Write a hit Horror Movie like the pros!
Turn Your Horror Idea Into a Script That Hits
Make Your Horror Script Impossible to Put Down!
Are you tired of writing material that gets rejected by contests, managers and producers? Do you wonder what is the difference between your scripts and successful, working pro screenwriters and filmmakers? Do you wish you could tap into current themes and trends and capture a global audience in the way that huge hits like OBSESSION and BACKROOMS have done?
Concept alone won’t carry a script — structure is what creates fear.
Horror is the only genre of screenplay to consistently sell in Hollywood, and it’s the number one type of feature film to break you into the industry and establish your name and voice in an undeniable, powerful way. But many writers don’t have the structural tools or the understanding of genre and budget to produce a winning script that can compete in the ultra-competitive Hollywood market.
For the first time, top story analyst and screenwriter Daniel Calvisi will introduce you to his “Fear Map,” the most clear, simple and powerful structural template you can find, and teach you how the pros create and develop their audience-friendly ideas, execute on the page and BLOW AWAY the reader.
Learn the 13 Steps to a great Horror story!
Story Maps presents:
“Write a Hit Horror Movie!”
1 hr 20 minute webinar +
Fear Map worksheet +
“The Substance” sample Fear Map
$49 USD
THE WEBINAR
Professional screenwriter, writing coach, and former major studio story analyst Daniel Calvisi has helped writers win contests, Emmys, and an Oscar, with credits across top networks, streamers, and studios. In this 80-minute presentation, he shares his Story Maps method for developing a strong concept, compelling logline, and standout screenplay in the hottest genre today.
Using examples from acclaimed horror and dark thrillers—from studio blockbusters to indie hits—you’ll learn a proven process for creating an original, compelling scary story with a dynamic voice. Films discussed include Weapons, Sinners, Scream, The Substance, Final Destination, Get Out, Hereditary, Midsommar, It Follows, A Quiet Place, Barbarian, Late Night With The Devil, The Sixth Sense, Psycho, and more. You’ll also see examples of loglines, beat sheets, and screenplay excerpts, plus gain industry insights and career advice during a (pre-recorded) live Q&A.
BONUS EXTRA #1
Daniel Calvisi’s exclusive Fear Map WORKSHEET will allow you to easily map out your own horror story, defining all of the crucial elements that make a scary tale work on the screen and on the page.You won’t find this beat sheet anywhere else. Beats like “The Mirror Shatters,” “The Hammer Falls” and “Atonement & Punishment” and their accompanying definitions will quickly supercharge your process.
BONUS EXTRA #2
A sample map of the hit film “The Substance,” which grossed many times its budget worldwide and won multiple awards, including an Oscar and Best Screenplay at Cannes. The map will break down all of the critical elements like Theme, Primal Fear, and Achilles Heel, and take you through the entire story, including the 13 unique “signpost” beats in Calvisi’s Fear Map paradigm.WHY THE SUBSTANCE?
Body Horror may not be your thing, but “The Substance” is exactly the type of screenplay that gets noticed in Hollywood: an edgy, high-concept supernatural thriller with outrageous twists and turns that incorporates timely themes and riffs on classic archetypes in the public domain.
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Your Instructor
Daniel 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. He served as the Script Consultant on the upcoming horror feature “Devoted” starring Mena Suvari, Skeet Ulrich and Elizabeth Marvel. Daniel is a former Story Analyst for major studios like New Line Cinema, Dimension Films and Twentieth Century Fox, and as a versatile screenwriter, his three most recent writing assignments were on a feature thriller, a one-hour drama pilot and the award-winning horror short “The Lost Camp.” His coaching clients have won Emmys, an Oscar, and have worked with the top networks, streamers and studios in the industry, such as Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon, Disney and more. He holds a BFA from NYU in Film and Television. More about Dan.
Learning from the greats
Horror is on fire
Webinar agenda
What is your primal fear?
Make it personal
Think practical
Know your budget
The Fear Map
What’s your great idea?
Find your engine
Theme "Get Out"
The World "Midsommar"
Character construction "Weapons"
Loglines
Beat Sheet -- first half of Act Two
What’s your ending?
Your voice on the page
Scene analysis from "Weapons"
Q&A "Networking"
