Lesson 1

[Sophia Lee]

Subject line: Heretic – Horror Conventions
Lesson 1 – Horror (1/21/25)

What I learned from this assignment – truth can be scary as hell. Breaking it down though and seeing the elements one at a time makes it seem less scary to write.

Title / Concept: Heretic – two Mormon girl missionaries are coerced to go into a man’s home hoping to convert him, when he promises to show them what the real religion is.
Terrorize The Characters: Yes.
Isolation: yes.
Death: yes.
Monster/Villain: The villain is the monster who poses to be the good guy.
High Tension: yes.
Departure from Reality: yes.
Moral Statement: Blind faith and fanaticism can lead to death – or dangerous consequences

3. Anything else you’d like to say about what made this movie a great horror film?
Having just finished co-writing a memoir about a woman who left the Mormon church, I was fascinated to see the truths this film captured about the religion. The unpredictability of where the psychopath was leading the two young women was fascinating. Everything was questioned, which had the girls doubting themselves, and instead of standing together were divided, which added to the tension of the movie. With all the jump scares, the symbolism used, and the use of weather and timing all added to the “horror” as well as finding yourself asking what truth is, made it all the more terrifying.

4. With your concept, fill in each of these Conventions for your story.

Concept: A severely burnt woman transforms into a vengeful, monstrous figure following betrayal and tragedy, executing revenge upon her elite circle
Terrorize The Characters: yes – unknowing to the audience who the killer is, an elite circle of 7 die off one by one in horrific ways
Isolation: a secluded, mysterious mansion once used for secret meetings by this elite group of “friends”
Death: all of them except for 1
Monster/Villain: the burnt woman who exacts her revenge – but we don’t know that until the end
High Tension: yes – lots of misdirects too
Departure from Reality: once in the mansion, no one has a sense of time
Moral Statement: like Heretic, it would be the dehumanizing effects of unchecked power – or it could also be the consequences of betrayal (hell hath no fury like a woman scorned – only the audience won’t know until the end that it is a woman committing the atrocious murders). Also, the cycle of destruction – the woman was wronged before she was burned, and continues to do wrong in the name of vengeance. But things were wrong even before she was killed as in the secluded mansion, a lot of things were done for blackmail, etc. to gain power.

[Deborah Daughetee]

Sounds interesting, Sophia.

I love The Heretic. What a great movie to break down.

[Barry Barry Durbin Durbin]

Lesson 1 Assignment: Concept and Conventions
Animal Horror Conventions

5. Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is the difference between horrors and thrillers and how important the horror conventions are for this genre.
2. Watch the movie and as you do, note its conventions.
• Title: ANIMAL
• Concept: When plans for a weekend vacation hit a dead end, friends find themselves stranded in unfamiliar territory, pursued by a bloodthirsty predator. Holed up in an isolated cabin, the friends must fight to survive as the body count rises.
• Terrorize The Characters: Trapped with no way to escape
• Isolation: Isolated cabin with monster outside trapping them inside.
• Death: Characters are eaten alive, one by one.
• Monster/Villain: A bloodthirsty predator type monster.
• High Tension: Characters are in constant fear of death
• Departure from Reality: Predator creature that does not exist.
• Moral Statement: There are consequences for not using common sense.
3. Anything else you’d like to say about what made this movie a great horror film? It began with the creature killing someone, so we know how dangerous the situation is before our characters enter into the environment.
4. With your concept, fill in each of these Conventions for your story.
• Concept: When hunters mistakenly kill a young Bigfoot, an enraged Mama Bigfoot tracks them to an isolated village and terrorizes them seeking revenge.
• Terrorize The Characters: Unstoppable creature terrorizes characters to seek revenge for her baby’s death.
• Isolation: Isolated hunting village with only one way in/out. Creature blocks road out. Cell phones are disabled.
• Death: Characters die horrible deaths one by one.
• Monster/Villain: Female Bigfoot
• High Tension: Characters will be in constant fear of death, fear of the unseen
• Departure from Reality: Mythical creature stalking and killing humans.
• Moral Statement: People who wrongfully kill will be punished.

[Deborah Daughetee]

Your concept sounds interesting, Barry. Did you ever see the movie, Orca? It has a similar story and might be a good reference for you.

[Renee Miller]

Hi Barry! I wrote a big foot script for the Writing Incredible Movies class.

[Deborah Daughetee]

Title: The Revenant Queen
Lesson 1 – Horror Conventions

What I learned from this lesson: First, I learned how the juxtaposition of innocence and evil in the “monster” is incredibly disturbing. Having a monster do something so unexpected as dancing ballet to classical music is just brilliant. Also, she has an interesting backstory that resonates with the protagonist, and in the end twists expectation in an emotional resonate ending. I learned to look at my monster and try to find the unexpected that could keep audiences wincing in their seats.

Title / Concept:

ABIGAIL directly references the central character, a young ballerina who is revealed to be a vampire. This straightforward naming centers the narrative on her dual nature and the unfolding horror.

Concept: The film blends elements of horror and dark comedy, following a group of criminals who kidnap Abigail, intending to ransom her, only to discover her vampiric nature. This subversion of the typical hostage scenario introduces a unique twist to the horror genre.

Terrorize the Characters:

The kidnappers, initially in control, become the hunted as Abigail reveals her true nature. The terror is amplified as they are trapped within a secluded mansion where they become prey. The shift from captors to prey creates a palpable sense of dread and helplessness. Also, having this monster dance ballet is so incredibly disturbing. And then add in the fear of becoming a “meat puppet” after being bitten. Abigail can take over your body then and betray your friends.

Isolation:

The setting—a remote, dilapidated mansion—serves to isolate the characters physically and psychologically. Cut off from the outside world and any potential aid, the kidnappers must confront the horrors within the house and within themselves, heightening the tension and sense of entrapment.

Death:

Death is a constant presence, depicted through graphic and inventive kill scenes. Abigail’s methods are both brutal and theatrical, reflecting her ballerina background. The film does not shy away from gore, using it to underscore the stakes and the monstrous nature of Abigail.

Monster/Villain:

Monster/Villain: Abigail herself embodies the monster, juxtaposing her innocent appearance with her predatory instincts. Her vampirism is central to the horror, challenging the kidnappers’ perceptions and forcing them to confront a supernatural threat they are ill-prepared to handle.

High Tension:

Tension escalates as the kidnappers’ plans unravel. The confined setting, combined with Abigail’s unpredictable attacks, keeps both the characters and the audience in a state of constant suspense. The film balances moments of quiet dread with sudden, violent confrontations, maintaining a relentless pace.

Departure from Reality:

The introduction of a vampire child disrupts the criminals’ reality, forcing them to grapple with the supernatural. The film blends realistic crime elements with fantastical horror, creating a narrative that challenges the characters’ understanding of the world and their place within it.
Then, there is a second twist where one of the kidnappers becomes a vampire more evil than Abigail. Now Abigail is once again a child in need, and forms an alliance with the last kidnapper to take out the evil man. This was a great twist and had real emotional resonance.

Moral Statement:

The film explores themes of innocence corrupted and the consequences of underestimating others based on appearances. It suggests that evil can lurk beneath the most unsuspecting facades and that those who exploit others may find themselves at the mercy of greater predators. It also has an emotional component of mother and child that brings the character arc of the protagonist to a satisfying conclusion.

Debbie’s Concept

Title:
The Revenant Queen

Concept:
A cursed riverboat becomes the stage for a monstrous revenant’s wrath as she rises from the depths of the Mississippi to punish human traffickers, exposing hidden evils and forcing unlikely allies to confront their complicity in the horrors of the past.
Conventions

Terrorize the Characters:
• The Revenant Queen preys on both physical and psychological fears. Her drowning aura slowly suffocates victims, making every breath labored and heightening panic. The constant threat of leeches crawling onto their skin, entrapment on a riverboat caught in a snag in the river and lost in a dense fog that limits visibility. There is fear of the unseen, fear of being alone, fear of what is around the next corner.
Isolation:
• The riverboat is trapped in a supernatural fog, cutting off communication and visibility. The river itself becomes a barrier, alive with malice, preventing anyone from abandoning the boat. The passengers and crew are forced to face the monster—and their own sins—without hope of rescue.
Death:
• Death is grotesque and inevitable for many. Victims are dragged into the river by tendrils of mud, their bodies never resurfacing. Others are overtaken by leeches, their blood drained until they become hollow shells. The Revenant Queen ensures that deaths are drawn out and horrific, reinforcing her vendetta.

Monster/Villain:

• The Revenant Queen: A vengeful spirit created from centuries of suffering and betrayal along the Mississippi. Her body is a grotesque amalgamation of mud, river debris, and bones, symbolizing the weight of her pain.
o Goal: To destroy those who perpetuate the human trafficking and exploitation that mirror her own tragic death.
o Motivation: She cannot rest until the cycle of abuse is broken and those responsible are punished.
o Tragic Element: Her rage blinds her to innocents caught in the crossfire, making her a terrifying but morally complex figure.

High Tension:

• The tension escalates as the characters uncover the dark secrets of the riverboat, including a hidden cargo hold filled with captive women destined for trafficking. Every discovery is met with increasing supernatural retaliation from the Revenant Queen.

Departure from Reality:

• The riverboat’s environment transforms into a surreal nightmare. The once-opulent interiors become waterlogged and rotted, with walls oozing mud and leeches. The river twists in impossible directions, and time itself warps, with passengers reliving fragments of the Revenant Queen’s death. Reality dissolves as the characters spiral into chaos.

Moral Statement:

• Evil thrives when people ignore or excuse the suffering of others. The story highlights the dangers of complicity, greed, and inaction, suggesting that true monsters are those who exploit others for personal gain. However, it also explores redemption, as some characters are forced to atone for their own pasts by confronting the human villains.

• This reply was modified 4 months, 1 week ago by  Deborah Daughetee. Reason: I forgot to put in the analysis of the film Abigail and what I learned from this lesson

[Nick Walsh]

Nick’s Horror Conventions

What I learnt:
There’s a whole lotta bad horror flicks out there, particularly the low budget ones. I watched two horror movies for this lesson and they were sooooo cliche I could barely get through them. I’m sure we will do better, even if we must generally follow a standard horror structure.

WATCHED HORROR MOVIES (2):

Title / Concept:
ALONE

Terrorize The Characters:
Jessica’s very concerned about a Jeep she passed on the road and that keeps appearing until she is terrorized by it. Lots of Anticipation here. She finally blows a tire an is incapacitated., then the kidnapper smashes her window and kidnaps her./She’s held hostage in a basement somewhere.

Isolation:
She’s traveling alone with a U-Haul trailer. Locked in a room.

Death:
A clueless hunter who tries to help Jessica is in a dilemma of who to believe: Her or her kidnapper. When he realizes she’s telling the truth but it’s too late.

Monster/Villain:
Whoever is in the Jeep is creeping us out, worry for Jessica.

High Tension:
Who’s following Jessica? Later, pursued in the woods.

Departure from Reality:
Not much, if any. A disappointing very low budget horror movie with two main characters and one incidental. Plot weak, predictable. We never learn what motivates the kidnapper/killer. Wish I hadn’t wasted time watching it, but I persevered till the end. This is an example of why I don’t like horror movies.

Moral Statement:
You can’t run away from your unhappy life without facing it, one way or the other.

——————————————————————————-

Title / Concept:
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

Terrorize The Characters:
Intro: A man is crashed into by four drunken, partying teens. His face is distorted in blood. He opens his eyes when they dispose of his body into the water. They agree—contentiously—never to speak of it again. A year later, they do, because of a note that is the title of the movie. Not so much sustained terror as much as a sudden killing. I wondered: Other than the four kids in the car that supposedly killed the killer, why kill other innocents? What’s the motivation?

Isolation:
In a locker room; boutique shop; theater balcony; boat.

Death:
The hit and run man. Max gets killed by an ice hook run into his head through under hid chin by somebody we can’t see through the steam in the fishery. Others are killed by the ice hook, the killer’s M.O.

Monster/Villain:
A man considered dead who comes back for vengeance with an ice hook. Wears a hooded fisherman’s slicker, his so-called terror costume.

High Tension:
What to do with the body? Maybe I’m inured by terror movies I’ve seen before, but this movie offers nothing new or scary.

Departure from Reality:
Killing all with a fishermen’s ice hook. Common theme; just another trope in the form of an ice hook. (Yawn.)

Moral Statement:
Be honest with your mistakes or they will haunt you.

—————————————————————————

MY MOVIE IDEA:

Title:
EYEBALLS

Concept:
Five twenty-something, smart-ass friends go on a week-long dirt bicycle exploratory adventure in the mountains and end up being hunted by demented locals that they unwittingly dissed earlier during a dice game; and who, for starters, will remove their eyeballs for trophies if caught.

Terrorize The Characters:
The gang is relentless in its pursuit of the friends, picking them off one at a time until only one is left to outwit them or be killed.

Isolation:
Very low IQ country. Rugged terrain. No phone service.

Death:
The five friends witness a cruel eyeball removal on a man [monster unseen at the moment] who dissed the gang, then he’s gutted and skinned alive, like a deer, then hanged upside down from a tree branch to cure, to make jerky. Any part of this butchery, and more, could be their fate, if they are caught.

Monster/Villain:
The villains proudly wear the eyeballs as colorful trophies embedded in epoxy around their necks. Their only redeeming quality as a human is they value the beauty in the various colors of irises—that’s it; otherwise, they are pure evil. Their own irises are black, like light-absorbing coal dust.

High Tension:
The chases: Motorcycles chasing bicycles. Close calls and catches. Death-defying, evasive dirt bike maneuvers on the mountainous terrain. The dreadful anticipation of crude eye removal.

Departure from Reality:
Nonchalantly removing the eyeballs while the victim writhes with gut-wrenching squeals. Absolutely no empathy—like threading a worm on a fishhook.

Moral Statement:
Know the environment before you enter. In other words, watch what you say. It could have a different meaning, especially in an isolated, inbred culture.

xxx

[Deborah Daughetee]

Hi Nick: “I Know What You Did Last Summer” was actually breaking new ground when it came out. That’s what made it such a hit.

I’m curious: if you don’t like horror movies, why are you writing one?

Your idea has promise, as anything with take eyes creeps me out. The original Crow movie had people eating eyeballs, and it really made me squirm

[David Zelitzky]

Hey there Nick – be careful of condemning horror cliches and then having backwoods low IQ people senselessly killing kids. That trope has been around – certainly since Deliverance in 1972 or Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974 when a group of friends fall victim to cannibals, or The Hills Have Eyes, Wes Craven – the cannibalistic mountain folk on the trail of stranded vacationers in the Southwestern desert.
You might think about adding a supernatural element, like they are being controlled by an external force they don’t understand or are doing it to save themselves from death, etc… something with a more unique take on inbred low IQ mountain folk –
Just a thought 🙂

[Renee Miller]

What I learned doing this assignment what is needed to create a good horror film. There needs to be high tension to keep the audience engaged and you need to force the characters into isolation, whether that is physical isolation, emotional isolation, or mental isolation.

Title/Concept:
Bird Box – Five years after an ominous unseen presence decimates society, a survivor and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.

Isolation:
– The three characters are the only ones left on Earth.
– Several people lock themselves in a house.
– The protagonist is alone on a boat in the middle of the river with two kids.

Death:
– Millions die in the beginning due to what the news considers mass suicide.
– The protagonist’s sister purposely crashes the car and then steps in front of a garbage truck.
– A lady who tries to help her walks into a burning car.
– A couple in the house leave to try and get their kids who are out there.
– Greg is trying to see if they can watch through a monitor and not be affected but ends up killing himself even though he was tied to a chair to prevent his death.
– She ends up killing the man in the river that attacked her.

Monster/Villain:
Creatures that attack when you look at them, leaving the remaining population to have to navigate their world with blindfolds.

High Tension:
– A woman is trying to make it to a “populated” location with two children.
– People start acting crazy and trying to kill themselves when the protagonist is at an OBGYN appointment.
– The protagonist is in the boat with the kids and trying to reach someone on the radio when there is movement outside the makeshift cover.
– Someone shows up at the door. One member doesn’t want to let them in; the others want to help.
– There’s someone in the river. Are they good? Are they bad?
– They decide to leave the safety of the house to go to a grocery store.

Departure from Reality:
Some unknown creature causes people to go crazy and kill themselves, leaving the survivors to figure out ways to live.

Moral Statement:
People’s inability to connect

Endless Nights
Concept: When a freak blizzard blankets Whittier, Alaska, in perpetual darkness, the town's residents are stalked by shadow creatures that manifest their deepest fears and grow stronger with each kill.
Terrorize The Characters: manifesting personal fears, stalking in the darkness, stealing light, feeding on fear, isolating victims, mimicry and deception, physical harm, infecting the mind, collective terror
Isolation: Whittier, Alaska, is a town where all the residents live in the same building, a former military housing unit. In the winter, the one road leading in and out of town is closed because driving in the snow and ice is too dangerous.
Death: voices mimicking their loved ones lure characters into the shadows, where the creatures manipulate victims into harming themselves or becoming part of the shadows, being suffocated by the shadows.
Monster/Villain: Shadow beings that take shape from the victims' worst fears, becoming more corporeal and powerful as the victims succumb to terror.
High Tension: the light runs out, they have to cross the hallway of death for much needed supplies, the safe room isn’t safe, someone gets trapped in the elevator, a child’s voice calls for help from deep within the dark, they are tricked into sacrificing one of their own for a chance at escape.
Departure from Reality: your deepest, darkest secrets and fears manifest in real life
Moral Statement: the balance between light and dark, hope and despair, duality and choice.

[Deborah Daughetee]

I love your concept. Have you seen the movie The New Mutants? This plays with your greatest fears and might be a good reference for you as you build your story.

[David Zelitzky]

Also take a look at 28 days of night where the vampires live because it’s Alaska and they can be outside all day and terrorize people. Really good movie

[Ira Drower]

Lesson 1 Horror Concepts

What I learned in this lesson is what constitutes ‘Smart’ horror and the specific beats you need to include in your script.

Title/Concept: Aliens – A group of space marines with their advisor battle deadly Aliens in a remote off-world colony.

Terrorize the Characters: Yes, it is a large group of Aliens with sharp teeth, a spiked tail, and acid blood. And they are ugly!

Isolation: On a distant planet, trapped inside a mining station laboratory.

Death: Death 5-ways. One: The aliens, Xenomorphs, can extend a second jaw with sharp teeth that pierce your skull. Two: The aliens can capture you and stick you to a wall where a face-hugger will implant an embryo that explodes from your stomach. Three: The Aliens can use their spike to stab you. Four: the acid blood from the Aliens can melt through flesh and steel. Five: The plant can implode in a nuclear reaction.

Monster/Villain: Xenomorphs – the Monster. Alien mother – the bigger Monster. Carter – the corporate monster. The Xenomorphs want to kill the marines or capture them for cocooning. Carter tries to impregnate Ripley and Newt with an Alien and trap survivors by locking them out of safety.

High Tension: Yes – Marines have their weapons confiscated while confronting the Xenomorphs. The Marines are almost out of ammo when the remaining ones return to safety. The Aliens break down the survivor’s defenses. Newt is captured, and Ripley goes into the den of the birthing Queen Alien to retrieve her. The entire plant is about to explode as she rushes back to the ship with Newt only to find that the ship isn’t there.

Departure from Reality: Yes – a huge mining plant on a remote planet overrun by deadly Xenomorphs constitutes science fiction. Aliens with acid blood and flying face huggers implanting embryos into humans is also a departure from reality.

Moral Statement: None. A moral argument could be made about corporate greed being more important than the preservation of human life.

[Deborah Daughetee]

Hi Ira: Aliens is one of my top horror movies. Are you going to post your concept here as well?

[Ira Drower]

Ira Drower’s Horror Concept:

Title: Garden of Evil: Night of the Blood Red Moon

Logline: A group of teens visiting their old summer camp relive the horrific events from dormant childhood memories as they fight for survival when the forest comes alive and tries to consume them.

[Joan Butler]

Lesson 1: Woman of the Hour Conventions
I watched this movie because it was a reverse whodunnit about a serial killer. This is the same premise as my script.

I learned that a reverse whodunnit works well as a horror. I also learned that this movie had all the conventions of a horror except one—a departure from reality. I found that very interesting.

Title: Woman of the Hour
Concept: A serial killer rapes and murders hundreds of women—three victims are seen in this movie.
Genre: Thriller, not Horror because it does not depart from reality.
Isolation: The killer kills women in the desert or in their homes where they live alone.
Death: Victims are raped and murdered.
Villain: He poses as a photographer, then rapes and kills his victims.
Tension: Tension is created by making the scenes very slow.
Departure from Reality: None.
Moral Statement: The first victim says every man is a little dangerous. Women who forget this die.

My Script (I haven’t worked out all the kinks.)

Title: Falling for Evil
Genre: Horror
Isolation: Isolated logging town
Villain: A former high school principal returns to his hometown as the leader of an anti-logging protest.
Death: He forces his victims to eat their fingers or toes before he severs their limbs.
Tension: Reverse whodunnit. The audience knows the killer from the first page. A journalist falls in love with the killer. She hunts for him in all the wrong places because he is manipulating her investigation.
Departure from Reality: eating fingers and toes.
Moral Statement: Survival of the fittest—failure is punishable by death.

• This reply was modified 4 months, 1 week ago by  Joan Butler.

[Deborah Daughetee]

Hi Joan: Good luck with your script!

[Pam Ewing]

Pam Ewing’s Horror Conventions Lesson 1

1. What I learned from this assignment –
I was able to remember what I enjoyed about this movie. I recall the confusion of who is the predator flip in other horror movies so it is not resolved until the end. There is justice, bloody, gory, frightening, justice.

2. Ready or Not Horror Conventions:

• Title / Concept: Word play of innocent games and danger

• Terrorize The Characters: On the night of her wedding, the bride is given a death warrant by the virtue of the selection of a child’s game the family traditionally plays; the horrors of being hunted by family that supported her/loved her hours ago – including her husband

• Isolation: She can’t get out of the estate, she does escape the house but is hunted on the grounds at night

• Death: She witnesses a murder that the hunters thought was her and how callously they acted; she kills a woman who tries to reveal her to the hunters; eventually it becomes a kill-or-be-killed situation; if she can survive the night then the family believes that they will die

• Monster/Villain: the family members incentivized by an unseen devil who made them incredibly wealthy and successful in multiple businesses

• High Tension: bride has near scrapes with death; family members turn on each other

• Departure from Reality: bride escapes house but falls into a pit of dead/sacrificed goats, in trying to escape the ladder breaks and she has to use a nail in her hand to help her climb out

• Moral Statement: don’t make a deal with the devil

3. Anything else you'd like to say about what made this movie a great horror film? – It did have some darkly humorous moments. The fact that her loving husband tires to help her but ultimately tries to sacrifice her. When she survives the family is surprised that they don’t die right away. Then one by one they pop like bloody balloons. Her groom is the last alive and he assumes it is because they are meant to be together. She rejects him and he explodes, too.

4. With your concept, fill in each of these Conventions for your story.

• Concept: A computer scientist groom and his bride get matching tattoos but her has doctored her tattoo ink with nanotech

• Terrorize The Characters: She thinks she’s going insane because the tattoo moves, then affects her actions and makes her commit terrible actions that she can’t remember but must deal with the aftermath

• Isolation: She doesn’t know where to turn because her husband laughs it off, her best friend becomes the first victims

• Death: The tattoo threatens her, required more ink to ‘write’ messages to her and on her. She kills the tattoo artist in trying to find answers but she doesn’t learn who doctored her ink. She slams her backside with grouped needles

• Monster/Villain: we see hands on a keyboard that then cause her to react so who is it and what is their goal?

• High Tension: The nanotech ink writes on her, fills her eyes with blackness, she goes from victim to predator to hunted and not remembering what she did

• Departure from Reality: a tattoo with ability to communicate on skin, control actions

• Moral Statement: What is control, who is in control, how to regain control

[Deborah Daughetee]

Hi Pam: I adore Ready of Not. It is so darkly funny and turns what could be cliches on their ear so that everything seems fresh. Good luck with your script.

[JD Oppen]

Wicked Angel: Screaming In The Night – Horror Conventions

What I learned doing this assignment is…to look at a similar movie flow and brainstorm ways to elevate what’s already been done.

Conventions:
• Title / Concept: Cabin Fever / college students rent a cabin in the woods and are victims to an unknown flesh-eating disease.
• Terrorize The Characters: flesh-eating disease, visitors, workers nearby, dogs
• Isolation: cabin/woods
• Death: flesh-eating disease, dog attack
• Monster/Villain: flesh-eating disease
• High Tension: fear of the disease, other characters who visit the area or work nearby, dogs
• Departure from Reality: maybe not the biggest departure from things that happen today, but dog attacks, especially eating people, and killing people because they have the disease
• Moral Statement: treat others with respect/dignity

What made this movie a great horror film?
I think the concept itself makes it great film, plus it’s filled with the expected horror elements.

Conventions for MY story:
• Concept: High school student on experimental meds for anxiety that unleash an evil entity from the character which terrorizes its victims in their dreams
• Terrorize The Characters: Characters are attacked in their dreams
• Isolation: Group of students travel to a closed cabin resort on the first day of summer vacation; They are visited by the monster in their dreams
• Death: characters are ripped open, sliced apart, gutted, dismembered, bitten into; The monster even tears apart a grizzly bear
• Monster/Villain: Monster is a black mist-like energy with long claws and razor sharp teeth
• High Tension: monster visits in dreams, no cell reception, car crash, distant sounds in the woods, snakes/snake bite, and evil entity gets stronger with every kill – eventually can kill characters when they are awake,
• Departure from Reality: characters being being conscious in their dreams, and attacked and killed in them, fighting with an entity, being torn apart when they are already dead
• Moral Statement: don’t bully

[Tom Wilson]

Tom’s Lesson Concepts

During this assignment, I learned what great fun it is to mix and match AI suggestions to come up with multiple good ideas. I select what is best.

Title: Highway to Hell

High Concept: On the way to finalize their divorce, a bickering couple witness a man being tortured in the back of a passing truck, only to find themselves hunted by a sadistic family of long-haul truckers who thrive on terrorizing late-night drivers.

Horror Components:
• Monster/Villain: A giant creature a twisted family of truckers must feed using CB radios, hidden road traps, and deadly chase tactics to stalk victims they feed to the monster.

• Terror: The primal fear of being hunted with nowhere to escape, amplified by the couple's own mistrust of each other.

• Horrific Environment: The endless, desolate highway at night, surrounded by bleak swamps and ominous truck stops. They enter a police station which is a facade. Inside is a butcher shop where tourists are cut up and fed to the monster they must constantly feed or he will devour them.

• Victims: The couple, forced to reconcile their fractured relationship to survive, encounter a gas station attendant desperately trying to repair their car's headlights before the creature strikes again.

• This reply was modified 4 months, 1 week ago by  Tom Wilson.
• This reply was modified 4 months, 1 week ago by  Tom Wilson.
• This reply was modified 4 months, 1 week ago by  Tom Wilson.

[Patricia Semler]

Pat’s Horror Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment is every beat serves a purpose and creating palpable tension involves focus and intention. It’s not all blood and guts. The real scare is what you don’t know or can’t see.
The Conjuring – Horror Conventions
Concept: A family is terrorized by a vicious spirit when they move into a new old house.
Terrorize the characters: It starts with the dog refusing to enter the house only to be found dead the next morning. It starts small with a sense of unwelcoming, whispers when nobody’s around, a grey cat that comes and goes like a wraith. Tension rises between the parents.
Isolation: The house is rural. The father is on the road with his freelance trucking to make ends meet. There are no close neighbors and little interaction with the town.
Death: In the opening a baby squalls. We don’t see it but the evidence of murder is there in bloody knitting needles and an attack on the father. Much later toward the crisis point a secondary character dies.
Monster/Villain: In the distant past a witch sacrificed her own child to gain favor with Satan (?) or a demon of his stature. Its her curse on the house that any family living there, the mother is possessed and sacrifices her children. So we’re dealing with an entity that is never seen.
High Tension: Once the mother is put into contact with a husband-wife pair of demonologists the tension rachets up as layer upon layer of past murders is uncovered. The mother becomes possessed and father slowly comes to believe something is definitely wrong here. The entity doesn’t so much gain strength as expand its influence, targeting the demonologists and causing their IT man’s death.
Departure from reality: Night noises, demon eyes in odd places, clairvoyant visions that reveal the past, ghost animals, and the house coming alive to attack.
Moral Statement: Innocence is easy prey for evil to possess or corrupt. Faith in God and courage to stand firm can defeat the monster.
This movie had a remarkable lack of onscreen bloodshed. All the spookiness was made up of rising tension and jump scares. The rebuke of the Catholic Church for refusing to help because the family wasn’t Catholic had a solid modern day sting. And the kids were refreshingly real and not smart asses.
My conventions:
Working Title: Baby shoes/ nowhere close to the theme, just a place holder from the visual that gave me the idea
Concept: A house restoration project disturbs a witchy bundle that is destroyed, releasing the imprisoned witch to prey on the workers.
Terrorize the characters:
Most of the crew are Gen Z carpentry students who don’t believe in witchcraft. When they can’t explain away weird goings on as pranks they start to worry. When cell phone service is disconnected they freak out. One by one the witch lures her victims to her secret rooms to siphon life energy and rebuild her strength.
The house is centered in a new development that is fenced in and the only access is over a local wooden bridge. When that’s destroyed and the development crew leaves the school team is stuck. Their lack of trust in each other leads to greater danger. Whisperings and disturbing accidents push their sanity to the limit.
Isolation: The house is a Civil War era relic and as a designated historic structure they simply can’t raze it. A storm knocks out the power. The worst is when cell phones die and the kids have to talk to each other in more than 140 characters.
Death: The witch takes out her victims one by one, using the carpentry equipment (nail guns, saws, hammers), driving them into hidden rooms with whispers and noises.
Monster/Villain: Esperanza was a wise woman, one of a loose coven of such, and well respected for her healing work with herbs and potions. She was pushed into madness by jealousy, physical attacks on her and her daughter so that she sought the Devil’s power to gain revenge. She was trapped in her house, starved to death, then cursed to remain there forever, bound by the witchy bundle made by her former companions. We only get glimpses of her in a mirror or deep in shadow.
High Tension: Frightful noises, small accidents that escalate into life threatening injuries, unsophisticated know-it-all Gen Z teens dismissive of any suggestion of the supernatural. Teachers desperate to protect their young people while trying for any answer to why this is happening.
Departure from Reality: Witchcraft and possession. How will any of them get out and reinstate the binding spell when no one believes in God or magic?
Moral Statement: Faith can indeed move mountains.

[David Zelitzky]

David Z – Bodies Bodies Bodies – Horror Conventions

Title / Concept: What happens when six friends stay at a mansion for the week-end and one of them is killed?

Terrorize The Characters: The first kill has his throat slashed while outside in the pouring rain

Isolation: paretns are gone / remote mansion / thunderstorm / no power / car battery dies

Death: They start accusing each other – after the saber throat slash, one is killed by a girl with kettle ball weights, one has a gun and is pushed off the balcony as they fight for possession, accusing each other / one is found at the bottom of the stairs, mysteriously dead / the remaining two – girlfriends, beat each other, fall into the pool and struggle against each other for survival

Monster/Villain: Similar to a Lord of the Flies scenario, once stranded they descend into chaos, each accusing the other for good reason that they are the killer and need to be subdued

High Tension: They stumble around in the darkness with just their phone flashlight, not knowing whether to stay together or hide from each other! As they are all accusing the others it's a matter of survival until dawn when they are picked up.

Departure from Reality: All the societal niceties are stripped away, there's nowhere to hide and none of their usual customs are available to them.

Moral Statement: Self-centered and rich, or lying for status, they have always hidden their true natures and finally they are revealed through chaos and violence

Anything else you’d like to say about what made this movie a great horror film?
…… The level of tension is kept at a 10 throughout the movie, wondering who will die or be killed next – and in the end, it is discovered that none of them is responsible making their deadly activities all the more ludicrous

With your concept, fill in each of these Conventions for your story.

TITLE: DO NOT DISOBEY

Concept: A group of queer young adults visit their friend’s estranged father on his remote ranch, only to be subjected to his twisted military-style discipline. As they fight to survive, they uncover his darkest secret—his self-hatred is the real monster, and he’ll kill to keep it buried.

Terrorize The Characters: expectation of disobedience / being gay / enjoying sex, etc – electrocution, losing fingers, watching loved ones die, torture, medieval torture device collection

Isolation: The cabin is in a remote location and the outside is booby trapped because of the Captain’s paranoia.

Death: while trying to escape a grizzly death occurs when they realize they are trapped

Monster/Villain: He has no feelings and flips out when there is love or affection or any form of frivolity or happiness – it is also revealed that because of his abusive childhood and undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenia he is convinced he hears voices telling him that he needs to discipline children for their unpure thoughts

High Tension: They don’t know how to behave so anything can set him off and they could lose their lives.

Departure from Reality: Sharing a house with a maniac serial killer with the likelihood they will never escape.

Moral Statement: repression and childhood abuse will always follow you and fuck your life up and exhibit itself in the most horrendous ways.

• This reply was modified 4 months, 1 week ago by  David Zelitzky.
• This reply was modified 4 months, 1 week ago by  David Zelitzky.