Horrormovies have a unique status when it comes to screenwriting, as they offer a specific opportunity to teach aspiring screenwriters different ways to make their films more engaging. Anything can happen in horror movies, and they take place across a range of different periods and locales, with characters that vary wildly. Thebest horror movies of all timeare known for their incredible writing, and because of this, many of them should be shown to students in their college film classes.
There is a lot one can glean from the way horror movies are written,including the best ways to build suspense that leaves the viewer constantly guessing what will come next. Leaving someone on edge is a skill that can be transferred to a variety of different genres, not just horror. Themost suspenseful horror moviesare some of the best, relying on genuine storytelling to carry the plot as opposed to cheap jumpscares.
Based on allegedly true events as experienced by writer Russell Hunter,The Changelingbegins when a composer moves into a house that he believes is hauntedby the ghost of a young boy named Joseph. It is revealed that this Joseph was murdered and replaced by someone else, another young boy who would later grow up to become a senator. The ghost of the real Joseph becomes vengeful, leading to certain death for anyone who comes into contact with him.
A remake ofThe Changelingwas said to be in development in 2018.
The Changelingserves as a reminder that sometimes, the best inspiration for writing comes from a writer’s own life experiences.Having something to inform one’s creative endeavors can provide a firm foundation from which to begin writing. This, coupled with a story that twists and turns in satisfying ways, propsThe Changelingup as a film that can offer students a valuable viewing experience.
Let the Right One Inis a unique horror film that tells the stories of Oskar and Eli, one a bullied 12-year-old boy and the other a child vampire.When Oskar discovers that Eli is a vampire, they find a sort of easy kinshipwith one another. This eventually develops into a sweet relationship between the two kids, juxtaposed against a life that is filled to the brim with blood and death.
Let the Right One Inmay not be considered a part of mainstream vampire media, butoffers valuable insight into how to build up the relationships and emotions between characters. Despite the fact that Eli needs to kill to survive, the character is not treated like an ordinary monster. Instead, each of the characters is given grace, tying the viewer to them emotionally even as they kill and take revenge.
Another international film,The Wailingfollows police officer Jong-goo on an increasingly desperate quest to save the life of his daughter. When a mysterious Japanese man comes to town, he is accused of being an evil spirit as different people are infected with what seems to be a virus or supernatural entity. This infection causes anyone it touches to act out, violently killing the people around them.
The mystery at the center of the film is presented expertly, showing how a community can turn in on itself in the face of the unknown.
The mystery at the center of the film is presented expertly, showing how a community can turn in on itself in the face of the unknown.The Wailingfesters with uncertainty, unfolding with writing that is delicately planned from beginning to end. It shows how to write a mystery, stringing viewers along with just the right amount of information throughout the entire film.
An adaptation of Stephen King’s original novel,Miseryis a brutal tale of an author and a deranged fan.After crashing his car in the middle of a blizzard, romance novelist Paul Sheridan wakes up in the home of Annie Wilkes, a woman who initially presents herself as a kind soul there to help him heal. However, it is slowly revealed that she is not some guardian angel but instead is holding him hostage to finish one of his novels.
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Miseryis a film with palpable tension, succeeding even though there are so few actors that appear throughout the film. The writing for Annie specifically is genuinely horrifying, with dialogue that sends a chill through the reader and viewer as her real motives become clear. It does all of this while being a great example of how to adapt a novel, following the book that came before, while also creating a cinematic masterpiece.
Taking place in the 1600s Puritan New England,The Witchis a horror movie that begins with a slow introduction to a family living on the edge of the woods. An evil force lurks in the forest, seeming to creep closer with every moment as the film progresses. While not filled with jumpscares and shocking moments,The Witchkeeps viewers on edge through its subtle storytelling and the attention paid to the film’s environment.
While not filled with jumpscares and shocking moments,The Witchkeeps viewers on edge through its subtle storytelling and the attention paid to the film’s environment.
As a director,Eggers is a master of taking historical environments and placing well-told horror stories within them.The Witch, The Lighthouse,and evenNosferatuare all examples of this, using a period setting to amplify the basic plot. This can be a lesson to upcoming screenwriters that there are many different things that affect one’s writing and that the setting should not be overlooked.
Existing as an astounding directorial debut for comedian Jordan Peele,Get Outis a horror moviethat revolves around a young Black man named Chris who goes home with his white girlfriend, Rose, to meet her family. At the outset, this seems like it could be the introduction to a romantic comedy. However, what follows is a wonderfully done, claustrophobic horror movie that is rooted in racism.
Get Outis a perfect example of how politics and life experience can inform a person’s screenwriting. Peele incorporates this expertly into his script, composing a narrative that gets to the heart of genuine, real-world fears that many still face. The film is authentically horrifying, moving at a breakneck pace once the horror elements really start to get going.
Written as a satire to poke fun at the popular slasher films of the time,Screammanages to not only succeed as a comedy, but also as a genuine horror film.The story follows high school student Sidney Prescott, whose mother was killed by a serial killer who has supposedly been put in prison. However, when the killings begin again and the police realize they might have caught the wrong man, Sidney finds herself in a whole new world of danger.
There are several instances throughoutScreamwhere the script makes witty jokes about not only specific horror movies but also how horror movies are written. A scene in the middle of the film thoroughly explains the rules of a horror film, the clichés that reside within those rules, and how to survive a horror movie while the killer is lurking. This is only made even better by one of the greatest twists in horror movie history, something that comes as a shock to first-time viewers.
Another slow-building horror movie,Hereditaryis equal parts family drama as it is supernatural thriller. The film begins with the death of the family matriarch, but when young Charlie Graham is beheaded after sticking her head out of the window of a car, the entire family truly begins to fall apart. This pain is only doubled as the mother, Annie, blames her son Peter for Charlie’s death, something that only becomes more and more tense as supernatural incidents begin to happen around the Graham family.
There are a few scenes inHereditarythat are so perfectly written that they add more horror to the filmthan any of the supernatural or bloody elements.One such example is the now-iconic dinner table scene, where Annie and Peter fight over Charlie’s death. The pain is so clear to see, both in the written script and in the actors' performances, making the writing inHereditarytruly something to behold.
When Rosemary Woodhouse discovers that she is pregnant, it is initially cause for celebration. She begins to prepare for the baby to arrive, but asRosemary’s Babyprogresses, she realizes that the world around her isn’t as it initially seems.It is eventually revealed that the baby she carries is the Antichrist, brought about by a secretive cult that has ingrained itself into every corner of Rosemary’s life.
Ruth Gordon won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role inRosemary’s Babyas Minnie Castevet.
WhileRosemary’s Babyhas no jumpscares or genuinely gross imagery, it still manages to be terrifying based solely on the film’s writing. Everything is uncertain, and despite the fact the viewer understands from the beginning that there is something wrong, they are gaslit along with Rosemary into doubting their own preconceived notions. The film is a masterclass in how to mislead the audience, using evocative imagery and dialogue to sew doubt.
The Thingbegins when an unknown alien lifeform is discovered by a group of scientists,frozen in the ice in the middle of Antarctica. This lifeform, called “The Thing” by the surviving scientists, has the power to assimilate anyone it spends too much time around, taking on their appearances and mimicking their voices. It is up to Kurt Russell’s character, helicopter pilot R. J. MacReady, to figure out who is still human and who has already been assimilated.
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One of the best parts aboutThe Thingis the sense of uncertainty that the writing instills in viewers. One can never know who is The Thing and who isn’t, and there is an argument to be made that even MacReady himself has fallen to the alien’s power. The writing of this movie never answers whether The Thing has been defeated or not, making it one of thosehorrormoviesthat is still debated about to this day.
