Okay, list time folks.

I thought I would share with you my ruminations on the greatest horror directors of all time. No small claim to fame this, as the genre has been a fertile breeding ground for talent. Steven Spielberg, Michael Mann, David Lynch — all started out in horror. Spielberg cut his teeth on Rod Serling’s TV series “Night Gallery” before his debut with “Duel” and the smash hit “Jaws”. Michael Mann crafted the underrated and beautiful wartime horror story “The Keep”, while David Lynch’s earliest work was the surreal nightmare “Eraserhead”.

But such luminaries aside, let us without further ado “get down to it”….

13. Guillermo del Toro

Fans of del Toro may rail against his low position. But I would argue that he is not primarily a horror director. His early work “The Devil’s Backbone” and “Cronos” are definitely horror. The wonderful “Pan’s Labyrinthe” is a beguiling horror/fantasy. But his breakthrough film “Blade 2” and the “Hellboy” movies have been more action movies than terror movies.

12. Tobe Hooper

Hooper achieved phenomenal success with the no-budget “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, a film so groundbreaking it’s hard to imagine nowadays. But apart from the masterful scare machine “Poltergeist” he failed to follow up on it with such lacklustre gems as “Eaten Alive”. Hence his position at a respectful number 12.

11. George A RomeroThe king of zombies, Romero actually produced a couple of extremely good movies in other genres, such as the disturbing and atmospheric vampire picture “Martin”, and the wonderfully bonkers “Knightriders”. Still his “Dead” trilogy dominates popular culture today, and single-handedly recreated the zombie genre.

10. Terence Fisher

Prolific English director of Hammer horror films, Fisher brought us movies such as “The Horror of Dracula” (Christopher Lee), “The Curse of Frankenstein” (Peter Cushing) and “Curse of the Werewolf” (Oliver Reed). Okay, so not all of those are masterpieces. But he reinvigorated horror in the 1950s and 1960s, daring to show the Count’s fangs and lashings of blood in all its technicolour glory.

9. Roman PolanskiThe thinking man’s horror director, Polanski’s “Repulsion” is a scary journey into madness, while “Rosemary’s Baby” is a true Hollywood horror blockbuster. Polanski’s sensitive direction and the use of fine actors auch as John Cassavetes achieved devastating effect in the story of Mia Farrow’s pregnant woman beset by modern-day occultists. But my personal favourite is “Dance of the Vampires”  (aka “The Fearlesss Vampire Killers”), a pic that manages to be both delightfully funny and very very scary.

8. Mario Bava

The godfather of gore. Bava’s Italian horror remains obscure to some, but once seen his moves are never forgotten. “Bay of Blood” virtually created the slasher genre long before “Friday the 13th” or “Halloween”. While in “Black Sabbath”, an aged Boris Karloff shines in a trilogy of terrifying stories told with extreme relish. Bava evokes both the old Hollywood of the 1930s and the technicolour brashness of Hammer horror. An underrated master of the genre.

7. Dario Argento

Prolific and sometimes uneven, Argento’s work includes some of the greatest horror ever made. “Deep Red” is a Euro-thriller that becomes elevated to fever pitch by outrageous set-pieces and very flashy direction, as well as the first use of music by electronica band Goblin, who would famously perform the score for “Dawn of the Dead”. Argento’s “Tenebrae” is another masterpiece of “Giallo” cinema, where we stalk with the madman, seeing thorugh his eyes, only to arrive at a truly incredible ending. Not for the squeamish, but worth seeking out.

6. Roger Corman

The grand-inquisitor of American Horror in the 1950s and 1960s, Corman’s low-bidget ethic squeezed some of the best ever performances out of horror actor Vincent Price, to create such classics as “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Masque of the Red Death”. Corman also had an eye for talent, working with such future directors as Francis Ford Coppola and a young man called James Cameron.

5. David CronenbergShocking, disturbing, disgusting. All words that could apply to David Cronenberg’s work. From early films that are hard to watch such as “Rabid” and “Shivers” (the latter about a turd-shaped parasite that induces sexual craving in its host), to left-of-centre sci-fi “Scanners”, to the pinnacle of his horror career — the genuinely affecting remake of “The Fly”, Cronenberg refuses to pull away from the realities of our more fleshy parts. Achieved mainstream success with excellent dramas “Eatsern Promises”, “A History of Violence” and “A Dangerous Method”.

4. Jacques Tourneur

The old master of horror, Tourneur’s wonderful use of dark and shadow gave us truly memorable movie masterpieces such as “Night of the Demon” and “I Walked with a Zombie”. Although old, these movies are still creepy, thanks to their fantastic atmosphere, and their influence is often still felt today.

3. John CarpenterThe wonderkind of 70s horror, for a long time Carpenter had the distinction of directing the most successful independent movie ever , “Halloween”. He followed this up with movies that failed to impress critics and audiences at the time but which have since become horror classics. Movies such as “The Thing”, “The Fog”, “Prince of Darkness”, “Escape from New York” and “Big Trouble in Little China” are among the great films of horror cinema. Far ahead of his time, Carpenter added a sense of wicked humour to his movies that makes them as enjoyable today as they were when they first came out.

2. James Whale

A giant of horror cinema. Whale was a Brit who went on to acheve success in the fledgeling world of motion pictures in America. He established his reputation with classics like “Frankenstein”, “The Invisible Man” and “The Bride of Frankenstein”. Part of the expressionist school of filmmaking, Whale’s movies are operatic in tone, like a fever dream that transcend time and space to become truly mythical. His influence is felt in virtually every horror movie produced since, while his interpretation of Frankstein became imprinted into the modern consciousness.

1. Alfred Hitchcock

Known primarily as a thriller director, Hitchcock managed to traverse both genres and made some of the greatest horror movies ever. “Psycho” totally rewrote the horror genre, focusing on a monster who was human rather than imagined, with a frighteningy believable psychology. Difficult for us modern audiences to understand how much of a departure this was. But every psycho-thriller you see these days is modelled after him. Hitchcock went even further with the more disturbing “Frenzy”, again a frighteningly believable tale of a serial killer on the loose. In “The Birds”, Hitchcock does it again, this time with an apolcapytic thriller. Never explained, the birds attack mankind, and there can only be one winner. Directed with stunning flare, Hitchcock’s movie is still as potent today in its power to unnerve. Many of Hitchcock’s other films straddle the border of horror and thriller, such as “The Lodger”, a silent film about Jack the Ripper, “Blackmail”, or the surreal “Spellbound”. Meaning that he fully deserves his place as number one.

Should you do it?

A lot of A-list screenwriters began as novelists: William Goldman, Joe Eszterhas, Ron Bass, Richard Price…

But then a lot of screenwriters didn’t. Take Billy Bob Thornton, for example, who came up with the idea for Sling Blade by concocting a monologue for himself as an actor. Or Frank Darabont, who started out as a set decorator.

For me, the question is one of access. Are you in America? If so, why aren’t you in Hollywood networking your ass off. I know I would be in a heartbeat.

So if you’re in the UK, Europe, or even as far away as Russia or Australia, maybe novelizing some of your work is a good way to get noticed.

But…

Make sure it’s a story that can be told on the printed page alone. I’ve seen some terrible novels adapted from screenplays. The two things are not the same. Novels focus on psychology, getting us into the heads of the characters. That’s exactly the opposite of a screenplay, which focuses on revealing ideas and psychology through action.

Which explains why there are some terrible adaptations of novels, and why the old adage that a bad novel makes a good movie may have some truth in it.

So I wouldn’t novelize a story just for the sake of it. It has to be something that will withstand the adaptation process.

And then the real fun begins. Because selling a novel is hard. In my experience, it’s actually harder to sell a novel than to sell a screenplay. But maybe that depends on where your preferences lie.

Also, the advent of self-publishing may have just changed the entire face of the publishing industry. Now anyone can publish without the need for a massive corporation. Obviously, that raises issues of quality control. It also makes it harder to stand out in a crowd so your e-book may get lost amid the clamor. I’d be interested to know what people think about that.

Next post, I’ll share a few of my experiences while publishing my e-book “Project Nine”.

Yes, it does exactly what it says on the tin. My sci-fi/horror novel “PROJECT NINE”, many years in the making, is now available on amazon.co.uk. as well as on amazon.com. Heck, it’s even on amazon.ca and amazon.ja! So whether you’re on the Orient or the Yukon, you can enjoy this thrilling, dark ride from the comfort of your own Kindle.

Now available at http://www.amazon.com!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PROJECT-NINE-ebook/dp/B00B4ZL6D0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359453264&sr=1-1

And for those of you who like your sci-fi and horror fiction with a visual twist, check out the book trailer below (Don’t say I never treat you!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q00wJX36BAo

Okay, so this is the big one. It’s the big one because on it’s own it really doesn’t mean anything. I could give you a “golden ticket” for structure. but it would be useless without linking it to story and character. Because I believe that a screenplay needs all three of these things.

Let’s examine what we mean:

Structure – the architecture of your screenplay. At certain moments, certain things happen. The catalyst at page 12, for instance.

Story – the plot. Event that happen to the characters, or which they instigate.

Character – a nebulous concept, rarely defined. Not just personality or behaviour, but a mixture of the two. A character is defined by the action they take. Whether we would call these actions heroic, cowardly, villainous, vain etc. Even worse, character is supposed to change. Take Sarah Connor in the Terminator (put-upon waitress to kick-ass robot killer).

Whe I first began writing, I knew that certain things were supposed to happen at certain points (structure) creating the story. but what I didn’t know what that structure is really about character, and character is where the story comes from. Confused?

Let’s take an example,one of my all-time favourite comedies, “Groundhog Day”:

TV weatherman Phil Connors ( Bill Murray), manages to alienate his cameraman and beautiful producer by being cynical and self-centred.

(Notice the “setup” phase of the story is actually laying down Phil’s character by showing how he reacts to events)

On assignment to cover Groundhog Day, Phil gets stranded in Punxsutawney due to a blizzard. Phil wakes up to find that he is reliving that same day over again.

(Phil is annoyed, to say the least, at having to stay. But he is about to face an event that will force his personalilty to change. These are the “catalyst”, and “turning point” phases).

At first he is confused. Then when it happens again, he takes advantage of the situation without any fear of long-term consequences. He uses his “inside knowledge” to seduce women, steal money, and act recklessly.

(Now we get to the “fun and games” section, where the story literally plays around with the concept: “What would you do if you were foced to relive one day over and over again?”)

However, his attempts to get closer to Rita repeatedly fail.

(The “midpoint”. This is where Phil tries his tricks on Rita and fails. He knows he must change but is unwilling to do so)

Unable to end the time loop, a frustrated Phil becomes depressed, offensive, kindaps Punxsutawney Phil and even tries to end his own life. But despite all his actions, nothing breaks the time loop.

(Phil avoids change and in doing so falls into despair. This is the “low point” of the movie)

Phil finally tells Rita what is happening and proves it to her. She suggests that he should take advantage of it to improve himself.

(The second “turning point”. Notice how the romance subplot provides the inspiration for the protagonist’s final victory?)

Inspired, Phil decides to use his knowledge of what the day will bring to help as many people around town as possible, even saving lives. He learns to play piano and make ice sculptures. He becomes so popular and admired that Rita is impressed.

(Phil embraces change. His personality undergoes a radical transformation. But we believe it because it’s been set up earlier on. Phil knew he had to change; now he goes for it. And the results are impressive. He is on his way to the final victory).

After the end of this last, most momentous day, Rita stays the night with Phil, and he awakes, not to the same day, but to a new day with Rita. The time loop is broken.

(The “final victory” and”resolution”. Phil shows he has changed. He doesn’t try to seduce Rita. His love for her is genuine. As a result of accepting this change his life is transfomed, the curse is broken, and the story reaches its climax.)

So there you go. This is why I believe that character, story,and structure are all intimately interconnected. I tied myself in knots for a long while trying to shoe-horn my plots into a structural paradigm, not knowing that I was really writing about characters and change.

Hope this helps you!

Sadly, the British aren’t coming to the movies much any more. But in case you ever doubted that British cinema used to be a major player in the world of movies, here are my Top 20 favourite ones. Notice that last word: “favourite”.

Putting together this list, it became apparent that the British made three types of film really well. War films (not surprising, seeing as we’ve pretty much always been at war with somebody), comedy films (probably because we needed a laugh with all that war going on), and horror films (decide for yourself what this means!).

I’m not going to provide links here. In true British fashion, you can copy and paste these titles yourself if you want to learn more about them. I do hope you find something you may not have seen before. There are many more classic British films out there. So get scratching the surface…

Without futher ado, here is my definitely-non-definitive list.

20) 28 Days Later (2002)

Chilling zombie invasion movie transplanted to London.

19) The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Alfred Hitchcock outdoes himself in this flawless spy thriller that has been copied many times, for instance in recent hit movie Flightplan.

18) The Wicker Man (1973)

A bizarre horror musical that sees zealous policeman Edwad Woodward surrounded by some very creepy locals in the Scottish islands.

17) Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)

Albert Finney’s star-making performance as a working class hero in 1960s Nottingham.

16) Dead of Night (1945)

One of the best horror movies ever made. It starts out like a stuffy play and gradually becomes more and more frightening, like a dream that’s closing in…

15) Kes (1969)

Ken Loach’s superb documentary-style kitchen sink drama with a famous football match.

14) Get Carter (1971)

The one where a naked Michael Caine dispatches thugs with a shotgun. Brilliant hardboiled revenge story.

13) In Which We Serve (1942)

Gripping and very affecting wartime drama. The scenes of the blitz are unforgettable. Stiff upper lips are everywhere.

12) The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner (1962)

Very understated, realistic story of how one boy winds up in one of Britain’s notious “borstals” — correction centres for young offenders. Biting social commentary.

11) Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Alec Guinness shows off his acting versatilty by playing all the members of an ill-fated aristocratic family who fall victim to a murderous plotter in this charming and sly black comedy.

10) Great Expectations (1946)

David Lean does Dickens. John Mills puts in a sympathetic performance in this highly atmospheric version that has never been surpassed.

9) Henry V (1944)

Lawrence Olivier’s definitive version of Shakespeare’s play is replete with pageantry and stirring speeches.

8) Billy Liar (1963)

Another kitchen sink drama, but this time it’s a comedy. In fact, it’s one of the best comedies ever made. Tom Courtenay plays the eponymous hero who can’t help but fantasize when faced with his grim, Northern life.

7) The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

David Lean directs and Alec Guiness stars in this fantastic prisoner of war movie. Possibly the most famous whistling ever in the movies!

6) A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

Spellbinding movie which sees RAF pilot David Niven killed before his time and forced to argue before a Heavenly court why he should be allowed to return to Earth. Sound familiar?

5) Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)

So many Python films belong here, just because they are so very well made and… well, silly. But this is surely one of the silliest.

4) Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

The daddy of modern war films. Peter O’Toole plays the larger-than-life British military figure in this sweeping and epic production.

3) Dracula (1958)

aka The Horror of Dracula. This set the gold standard for vampire films for so many years to come, we’re still feeling its effects. Christopher Lee runs rampant as the aristocratic Count. The first of his many pairings with horror icon Peter Cushing.

2) Zulu (1964)

Fantastic action film about the actual events at Rourke’s Drift. The “300” of its day, a tiny outpost of British soldiers in Africa hold back the Zulu nation. Boys Own adventure material stuff with great stars and memorable theme music by John Barry.

1) Oliver! (1968)

This movie has it all. Unforgettable songs, amazing dance numbers, fantastic performances from the likes of Oliver Reed and Ron Moody, a story by Charles Dickens and a host of great characters. Who can forget murderer Bill Sykes being betrayed by his own dog? Or Fagin and the Artful Dodger dancing off into the sunset? Humour, social commentary, pathos, tragedy and triumph. Possibly the finest musical ever made.

Well that’s all, folks (to coin a phrase). Proof indeed that British cinema produced some of the most amazing films ever. And proof that it still has the potential to rise again like a pheonix from its own art-house ashes.

It is also noticeable that a lot of these movies come from the 1940s and 1960s, which were periods of great social change in Britain (as in most other places). Proof that great art comes from conflict of one kind or another.

As for the future? Well surely all those millionaires in the UK could follow George Harrison’s example and create a legacy for generations to come by investing in film? I can’t say that the demise of the UK film council has affected me, but maybe something will come along to replace it. Only time will tell. In today’s economy, nothing is certain. Let’s just hope we don’t face a future of middle-class romantic comedies. And there are only so many James Bond sequels you can make…

Having said in previous posts that some of the best writers do not plan, I thought I should qualify that by saying that if you are starting out as a screenwriter, you definitely need to learn not only about screenwriting, but about the business of screenwriting.

When I first started out, I wrote without reading these books and wasted many hours. Now I refer back to them on a regular basis, while developing my own style based on a synthesis of what I’ve found to work.

So without further ado, here are some of the most notable books on the market, in no particular order:

Save The Cat (Blake Snyder)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Save-Cat-Only-Screenwriting-Youll/dp/1932907009

No list would be complete without Blake Snyder’s seminal work that boils down screenwriting to an easy-to-understand structure. But beware, this assumes you have mastered the basics of storytelling.

Story (Robert McKee)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Substance-Structure-Principles-Screenwriting-Jul-16-1999/dp/B0092I07BI/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358591036&sr=1-2

McKee’s book is considered the definitive tome on screenwriting. BUT in fact much of this work is critcism. Many of the points raised are valid, but are more of an analysis of what has worked in the past in other movies. However it inspired me quite a bit, and gives you a good working knowledge of many dramatic terms and weapons to add to your screenwriting arsenal.

Screenplay (Syd Field)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Screenplay-Foundations-Screenwriting-Step-Step/dp/0385339038/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_7

This book contains a lot of good basic stuff on structure. But I found his work on character to be more confusing and distracting. Maybe that’s because Mr Field was an actor before he turned screenriting guru.

Making a Good Script Great (Linda Seger)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Good-Script-Great-Consultant/dp/1935247018/ref=pd_sim_b_7

A more advanced book that assumes you have a working knowledge of the basics and are now having problems with your script. I have used this to varying effect when I got stuck on something. Very in-depth and practical.

Writing Screenplays that Sell (Michael Hague)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Screenplays-That-Sell-Television/dp/0061791431/ref=pd_sim_b_17#_

A great book for the beginner that teaches you the basics, even going so far as to show you the correct layout of a script on the page in cms and inches! Essential reading.

Raindance Writers’ Lab: Write and Sell the Hot Screenplay (Elliot Grove)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raindance-Writers-Lab-Write-Screenplay/dp/0240520793/ref=pd_sim_b_70

A real gem, this one. Not only does it have a nice “formula” for outlining your script and developing your idea but it has many anecdotes about selling and marketing and breaking down that all-important Hollywood door. Intermediate level.

Tales from the Script (P Hansen & PR Herman) 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tales-Script-Peter-Hanson/dp/0061855928/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358591968&sr=1-1

Why struggle blindly in the dark when you can find out for yourself how the pros made it? Full of invaluable interviews with leading and indie screenwriters.  Gives you an insight into the way they work. Recommended for advanced screenwriters.

So there it is. I’ve just dipped my toe into the ocean of screenwriting books. Of course there are many more. Where is Chris Vogler’s “The Writer’s Journey” you scream? Believe me, this is only a scratch on the tip of the iceberg. But hopefully it’s a starting point that should save you a lot of that most precious of commodities, time.