by Devin Watson
The book opens with a short introduction to the author, Devin Watson, and how his personal love affair with horror began. Then, through the first couple of chapters, Devin takes us through a cinematic history of horror movies, from the earliest films of the 1920’s and 1930’s, through the atomic monsters of the 50’s, the rise of the slasher film in the 80’s and bringing us right up to date. As interesting a history lesson as this is, the real purpose here is to make sure the reader understands that horror films are not only about the shocks and screams that are on the screen, but that great horror movies hold a mirror up to society, reflecting its collective fears and providing often bold commentary on the state of the nation. Yes, Devin Watson is clearly a man who knows his horror.
After a brief explanation of different types of fear we start writing, and this is where the book really comes into its own. What Mr Watson does is explain the elements of crafting a horror screenplay for the reader to understand and then he starts writing one, right there, in front of you, so you can read it section-by-section and see how he puts the lessons into practice. It’s an inspired approach because as you’re reading his screenplay you can see what he has done and how he has incorporated the lessons, but also how he has avoided being obvious in his storytelling, how he keeps the mystery alive and how he sets stuff up for later on. It’s quite brilliant.
Along the way he takes time to talk about plotting, characters, dialogue, all mainstream fare, and there are some digressions to talk about software and copyright and some other stuff but it is the writing of the screenplay – keeping up the pace, raising the stakes, making your idea really sing – and the application of those real-world lessons that make this book stand apart.
For anyone wanting to write a horror screenplay or simply just interested in the mechanics of horror writing, this is without doubt the book of choice. Devin Watson doesn’t just teach the reader, he collaborates with the reader, taking a much maligned genre very seriously. From it’s cinematic history to the nature of the beast, he walks us through every step of what makes great horror – theme, emotion, commentary – and he does it in such an engaging, conversational style that it’s easy to forget he also knows far too many ways to kill a man.
Horror Screenwriting: The Nature of Fear