Scripting
(4 Horror Techniques from the 'Saw' Series)

1) Use catchphrases that are immediately associated with the film. Introduce these early on in an opening sequence or in the first killing scene; and use them more than once throughout a film or series. In the 'Saw' movies these catchphrases are associated with the killer 'Jig Saw' and the way he kills (or sets up people to either escape or die). The following are good examples: 'I wanna play a game', 'remember the rules', 'x marks the spot' and 'game over'.

2) Give the audience familiar horror conventions by involving the usual phrases. Alot of the time these are questions or cries of desperation. These should be included in trailers and most scenes of the film, letting the audience know of the horror genre. The following examples I picked out from the 'Saw' films are regularly heard in all horror films: "I wanna go home", "I don't wanna die", "where are you?", "where am i?", "what are you doing to me?", "is there someone there?", "hello?", "i'm scared", "let me go" and my own personal favourite "help me!".

3) Base sripting of particular characters on the characters role in the film. For main characters it is important to not give away everything about them at the beginning, but through scripting you can gradually give away different parts of his/her story as you go along. For example, in 'Saw', the character 'Lawrence' is the main character and reveals his name and occupation (doctor) at the beginning; but he does not reveal much about his family until the middle, and his history or background to the end. This is all done through what he says in conversations with the other character, and as we get to know him, we grow closer to him. For subcharacters, we should know everything we need to know about him (name, stereotype traits etc) within a few lines of what he says, as he does not hold such a deep and detailed character. We give everything about them straight away. For example, in 'Saw II' the subcharacter 'Xavier' (stereotyped as the bully or macho man) reveals straight away his name and that he used to be in prison. He immediately makes it clear he will use force to get out of the trap laid for him, and that he is only worried about getting himself out and not any of the other characters with him. Scripting characters in this way makes it clearer to us what will happen, with the subcharacters usually dying and the main characters either getting far or surviving all the way.

4) Through scripting you can use subtle hints throughout a film as to what might happen. This makes outcomes either inevitable or ironic at the end. A good example of this is in 'Saw II' where 'Jig Saw' tells father 'Eric' that he will see his son in a "safe and secure state" if he can talk with him for a while. It is later revealed that the son is inside a safe in the room they are sitting in (exactly what was said earlier in an ironic subtle way), which is opened after the intended hour in which his son was supposed to die. By then, the father has gone to the house shown on the monitors to rescue his son, but does not know these were showing pictures an hour or so in the past and his son was rescued by the killer and kept in a "safe and secure state". The irony is laughable and very clever. It is fun for some audiences to spot these ironic statements in the scripting of a film to try and predict what will happen and what the twists will be. Others will be completely unaware of the irony all along, which is why scenes from earlier in a film are often played again to show what was really meant by that line and to help the whole audience piece everything together. This works very well in horror and thrillers.

"I want to play a game."