Todd
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Todd Houlette
I agree to the terms of this release form. -
Hi Everyone,
I’m a little late getting started but I’ve never written a screenplay. I’m creative and work in a creative field but I’ve never actually written a screenplay.
My hope is to write a screenplay which I’ve had the idea for a while. I’m pretty excited about the idea and I’ve written things down so far, but I think in it’s current form, it’s just an idea and there is not yet a solid structure or story arc. So, I’m excited to dive in and see the story and concept take shape.
Something unique about me? I work in advertising. I create ads. I’ve had the honor to work with some of the most creative minds in the world but I still want to create stories outside of ads that are strictly entertaining and not to sell anything.
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The House of the Devil Horror Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment is that it’s really easy to apply these conventions to nearly every film and once you do, it’s easier to see them play out in other films, too. I feel like once you apply this to any horror idea, you can then have fun filling in the blanks.
Film: The House of the Devil
Concept: College girl is hired as a babysitter for an elderly woman she never meets/sees; she begins to fear for her safety in her isolation in the large house after eerie occurrences and begins to question the people who hired her.
Terrorize The Characters: She already feels weird that she was hired under false pretenses to look after an elderly woman rather than a child, this causes her to not trust the couple who hired her. She keeps calling her best friend who unbeknownst to her has already been killed by the couple’s son. She is spooked by odd noises. Eventually she finds evidence that the couple may not be what they seem. Soon she is drugged and tied up inside a pentagram where a creature begins a ritual on her using blood and an ominous skull. She breaks loose and kills nearly everyone but then is told it’s too late and that whatever evil was summoned is already inside of her.
Isolation: She is alone in this big house seemingly with only an elderly woman whom she never sees. The house is in a remote location and her only means of transportation is her roommate who is shot and killed some time after dropping her off. She repeatedly tries to call her but to no avail. The only reason why she won’t just call a cab or walk out is because she needs the babysitting money to afford her rent.
Death: While the young woman explores the house, we are given a glimpse into a room she never sees, where it’s clear the house’s original occupants have been ritualistically murdered, a fate that could befall her at any moment.
Monster/Villain: The satan-worshiping couple who hires her, their son, and a demon who are all after the young woman to complete a ritual during a lunar eclipse.
High Tension: She is entrapped in the remote house against her will because her only ride won’t answer the phone/has already been killed. Also she is given the number for a pizza place and when she calls, the couple’s son answers and brings her a drugged pizza that she unwittingly consumes. Then she is tied up and unable to escape, but even when she gets loose and runs away, she is told the ritual is complete and it is too late.
Departure from Reality: This is a situation outside of normal, daily life that includes sinister satan worshipers and a demon that kidnap people and perform rituals on them during a lunar eclipse.
Moral Statement: The moral statement could be that we subject ourselves to sketchy situations or unknown dangers in the single-minded pursuit of money, regardless of if there are red flags or not. Or the moral could be about not being naive or trusting of strangers, especially if their stories are inconsistent or keep changing.
There was a lot of creeping dread and atmosphere in this film. It was slow burn and unraveled slowly, but I wouldn’t say it was a great horror film because there could have been more creepy things around every corner. The writer/director did do a great 80’s throwback to horror films with the pacing, directing, acting, music, etc.
My Concept: A Seamless delivery person becomes trapped in a wealthy couple’s apartment.
Terrorize the Characters: The couple’s good intentions mask their evil agenda. The apartment is an entity itself, belching out supernatural horrors and psychological torment.
Isolation: He is waiting out a dangerous snowstorm and the weather makes escape impossible. Eventually, the power will go out.
Death: Other Seamless delivery drivers that came before him were murdered.
Monster/Villain: The wealthy couple and the apartment.
High Tension: He is entrapped against his will and by the weather, the couple is murderous, the apartment itself is an evil entity.
Departure from Reality: The murderous couple, the sinister setting, and the supernatural terror.
Moral Statement: Privilege, the pursuit of wealth and the elusive “American Dream”
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1. Ruby
2. 4 completed screenplays, but only one I’m really proud of.
3. I’ve written screenplays with horror elements before, but as a horror film lover I want to understand the concepts and nuances better as I begin working on my first full horror screenplay.
4. I’m a cat lady who owns zero cats, I love yarn crafts, cooking, DIY and am on my way to have visited all seven continents by 2025.
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Ruby
“I agree to the terms of this release form.”
As a member of this group, I agree to the following:
1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.
2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.
I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.
3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.
4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.
5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.
6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.
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Hi Bree! I grew up in Dallas, too, in Carrollton to be exact! Moved to NYC in 2006 and never looked back 😌