Horror Screenwriting: The Nature of Fear [Paperback]

Devin Watson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2009

Horror has, among all of the genres in film and written works, one of the longest, most distinguished, and often misunderstood bloodlines in history. It is often overlooked by critics who don't see anything more than blood and guts on the screen, or a collection of cheap scares. But what is missed is the hard-hitting commentary on society and life contained in those works.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Devin Watson has been a fan of horror from the ripe old age of eight. He studies thousands of horror films before diving in to write and produce his own works.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932907602
• ISBN-13: 978-1932907605
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #553,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Devin Watson was born in Brunswick, Georgia, in 1978. Growing up watching countless horror films due to many childhood maladies, he harbored an active imagination and a love of writing. Even through high school and college, graduating with a degree in Computer Science, he pursued his study of screenwriting, culminating in the production of The Cursed in 2007. He is the co-founder of Screenwriter's Utopia, one of the largest online communities of professional and amateur screenwriters. In addition, he runs MoviePartners, which seeks to help independent filmmakers produce the highest quality films they can make without compromising their art.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lightweight Information, November 10, 2009

By 

Bill Burr - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horror Screenwriting: The Nature of Fear (Paperback)

Turn to any page and you'll find information that's appeared in any of dozens of other screenwriting books. This book lacks depth; and what little there is, is well padded with a lot of generalities, filler, and script format pages. My copy weighs in at 167 pages, plus ads; not the 232 pages listed above. The beginning of the book with a history of horror elevated it from one star to two, but after that section it fails in both horror and screenwriting instruction. It has a hefty retail cover price of $24.95, even with Amazon's generous discount it's still overpriced.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very little pertaining to horror screenwriting, save your money, November 10, 2009

By 

Randall Oelerich (Duluth, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Horror Screenwriting: The Nature of Fear (Paperback)

I own this book, along with about a hundred other books on screenwriting. I was hoping this book would offer insight and guidance and discussion on screenwriting specific to horror, but I was sorely disappointed. This book offers little beyond a basic guide to screenwriting in general. There are concepts unique to horror screenwriting, and this book does not address them. Save your money.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the worst Screenplay Book ever, December 18, 2009

By 

Adam Simon (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Horror Screenwriting: The Nature of Fear (Paperback)

As a professional I continue to use many resources and script books. Some I've used since i was a beginniner. Others I've found along the way. This book is truly awful. The publisher and author should be embarassed. The largest portion of the book is the author's very bad screenplay. Why reading his medioocre writing is thought to help the rest of us I have no idea. I was particularly disappointed because this publisher can usually be trusted to produce truly useful and quality books. But seriously DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. Unless you really want great advice like, 'Ignore the 3 act structure'!!!