Screenwriting : Ughhhhhhhh! I'm living in Hell ... when it comes to... "In a Nutshell!" by Bill Brock

Bill Brock

Ughhhhhhhh! I'm living in Hell ... when it comes to... "In a Nutshell!"

Even though I've lived a lifetime of sitting, either wide-eyed or sound asleep, through countless movies at my local multiplex, I still have a tough time creating comps for my scripts. I have a Stage 32 Producer Pitch set for this week and would love to offer a Killer Komp. "It's THIS meets THAT!" Any suggestions of comps for the logline below:

Title: THE DRESS

Genre: Supernatural Thriller

Logline: Haunted by childhood memories of a drunken father, a hotshot film director, struggling with substance abuse, must conquer his demons to fulfill the mystical dream of a starlet who died in his mansion 62 years earlier.

Yes, it's a ghost story. She was a young actress murdered in 1923 in the same mansion our film director recently purchased. Listed as 'missing' by local authorities in '23, her remains have never been recovered. It's set in 1985 Los Angeles.

Does anyone know if a website exists that could feed me comps based on the info I've provided?

Thanks, Everyone. Keep workin' all that fancy Hollywood movie writin'.

Frank Monteleone

It's Flight meets Beetlejuice? That might spark some questions.

Deborah Jennings

Wow! I love your work and communication here. But I have not watched any horror since my mom and dad took the kids (no rating at the time in 1960) to see "Psycho" as a family! So sorry I can't help with comps but good luck!

Bill Brock

Frank Monteleone Thank you, Frank. I'm halfway there! FLIGHT is an extraordinary film and I can't believe I wasn't able to make that connection to my drug-addicted hero!! Thank you sincerely for that! Unfortunately, Beetlejuice won't work. This is definitely not a comedy, but a pretty cool, old school thriller. Hell, it takes place in '85. You don't get more "old school" than that! : )

Thanks, again, for chiming in with your wisdom..

Bill Brock

Deborah Jennings Thank you, Deb, for your kind words. My quick PSYCHO story-- Let's rewind to 1960. My parents were in Boston for the weekend and it was a very rainy evening. They stopped into a restaurant and struck up a conversation with the waitress--

DAD: Hey? Anything good happening around here tonight?

WAITRESS: Well, there's a theater up the street.

DAD: Oh, yeah? What's playing?

WAITRESS: Psycho.

DAD: Psycho? What's that about?

WAITRESS: YOU haven't heard about PSYCHO?!

DAD: Nope.

WAITRESS: Go see it. I'm not gonna tell you what it's about. Just go see it.

Later that evening, could you just imagine how SHOCKED my parents were.... flying blindly through this movie? They were STUNNED by Movie Star Janet Leigh's exit about 25 minutes into the film!

Attached is an original 1965 PSYCHO Re-Release theater poster I hang proudly in my foyer!

Current Ebay prices range from $495 to $4,595 (for absolutely MINT condition!).

Deborah Jennings

Bill - wow!! Very cool. Interesting the poster is in color. I have never gotten the shower scene out of my ten-year-old head - even if it was in black and white, the blood going down the drain is bright red in my mind!

Other topics in Screenwriting:

register for stage 32 Register / Log In