It won't die unless you shoot it in the head.

Sorry, I'm a lousy shot.

Put some firecrackers down its throat and light 'em. Or better, drill a hole in its head and stuff firecrackers in there...

It's funny because I acutally started on a horror script of my own.  Something I thought I would never do, but alas, I am.

The thing about horror films that intrigues me though is how unpredictable they can be.  Like for example an action film is pretty much guaranteed a lot of shit blowing up and people getting shot and high speed chases.  A drama usually constitutes a love story and a conflict that character A must over come to become Character A+.

With horror though, it's not as easy.  People aren't afraid of the same things.  So it's a lot harder to write something from your perspective of what's scary.  I'm finding out that the dialouge and scenes are much more juvenile in horror scripts than say in a drama or action film, but it's all about how you use it.  Another genre this is true for is comedy.  Comic writers I believe are some of the best writers because they have to make millions of people laugh, or their film will be a bust.    

I like horror films/screenplays though in the fact that I'm interested to see how a writer can translate the story from beginning to end.  Most sadly are that stupid BS story about a killer trying to break a world record for killing sex-driven teens in two hours, but what about the ones where the ending isn't always a happy ending?  The main character doesn't get out like she/he is supposed to?  Or the main characters are actually intelligent and don't follow those stupid cliche archetypes.

Horror is a great genre to write in because it can drastically alter in perception.  There have been high budget horror films that sucked donkey nutz.  On the other hand, there have been low-budget horror films that are considered some of the greatest films of our time.  So don't knock down horror scripts low on the totum pole.  If people do them right, they can be fantastic movies.

....Wow did I write all that?  

The thing with 'Horror' films is they work on our primal fears, so on that level a horror movie which scares the shit out of us must be considered successful.

The same can be said for any genre film.. Iconography plays a large part in genre films because these locate our perceptions into accepting something familiar, something we recognize otherwise we are taken into an unknown world in which we have no memory of.. So on that level, as a writer these things need to be taken into account..

The same can be said of action and descriptions in scenes. Stock descriptions work but being creative as a writer, coming up with new and interesting ways of description and action makes for an interesting read on a familiar subject..

As s story-teller, you will eventually find that all we are doing is re-inventing the wheel, simply telling an old story or myth, re-telling an old tale in a new way.. This is the key, you find your own voice, a style which you can articulate mood, tempo, fear, love, hate, desire, envy and many other aspects of human behavior. We must strive to open a window and let our audience look out and see something from a new perspective, a new world, to see a character who represents ourselves and who succeeds against all the odds. These are the things which are central to our needs, we seem to have a need for stories in all world cultures, it's what makes us humans and how we communicate in the great and grand scheme of things..

With 'Horror', the basic need to survive, is exemplified in the hero character because we identify with that need to survive against what we term as evil forces.. But this can equally be said of all genre stories because ultimately all genre stories do the same thing, they are a story of a protagonist who battles against an antagonist to save the human race. The human race may be simply the local town, or a city or a country, they all equate to the same thing, these are all metaphors. The evil is in a 'Western' as the gunslinger who shoots the sheriff and only one man can bring him to justice. Same with a 'Thriller' where a serial-killer needs to be brought to boot and a cop or detective pursues the killer to being about peace and order, to stop violence happening to innocent victims. So too Horror, this is a genre which sets a protagonist against an evil force so the eventual resolution is brought about by our hero saving the day..

Horror works on the same levels of story-telling in terms of structure, but contains it's own particular conventions and style. The secret of a good horror story is to try and write something which reads as original without remaking the wheel.. This is why genre films work on a historical level because we are socialized and educated as to what 'Horror' actually is by definition and understanding - you as a writer need to tap into that well of knowledge and then offer a story that fulfills this promise.. The promise is to scare the living daylights out of you.

If a 'Horror' story succeeds in frightening you, then on that level, it must be considered successful. The trick is to write a good set up with interesting and believable characters and a believable story which has a beginning a middle and an end and the final element, not to be predictable.. Ensure the final payoff is unexpected and this will be a reward in itself for both the writer and the audience…

Hey, why don't we start a new thread titled: "Why is Anime the least popular thing on this site?" Lol. But don't get me wrong, I love the work of Hayao Miyazaki.

Takeshi,

Can't handle Anime.  Scares the s*** out of me.

Could it be that horror is the most popular genre on this site, because the best scripts on this site are the horror ones?

Oh yeah, I'm also working on a horror too. But comedy is my genre of choice. I love comedy because it makes me laugh (go figure). I also love it because the critics hate it, and the reason they hate it is because comedy makes them redundant, if people laugh it works, regardless of what the critics say.