Screenwriting : Tips for Writing Suspense in Horror by Phillip E. Hardy, "The Real Deal"

Good article. Succinct and instructive, it's a keeper.

Some good points in the article. About "Slowing the Pace", is it just be, or are most acclaimed horror films nowadays slowing the pace down to an extreme degree? I find so many are "character-driven" these days and the thrills of the scares are far and few between. I grew up on Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street and Leprechaun which I found very scary (I think millions of people did too, if that can be judged by the number of remakes) but I don't think these films would get made these days. What do you think?

Whippersnapper!

Really, hmmm. I was going to say, yes. All the big megahits are adventure driven, except Joaquin Phoenix's The Joker. But maybe not.

Excellent points to make. I write Horror and all of these are very good examples of how to create suspense. I like to create each chapter as its own story, with the story arch being the final solution. Along the way you leave small details about what’s really going on. And even after they’re done reading they can read it again to point out those times when the story threw them off.

And I always use what William Shakespeare defined as a ‘tragedy’. Where the story’s climax always ends in a negative way.

The films you're referring to are up close and personal stories

I'm not sure whether Silence of the Lambs would be made.

Thanks, Phillip E. Hardy, "The Real Deal". I've read this article before, but it was a while back. Slow pacing is useful in a slow-burn Horror movie, but not every Horror movie. Slow pacing is also useful in between scary scenes and fast-paced scenes so the audience can take a breath and think about things.

Michael David, those movies ("Friday the 13th," "Nightmare on Elm Street," and "Leprechaun") have slow moments, but maybe not as much as some Horror movies today. I think those movies would still get made today. Some parts of the movies might be different though. Maybe different themes.

Why do you think "Silence of the Lambs" wouldn't get made nowadays, Carol Frome?

Maurice Vaughan Yes I agree, certainly those films would be made with different themes.

Some of the best suspense I've seen in the genre is Greg McLean's "Wolf Creek"...you don't see the killer coming around until half-past, incredibly slow pace on the first 30-40 minutes, but you feel the dread all around...

The new movie, Prey, puts a new twist on action-sci fi suspense thriller: Comanches vs Predator in year 1700s!

Maurice, I said I'm not sure it would be made, not that it definitely wouldn't. Anyway, no car chases. No super human powers (though Hannibal Lechter is pretty scary), no crashes, no leaping from tall building to tall building, no cartoon characters, no women in skimpy and/or skin tight costumes. Also, the characterizations are at least as important as the events. The IP universe wants only to appeal to male 18-23 year-olds who would rather not think about characterizations.