dad is hurt

Raising Hell in Pet Sematary 2 (1992)

Sequels are tricky. On the one hand, they exist because the property they’re based on has some degree of popularity; people, places, and things that the general audience would like to see more of....

Ripping Through Reality in IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (1994)

Reality is a funny thing It all boils down to perspective, doesn’t it? Each person builds their world-view based on what surrounds them, which in time becomes their reality. Still, even then, most seek out...

Can I Bug You For a Ride? The Subway Car in Mimic (1997)

Growing up, my house tended to be the spot where most of my friends hung out. We had video games, a pantry stacked with snacks, parents that didn’t interfere… you know, the usual. but...

Scream Writing Questions with Michael J. Kospiah

This week we got to talk to Michael J. Kospiah about Scream Writing and the importance of not being afraid to write shitty. Writing is rewriting, as the saying goes (and Kospiah elaborates), so...
A Nightmare on elm street landscape artwork movie poster

Tina’s Death in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

ANALOG NIGHTMARES The first time I watched Wes Craven’s seminal masterpiece, I was huddled around a 22’’ tube TV sitting on the shaggy carpeted floor of a friend’s spare bedroom. The room was full of...
the camper goes up in smoke and flame

Explosive Cruelty in THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977)

“The first monster that must frighten you is the filmmaker himself” —Wes Craven In the earliest days of my horror movie explorations, there were a handful of directors whose work rose to the very top of...
Covers of films written by these screenwriters

Screenwriters Talk Genre and Share Advice in These Six Video Interviews

When it comes to learning screenwriting, it never hurts to actually listen to the screenwriters rather than the directors. Seems logical, but some people get caught up in the auteur theory instead of going...
Laurie vs Michael

Michael Myers Loses His Head in HALLOWEEN H20 (1998)

The young woman at the ticket counter smiled politely as my mom handed over the money for the tickets. She didn’t ask questions— she didn’t ask to see an ID. No, she seemed perfectly content...

Using Letterboxd as a Tool for Research, Collaboration and Fun

I’m almost done writing Scream Writing: A Comprehensive Guide to Writing the Horror Screenplay and that means I’m beginning to gear up research on my second book, Mindfulness at the Movies: A Cinephile’s Guide...

Fear Academy – Beyond Empowertainment: Feminist Horror and the Struggle for Female Agency (2019)

As I was preparing to launch this column, I was fortunate enough to be approached about reviewing a new book called Beyond Empowertainment: Feminist Horror and the Struggle for Female Agency. Released through Seventh...

An Interview with Subject #44’s Spencer MacKay

This week I got a chance to sit down with my good friend Spencer MacKay and speak with him about his newest short film, Subject #44 (2019). Subject #44 was made as an entry...

From Mundane to Amazing: The Editing of Hot Fuzz

We are moving in a different direction for Everything But Bone this week as we journey into Edgar Wright’s masterpiece Hot Fuzz (2007). While it can be categorized as an action film, I believe...

Toku Tuesday: Godzilla Monsters and Protectors #1

When I was looking forward to kaiju in 2021 I had somehow completely left off IDW’s new ongoing comic book  written by Erik Burnham, Art by Dan Schoening, and colours by Luis Antonio Delgado....
Tomb Raider Landscape Movie Poster

Tomb Raider: From Bullets and Busts to Grit and Empowerment

When Lara Croft first introduced herself in 1996’s Tomb Raider she directly appealed to a young male audience of gamers with a mix of guns and breasts. (It’s worth noting that the '96 graphics...

Scream Writing Questions with William Dickerson

This week we're joined by Writer-Director William Dickerson. William has been keeping himself busy with a plethora of titles since 2013 and doesn't look to be slowing down any time soon. From his love...

Scream Writing Questions with Andy Mitton

Here on Scriptophobic, we believe that studying screenplays and discussing the writing process are of vital importance to a Scream Writer's growth. That's why we here at Scriptophobic are proud to bring you a new...

Choking on Day of the Dead (1985)

I placed the DVD down on the table excitedly, bright yellow and featuring the jutting out visage of a forlorn looking zombie. I had watched Dawn of the Dead (1978) only the night before...
Horror!

Fear Academy – Horror! The Definitive Companion to the Most Terrifying Movies Ever Made...

Welcome back Scream Scholars! The last time the academy met we looked at Wheeler Winston Dixon's A History of Horror and found it to be a rather disappointing volume. While the earlier part of the history it...

Monster Movie Pool Party

So you’ve found yourself blessed with being fully vaxed and ready to get back into the world this summer. There is no better time to put together a pool party. But not just any...
our hero, kamen rider waves to us

The Heartfelt Absurdism of Kamen Rider Build (2017-18)

Kamen Rider is one of the pillars of Tokusatsu. Along with Ultraman and Super Sentai, it remains in production to this day. We briefly delved into the Rider universe when we talked about Kamen...

A Case of Worms: Escaping the Graboids of Tremors (1990)

After the cereal had grown soggy and the orange juice was long gone, the final credits rolled on the morning’s last cartoon. Still, the day was far from over. It was time to roll...

Holy Horror: Noroi the Curse and the Importance of Folk Rituals

Hello and welcome to the first Holy Horror! Scriptophobic’s very own comparative religion meets horror movie analysis column. To get this off on the right foot, I decided to start with Koji Shirashi’s 2005...

Making Sense in the Horror Genre

What is reality, anyways? Of all the writing “rules” that the horror genre gets to play around with – see, Break – this is my favorite: Things don’t need to make sense. Now, before you...

A Beast Called Gorgo: Exploring the King Brothers’ Kaiju Comic

Gorgo is a 1961 monster film funded by King Brothers Productions after they had a huge success distributing the American version of the Japanese film Rodan (1956). At the time Tokusatsu and suitmation was...
Script Slug's Horror Screenplay Page

5 Places to Find Horror Screenplays Online

If you're anything like me, you've read enough advice or listened to enough interviews to know that one the best ways to improve as a screenwriter is to read screenplays. It seems to easy...