The Story Maps Horror & Thriller Seminar

March 10 – April 18, 2025

For updates on enrollment, stay tuned to this page
or get on my newsletter list.

Dear storytellers,

A screenwriter needs more than one screenplay in their portfolio. You may be betting everything on your favorite script in your arsenal, but when you get that question, “Umm, what else do you have?” you need to have some backups!

It helps to have more than one well-executed screenplay under your belt, ideally multiple GREAT scripts that are in “submission-ready” shape, but they also need to be MARKETABLE scripts that a producer, exec, manager or agent reads and says “I can sell this.” That begins with a concept in a commercially-proven genre that fits into today’s global marketplace and doesn’t feel dated, cliched or irrelevant.

Let’s be honest. After a global pandemic, two strikes, devastating fires and a general malaise by audiences to go back to the theater, Hollywood is struggling. But there is one genre of film that keeps consistently packing cinemas and doing great numbers on streaming platforms.

Horror movies.

These are not your parents’ horror movies, holdovers from the 70s, 80s or 90s. These are fresh, fun, shocking, scary, bad-ass, socially relevant, emotionally compelling horror stories.

These can be Oscar-nominated hits like The Substance or tiny no-budget features on Tubi. They can be made for a few bucks but spawn lucrative franchises, like the recent Terrifier series or the iconic Saw and Paranormal Activity movies. There are truly no rules when it comes to Horror films.

But what if you’re just not a fan of Horror movies?

More than any other category of film, Horror has more styles and subgenres to fit every type of fan in the domestic and international marketplace. There is horror comedy, elevated horror, slasher horror, body horror, creature horror, racial horror, teen horror, home invasion horror, social issue horror, zombie horror, apocalyptic horror, psychological horror, home invasion horror, date night horror, period horror, found footage horror, Halloween horror, sports medicine horror, garbage man horror, crypto scam horror and more. (Okay, I may have made up those last three.)

In other words, there’s something for everyone in this genre, and a point of entry for every type of storyteller, whether this is your chosen genre or not. Branch that out further to Thrillers, which share many aspects with Horror, mainly in that they both rely on high suspense, and you’ve got the potential for a creator to make a film that breaks them into the industry at exactly the position they want to be. As Robert Zemeckis said to my class years ago, and applies today more than ever: “You should enter the industry at the level you want to work.”

If you want to write, direct, produce, or all three, I’ve put together a six-week course that will give you direct access to successful professional filmmakers who have had long careers in Hollywood and whose work has spanned box-office blockbusters, independent films, movies made for television and streaming platform hits. They’ve worked with major legacy studios as well as streamers like Netflix and Amazon.

More than any other course offering I’ve put out into the world, this seminar is for screenwriters and filmmakers who wish to get their films produced and distributed. We all know the big companies are mainly investing in franchises and IP, so now, more than ever, I am advising my clients and students to go the DIY route and make their own content. One route is to begin with a short or proof-of-concept that doesn’t cost much money and use that to gain interest in a feature or build a franchise from the ground up. You will hear from multiple filmmakers who have done just that in this seminar, like Richard Bosner, a well-known producer who has worked with Blumhouse, Amazon and Netflix, who turned his horror short Devotee into the upcoming feature film Devoted, starring Mena Suvari, Skeet Ulrich, Elizabeth Marvel and Lin Shaye. Jeffrey Reddick, the creator of the horror franchise Final Destination (which debuts its SIXTH entry this summer) will also tell you about how he turned his short film Good Samaritan into the feature film Don’t Look Back. 

That’s not the only route, of course, so if you’re not looking to produce or direct and you just want to remain home, safe in the glow of your laptop (who doesn’t?), there are always producers on the hunt for great Horror and Thriller scripts, and you can find them via networking, queries, contests or pitchfests.

Every day, new voices and emerging filmmakers are breaking in and getting noticed with their unique and scary takes on the genre. Horror is increasingly becoming a vehicle for personal expression and even social commentary. 

In this six-week workshop comprised of weekly live video calls with professionals with credits like Final Destination, Cabin Fever, The Manor, Summer’s Moon, Zombie at 17, Black Bear and more, you will learn the secrets to writing and producing a hit horror movie. These will be intimate Q&A sessions where you will have direct access to these filmmakers, where no question is off limits. In addition, you will join me and your classmates in a few separate conference calls where I will teach you my Story Maps method and how you can use it to generate a fantastic concept, killer logline and compelling one-pager. I hope you can join us! Learn more below and get on the list and I’ll keep you updated.

Sincerely,

Daniel Calvisi

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GUEST SPEAKERS

 

JEFFREY REDDICK
Fans of the Final Destination horror franchise eagerly await the next chapter, Final Destination: Bloodlines, which comes out this summer. But many fans don’t know that the franchise began with Jeffrey Reddick’s original spec screenplay, which he sold to New Line Cinema, launching a creative career that has lasted over two decades.

Jeffrey’s other credits include the Lions Gate thriller, Tamara (2005), the remake of George Romero’s classic Day of the Dead (2008), The Call (2020), starring Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell, Til Death Do Us Part (2023), starring Cam Gigandet and Jason Patric, Dead Awake (2016) and The Final Wish (2018).

Jeffrey has also made his mark in television, with credits like NBC’s Midnight, Texas (2017) and two animated series for Netflix, including the Emmy-nominated A Tale Dark & Grimm (2021).

Jeffrey made his feature directorial debut in 2022 with his thriller Don’t Look Back, which was inspired by his short Good Samaritan. He has over 10 upcoming projects.

EVAN ASTROWSKY
Evan is a seasoned producer who found his first success with CABIN FEVER, directed by Eli Roth, which has grossed close to $40 million on a $1.5 million budget. He continues to get residual checks for that horror classic, as well as the CABIN FEVER sequels and 2016 remake. His other credits as a producer include FANBOYS, IRONCLAD, THE LAZARUS PROJECT and MINI’S FIRST TIME. Talent in his films have included Luke Wilson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Brian Cox, Paul Giamatti, Kate Mara, Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen, Kristen Bell and the legend himself, William Shatner.

Evan has also successfully branched out into other areas of the industry, producing branded content starring talent like Dave Bautista and The Rock.

CHRISTINE CONRADT
With over 100 imdb credits, Christine Conradt has been successfully writing, directing and producing films for over two decades. Her movies have aired on Showtime, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Hallmark, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Fox, Pureflix, Amazon, and UPtv.

Christine wrote the horror movie Summer’s Moon, starring Ashley Greene, and many aired thrillers, including The Perfect Girlfriend, Mommy’s Little Boy, The Boyfriend Killer, The Psycho She Met Online, Stalked at 17, Zombie at 17 and more. She directed Don’t Let Him Find You, The Bride He Bought Online (aka Flirting with Madness), Killer Mom, Rooming with Danger and the Christmas hit 12 Days of Giving. She has also had great success with RomComs like Pearl in Paradise, The Nature of Love and Love Game Match (aka Putting Love to the Test). Christine has produced more than 30 feature films for television.

As an author, Christine has adapted Lifetime Network’s “at 17” franchise into books published by Harper Collins, including Missing at 17, Pregnant at 17 and Murdered at 17.

Guest Speaker lineup may change.

INSTRUCTOR: DANIEL CALVISI

Daniel P. Calvisi is a script doctor, writing coach and the author of Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay and Story Maps: TV DRAMA: The Structure of the One-Hour Television Pilot.

As a screenwriter, his three most recent writing assignments were on a feature thriller, a one-hour drama pilot and a horror short film, which was produced and will be making the festival rounds this year.

Daniel is a former Story Analyst for major studios like Twentieth Century Fox, Miramax Films and New Line Cinema. Many of his coaching clients have worked with the top networks, streamers and studios in the industry, such as Netflix, Max, HBO, Disney, Warner Brothers, Sony, ABC, Showtime, Apple TV+ and more. He has been endorsed by Script Magazine and featured on Indie Film Hustle, Film Courage and L.A. Screenwriter. He holds a degree in Film and Television from New York University.

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FROM DANIEL CALVISI’S STUDENTS:

“Dan’s writing process is great. I learned a lot from his breakdowns and step-by-step instruction, as well as the regular feedback. The wealth of extra material provided was also great! Thanks again for a great class!”
-Michal Schick, Master Class student, staff writer on Netflix animated series The Dragon Prince

“Dan’s method for writing a screenplay was exactly what I needed. It gave me an approach to the writing process that carries all the way to the completion of a story. His method also enables me to create compelling dialogue and have fun while still moving the story forward. I highly recommend learning from him.”
– Miguel Chavez, Group Master Class Student and SAG Actor (recurring role on AP Bio on NBC)

“Dan, I owe you a lot. Thank you again for having put me on the right track and teaching me everything about screenwriting.”
-Suzanne Lutas, award-winning and optioned screenwriter, Group and Private Master Class Student

“I found Dan’s coaching to be super helpful! After doing a few consultations with some other coaches, I decided to go with Dan. I ended up finishing my script with him and got past the writer’s block.”
-Elizabeth Reichelt, Coaching client and Writer’s Assistant for Bridgerton, Inventing Anna and Physical. Elizabeth used the script from our coaching to get her current manager.

“I thought this class was really helpful! I loved the structure and fast pace. I plan on using the structural secrets you’ve shared to keep me on the straight and narrow going forward. (No more writing a script that has to be completely rewritten because I didn’t do my Story Map etc.!) So THANK YOU!”

-Maggie Mahrt, former assistant to showrunners of Grimm, award-winning writer/director, Group Master Class Student

“I absolutely loved Dan’s class! His worksheets and feedback were invaluable in streamlining my ideas. This course helped me turn a concept I’ve been thinking about for 2 years into a rough draft in 8 short weeks.”
-Julia Liu, cinematographer, Group Master Class Student

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Endorsements of Story Maps by professionals:

“Writers will learn to master the form from outline to Fade Out.” 
-Hilary Weisman Graham, Writer
(Orange is the New Black (NETFLIX), Bones (Fox), Kidding (Showtime))

“We had to rewrite a number of scripts at the last minute, so we turned to your Story Map beat sheet and it was a huge help. We’re now story mapping every episode of our new shows.”
-Billy Rovzar, Executive Producer (Lemon Studios, movies and series on HBO, Netflix and Apple TV+), Private Coaching Client

“It’s time to tell my own stories and I can safely say I’m a better writer, thanks to you.”
– Victor Perez, Visual Effects Supervisor (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Dark Knight Rises), Private Master Class Student

“I was looking to both reinforce and challenge what I knew and also what I couldn’t yet quite articulate. I found your book on Amazon, loved what I had previewed, and decided to drop the dime. Glad I did. It’s an excellent resource.”
-Matthew-Lee Erlbach, Writer (Showtime, MTV, Nickelodeon, WWE, Off-Broadway playwright)

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Enrollment will be open soon. To get updates, please subscribe here and I’ll let you know the minute it opens! (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me using the form below my name.

Good luck and happy writing,
Dan Calvisi

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“Dan has created a book that is straightforward and full of valuable insight and guidance for screenwriters at different experience levels.”
-Laurie Lamson, Editor, Now Write! Screenwriting

 

“I’ve worked in film and television for years and I can say for certain that there is nothing else like Dan’s book anywhere out there. His system is truly unique and breaks TV pilot structure down step by step for the first time, using very specific examples from some of the great pilots of recent years.”
-Fritz Manger, Producer (A Deadly Adoption with Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig)