Screenwriting : Horror vs Suspense by Charles V Abela

Suspense is often most associated as a sub-genre within mysteries and thrillers. It's really an element to stories, not a genre of them.

Good one.Travis Seppala I am trying to see how different / difficult a suspense movie is from a horror movie. I suspect the former would be a more cleverly laid out plot.

I've rarely encountered "suspense" discussed as a genre. To me, it's an element that can appear in any genre, including dramas. I hear people discuss "thrillers" as a genre though, and that's the genre most closely associated with suspense, I'd say. Action too, come to think of it. As far as clever plotting goes, I don't think that belongs more to any one genre unless it's mysteries.

Horror is more about fear and danger, and suspense is more about excitement/nervousness that you have when you're waiting for something to happen, Charles V Abela.

Maurice Vaughan Got it. Suspense is like waiting for somebody to read my script. :)

Eric Christopherson Absolutely.

Haha Great one, Charles V Abela! Horror movies and shows can have suspense. Thriller movies and shows can too.

Maurice Vaughan Do you think there could be a market for, or at minimum good interest, if one develops a suspense movie that happens with 2 actors always in a single room?

Second question, what budget would you say this would entail?

There's a big market for that kind of script, Charles V Abela. It's a micro-budget contained script. A lot of producers and directors search for micro-budget contained scripts because they're so cheap to make.

Maurice Vaughan Yeah, but is this (micro-budget/contained stuff) a case of the market, i.e. consumers, driving small-budget/limited-scope drama production, or simply a race for artists to create whatever they can get produced/afford and hoping "If you build it they will come"?...

I think it's a case of the market and artists creating what they can afford, Mike Childress. I don’t think "if you build it they will come" works. You gotta build it and market it.

Maurice Vaughan That's why, personally, I am still leaning towards just writing whatever big box content I want, budget considerations be damned. I know that's likely an anti-success posture to assume, but I am quite enjoying the Spec Script Ronin lifestyle thus far, beholden to no one!

Alfred Hitchcock was in my opinion the master of suspense. There was a tad horror in his film The Birds.

It would be more story specific. Horror is generally understood to be suspenseful. (the more the better.) It could be a suspense horror, an action horror, etc. Hypenate sub-genres are less preferable to the market than a straight genre label.

Maurice Vaughan I know nothing about micro-budgets. That would be between $100K to $500K or less?

To me, one thing seems to be too true. Horror movies are for the young ones. I fail to believe how a horror movie can be frightening to a grown-up audience. But suspense is. Hence the differentiation in my mind between Horror and Suspense. Horror is suited more for the younger audience, while Suspense is suited for the young and old (not those with a heart condition.)

Charles V Abela Allegedly 400K and under. Some state less. Imagine a novel world built out for 10K!

Mike Childress Thank you Mike. This is a world of excesses. With a lot of hard work and real hunger for some success and people doubling up on roles, I am sure that it good be done for much less. Assuming one of them knows where the money is... Anyway it was a fleeting thought. I can at best write it and location would be 2 dark rooms and 2 unknown actors. Maybe too simplistic. I would say the script would prove to be a challenge, by that I mean the concept.

Different people have different opinions about what micro-budget is, Charles V Abela. I consider micro-budget anything under $1MM. $50k-$100k is the sweet spot in my opinion. If you can write a script in the $50k-$100k range, you'll be able to pitch it to tons of producers and directors.

Charles V Abela I think the variables re: what determine the potential "micro-budget" production designation (as writers...) are long and strong. Are your cousins doing all the acting, GRATIS? Do you have to travel internationally to film? How much CGI do you need? Are most of your shots external, ergo need weather cooperation? Potential (likely) budget runovers? Re-casting delays? Et cetera, et cetera I just want to WRITE. Not trying to be a production guy. Not looking to be a finance guru. Division of labor. We, as writers, get (perpetually) warned off of 'encroachment into others' crafts' in scripts, yet, in the same vein, we are seemingly also supposed to determine what our UNSOLICITED screenplays will cost should a miracle happen and someone should want to buy it/them? Makes total sense... Additively, the spec masses are going up against the writing elite, who have millions, billions in the aggregate, behind them as they just revise and revamp and reproduce previously-crafted works. That is...wooooo a whole thing! So I am writing whatever the F I want.

Suspense is just an ingredient in a horror. Always great to have those anxiety inducing moments to stir up fear and terror in your audiences

Maurice Vaughan This is intriguing. Upfront, I am not in the funding business or act as an investor. Simply, I could write the script and work the script over as much as possible but I will not invest... apart from time. The returns would be for the filmmaker/studio to keep - all the benefits that can be generated with no returns to me i.e. zero. Is there life in such an approach?

Mike Childress Spot on thinking. I concur. Because of the lack of success I have enjoyed so far with this pastime of screenwriting, where contacts are ample only if they feel there is something in it for them, I tend to stick with your approach "So I am writing whatever the F I want." No plagiarizing intended.

That would be worked out in the contract, Charles V Abela. Some screenwriters get a piece of the profits. I'm not sure how often that is though.

In reality, what profit is a $100K suspense/horror movie expected to turn for the investor to be satisfied... and how often does it happen?

Charles V Abela Search "low budget movie successes" and see how many were really "low budget" (or not produced a thousand years ago). If you're thinking traditional investor profiles remember that in 2024 it's likely lot of low-budget stuff produced was a result of crowdfunding, grants (government or otherwise), self-financing (either partially or wholly), someone finding an individual(s) with $$$ who likes film, etc. It would be interesting to see how many low/micro-budget films are funded by people with disposable income just looking for a good ROI, but I would think that there are far better ways to make more dosh from your money than financing films...

I'm not sure, Charles V Abela. That's a great question for the Producing Lounge though. www.stage32.com/lounge/producing

My accountant's client made a fortune making cheap horror $100K movies, think he's produced 100+ horrors. He pays cast & crew pennies, (i remember $500 offers for scripts), owns all rights. There is a huge audience for cheap horror. Wont jumpstart careers but you can make $$, live in a gated community, drive a G-Wagon, make more than so-called real filmmakers

Dan MaxXx Sounds too good to be true. But I am sure it does happen. Many others followed his lead?