How to write a horror short screenplay

Writing a scary horror short screenplay comes down to understanding some of the essentials of good screenwriting. Starting a scene as late as possible and ending it before it goes on too long. Finding the things that hit you emotionally — what scares you? What experiences have you had that may disturb your audience? What do you want to learn as a screenwriter or as a filmmaker by telling this story?

Every time you sit down to write a short screenplay, it’s an experiment and an opportunity to learn something new.

When writing a horror short screenplay you want to think about these four elements:

• Set up
• Mood
• Contained
• Resolution

Set up

Depending on how long your script will ultimately be, it is important to set up everything the audience will need to understand the story in the first few pages. The first 25% of the script should set up the story and begin introducing horror elements.

You need to create empathy for the main character. If we don’t care about your protagonist, we won’t care about what happens to them. I feel that failing to get your audience on the side of the main character is especially detrimental. How many times have you watched a horror movie just hoping…