“It’s just torture and murder.
No plot, no characters, very realistic.
I think it’s the next thing.”
“Then God help us all.”
(Videodrome, 1983)
Whether you are an author, a screenwriter, a filmmaker, or just a curious fan, this site will become your personal resource to telling stories in the horror genre. Our vision is to provide an inspiring and motivating guidance that will teach you how to become a better horror storyteller. 1
The approach is unique and simple. By researching the horror genre from every possible angle you will discover how to create a compelling and powerful story. You will access practical advice and techniques that put you ahead of the competition while studying the ConstructingHorror.com site.
Imagine the possibilities and advantages you will gain as a creator of horror, if you know how to move the mind and trigger the imagination of the audience.
ConstructingHorror.com is also developing products to take the genre to another level, so sign up for the newsletter to keep updated.
Free Exclusive Audio Interviews:
At ConstructingHorror.com you can listen to some of the greatest minds of the genre sharing their wisdom and knowledge through hours of easy accessible interviews!
In our free, ever-expanding audio library, you will find an amazing amount of insight into the art and crafts of horror storytelling. Authors and screenwriters unveil their secrets on writing horror. Find out how to create empathy, or explore the primal fears that send shivers up the spine of your core audience. You can hear some of the leading filmmakers of the horror genre reveal how to tell a story with visuals and sound, spanning from pre- to post production. Top scholars teach us why we like to be frightened again and again, what horror means on a deeper level, about the psychology of evil, the mythology of monsters and the neurology of fear and what we can learn if we look at horror through the eyes of history, religion and politics.
Authors and Screenwriters;
Peter Atkins:
Hellraiser II – Hellbound, Wishmaster and Prisoners of the Sun
James Bonnet:
Stealing Fire from The Gods
Sara Caldwell: [Go to Audio Interview]
Splatter Flicks: How to Make Low-Budget Horror Films and Jumpstart your Awesome Film Company
Peter Engelmann: Screenwriter of The Forest Dark , and Script Editor of Anatomy I, II
John Fasano: [Go to Audio Interview]
Darkness Falls and Alien 3
Ray Garton:
Live Girls, The Loveliest Dead, and Ravenous
Jack Ketchum: [Go to Audio Interview]
The Girl Next Door, The Lost, and Red
Sarah Langan:
The Keeper and The Missing
Tim Lebbon:
Dusk, Berserk and White
Deborah LeBlanc: [Go to Audio Interview]
Morbid Curiosity, A House Divided, and Grave Intent
David Morrell:
First Blood, The Totem, and Creepers
Tom Piccirilli:
A Choir of Ill Children, Midnight Road and November Mourns
Sara Pinborough:
The Hidden, The Reckoning and Breeding Ground
Charles Edward Pogue :
The Fly and Psycho III
Alexandra Sokoloff:[Go to Audio Interview]
The Harrowing, The Price and The Unseen
Stephen Susco:
The Grudge, The Grudge 2 and Zero Dark Thirty
Stanley Wiater:[Go to Audio Interview]
Dark Thoughts, Dark Visions and Dark Dreamers
F. Paul Wilson:
The Keep, Pelts, and Repairman Jack
Stephen Volk:[Go to Audio Interview]
Gothic, Afterlife, and Telepathy
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro:
The Saint-Germain cycle, A Mortal Glamour and Apprehensions and Other Delusions
Filmmakers;
John Axelrad:
Picture Editor of Slither, Messengers and Boogeyman
Jason Ballantine: Picture Editor of Wolf Creek and Rogue
Tom Holland:[Go to Audio Interview]
Writer of Psycho II, Writer/Director of Child’s Play, Fright Night and Director of Masters of Horror
Alfons Conde: Composer of The Abandoned, La Hora fría and No-Do
Jeff Danna: Composer of Resident Evil:Apocalypse, Silent Hill and Fracture
Kris Fenske: Sound Designer of Masters of Horror and White Noise 2
Will Files:
Sound Designer of Cloverfield and Assistant Sound Designer of War of the Worlds and Darkness Falls
Mick Garris:
Producer, Writer/Director of Amazing Stories, Freddy’s Nightmares, The Stand, and Creator of Masters of Horror
Chris Gill: Picture Editor of 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, The Dark, Sunshine and Outpost
Alan Howarth:[Go to Audio Interview] Sound Desiger / Special Sound Effects of Poltergeist, The Thing, Army of Darkness, and Dracula. Composer of Halloween 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Children of The Living Dead, Headless Horseman, and Evilution
Niven Howie:
Picture Editor of Dawn of the Dead, Godsend and Resident Evil:Extinction
William Malone:
Director of House on Haunted Hill and Masters of Horror, Writer/Director of Parasomnia
Greg McLean:
Writer /Director of Wolf Creek and Rouge
John Marquis:
Sound Designer on Dead Birds, Frankenfish and Lake Placid 2
Ed Marx:[Go to Audio Interview]
Picture Editor of Jeepers Creepers, Jeepers Creepers II and Wrong Turn 2
Mike Mendez:
Director of The Gravedancers
John Ottman:[Go to Audio Interview]
Composer of House of Wax, Hide and Seek, and Gothika. Director/Composer/Picture Editor of Urban Legend: Final Cut
Daniel Pearl:
Director of Photography on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre(1974), Invaders From Mars, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) and Alien Vs Predator – Requiem
Christian Sebaldt:
Cinematographer of Resident Evil: Apocalypse, The Dark and Parasomnia
David Sonnenschein:
Sound Designer of I’d Rather Be Dancing and Dreams Awake
Robb Sullivan:
Picture Editor of Rise, Possession and See No Evil
Ethan Van der Ryn:
Sound Designer / Supervising Sound Editor of The Haunting, The Ring 2, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and King Kong
Scholars and Researchers;
Dr. Eduardo Andrade:[Go to Audio Interview]
PhD, researcher of the attraction of horror and the psychology of marketing
Timothy K Beal:
PhD, author of Religion and Its Monsters
Stephen A. Diamond:
PhD, author of Anger, Madness and the Daimonic
Lisa Feldman Barrett:
PhD, a social psychologist and researcher of the affect science and human emotion
Cynthia Freeland:
PhD, author of The Naked and the Undead
David D. Gilmore:
PhD, author of Monster: Evil Beings, Mythical Beasts, and All Manner of Imaginary Terrors
Jeffrey Goldstein:
PhD, Editor of Why We Watch: The Attraction of Violent Entertainment, author of The Psychology of Humor
Igor Ledochowski:
Master Hypnotist, author of The Deep Trance Training
Manual Vol. 1
Dr. Joseph LeDoux:[Go to Audio Interview]
PhD, neuroscientist and author of The Emotional Brain and Synaptic Self
Dr. Adam Lowenstein:[Go to Audio Interview]
PhD, author of Shocking Representation: Historical Trauma, National Cinema, and the Modern Horror Film
Cary Morrison:[Go to Audio Interview]
PhD, author of Creature Conflict, an essay
Kendall R. Phillips:
PhD, author of Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture
Tony Magistrale:
PhD, author of Abject Terrors Surveying the Modern And Postmodern Horror Film and Hollywood’s Stephen King
J. Randall Groves:
PhD, author of Monster, The Post-Human and History, an essay
Kirk J. Schneider:
PhD, author of Horror and the Holy and _The Paradoxical Self: Toward an Understanding of Our Contradictory Nature
Glenn Walters:
PhD, The Criminal Lifestyle: Patterns of Serious Criminal Conduct and Understanding the Popular Appeal of Horror Cinema: An Integrated-Interactive Model
Paul J. Whalen:
PhD, selected publications: Human amygdala responsivity to masked fearful eye whites and A functional MRI study of human amygdala responses to facial expressions of fear vs. anger
William Whittington:
PhD, author of Sound Design and Science Fiction
THE ARCHIVES – Articles and reviews:
You also gain FREE access to the ConstructingHorror.com Archive where Articles and Reviews will help you learn how to write the horror screenplay, understand horror storytelling and educate you on what to do and what not to do with your script in both the writing process, the pre-production process, and the post production process where cinematography, picture editing, sound design and music all come together to form one massive body of terror. All this is done with the unique content on the site that explores the structure and techniques of horror movies from all over the world.
1 “Storytelling is the ancient art of conveying events in words, images, and sounds. Stories have probably been shared in every culture and in every land as a means of entertainment, education, preservation of culture and to instill knowledge and values/morals. Crucial elements of storytelling include plot and characters, as well as the narrative point of view. Stories are frequently used to teach, explain, and/or entertain.”
Source; Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.