Interview: How to write a horror screenplay with Neal Marshall Stevens

In his latest podcast/interview, host and screenwriter Stuart Wright talks about how to write a horror screenplay with veteran screenwriter and author of A Sense of Dread: Getting Under the Skin of Horror Screenwriting, Neal Marshall Stevens.

A Sense of Dread: Getting Under the Skin of Horror Screenwriting is out now where you buy your books.

Just what is “The Sense of Dread” and how does it apply to the writing of horror movies?
Our first fears are rooted in biology. What are some examples of psychological fears and how can we make use of them in our writing? Fears based in culture… The “Toolbox of Dread”

Neal Marshall Stevens is a graduate of NYU’s Graduate School of Film and Television, he has been a working professional for over 30 years. He began his career as a writer and Creative Consultant/Story Editor for Laurel Entertainment’s syndicated Series, Monsters. He went on to work as Laurel’s Senior Story editor on such projects as The Vernon Johns Story and Stephen King’s The Stand.

Later, Neal went on to work for Charles Band’s Full Moon Entertainment, specializing in Direct-to-Video productions. Over the course of his association with Full Moon, he’s worked on over 40 motion pictures, including five entries in the popular Puppetmaster series. He also wrote and directed the feature, Stitches for Full Moon Entertainment.

Among other projects, Neal sold the original screenplay Deader to Dimension Pictures, which was later produced as Hellraiser: Deader, and wrote the screenplay for Dark Castle’s feature remake of Thirteen Ghosts. For the last seven years he has been teaching online for Screenwriters University and is also a professor in the David Lynch MFA Graduate Program in Screenwriting at the Maharishi University International.

Powered by RedCircle