A Suggestion for Writers of Horror Movies

[guywithashovel]

First off, let me say that I get it.

What I mean is, I am a bit of a writer myself. I like to write stories, and I have completed a couple novels. These novels fit into either the horror category or its close relative, the suspense/thriller genre. Are they good novels? Well, I like to think so, but someone else might disagree.

Anyway, I get that whenever you write a story or a movie, especially a horror story or movie, people are going to rip it apart and self-righteously moan about how it was "two hours of their life they'll never get back." Of course, they would be doing this bitching regardless of how good the story or movie was. Before they even sat down to watch the movie or read the story, they had it in the back of their minds that they were going to hate it and tear it up.

Nonetheless, after watching a number of horror movies myself, especially the independent ones, I still have one helpful suggestion for my colleagues who write this stuff: It would be a lot scarier if the characters made smart decisions and STILL got in trouble.

I thought of this the other day when I watched Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings. This movie goes along with a recent trend in horror movies to tell us "how it all began." Basically, this Wrong Turn movie is a prequel. It tells us where the inbred cannibal hillbillies came from. It starts out at a sanatorium back in 1974, showing us the child hillbillies as patients. Then, it fast forwards to 2003 where the rest of the story takes place.

Anyway, to explain just enough of the movie without spoiling it for anyone, in the 2003 part, a group of college students go off on a snowmobiling trip in West Virginia. From the get go, they make all the wrong decisions. First, they park their truck in a tow away zone. Then they venture off into the countryside on their snowmobiles, knowing full well that a huge snowstorm is coming. And while they are snowmobiling, they don't pay any attention to where they are going. Then, of course, they get lost, but eventually they find a large building out in the middle of the country and seek refuge inside it. This building is the sanatorium that the hillbillies had been patients at back in 1974.

By the way, all of this happens in the matter of a few minutes in the movie, so I didn't really spoil anything for anyone.

Anyway, do you see my point? These characters used absolutely no sense at all. They made horrible decisions, even when they were warned not to. For example, just as they were about to head out on their snowmobiles, one of the guys says something like, "Gee, a big snowstorm is heading in this evening, should we really be going?"

Naturally, one of the other characters says something like, "It'll be fine! Quit worrying!"

Now, maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way. Perhaps the whole point of this is to say, "See, this is what happens when you go off with your friends and make stupid decisions." In that case, I can see the writers' point.

[Kheldarson]

I think the main issue is that a lot of stories, starting with fairy tales way back when (which honestly were more horrific than some stuff out today), are about warnings. So that might be part of it.

But I think a big part is a touch of lazy writing. Simply put, there's a steady trope set for horror today and it usually starts with dumb decisions since we already know and accept that people do dumb things that get them in trouble. So writers run with that.

[HYHYBT]

For that particular type of horror, this seems to me analogous to complaining about the plot of a porn movie. The movie is *about* the killing or whatever; the situation and setting for that part is probably well thought out, but getting to it is (to them, at least) not worth the effort, or possibly the screen time, to do well. And there are only so many rational ways for people to wind up at an isolated old sanitarium (or whatever) with no transportation and nobody knowing where they are.

It's not that the effort wouldn't make it a better movie, just that, considering where the focus is, it wouldn't be *enough* better to justify.

But then, horror movies I like are few and far between. Christine might even be the most recent.

[AdminAssistant]

One of the most standard dramatic formulas going back for centuries is, "Put a group of different, conflicting characters in a crisis situation with no escape." (This exists in its purest form in Sartre's No Exit, from which we get the line, "Hell is other people.") Horror movies almost always use this trope, but how they get to it is often completely stupid.

[blas87]

I can't believe they went beyond Wrong Turn 2.

I've got a pretty strong stomach when it comes to nasty movies, but those inbreeds nearly made me lose weeks worth of lunches.

In the slasher type movies, I can't believe the victims always stick by themselves and always go into dark areas, small rooms, places where they'll easily be found. Oh, just HAVE to look around that corner and see if the killer is gone yet! Dumbass!

[jackfaire]

The problem with most horror movies is they aren't scary. Mostly because they aren't relatable.

The scariest movie I ever saw was Requiem for a Dream because that movie? I could see that happening to me. I could relate to it.

The scariest terror of all is your life gone wrong.

[Mytical]

Not to mention predictable (horror movies that is). I think I may have seen one (maybe two) 'scary' movies in the last 10 years that actually managed to surprise me. Within 30 minutes, I had Saw figured out (the original one). I won't even get into how the 'torture porn' movies like Saw are boring.

A good horror movie is not about killing, in fact nobody has to die at all. It's that sense of dread, knowing something is coming..but not what. That tingling of the spine that screams "GET OUT OF THERE!", but knowing there is nowhere to 'get out' to. Of course a lot of horror movies did the 'jumping through the window' (or similar) and it got stale (and predictable). The 'startle factor' is good (if done right) but there has to be more. One of the most primal deep rooted fears we have is the fear of the unknown.

Zombie movies are big. There are many factors that contribute to that. One, the situation is usually 'inescapable'..no matter where the people go..the zombies will be there. Two, having to face killing (in this case rekilling) loved ones. They don't need to eat, drink, rest, sleep. They keep coming. Four a lot of people believe it is something that could happen. Some virus or plague.

I think the ultimate horror movie would have maybe one/two deaths...and not anything actually seen. Something not quite seen, but its presence is felt. Dark shadows without form. Where, no matter what choices you make, or where you go..it is there..but you never know where. Of course that is the ultimate scary movie for ME. Everybody is afraid of something...

BTW when I say 'unseen', I mean even at the end of the movie, when whatever it is goes away..you never actually see it..ever. Could be/have been anything. A crazed man with a chainsaw..a Dire Wolf, vampires, heck it could have been Aunt Sally. It is gone, but since you don't know who..or what it was..is it really gone?

[Gravekeeper]

My big problem is most horror writers these days don't understand the golden rule: What you can't see is more terrifying then what you can. The audience's imagination will scare the fuck out of them far more than anything you'll come up with. Audience's also know when you're just cheaply pulling their leg.

Hence most recent horror movies fall flat because the thing we're suppose to be afraid off wanders into full view 10 minutes into the movie, unzips its fly and waggles its CGI junk in your face for the next hour. We know its not there and the actors know its not there and can't pretend otherwise. No matter how good an actor you've got, if you surrounded them in nothing but green screen ( see Star Wars Prequels ) they will fucking suck. -.-

Thus the last movie I saw that actually scared me was The Descent. <shudder>

[Andara Bledin]

I think the ultimate horror movie would have maybe one/two deaths...and not anything actually seen.

Have you ever seen Watcher in the Woods? It's a Disney flick from around 1980. It's dated, aimed at young adults (mostly), and nobody dies, but it's got the creepy vibe going pretty strong.

It's not really horror, exactly, but it's got a lot of suspense, and that's the good stuff. The original Aliens did that, as did a bunch of Hitchcock's stuff.

Gore films are just boring. No sense of style or art; just trying to be as gory as possible without tripping over the line to getting higher than an R rating. *yawn*

^-.-^

[Ginger Tea]

My big problem is most horror writers these days don't understand the golden rule: What you can't see is more terrifying then what you can. The audience's imagination will scare the fuck out of them far more than anything you'll come up with.

There was a trailer for the remake texas chainsaw which was just sound, it was pulled as it freaked the shit out of audiences, tbh after seeing the film the trailer (that i saw an audience reaction to) was way better.

My mum watched Eastenders and Listened to the Archers on the radio, granted both are soap operas and not horror, but I found the Archers visually richer, the actors I never saw, but I could put a face to the voices I heard even though I was not a listener, they never said you were in a kitchen, but the background noises told you you were.

[BlaqueKatt]

for those that are looking for scary but not bloody violent death-try "Spiral" or "right at your door" they are two of my all time favorites, they scare the crap out of me and contain zero blood and zero nudity.

"right at your door" is passed over by many people because of either the subject matter, or the fact that it won awards at sundance-I've sen tons of horror movies and DID NOT see the end twist coming.

And GK-you may like Pandorum, it's similar to the descent, but has a weird twist that makes it different enough that it's not predictable, and it takes place on a spacecraft. A bit like event horizon meets the descent, but with the good parts of both and most of the bad parts cut away.

[guywithashovel]

I didn't mean to bash the movie itself, because I actually did enjoy it overall. There were some pretty tense moments in it, too, like where you didn't know what was going to happen but were certain something horrible was right around the corner. Also, the ending did surprise me a little.

And yeah, I was surprised to see a Wrong Turn 4, too.

As for everyone dying in a horror movie, I'm wondering if the point is to create a sense of hopelessness, like putting you in the mood that no matter how hard you try, you're going to end up dead in the end. Or on a similiar note, create the feeling that you've entered some sort of abyss where you're definitely going to get killed no matter how hard you try to escape. I'll admit, as I watch these types of movies, I do develop these types of feelings. Perhaps that is the intent.

The reason I zeroed in on the fact that the characters get in the situation by doing stupid things and making horrible choices is that I think that makes it less scary. I can just watch it and think, "Well, okay, as long as I keep my head screwed on, that won't happen to me." While on the other hand, if they make smart decisions and still get in trouble, it might scare me more because I'll be more likely to think it could happen to me. Not that I always make smart choices, but I would feel like I could get in that situation regardless of how much I stayed on my toes.

[Duelist925]

I have long maintained my fav horror movies a the original Alien, John Carpenters The Thing, and The Blair Witch Project...largely because they dont show the freaking monster at every opportunity! Their vicerally scary, and prey on very basic fears--claustrophobia, getting lost far from civilization with less than no hope of help, and most of all, the Unknown! Nothing is scarier than something thats completely freaking unknown.

Hell, thats what made the little side story internet comic reviewer Linkara did so freakin creepy....way creepier than half the gorefests that maskerade as horror movies nowadays....

[Mytical]

@guywithashovel

*nods* like going into the attic/cellar where there is no way out. ..or something similar. It is a staple of the horror movies. Somebody makes stupid mistakes and gets killed. For a long time horror movies had 'rules' (which is covered in one of the scary movie spoofs). Never go out alone, never say 'I'll be right back." Etc. Because scary movies are told to keep people following the rules. You knew in friday the 13th if somebody was having premarital sex..they were gonna die. So that is where the 'victims do stupid things' comes from (older movies/tales that is, not specifically friday the 13th).

The boogie men are tales that children are told to keep them in their beds at night, keep them from harm, and are meant to keep them following 'the rules'. It's become ingrained in us that horror should be the same.

Which is why the 'you don't know what it is, so how can you escape it..regardless of if you do all the right things or not' movies are few and far between.

[Fire_on_High]

Another suggestion for horror movies...try not to look low budget? A few weeks ago I watched an over hyped European slasher flick, and honestly, while the idea behind it was nasty, some of the lines had me in stitches, and that WASN'T the intent! The whole thing reminded me of a stack of foreign disaster movies I bought when a local video store went out of business, 50c each.