Writing a Horror Film

From researching, I found that the four elements that are essential in any horror film are ‘isolation, desolation, lost cause and redemption’. I decided to look further into these four elements.

Isolation

The hero of your story should be separated mentally or physically from everyone else. Physically they may be living alone or have moved to somewhere remote and deserted. This means that they can get no outside help creating the perfect situation for horror. Examples of this can be seen in Psycho where the main character Marion Crane goes to stay at the isolated Bates motel where no other guests are present. Another example is Jim in 28 Days Later who wakes up from his coma in a deserted hospital to find London also completely deserted. It is usually a situation which they cannot escape for example the hotel in The Shinning.

Desolation

The hero must have a flaw. In desperation, they may run into a worse situation whilst trying to find a safer place. For example in Psycho, we see that stressed and fatigued from the heavy rain, Marion decides to take a break at the Motel, which is a bad decision to make.

Lost Cause

This is when the evil begins to become successful in attacking the victim, and is usually the point when people start dying in horror films. We can see this in A Nightmare on Elm Street where the ghost of a serial child murderer, Freddy Krueger, murders both characters Tina and Rod. The hero is usually reduced at this point in the story.

Redemption

This is when the hero is redeemed for their mistake and has to pay back. They may die at the end. We can see this in Don’t Look Now when even though John Baxter had been warned by the psychic woman that he was in danger and must leave Venice, he did not listen and this was his fatal flaw. In the end he gets murdered by the serial killer in Venice. This however is not necessary as we see in some cases, the hero may face his fear and overcome it after investigating the truth behind the horror.