I need ideas?

[nemisis]

We do you find ideas to start a horror movie?

[Alex]

Hey nemisis, ideas for films can come from just about any place you can think of. TV shows, television commercials, toys, movies that you like --- anything can be the inspiration for your own unique horror movie.

But you're on the right track; this board is a really good place to start to search for ideas for your own film, since there are lots of fellow horror movie buffs who'd readily like to supply you with some great suggestions --- but remember, if you want your movie to really get off the ground, it really has to be your own baby. Know what I mean?

Alex

[nemisis]

Thanks Alex,
I just like to tell u that i really love things that are different to what you usually see and i love monsters and things that go bump in the night, I'm just amazed by them and i want to write a creepy script i also get inspiration by my favourite games like silent hill and resident evil I love the monsters and the atmosphere.
Cheers

[DWhots]

I always like to do what Stephen King does. Take an object that is used in our daily lives, then make it evil. Like a car, or a camera. I always find toys to be creepy. As a child, your toys are real to you, you talk to them and they answer. It would be cool if a childs toy could cause some one to kill. Not anything like the Childs Play films of course.

I also like to take things from my past, school for instance and rework an idea like what would happen if your school was sinking into hell or something like that.

Or, finding an image in your head, or from something you've seen, like a tree or a bridge and make that into an idea.

[nemisis]

Thanks man, that might help.
keep sending me messages.
thanks

[Hellraiser]

erm... ideas can come from other movies.

I mean, you surely have some kind of idea for a film? Any idea. Just a brief statement would help. If you like monsters, then think about what type of monster could appear in your movie, how would he kill? Who? Why?

keep these factors in mind:

what?
Where?
who?
how?
why?

then take the monster, and start answering those questions. it should help to build your idea.

[Raym]

1) Do what interests you; horror's very "wide" since there isn't just one solid Horror genre anymore. If you like Slasher films, do that; Supernatural, that's fine too.

2) Books on the occult and the supernatural are great for ideas.

3) Or, and this is my fav, take a Horror element and thrust it into a movie you hate/love. This is more of an exercise; but I wonder what would happen if "Forrest Gump" instead had a box of rings from "Ringu"?

The main thing is that you have fun. That's what Horror is all about! In a weird way

Cheers! and happy writing! And don't forget, make your film as good as the trailer

[mikeysbistro]

nemisis said:

We do you find ideas to start a horror movie?

Okay I'm being serious! - try starting with your family, if not your family, then find a friend with a weird family. Take somebody you know well and extend their personality into something creepy and horrible, it's best when you don't have to extend that far to be creepy and horrible :-)

Best place to start being creative is with your real experiences and building on them - I think you'll be surprise by how much material you have in your past/childhood.

[Lycan]

I personally think there is a difference between entertaining people and SCARING people. With any successful horror story that's made to scare the audience, the story has to have an element of simplicity. In other words, give people a reason to fear things they take for granted, or have no original cause to be afraid of. Most people like the idea of vacationing at the beach and having a good time. Thirtysomeodd years ago, someone got the idea to make a movie where all the fun at the beach becomes something fearful because there is a bloodthirsty shark attacking people.....hence we have the movie JAWS. Read the initial reviews for that movie.....it was such a simple idea but there are people still to this day that wont go swimming solely because of that movie. That's essentially, what you as a horror writer/director want to capture in your films if you truly want to frighten people.

[Drifter]

Here's a technique for finding ideas that has worked for me in the past:

Get a bunch of magazines of different types. You don't have to buy them--- you can probably liberate them from the doctor's office or laundromat without anyone noticing. Clip out a bunch of pictures from each one and put them in a folder. Then just take each picture out, look at it for a minute or two, and see if it inspires you with a character, scene, or concept.

I swear this works. It's useful for getting around writer's block, since it gives your brain something else to focus on than how stuck you are. I've gotten some really good ideas from it.

Anyway, good luck!

[CrawlingKaos]

I like Raym's third suggestion. One of the things i used to do long ago was watch Star Trek and try to rewrite the scripts in other genres. How would the story change if you moved it to a different environment, tkaing it from a spaceship and into this century. Just a silly exercise I used to do out of boredom more than anything else.
Another thing that I used to do was try to figure out what to avoid. Horror films more than anything is cliche ridden. It's like after years and years, filmmakers still make the same stupid mistakes again and again.