Writing a horror screenplay is unlike writing any other type of screenplay. In addition to telling a story, a horror movie script must also scare the audience and give them the adrenaline rush they’ve come to expect from the horror genre.
Horror screenwriting is a unique craft that requires a balance between storytelling and fear-inducing elements. To truly grip an audience, a horror script must build suspense, create unsettling atmospheres, and deliver unexpected twists.
Horror is a genre of film that’s scary for the purpose of entertainment. Horror movies prey on viewers’ biggest fears and worst nightmares, leaving them with a sense of dread and a rush of adrenaline.
Writing horror films is an art that blends suspense, fear, and psychological tension
Here are some key elements to consider:
- Horror thrives on unique ideas: Whether it’s a supernatural entity, psychological horror, or a slasher film, your premise should be fresh and unsettling.
- Building Atmosphere: Horror thrives on mood. Whether it’s eerie silence, unsettling visuals, or a creeping sense of dread, setting the right tone is crucial.
- Character Development: A strong horror story needs compelling characters. Audiences need to care about the characters to feel the stakes. Give them depth, flaws, and motivations.
- Pacing & Tension: Horror isn’t just about jump scares—it’s about building tension gradually, making the audience uneasy before delivering the fright. Create tension through pacing, eerie atmosphere, and unsettling moments.
- Subverting Expectations: The best horror films surprise viewers. Twisting familiar tropes or playing with audience assumptions can make a film truly terrifying.
- Themes & Symbolism: Many horror films explore deeper fears—societal anxieties, personal trauma, or existential dread—giving them lasting impact. The best horror films tap into universal fears.
- Master the Art of Surprise – Subvert expectations and avoid clichés to keep viewers on edge.
- Write Visually – Horror is a visual genre. Use descriptions that evoke fear and unease.
Tips and Tricks for Writing Horror Screenplays
Here’s how to make your horror screenplay scarier:
- Take the audience inside the mind of your main character. The closeness to the character’s experience will make their fear more real. You want viewers to identify with the protagonist and experience the horror as their own.
- Hook viewers right away. Quickly introduce the main characters, time, and place so the audience is invested in the action. Start with a shocking first scene to set the tone right away.
- Tap into your own fears and use them to your advantage. Think about what spooked you as a kid or still scares you now and access that same feeling of panic when you set up a scene.
- Turn normal, familiar locations into scary places. Instead of using tired horror backdrops like a spooky European castle, try everyday settings like regular neighborhoods, schools, and backyards. This lets people identify with the setting and picture themselves in the middle of the action.
- Master the art of building suspense. The secret to suspense is the unknown. You need to write scenes in which the character doesn’t know something: what’s pounding on the door, what’s scraping across the ceiling, how to find their way home. Build suspense by heightening sensory details and slowing down the pacing of the action of choice moments, like when something bad is about to happen.
- Subvert expectations. Identify a trope within the scary movie genre and find a new way to tell the story. Audiences will think they know what to expect, but you can pleasantly surprise them with a fresh take on a classic horror movie.
- Borrow from your influences. Watch horror movies and read horror novels to improve the quality of your writing. Ideas are often generated by absorbing story concepts from other screenwriters and authors.
Balancing Horror With Humor
Avoid putting too much horror in your screenplay. If you pile on one terrible thing after another, it’ll feel too absurd and audiences won’t buy it. Use humor to keep the story entertaining and from getting too scary. It’s a great way to achieve the proper balance between fantasy and real life. If a roller coaster only did twists and turns the whole time, it wouldn’t be as fun to ride.
The Exorcism / Knock At The Cabin / MA / Malignant / Never Let Go / Speak No Evil / Talk To Me / Thanksgiving / Saw X
