If you like horror movies, it will only be a matter of time before you want to make your own. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Steps
Step 1. Get a "scary" idea for your movie
However, make sure it's good and not too obvious. When the "scary" fact or character manifests itself, make it as terrifying as possible. The idea could be even more frightening if you play the card of "mysterious noises," ghost appearances ", monsters etc …
Step 2. Transform the idea into a story or plot
A good way to get ideas is to use the "brainstorming" technique; once done you can choose the best option among those you have thought of and write the story. Make sure you always have a story before you start filming, or the result may seem too obvious and obvious.
Step 3. Find the right location to shoot the movie
A wood (especially at night) might be a good idea; shacks, old wooden and abandoned houses are other great options. Make sure you have the necessary permissions before you start shooting.
Step 4. Find a cast who is motivated and eager to play a role in your film
They don't necessarily have to have a lot of experience as actors; however, the choice also depends on the complexity of the roles. Make sure they are willing to be directed and take orders from the director.
Step 5. Add suspenseful, moody music
Make it scratchy in the movie's highlights; especially during the terror scenes.
Step 6. Make sure you have a killer / monster / whatever
For some reasons, killers who don't speak are more frightening. Make sure their motive is simple (revenge or insanity may be fine).
Step 7. Make the center of the play something completely ordinary (eg a paper bag, telephone, doorbell, television, videotape)
.. If you do it right, it will surely be scary!
Step 8. Think of a sudden reversal of perspective in the plot (at the end or in the middle of the film)
Step 9. Add some good special effects (if the blood looks like ketchup, you won't scare anyone
Try using tomato sauce or soup instead. It will look more realistic). If you decide to leverage special effects, do it right. It has been shown that a sudden moment of suspense without violence and blood is more frightening to the viewer who, thanks to the imagination, is led to imagine the worst possible resolution of the scene. Think of the film "Hide and Seek" by De Niro… The fear lies in the suspense, not in the blood or in the realism of the surrounding elements.
Step 10. Make sure you use good special effects
If necessary, use Hitfilm 2. A more expensive alternative is Adobe After Effects. Remember, however, that effects such as explosions or fires might seem out of place and in bad taste in a horror movie. The most suitable ones could be environmental effects such as: fog, dust, colored particles etc …
If you talk about a murder in your film, make it more realistic by cutting out pieces of articles or headlines from the newspapers (For example: cut out photos and headlines from mortuary announcements, missing persons announcements, etc.) Later, use them to support the plot.) [ps: never use real people's names]
Step 11. After shooting the entire movie, download it to your computer
Often the part dedicated to the edition can be fun, but also frustrating, if you think that with a single click you could risk deleting one of the scenes or most of them.
Step 12. At the middle of the editing process, set a launch date
Prepare billboards and hang them near the school or on the streets of your neighborhood. At first, only invite people you know well.
Advice
- Watch TV shows like: "Mysteries" for example. They will give you a lot of ideas. What is disturbing is scary. The Exorcist, You Want to Know a Secret, and When a Stranger Calls are films so disturbing that they are among the scariest in cinematic history.
- In the case of a sequel, never change the original ending to get an audience reaction. The audience will be confused and the story will be labeled "non-original".
- Be bold with your ideas! Use any ideas that can shake the audience and get a reaction from them. Don't be afraid to be "too extreme"; the edition phase serves precisely to "smooth out" these small details.
- Analyze the horror movies you know and try to figure out what makes them scary. Don't steal anyone's ideas; the public will notice that this is plagiarism. Be as original as possible!
- Start practicing with shorts. They are fun, easy and excellent for creating new ideas.
- Practice a little with different themes and ideas.
- You could start with an approach similar to that of "Paranormal activity" to generate a kind of "shock documentary" … (with the use of a video camera with no accompanying music, you will be able to create suspense.)
- Make sure you have a specific plan before you start shooting the film: don't get caught up in uncontrolled enthusiasm; write the script as soon as possible, but try to first write a brief summary of the whole plot in three parts (beginning, middle and final). Thanks to this summary you will be able to generate new ideas for each of the key moments of the film.
- Define the characters well and describe them in detail; the public will grow fond of those traits of their character that they consider most interesting. The public will be fascinated.
- Read articles about real murder cases; they will help you better understand the motives and dynamics of these facts (in this way the film will seem more believable).
- Just before the scariest scene, insert a normal (or calmer) scene. Then, out of nowhere, you make something really scary happen. It will be much less predictable and, therefore, more frightening. However, don't make it too obvious; for example: "Alice is walking in the woods when suddenly a masked killer jumps out from behind a tree and kills her." Let the moment "take hold" of the viewer and take him by the throat; for example: a tree that comes to life and suddenly swallows Alice; or: the killer makes himself found at the victim's house by pretending to be someone he knows and attacks her within the walls of his own house.
- Make sure you don't make it unrealistic. The more realistic it is, the scarier the movie will be.
- In the film, you make a (momentary) escape seem possible, but create a credible event that makes it impossible (like cops who are forced to answer another call and do not go to check the victim's house).
- Use high quality video editing software and not freeware downloadable from the Internet. Here is a series of software that might be right for you: Adobe Premiere, Avid Media Composer, Apple Final Cut Express, and Sony Vegas.
- If you want to make it truly creepy, try turning your creepy characters into truly creepy beings. For example, if you want to include some creepy dolls make sure they are lifelike, with glass eyes, flawless porcelain skin, rather than cute plastic dolls.
- If you plan on a sequel, don't change it too drastically from the first part. (For example: "Jimmy died in the first movie from a blow to the head. Jimmy died in the second movie gutted and buried alive").
- There is a big difference between scary and gory! Wes Craven is a good example of this. However, even if the "gore" genre isn't that scary, you don't necessarily want to include it in your film. Just make sure the movie isn't entirely dependent on it. Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most famous directors of horror films and he never used the "gore" technique or overly violent scenes in his feature films. Most of his films are "scary" and not "gore or splatter".
- If you find a kind of improvised acting more original, push the actors in that direction !! Many famous films were shot without a predetermined script. Just try to keep the intentions of the film clear and don't get carried away.
- Get honest and trustworthy people to read your script, not just friends. Let them tell you which parts they liked and which ones need some tweaking. Remember that what you write and don't like may be liked by someone else.
- If you think you won't be able to work on the project on your own, get a friend to help you, especially in the brainstorming phase.
- This point could be associated with 6; make something that normally inspires confidence in the source of unrest (a nurse, a computer, etc.) The best things are the very things that people depend on; a pity that television has already been exploited too much.
- Basing the plot on real events (or saying it) makes it all the more scary. "Don't Open That Door" is a film based on the true story of killer Ed Gein. You can take a cue from real events by exaggerating the facts. "The Blair Witch Project" was initially passed off as a real movie; even if it was later specified that it was not, it had its effect on the public (also because the facts may have actually taken place).
- Harassers usually generate fear (if you can get the idea right).
- Mythical creatures (vampires, werewolves, witches) can be scary at times, but don't count too much on them. They are characters who constantly reinvent themselves, but they are more part of the "fantasy" genre than the horror one.
- Sometimes a quick and "possible" ending has a good effect on the film in general.
- If you want to make a horror movie make sure you have good actors … (and not your five year old sister)
- It is recommended to use a high resolution (HD) camera; it is definitely a good choice!
- Avoid using soundtracks that have already been used in other popular movies.
- Make sure the actors know how to act - it's a bad idea to have non-credible actors!
- Don't plan endless sequels. "Friday the 13th" had a lot of sequels. Everyone knew exactly what to expect with each new sequel coming out. The same thing happened with "Saw": a new sequel to the year. After seeing the first and the second, the surprise effect has disappeared. If you do, your movies will end up not being that scary. If you're planning a sequel, make sure it's really the continuation of the story. For example, avoid having Jimmy die in the first movie by a stab, the sequel drowned and the third movie killed by an explosion.
- Make sure you are using realistic items. If you show a gun in the film, try to avoid using a blatantly plastic one.
- If your little brother or sister is around while filming, make sure they keep a safe distance from the camera (unless they are participating in the film as an actor).
- Make sure that your friends (actors) like the movie and that they feel personally involved in the project, so as not to complicate things.
- Pick a title that makes sense. If your film is called "Sunshine" and it has nothing to do with the title itself, it would be better to think about something else.
- Add some "pepper" to it. Get to kill the person the public intended for survival from the start. Change the sweet and innocent girl into the murderer's accomplice. Think of something no one would expect.
- If you want to use a soundtrack, don't exploit it on too many occasions. Don't overuse the music for the movie or the audience will know what's about to happen too early.
- Also, when you use music, it's a great idea to use it on specific occasions; for example, when "Jimmy is staring at the girl through the bathroom mirror and, turning around, can't find her." These techniques frighten viewers tremendously.
- Try to keep viewers in constant tension; don't let the rhythm of the film make them recline and relax too much. The film "Insidious" is up to half scary for some people: revealing the demon behind the story can eliminate the tension and mystery factor for those people for whom this figure is not particularly disturbing.
- The happy ending and the dramatic ending were both hugely exploited in most of the films. However, it is possible to create an ending that, although it seems happy, hides a sad or dramatic side. This type of ending is called "Inferred Holocaust" in English. For example, the few survivors at the end of the tale seem to have made it, but the announcement of the imminent invasion of a group of extraterrestrials on earth makes their death inevitable.
- If you are taking a filmmaking class, you will probably be allowed to use an element from a famous movie; for example, the use of the concept of a videotape which, when viewed, produces the viewer's death after seven days (from the movie "The Ring"). However, always add an element of differentiation from the original concept (for example, which has to do with the content of the videotape). Always make sure you are authorized in the school project to make a horror movie (especially if the video is later shown on a local TV channel etc …)
Warnings
- Make sure the blood looks real!
- It's not wrong to add a touch of humor to the film, but don't overdo it. If you want to use some humor, at least make sure it's "black humor".
- Do not steal.
- Don't overturn too many storylines within the same film; they are not fun and create a lot of confusion.
- Don't do anything that seems fake or too difficult to act. It would seem obvious and not at all authentic.
- Don't put too many stereotypes into the film. (The black boy dies first, the blonde dies second - because he is stupid - and the beautiful brunette girl survives).
- Don't shoot a death scene in the open air, you could get someone to call the police or scream in the middle of the street.
- Don't interrupt the flow of traffic (they will call the police soon!)
- If you use a video editor on your PC, it continually saves your work. If you don't, you may lose your work up to that point and be forced to start over.
- Don't use the same shot throughout the movie. Change.
- Make sure the lighting is correct!
- Even if it's a horror movie, don't think you have the right to force someone (like an actor) to do something that could harm their health.
