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Slow start horror, will it work?

thefilmgeek

thefilmgeek

The first act of my screenplay lasts roughly 25-28 pages. It isn't until then that the horror elements start to be introduced (aka, the Zombies).

It's a horror/thriller/tragic love story... (lol, I know)

I just don't know if waiting until the second act to introduce the real horror elements, the zombies and etc, will keep people watching through act 1. Act 1 is just setting up the protag and his love interest and building towards how the zombies finally arrive (however they aren't even MENTIONED in the least until page 28). Up until that it's just more character driven with plot and build up into the catalyst that throws the story into zombie world, yar!

Any thoughts on if this will flop, or if an audience will lose interest before page 28? (barring epic-level boring writing in act 1)
 
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Have you seen "From Dusk 'Till Dawn"?

I dunno...

Cons:
-If the zombies are the big twist, then how are you going to market the film so the right audience still wants to see it?
-If you market the film as a zombie movie and there's no zombies in the beginning, people will get impatient and loose attention
-Dusk Til Dawn did it with Vampires

But that's not to say it can't work... if you do slow, creepy horror and take your time setting up things for later payoffs (like M. Night's Signs) it could actually be good. I think it depends on what the story is.... back to Dusk Til Dawn, that was a a great non-sequitur plot change from a quirky kidnapping drama into a vampire survival horror flick.
 
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Dusk 'Til Dawn is a good example, I forgot about that.

Act 1 will be setting up relationships, and the protagonists big flaws and what he does to create the problem. I'm using it to get a good grip on him and some other characters -- I'm tired of seeing horror movies where no one cares about the characters. I enjoy watching a movie where the characters feel real, and not just fodder for the rest of the horror to act upon, you know what I mean?
 
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You run the risk of someone believing it is a realistic drama and all of a sudden there are zombies, making it look a little silly, where if there were some sort of foreshadowing, this would not happen.
 
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i agree with APTULA....being a zombie movies fan i am always looking for horrible zombies ..and waiting for 30 mins for a zombie is a long time for me...i am not an expert of scriptwriting or a pro in filmmaking but being a viewer of zombie films i will never like to see a movie with no zombies in first 30 mins. the only case i can see a movie like this is if the first 30 mins have real suspence thats whats next and tension and lots of grip on every scene.

_______________________________
www.indie-filmmaking.blogspot.com
 
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Well, this isn't exactly a zombie movie. Yes, it has what could be construed as zombies, but that's not the point of the story. The story itself is drama/psychological thriller mostly, of course with horror because of the 'zombies' since act 2 has them. (but it's not like big hordes running around and just a hack and slash type film)

It's hard to explain, I suppose.

I just didn't want to bring in the second act too late, since the second act is a big change from act 1.
 
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thefilmgeek said:
Well, this isn't exactly a zombie movie. Yes, it has what could be construed as zombies, but that's not the point of the story. The story itself is drama/psychological thriller mostly, of course with horror because of the 'zombies' since act 2 has them. (but it's not like big hordes running around and just a hack and slash type film)

It's hard to explain, I suppose.

I just didn't want to bring in the second act too late, since the second act is a big change from act 1.
Click to expand...

As Indie said, you might want to consider just a glimpse of foreshadowing within the first 10 pages. Doesn't have to be much and it doesn't have to actually show zombies. Just some hint of the Antagonist or antagonistic force.

filmy
 
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Allow me to play devil's advocate here:

If it has "zombies" then it's "a zombie movie" (imo) -- and if you make a ZOMBIE FAN wait 28 minutes, you've lost them.

You can have a "love story" set during war, and it's not a war story, it's a love story.
You can has yer VAMPIRES in love with werewolves and it can still be an outre sort of LOVE STORY.

Zombies is zombies. Because (here's my point) the guys who BUY your movie need to know how to MARKET your movie. And that's where you hit the cold hard fact "zombies are zombies"

UNLESS you radically re-imagine what a "zombie" IS, so much so that you redefine a genre.

Secondly: as was mentioned above, (IN A SPEC SCRIPT) you HAVE to establish your conflict within the first TEN PAGES ... or you run the risk of the READER reading no further (no farther?) -- meaning the professional SCRIPT READER.

FORESHADOWING is good writing anyway: Have you thought about giving us a KILLER SPOOKY HORROR scene EARLY ON? That will buy you time (we hope) to develop your characters etc as you wish (even then, 28 pages is a LONG time to go zombieless, but I'm trusting you that it's still a killer 28 pages)

Anyway ... if you're just taking opinions: yes, starting with 28 pages ESPECIALLY in a "zombie" movie (where the fans of the genre may be very impatient) is a dangerous and bad and self-defeating idea, imo.
 
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Well if there is only ahint of zombies then you better keep it a secret from the audience. because if you will market the movie showing the zombies. They will take it as a zombie movie. and when finding no zombie, the movie will flop beause the film will not meet the expectations of audience. SO if there is only ahint of ZOMBIES then it better should be kept a secret. thats what i think.

I think it will be better if you trust us then forwards your written work so we can understand it in a better way.. or atleast consult the GURUS like film jumper
 
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I'm all for redefining the genre... LOL. Especially anything with zombies in it.

So if that's what you're attempting -- more power to you.

Having said that, I still think that somewhere within the first 10 pages, you need some hint or glimpse of the antagonist or antagonistic force.

Can you have MORE?

Of course.

But assuming your 28 pages are a killer 28 pages, I still think you need SOMETHING that, at the very least, HINTS of the antagonistic force you'll have going on.

Whether that's zombies or not... I have no clue because I haven't read your screenplay.

Good luck with it...

filmy
 
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Watch Psycho.

It would take exceptional skill to pull something like this off. People expect horror genre stuff when they go to a horror movie, so you have to deliver right away. Whether you do it through mood, atmosphere, foreshadowing....you have to keep their spider sense on alert at all times.

You don't have to bring out the zombies on page 1, but there are many other techniques to keep the audience on their toes from page 1. Otherwise, as others said here, you risk the film being taken to seriously at first and then it becomes more of a joke when the horror comes about later on.

Best of luck.
 
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I think I made a big mistake by mentioning zombies lol.

And just as a footnote, I will be shooting this feature myself. :) I'm my own producer, so no readers to worry about, thankfully!

It has what you I suppose would call zombies, but they aren't the driving force of the film.

The main point of the film is a psychological thriller and tragic love story, however of course during act two, what you would call a 'zombie' does make quite an appearance here and there (just as part of the natural progression of the story).

If I were shooting an actual zombie film I'd bang out zombies within the first 15 pages probably, but this isn't that at all. I want the audience to grip on characters as written, and follow the thriller/love part of it. Sure they'll be like "Hey, whoa, that's a pretty big twist there..." when the zombies pop up, but I don't want them going "Oh thank GOD, zombies! NOW the movie is getting started!"

I guess I just sort of misconveyed the theme to you guys.
 
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“Will it flop”

Not if - as filmy says - the first 25-28 pages are amazing.

Jijenji points out an excellent example. Another example is “From
Dusk 'til Dawn” and I know a lot of people who say they loved the
first part and hate the rest of it. That was one hell of a turn
if you didn’t know what you were getting when you first started.

It’s not just “epic-level boring writing” that could make your attempt
fail. There are many other aspects that could hurt an attempt
like this. Even excellent writing won’t save it if it’s not
logical.

Why are you telling your story this way?
 
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It's just the way I pictured the movie in my head and it's how it just naturally progressed as I wrote it. I really want it this way, and feel really good about it this way, so I'm going with it. Before Act 2 kicks off, I want the audience to have a solid grip on the protagonist and know his life. I cannot stand horror movies that kick off the movie within 5 minutes when all you know is a characters name, and that they were the quarterback at the high school. (I use horror as an example, because that's typically the genre that pulls this crap)

And, you know, after reading all this and giving it some serious thought, I've decided just to eradicate the zombie element from the movie altogether, I don't want to confuse the audience as to what type of movie it is. I can replace it with something else.
 
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Tough to tell

If the movie is meant to be fun, it might just work. But this is all subjective, based on our personal tastes. Is the script good? If so and you believe in it, then it works for you. I personally think there are no right or wrong ways to write a script. I mean, if the audience loves your movie, then you succeeded. If the audience hates your movie, you'll have to learn what you can and move on.

It's that simple.

Are you working with any folks who could provide feedback on your writing?
 
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I read what you're saying but it certainly doesn't take 28 pages for us to get to know your Protagonist...

If you do it correctly, we should have an outstanding feel for him or her within 5 pages... Even less if you really know what you're doing.

But no matter... If this is the way you want to go -- do it!

Good luck!

filmy
 
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You sound devoted to your vision, which is a good thing, creative driving force should be allowed to drive! On the other hand, a car has mirrors so the driver can still see the road from a healthy variety of perspectives!

There are all sorts of ways a narrative can be told, or telling it approached. PULP FICTION, anyone? What's the famous one you hear quoted too, about different characters' telling the same event from contradictory and differing perspectives, RASHOMON?

Anyway ... to your point of revealing your protag early on ... if you haven't read it, there's a much discussed book about screenwriting and character development called SAVE THE CAT.

It gives the example of a police character in SEA OF LOVE (from the 1980's?) ... there is a very great early scene that reveals and establishes his character, underneath his "hard cop" facade ...

The advice to screenwriters is how to reveal & build your characters: have them SAVE THE CAT, or do some similar character-revealing deed, early on.

That book might give you insights, if you haven't read it. But it sounds like that's what you're wanting, to build your characters first so your audience cares about them as the action builds?
 
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Yep, basically. The script will end up being roughly 100 pages now that I've reviewed all my outlines and work. The first 28 pages is Act 1, before any crap hits the fan.

By the time page 30 hits and Act 2 is swinging, I want the audience to really care about what is happening to the protagonist, and not just associate a name and face with him.

The movies I hate the most are the ones with weak protagonists, who are just a face, a name, and maybe a basic idea of who they are like "the jock guy" or "new kid in town."
 
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Well i have a question from everyone. Do you think in today's real world audience can wait for 28 to 30 minutes to get to know about protagonists and his life?

I mean normally in hollywood pattern 28 pages roughly mean 28 mins. SO will the audience wil lreally sit and spend time to know about protagonists? Isnt it too long duration?


The question is not specifically related to thefilmgeek's script. Just a general question related to horror and suspence genre.





By the way thefilmgeek i dont think a script with 28 mins will make your protagonists fimiliar with audience. I mean if you are good you can do this in a short time too. And if you are not good then even 28 mins are less.
Only a suggestion
 
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This remeinds me of The Prestige in a way. (spoiler alert)

I watched that film expecting to see a serious, realistic, 'could be a true story' film about rival magicians in the 1800s. Then once the science fiction element kicked in I completely turned off from the film because it was not what I thought it would be. Its like watching an authentic looking WW2 film then towards the end of act 2 superman makes an appearance.

You cant have a zombie, which is something supernatural however you swing it, just appear in the middle of the film without letting the viewer know what kind of film they are watching right from the start.
 
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