I was reading through the "Ideal Hero" thread earlier and that got me thinking about plots. I know there's no ideal plot as there are so many genres but it got me thinking about horror stories, especially movies where someone always goes to check out that noise in the basement armed with nothing more than a screwdriver (or even less) and never puts anything on their feet ... And they always answer the door, even when they are told not to ... So, if we could get rid of all the horror clichés and come up with a really good horror plot, what would it be?
One where all the characters are somewhat smart. Hmm now that I think of it, whenever I hear a weird sound outside the bedroom, I actually go and check it in only my underwear. Does that mean I'm a horror story candidate? (I guess that would depend on my underwear)
I'm tempted to say "My latest novel" but really, you get one of several things. The main characters play it very safe and nothing bad happens, or the monster gets to them anyway and they fight back in an organised way, in which case you get something similar to some modern zombie shows like "The Walking Dead", or the villain/monster is clever and the "victims" are killed anyway like the SAW films.
That level of paranoia might depend on actually knowing that they are in a horror flick? Maybe a zombie movie where they don't know the "rules" yet but they know the zombies are out there? I'd say that the characters would actually sleep in yoga clothing, the girly characters have jogging shoes while the non-girly characters are wearing boots. At least one person would be genre savvy, or at least that paranoid before they realize that it's horror.
I would like a horror where everyone gets scared shitless but no-one actually dies, maybe lose a hand or a foot - is that even possible? To have everyone walk away from 90 minutes of horror rather than one person (usually the wrong one) or, as in the case of a film I watched recently about a deserted nuclear reactor, no-one walks away. That ending really annoyed me.
I remember the sci-fi horror Sunshine - now I don't normally watch horror (did not know it was a horror) and I get scared super easily okay. But Sunshine was rather unusual in that everyone had pretty good logic to explain why they do what they do. In any case, they're not just stupid, basically. See if you like it.
I will look that one up, thanks! I won't watch Saw because it just creeps me out. I watched Woman in Black - loved the story element and absolutely loved the twist in the ending but if I'm honest, I just don't like being scared, especially when you know what's coming, it's just a case of waiting for it to happen. My kids hate it when we watch scary films and I sit there saying things like "right, this is where that guy gets it ... and look at that idiot going out there in the mud with no shoes, well she's definitely going to end up down the drain ... do you honestly think he would have survived that? give me a break ..."
Oh I watched Saw 2 - it's gross. Don't do it I just remembered a different horror - have you seen Black Swan? It's psychological and body horror - no monsters and nothing supernatural, but it freaked me out. Re the way you tell your kids about what's gonna happen next - that's exactly what my dad did when I was young, and he still does it now to all of the soaps and dramas my mum watches My mum gets very annoyed hahaha.
someone invents a dreamwalker that can kill you while you sleep. They "the dreamwalkers' can meet you in your dream and put a stop to your chocolates/ there, that better? I want half your earning, ok? edit. and you the dreamer, have only a certain time to wake up before you pop your clogs, so people time their nightly sleeps to set intervals to avoid dreaming until a scientist invents a pill to stop you dreaming. you must wear stripey pjarmas though or it wont work! AB. crazy as.
To me horror movies are only scary if a) No one does anything stupid and they still die/suffer b) The characters do stupid stuff but they still would have died if they were the smartest, most resourceful people in the world.
The monsters will think twice when they see me in my G-string! I guess the advantage that monsters have, is that no one thinks they exist. No one sees them coming. If I was to hear a noise in the cellar, I'd just think it was rats and go down armed with this, when I come down and face this, the result will be pretty straightforward. One plot idea could have to do with some form of drug/gas that makes the recipients see things that aren't real. And in the end, after killing all the foul monsters, the poor survivor realizes she has just murdered all her friends, or so she thinks, as she is sitting in the white padded room of an insane asylum. But I bet that has been done as well, everything is a cliche.
Those pictures are funny And oh gosh that story idea is gruesome *shudders* Sounds like an intriguing horror though IMO. I guess a similar story is Shutter Island. It's not horror, more psychological thriller. Seen it?
I'd say take all the cliche's and reverse 'em, the audience would go all "yeah, i know this- as always" until you smack 'em with the new unique twist. Instead of having a Dumb character like that, have smart ones, and just do the exact opposite of what might happen. Like instead of scaring people and vanishing, the spirit/monster/ghost thing is exceptionally nice or something, and people start dying so people blame this nice one- until it's revealed it's actually a person or something. Meh, that was a stupid example now wasn't it?
That story you mentioned sounds familiar, but I can't place it. There was probably an episode of a Ghostbusters cartoon that used the premise, but I'm thinking of a live-action movie. As far as recommended horror, "Cabin in the Woods"
Seriously? I just came up with that out of no where, wasn't too hard Never knew there was an actual thing like that.
I've heard of Black Swan but not watched it - I will look it up! Your poor Mum! but in all fairness, I'm on your Dad's side!
I like that idea! I may have to file that for future use ... Plans for my next project include murder/thriller but that's quite a way off at the moment.
Yes! I have actually seen that one! It lost me halfway through but by the end, I'd got back on track. I recently went to the cinema with my film buddy (we have cinema nights once every few months to get away from our respective husbands and kids) I think it was when we went to see World War Z. Anyway, they screened a trailer for a scary movie, can't remember what it was called but there was this woman who moved into a house with two kids and they used to play this game where the mum would clap and then the kids would clap back, but then this "thing" started playing too. The advert included a scene where this poor woman ends up sat on the top cellar step with the door closed behind her, it's pitch black and she lights a match, then these disembodied hands appear from behind her and clap! I screamed. I nearly wet my pants there and then in the cinema AT AN ADVERT! Last week, I dared myself to watch Mama, in broad daylight - I kept fast forwarding the scary bits and then rewinding them - it's not so scary at 12 times normal speed!
My suspension of disbelief goes out the window whenever there is a character who dies, not because they creature/person/force/demonic spirit etc. is indominable or because they are legitimately in a situation without hope, but rather they die because they are just and idiot. Then it stops being scary and turns into a roast flick. So, if you can come up with a plot for a horror story where everyone is smart, and their adversary is smarter, that would make me happy. It wouldn't have to be that original of a plot really, there are only so many potential ideas, it would just have to be well executed unlike most of the other stories in the genre. And, if there is a minority character, he/she must not, I repeat, MUST NOT die. lol
I hear you! I think it was in one of the spoof films that (I think it was one of the Wayans (sp) brothers) had a line that was something like "I'm not going in there, the black dude always dies first ..."
So, we need a horror that has: A group of smart people, No clichés, No deaths, (unless it's a dumb persons death) A story/good plot, A believable monster/ghost/entity/bad person, anything else?
Guns. It probably happens in 'Murica anyway, so unless it's in a no-issue state, chances are, at least some of the smarter characters would be packing CCWs. I think one of the main reasons for the lack of guns (for the good guys) in horror flicks is the fact that if you gave the college girl a gun, she'd shoot the bad guy in the first scene and end the badly written movie in five minutes. So yeah, guns and a plot that doesn't end before it starts because the good guys/gals have guns.
Or she'd shoot herself in the foot. Something else that annoys me, the girls are either so bad they scream at anything or are some kick-ass dragon slayer. How about a normal girl that is scared out of her mind but is just brave enough to come through the other side of the ordeal?
