The Art of Making Horror Films

By Sean Breathnach

The Art of Making Horror Movies is a guide book for aspiring filmmakers who want to make horror movies. It uses Sun Tzu's classic text, The Art of War, as the foundation for discussing the art and craft of making horror films. This book explores the strategies and tactics of creating successful horror films, from scripting and pre-production through to post-production. You will learn how to use Sun Tzu's teachings to create suspense and tension, and how to use the principles of the book to produce top quality horror films. The Art of Making Horror Movies is a must-have guide for any budding horror filmmaker.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sean Breathnach
• Release date: Mar 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215294567

Sean Breathnach

Seán Breathnach is an Irish film director, writer and producer. His award winning films have been screened at film festivals all over the world. His debut feature film "Beyond the Woods" was released in 2018 to critical acclaim, and it was Empire Magazine's DTV must see in the June 2018 edition of the magazine. He runs the popular YouTube channel IrishHorror.com. His work has been showcased in the Irish embassy in London as an example of contemporary Irish film making. He has served on juries and industry panels at international film festivals. He is a founder member of Egomotion, a group set up to encourage film-making and networking in Ireland. He enjoys damn fine coffee and good conversation.

Book preview

Chapter 1: Know Your Enemy

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.       Sun Tzu

What is it that you love about horror movies? Why is it that you want to create a horror movie? You need to know what you love about horror movies, and to understand what your audience loves about horror movies to be capable of creating a great horror movie.

You may well know what you love about horror movies, but how can you find out what your audience finds frightening?

One way to find out is by watching horror movies, but I presume you already do this since you want to make horror films. You can also listen to horror podcasts and engage with horror fans on social media. I got into horror through books. I read Stephen King, Dean R Koontz and James Herbert voraciously as a child. That set the stage for me.

Some would say that you should observe current trends in the horror genre, and determine what has been successful in recent years. This isn’t a route I would choose as I think great horror is timeless – it’s not about what’s in vogue right now. Your goal should be to create something great, not just horror content. The horror fandom isn’t stupid and won’t be fooled by substandard, generic films. Offer them something new, don’t simply follow trends. That’s not to say that you can’t learn from trends, but don’t try to recreate what’s already been done – put your own mark on it, make your film unique.

It can be important (particularly if you’re talking to producers about funding your film) to understand the demographic of your target audience. For example, if your target audience is teenagers, you may want to focus on jump scares and suspenseful moments. If your target audience is older, you may want to focus on psychological horror and more subtle scares. Knowing your audience will help you make a movie that resonates with them and their fears and provides them with a terrifying (in a good way!) experience. Ultimately, the key to successfully scaring the audience is to understand what scares them. Start with what scares you, and go from there.

The enemy could also be the source of fear in the film, whether it be a monster, a haunted location, or a supernatural force. Take a deep dive into the audience's fears and phobias. For example, many people are afraid of the dark, confined spaces, or the unknown. Some are afraid of spiders and snakes. Some are afraid of losing their minds. There are lots of things that terrify us. Incorporate these fears into your film and you’ll be able to create a sense of unease and dread in your audience. If you’re trying to think of an idea for a horror film, you could start with people’s phobias (or your own phobias) and work from there.

Maybe the enemy is racism or fascism or any number of dangers that our society faces which you want to explore in a horror movie.

Another enemy is generic horror. To know this enemy, you must first research the horror genre, its history, and its conventions. This will help you to understand what has worked in the past and what has not, as well as to identify any recurring themes and motifs that can be used to your advantage. It will help you avoid repeating what has already been done. You can’t afford to be lazy – put the work in at the start to avoid making a generic by-the-numbers horror film. Make something