Elevated Horror

Not specifically.

Maybe it refers to something MORE LITERARY than the typical horror porn (carnography, splatterpunk, torture porn, gore-nography) that's being produced today--something that emphasizes character (flaw, transformation) and that, instead of focusing on GRAPHIC VIOLENCE/GORE, uses SUSPENSE/SUGGESTION in greater proportion.
 
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Thanks... a producing partner of mine was at a recent pitch fest and a few of the companies were looking for this.... trying to figure out if that's what our project is :)
 
I suppose there must be an audience out there for gore horror, torture horror, but that kind of horror (e.g. Hostel) really turns me off. I have never seen a Texas Chainsaw movie, do not intend to.

I like horror with good characters and theme, though I am likely in the minority; for example, I really liked the supernatural horror movie The Return, because it had great theme (love survives death) along with mystery and a great soundtrack (Dario Marianelli); didn't do so well at the box office, but then it only had a $15M budget. Been trying desperately to find the screenplay for The Return but does not look like it is publicly available for purchase (maybe I will write Rogue and Intrepid Pictures now that I have their address from donedealpro).
randall


kylekmd said:
Not specifically.

Maybe it refers to something MORE LITERARY than the typical horror porn (carnography, splatterpunk, torture porn, gore-nography) that's being produced today--something that emphasizes character (flaw, transformation) and that, instead of focusing on GRAPHIC VIOLENCE/GORE, uses SUSPENSE/SUGGESTION in greater proportion.
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I too don't like the gore for gore sakes movies... I'm writing a feature called "Body Trade" - a group of prostitutes who run a brothel as a front to their organ harvesting business.

Though it sounds exploitative and could easily fall into the cliches, I'm writing it with a real storyline... the recession hitting the business very hard, and the girls falls into a world that becomes lucrative and hard to ignore. Things spiral out of control and just as in real life, they handle the situation all wrong. It's more about their lives and situations than about the gore and T&A which I could easily go with this subject matter.

Will this hurt or help me? Time will only tell.
 
mikewest13 said:
I too don't like the gore for gore sakes movies... I'm writing a feature called "Body Trade" - a group of prostitutes who run a brothel as a front to their organ harvesting business.

Though it sounds exploitative and could easily fall into the cliches, I'm writing it with a real storyline... the recession hitting the business very hard, and the girls falls into a world that becomes lucrative and hard to ignore. Things spiral out of control and just as in real life, they handle the situation all wrong. It's more about their lives and situations than about the gore and T&A which I could easily go with this subject matter.

Will this hurt or help me? Time will only tell.
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I dunno. It depends on how you pitch it, I guess. People can easily hear your idea and think another "Hostel"--which is fine if that is what you're going for (which, based on what you wrote, I can already guess you're not)--so don't let them. Enforce the characters of the story and their arcs and leave out the details of how each of die. Don't sell it as a movie about set pieces of murder and mayhem ("and this character get their head chopped off with an axe", etc.), make it about the characters.

Are you at all familiar with the works of David Cronenberg? His work is often times very dark and very graphic but they also are deep and multi-layered with strong characters. That's what I'd focus on the most--characters. Really sell the characters and their predicament.

Anyway, sounds like a cool idea. Care to share a bit more tidbits on the plot?

-- Artman009
 
I would not, not pitch this with any kills in the pitch/query. The story is about the girls and the situation first, and the gore/T&A are the back drop to this story.

A bit more tidbits - hmmmmm, well it's the recession, and the girls are finding it harder and harder to make the same money they used to. Some have resorted to prostituting themselves to make half of what they used to. A detective tries to bring down the house when he catches one of the girls turning a trick. He "accidentally" dies and this leads to their introduction to the organ selling business.

The girls fall into a world of easy money, high risk stakes that they aren't prepared for and the story follows that plotline.
 
mikewest13 said:
I would not, not pitch this with any kills in the pitch/query. The story is about the girls and the situation first, and the gore/T&A are the back drop to this story.

A bit more tidbits - hmmmmm, well it's the recession, and the girls are finding it harder and harder to make the same money they used to. Some have resorted to prostituting themselves to make half of what they used to. A detective tries to bring down the house when he catches one of the girls turning a trick. He "accidentally" dies and this leads to their introduction to the organ selling business.

The girls fall into a world of easy money, high risk stakes that they aren't prepared for and the story follows that plotline.
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Well, it's still a little vague on who the protagonist(s) is/are. Also, are they prostitutes from the get-go or do they become ones to make money?

Can you give us a Netflix-length summary of the basic plot?

For example, here is what Netflix had to say about the movie 'Saw', a movie it seems that is in the same genre you're aiming for:
Would you die to live? That's what two men, Adam and Gordon, have to ask themselves when they're paired up in a deadly situation. Abducted by a serial killer, they're both holed up in a prison constructed with such ingenuity that they may not be able to escape before their captor decides it's time to dismantle their bodies in his signature way. Attempting to break free may kill them too, but staying definitely will.​

From everything I've ever read about pitching and screenwriting, it's absolutely important that you are able to summarize your movie's plot simply, efficiently and as directly as possible.

(I hope you do not think I am criticizing--I am not. I am genuinely curious to hear more about your movie idea.)

-- Artman009
 
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