AGENTS’ HOT SHEET
Oh, the Horror!
By Jim Cirile
Blurb: The horror genre is as robust as it’s ever been. Let’s explore the whys and
wherefores and figure out how you can get a piece of the action.
Pull quote: “This is a great time for young writers who really love horror.”
--Richard Arlook, Gersh Agency
ADVISORY BOARD
Richard Arlook
The Gersh Agency
Nicole Clemens
International Creative Management
A.B. Fischer
The Shuman Company
Emile Gladstone
International Creative Management
Julien Thuan
United Talent Agency
It comes down to this: it’s damn good business.
The horror/thriller, always a staple of American cinema, has become the place where new
talent can flourish and producers can actually make a buck. One needs only look at the
numbers: Saw III was produced for $12 million and grossed almost $60 million domestic
box office. Add in international and DVD, and you have a whopping return on
investment. We asked our panel about what’s going on in the marketplace regarding
fright flicks, and we got some chillingly groovy answers.
The success of horror at the box office has yielded a crop of new spook houses springing
up to try to cash in. Companies like Raw Feed, Screen Gems, Fortress, Dimension,
Twisted Pictures, Lionsgate and more are all seeking the next hot horror franchise.
Manager Jake Wagner from Energy Entertainment, who specializes in horror, says, “It’s
low-risk, because a lot of these companies shoot horror movies for $1-5 million, and
worst case scenario, they can still get a DVD distribution deal and break even. But best
case scenario is you’re sitting on another Saw or Hostel.” Yep, horror films generally
don’t cost a lot of money to make, they don’t need stars, and the potential upside is great.
The Gersh Agency’s Richard Arlook notes, “Every single one of these franchises, from
Halloween to Amityville to Freddy to Chucky, they all start with a quirky little horror film
that ended up generating hundreds of millions. Really, nothing has changed in the overall
deal-making economics, whereas (when you look at the rest of the business,) the
economics have changed. (Horror films) are still a pretty safe bet.”
Now, gentle reader, one must understand the creepy complexities. There’s a hierarchy out
there. These companies are seeking horror/thrillers that fall under the studio floor of $1015 million. So while they may be looking for the next Saw, the major studios are not.
ICM’s Emile Gladstone cautions don’t expect to sell a horror spec for a lot of money to a
studio, “unless it’s The Others or Rosemary’s Baby, and they can put a star in it. If Reese
Witherspoon can star in it, sure, you’re going to sell it for some coin. Everyone is looking
for the next Others, the next Rosemary’s Baby. No studio is looking for Saw. Rogue
might potentially do a Saw. But if you give them an old-school horror fest, unless Eli
Roth (Donnie Darko) is attached to it, I don’t see them wanting to move forward on it.
Look at (Michael Bay’s) Platinum Dunes—they’re recycling a lot of old titles (e.g., The
Hitcher.)”
And then there’s even a third tier of chilling companies making horror films for under $1
million. This is where things get a bit tricky. While this area is rife with opportunity for
emerging screenwriters, it’s not the immediate door-opener many writers hope it is. “The
big, established agent isn’t going to pay attention until there’s some box office associated
with what they’re doing,” says Arlook. “Let’s say a guy is making ten horror movies a
year for $300,000 each; if he’s the writer/director/producer, he’s literally making $30,000
per film, (or) $300,000 a year. I could get a medium-level screenwriter one assignment
twice a year and make double that money. It all comes down to time and reward.” And
sorry, friends, don’t expect Hollywood to beat a path to your door if you get a small
option offer. “People call me all day long with those deals, literally saying, ‘So-and-so
wants to option (my script) for 10 grand. Someone with a truly brilliant script that’s not
even set up has got a better chance (of landing representation) than someone like that. I
think that’s true of any real agent,” Arlook laughs, “although I’m sure Broadway Danny
Rose would jump at it.”
But Wagner notes that sometimes it makes good career sense for a young writer/director
to get his movies made, “as opposed to writing a big script, selling it, and then it just sits
in development. There are pros and cons either way, but we explore all our options. Even
straight to DVD, you’re a produced writer then, and what was originally planned to go
straight to DVD could end up being the next Saw.” Indeed, many successful filmmakers
have broken in with horror and have gone on to greatness (Sam Raimi, anyone?) Wagner
adds, “A sale to a major is great and will get that writer some heat, but we’re also in the
business of getting these movies made. Dog Soldiers was straight to DVD, and look what
it did for Neil Marshall (now writing and directing the $15 million Doomsday for
Rogue/Crystal Sky.)”
All this means opportunity for spooky flick writers. “That is what’s great about the horror
genre,” says Wagner. “They’ll give young actors, screenwriters and writer/directors a
shot. If a young screenwriter can write a contained, scary piece, it has a good chance of
getting made.” Gladstone agrees, “If I’m 24 and coming to town, I would write a horror
movie. There is a shorter distance to getting your movie made than a traditional spec that
goes through the system and is one of 400 in development.” UTA’s Julien Thuan says an
unexpected plus is the high turnover rate in the genre. “Historically, it’s been one of those
genres that people quickly want to move out of. A writer or director will build a career
off horror films, and then often they’ll not want to be pigeonholed. That allows
opportunity for new writers. You’re in competition with fewer writers who are
established.” And on this topic, Arlook is very pleased that for once he doesn’t have to be
Mr. Doom n’ Gloom. “I think the headline is, ‘Richard Arlook’s actually being
positive,’” he laughs. “This is a great time for young writers who really love horror.”
But he’s quick to caution, “There’s a certain type of writer that really loves the genre. It’s
great for them. If there is somebody reading this column who for the last five years has
been writing period drama or broad comedy—remember, you always do your best when
you’re passionate about what you’re writing about.”
Ready to take a whack at 110 pages of shiver-inducing darkness? Start with bringing a
fresh take to the genre—which is not as easy as it sounds. “Look at Saw,” says Arlook.
“That’s an original, smart premise. We hadn’t seen that one. You can do a vampire
movie, a werewolf movie—you can do anything, (if you have) a fresh take.” And keep
the budget low. “The million-dollar movie that makes you $100 million is perfect,” says
Thuan. “(Producers) want something that will not be cast-dependent or prohibitively
expensive. They tend to shy away from things that delve into the sci-fi world. Suddenly
the price escalates quickly. Companies tend to talk about ‘contained,’ like, a horror movie
set in a cabin in the woods.” In other words, a space station as your location? Not a good
idea, “unless you never leave the space station,” observes Thuan.
And writing a horror script doesn’t mean leave the characterization behind. “Of course, a
lot of horror gets pushed through with thin characters,” says Wagner, “and it’s all just
about kill shots and body counts. But we try to encourage the writers to bring character,
story and character arc to the table, because if you have that, then you have a horror film
that sticks out from the bunch. You plug in interesting characters with an interesting
dilemma, you have The Ring.” Thuan notes that despite what you may think from seeing
some recent fright flicks, writing a horror script does not mean the writer can slack on the
characterization. “Even (with a bad horror film,) I don’t think anyone intended for it to
become like that. It’s possible something got left on the cutting room floor. If you look
back at most of the horror films that have been great historically, there are great
characters and some kind of connection or emotional resonance. That’s what everyone
sets out to make. No one sets out to make the one that broke even and got horribly
reviewed and no one even wants to show to critics.”
We’ll leave you with some parting advice from Wagner: “The opening scene, the opening
kill—some people call it the prologue—if that doesn’t sizzle, hook me in, usually it’s an
indication that the script’s going to be soft or fall off. You can tell a lot about a horror
script just from the prologue. If that doesn’t grab you and scare the hell out of you,
chances are nothing in the script will. Start off with a bang, something we haven’t seen.”
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