Sense of Dread: Getting Under the Skin of Horror Screenwriting

"A Sense of Dread consists of three main sections. First, we examine in detail the biological, psychological, and cultural bases of fear. What are the fears that we share with animals? What fears are uniquely human? What fears do we learn from our culture? From our families? From our experience of growing up? And what, exactly, is the difference between fear and dread-that emotion at the heart of the experience of terror that we seek to create when we write a horror movie? Second, we discuss the fundamentals of storytelling and scriptwriting, including the basics of story structure, creating effective protagonists and antagonists, "want vs. need," exposition and set-ups, and advice on writing dialogue. Third, we combine these ideas to mine the roots of human fear and apply them to storytelling for the screen. "The Toolbox of Dread" outlines various means and methods of creating terror on the page. We also discuss a wide array of horror subgenres, why they exist, and what challenges each one presents to the horror screenwriter. Guidance on adding horror elements to non-horror movies is also included. Finally, we seek to answer the question that many people ask: Why horror?"--
Stevens, a screenwriter and story editor who specializes in the horror genre and teaches screenwriting, explores the concepts of fear and sense of dread and their use in horror films, with examples and exercises. He discusses the biological basis of the fear, its connection to human psychology, fears based in culture, how to create a sense of dread in a screenplay, and examples from his work. Annotation ©2022 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
A Sense of Dread features three main sections. 1) A detailed examination of the biological, psychological, and cultural bases of fear. What fears do we share with animals? What fears are uniquely human? What fears have we learned from our culture? From our families? From our experiences growing up? And what, exactly, is the difference between fear and dread? 2) A Sense of Dread then combines these ideas to explore the roots of human fear and apply them to storytelling for the screen. “The Toolbox of Dread” outlines the techniques for creating terror on the page. A wide array of horror subgenres are also explored, including why they exist, and what challenges each presents to the horror screenwriter. 3) Author Neal Marshall Stevens puts Theory into Practice, using examples from his own work to demonstrate how to apply his “toolbox” and the principles of “Dread” to put real scares into the pages of a screenplay. Finally, we seek to answer the question many people ask: What are you afraid of?
A Sense of Dread features three main sections. 1) A detailed examination of the biological, psychological, and cultural bases of fear. What fears do we share with animals? What fears are uniquely human? What fears have we learned from our culture? From our families? From our experiences growing up? And what, exactly, is the difference between fear and dread? 2) A Sense of Dread then combines these ideas to explore the roots of human fear and apply them to storytelling for the screen. “The Toolbox of Dread” outlines the techniques for creating terror on the page. A wide array of horror subgenres are also explored, including why they exist, and what challenges each presents to the horror screenwriter. 3) Author Neal Marshall Stevens puts Theory into Practice, using examples from his own work to demonstrate how to apply his “toolbox” and the principles of “Dread” to put real scares into the pages of a screenplay. Finally, we seek to answer the question many people ask: What are you afraid of?