 7
     Have a couple friends read the script and return it to you with their notes. Make sure you tell them you want them to be brutally honest. If their notes are good, work them into another rewrite. Remember, any great script will go through many revisions, it's all part of the process.
     

How to Make a Low Budget Horror Film

Making a low budget horror film is a great way for an aspiring filmmaker to gain experience. Depending on the film's distribution, it may also be a way to get noticed by a producer with deep pockets and powerful contacts in Hollywood.

Instructions

1. • 1
     Figure out what kind of budget you have to work with, and plan your film around it. Decisions must made early on regarding what type of horror film you can afford to make. Above all, do a high estimate of costs to avoid going over budget.
     
   • 2
     Find a good script that you can work with, or write one yourself. A decent script is the backbone of any film, and this is no exception with horror movies. You can spend all your time on blood and gore, but without a good plot and believable characters your audience won't care. Keep your locations to a minimum, and make sure you have access to locations. Get creative, and avoid the typical clichés found in the horror genre.
     
   • 3
     Cast your film according to the script you have chosen. If you've decided to make a campy, cheesy horror film, grab any actors who are willing to follow you on this journey for little to no pay. However, if you've chosen the high-concept horror script that depends on quality actors, then take the time (and what money you can afford) to nab the best actors you can find.
     
   • 4
     Purchase or rent a decent video camera that you are comfortable using. Some great horror movies have been shot on video instead of film, which is far more expensive. Research all of the cameras that are in your budget, and be sure to account for all of the filming situations called for in your script such as low lighting or wide angle shots.
     Back in the days of "Clerks" and "Reservoir Dogs," all action was shot on film and if you lived in places like Boise, Idaho, you were screwed because no one rented pro-level cameras. But now, almost every small-budget indie film is being shot on handheld digital hi-fi cameras-you can get a great rig at your local electronics store-you don't even have to rent them anymore, you can just buy them. The other advantage to digital is no traditional film, and you can ask any film producer and they'll agree, film will drain your budget almost immediately.
     With digital, you can shoot and erase whenever you want.
     
   • 5
     Gather the materials needed for your special effects and make-up. Fake blood is easy to make with most recipes that you'll find on the Internet consisting of food coloring and corn syrup. Get creative with your effects, like using ground beef to simulate mutilated flesh or condoms full of fake blood to simulate intestines and entrails.
     
   • 6
     Storyboard your film, and create a feasible shooting schedule that works for your cast and crew. Many horror movies are set at night so you need to account for some late night shooting schedules.
     
   • 7
     Edit your film using one of the computer-based editing programs out on the market today. Make sure to set the tone of your horror film during the editing process.
     If the indie film you produced was shot on film (and if you're a smart producer, it was), you don't even need to rent an editing bay. If you have a good computer (it has to be a Mac in this case), you can load it with Apple's Final Cut Pro. You'll be able to professionally edit your film with synched sound and everything--it's an amazing program. It's a little difficult to learn at first, but if you can master it, you're in business. It's also expensive and if you don't have a Mac, you can rent a editing suite with a Final Cut Pro rig and rent by the hour, day or week.
     

How to Light a Horror Photo Shoot

Think of that horrible image that makes the hairs at the back of your neck stand up. You may have seen it for the first time in childhood, but it has stayed with you all these years. That image that makes you sleep with the light on was created using specific lighting. Effective lighting is essential to creating a truly terrifying photo, and it may be as simple as lighting a candle or waiting for dusk. 

Instructions

1. • 1
     Research horror images from film and photography. You have different options for lighting, and it is important to develop a layout before purchasing expensive equipment you may not need. Natural lighting may be used effectively or using just one light source can create a horrifying image. You may want to add color; a greenish or reddish cast to the photo may add an intensity to the shot.
     
   • 2
     Choose the strongest option. Horror photography has intensity. The lighting may be simple, but it is specific. One Fresnel light positioned on the floor and pointing toward a model's face can create frightening dramatic shadows, the same effect used when someone holds a flashlight underneath her chin while telling a ghost story. The name Fresnel is referring to the lens inside the light, which has rings that focus the light toward the center of the lens. If your layout calls for something more eerie and less striking you may consider waiting for dusk and using the natural shadows created in an angular room as the sun is setting. Keep the lights in the room off and place your model, or object, in a beam of light.
     
   • 3

     Add color to your lighting design. Gels can be purchased inexpensively to cover any sort of lighting instrument. An array of colors are available for gels. Green is a good horror option as it gives a sickly glow to human skin tone. Red, the color of blood, can add a urgency to the horror in your photo. Stay away from blues as they have a calming effect on the psyche.
     
   • 4
     Add practicals to your shot. Practicals are light sources that are placed on set in a scene. A practical can be something like a candle, a lamp or Christmas lights. A cleverly placed candle can add interesting shadows to your shot. A lamp with very low lighting may help balance the shot and give off an eerie glow that will give the viewer goose bumps.
     

Inspectors - Horror Stories!

If you are thinking of purchasing a home it is very important that you use the services of a competent, reputable and reliable building inspector to thoroughly inspect the property and provide you with a detailed written report on all aspects the it's condition.

If there are any defects or damage to the property, and you sign the purchase contract, legally you accept the property in the condition at time of contract signing. However, if a building inspector finds defects with, or damage to, the property before the contract settles, and settlement is subject to the condition of the property being to your satisfaction, then the faults may be eligible for rectification at the vendors expense prior to settlement on the property, subject to negotiations between the prospective purchaser and the vendor.

Building inspectors have more than their fair share of horror stories to tell on the condition they find some properties in, including leaking roofs, plumbing and electrical wiring that is out dated, dangerous, faulty or doesn't comply with regulatory authorities, foundations that are weak, cracked, or have subsided. Then there are the missing or damaged fixtures and fittings.
Fixtures and fittings that were there at the time the prospective buyer look at the property but were found to be missing or damaged at the time of official inspection, or prior to settlement, are the liability of the vendor to put right. For these reasons it is prudent to take a video and/or photos of the property that you are interested in buying.

In rare cases, vendors have stripped the property of its fixtures and fittings before moving out. These include light fittings, gates, air conditioners, built-in cupboards, and even plants from the garden!
Then there are the horror stories, about shoddy construction such as sloping floors, bowing walls, or inadequate foundations. Many times, where these faults are pointed out to the builder, he will say that it is optical illusion, or blame it on something or someone else, rather than take responsibility for his shoddy workmanship.

Expensive mansions aren't excluded from the horror stories. One building inspector tells the story of a $700,000 house, because of improper drainage had buckled hardwood floors, plus its ceilings sagged due to roof leaks. The wiring in the attic was also found to be unsafe. As everyone knows, water and electricity definitely do not mix!

Another horror story related by a building inspector in Australia, tells of a Methodist minister and his wife who purchased what they thought was their dream home - a log cabin in the mountains. However, noticing cracks and bulges in the walls, and faulty flooring, the house was anything but a dream. It was found that the builder had failed to put footings under the house, so it was to all intents and purposes sliding down the mountain!

Prospective apartment purchasers have reported rotting garage doors, flooded basements, peeling paint, and crumbling retaining walls. One such purchaser found that the builder had failed to put sufficient columns in the basement to support the overhead floor, and the house was literally leaning to one side!

These are just a handful of the many thousands of horror stories that building inspectors come across in the performance of their job. Spending money on a building inspector when buying a property is like an insurance policy and can be some of the wisest money you'll spend. What price can you put on peace of mind!

Contractor Horror Stories

Horror stories. Everyone's heard one, and they're a major reason why many people are reluctant to enter into a remodeling or new home project. Building is a complicated, expensive, emotional undertaking and for some people the risk of encountering a problem is too high.
But for others, the challenge and excitement of creating something completely new and unique is irresistible. Designing and building a new home or reworking the one you're in can be a very fulfilling experience - if you've done your homework and you've prepared yourself for the possibility that everything may not always go exactly as planned...as in these two true stories:
Carved In Stone (Not)
Chuck and Jim opened the rear doors to Chuck's van and carefully lifted out the new polished granite countertop. They'd parked the van in the driveway at the back of their client's house, aligned with the kitchen door so that the countertop could be carried straight in. Large stone countertops are fragile, but this one was especially so because of the holes that had been precut in it to allow for the sink and cooktop to be dropped in later. Inside, Chuck and Jim positioned themselves next to the cabinets where the countertop was to be installed and began to slowly rotate it into place.
Jim heard it first - a soft "pop", just before the countertop cracked on either side of the sink opening. The heavy stone pieces slipped from their hands and landed with a double thud on the kitchen floor.
The client was watching when the disaster struck, and the sound she made was nothing like a pop, a crack or a thud; it was more like stifled scream. This was just too much to bear. It was the third time Chuck and Jim had broken the kitchen countertop.
Too Good to Be True
Jim and Tracy desperately wanted to build their new home in Cherrington Woods and couldn't believe their luck when they found that the very last lot in the subdivision was still for sale. Lot 43 was on a cul-de-sac, and backed up to a ravine. The price was reasonable, even cheap for the area, and since the rest of the lots on the street had already been built on, Jim and Tracy wouldn't have to put up with any one else's construction mess once they had moved in.
After the closing, Jim called the Architect that their real estate agent had recommended and set up a first meeting. Among the topics discussed was the need to conduct a subsurface investigation of the site, to try to discover any conditions that might require special foundation engineering. But since it was the last lot in the subdivision, and no soil problems had been found on the adjacent lots, the likelihood of bad soil or rock was low. Jim decided against spending the money on the soils tests.
Which was unfortunate, because a soils test wouldn't have found bad soil; it would have found very little soil at all. What it would have found is tree stumps, old fence posts, lumber scraps, and other construction trash to a depth that exceeded the planned depth of Jim and Tracy's foundation. When Cherrington Woods was being developed, the excavator had used the lot for a trash pit. A lot of what had been cleared off of the top the subdivision during the grading had been pushed onto the area later known as lot 43 and then buried under five feet of dirt.
Ultimately, the foundation had to be dug six feet deeper than planned to get to stable soil. Jim and Tracy ended up with a big hole in their checking account and a very nice racquetball court in their basement.
Hang In To The End
When something goes wrong on a construction project, it might be the fault of one of the parties involved in the project, or it might be one of the those things that no one seems to be able to predict. Either way, the goal is the get the project back on track and moving as soon as possible.
Some problems have to be taken in stride. In the vast majority of cases, the joy and satisfaction of fresh new living space soon fades the memory of any problems during construction.