Delta4Embassy
Gold Member
Caught some movie today about 80s horror movies. Had various directors and writers talking about the genre with various clips. Talking about the protests from parents and such an idea occured for a genre re-defining 'horror' movie. Something no one's ever made before. Various movies have nibbled around the edges, but in the usual formulaic way. My idea if fullbore, 'this is it' scary-horror.
"Hell"
Have various characters in this world doing some heinous sinful thing that results in their being cast in Hell when they die. Then show Hell using descriptions from the Bible and various religous faiths. No hero to the rescue, bad guy demons losing in the end, or happy ending. Just lengthy sequences of the damned getting what they were promised. Will avoid graphic descriptions of what I can imagine, but sufficed to say the scariest things are the ones you never see. Like the shark in "Jaws" until the end. So no human-relatable demon torturing people so much as people being tortured and seeing things from their own first-person perspective.
Big part of the what I wanna do is avoid the usual horror movie concepts of Hell where there's enough that's relatable that it takes away from the sheer terror or where you are. Thinking of the split second bits from "Event Horizon" or the 'in Hell' episodes of "Supernatural" on TNT. No scneic panoramic shots, just whatever torture's being done to various damned souls. No buildings or rooms or table or knives or anything that a human might relate too and thus take away from the immersive aspect of being in Hell. It's another dimension, not a place in our universe so it should reflect that. Maybe even use a kind of 'funhouse' mirror perspective.
Watched some old hand-drawn animation "Dante's Inferno" and it was scary. But ultimately it was a cartoon and 'human-relatable.' I wanna show Hell as it likely would be. Just you, a lot of pain and suffering, and realizing you have no hope of escape or reprieve, you're just really f'd. Might consider using current 3d cgi since it can depict things real-life video or film can't. That 'other dimension' aspect like. Thinking back to 1999 and "Final Fantasy: Spirits Within" that remains the best human rendered animation I've ever seen and that was 20 years ago. Shouldn't be hard to make real-looking people digitally.
There's never been a movie about Hell as it would be. There's only been demons int his world, or brief jaunts into it but never really from the perspecive of the damned who's not leaving or being resuced in the end. And constantly, nothing really scary. I wanna make something where you leave and consider the merits of living morally. Like "Dante's Inferno" did for me. Not just another gorefest for the sake of being gross. That's not scary. Considering teh possibility there really is a Hell and if you live a bad life you might wind up there being ripped to shreds over and over for the rest of time - that's scary.
Some early ideas:
- character 1, a murderer who's seen murdering his victim in cold blood. A thrill kill perhaps, no passion involved, he just wanted to kill someone to 'see what it's like.' Does. And gets away with it. Then, later he dies for some as yet unthought of reason and 'wakes in Hell' No where for him to run or hide he's just acutely aware he's helpless. Then let him have it. Graphicly and horribly. Imagine the very worst things you can do to hurt a human being bearing in mind he wont die no matter what you do. Now imagine something a lot worse.
Dunno how many characters I'd have, suppose it'll be determined by how long it's gonna be. Like at least 3 though. A murderer, a betrayer/liar/cheater type, and a hateful person.
Some side-angles I'm considering are a foreshadowing or warning point for all of them to reduce the chance the audience feels sorry for them. "They had a chance to avoid this horrible fate but scoffed at it." Something like that. Or many chances. I don't want the audience to feel sorry for them, but at the same time I don't want them rooting for what's happening to them as much as being terrified at the possibiltiy "There but for the grace fo God go I" like.
Also, I don't want Hell to be depicted as anything familar. No rows of cells with people being tortured inside or screams from other cells. Isolation's scary. Being alone, helpless, at the mercy of something else who's literally alien and there to do a job which involves hurting you. Isn't personal, it doesn't hate you, it's not a sadistic monster, it's just doing what it's made to do. That kind of aloofness has always really scared me especially where sharks are concerned. When they bite people and kill them it's not personal, you're just a prey item to the shark and all your humanity, hopes and dreams is suddenly meaningless. There's a bigger stronger animal that wants your flesh for a snack and that's it. Same as my concept of Hell. You're there to be punished. Not learn a lesson then go back home. No one's coming for you, what's happening is your existence from now on - horror.
After the first sinner's ripped to bits in various ways, cut back to the real world and the next sinner. Now the audience understands and has a reference point and chance to destress and relax, all the while knowing what's coming yet being powerless to warn the person on screen or avoid what's coming. It also reinforces the commonality. We all sin and misbehave yet despite knowing about Hell few of us believe. I think if more did believe the world would reflect that belief. But looking at the world, I think true belivers are few and very far between.
Rinse, lather, repeat however many times I can squeeze into 90-120 mins. Then, the last sinner heading for a bad fate I want to be the 'big reveal' where instead of sinning and winding up in hell has some epiphany moment and changes direction avoiding it. But only for a while. Like most of us changing over a new leaf only to return to our bad ways. Thinking of the original "Tron" line, "Train him for the games. Let him hope for a while. Then blow him away." Audience thinks the last guy or gal has avoided damnation but woops, not so much.
Whole experience should be like having spent some time in Hell themselves. Not leave on an up note because there isn't one in Hell and that's the point I wanna make. That 'this is real. I heard about this all my lfie but convinced myself I didn't belive, but now here I am, this is really happening, oh my god!' Like the girl in the opening scene of "Jaws" That terror and blood curdling scream but instead of the water silencing the scream, in Hell the audience sees and hears it going on and on and on.
"Hell"
Have various characters in this world doing some heinous sinful thing that results in their being cast in Hell when they die. Then show Hell using descriptions from the Bible and various religous faiths. No hero to the rescue, bad guy demons losing in the end, or happy ending. Just lengthy sequences of the damned getting what they were promised. Will avoid graphic descriptions of what I can imagine, but sufficed to say the scariest things are the ones you never see. Like the shark in "Jaws" until the end. So no human-relatable demon torturing people so much as people being tortured and seeing things from their own first-person perspective.
Big part of the what I wanna do is avoid the usual horror movie concepts of Hell where there's enough that's relatable that it takes away from the sheer terror or where you are. Thinking of the split second bits from "Event Horizon" or the 'in Hell' episodes of "Supernatural" on TNT. No scneic panoramic shots, just whatever torture's being done to various damned souls. No buildings or rooms or table or knives or anything that a human might relate too and thus take away from the immersive aspect of being in Hell. It's another dimension, not a place in our universe so it should reflect that. Maybe even use a kind of 'funhouse' mirror perspective.
Watched some old hand-drawn animation "Dante's Inferno" and it was scary. But ultimately it was a cartoon and 'human-relatable.' I wanna show Hell as it likely would be. Just you, a lot of pain and suffering, and realizing you have no hope of escape or reprieve, you're just really f'd. Might consider using current 3d cgi since it can depict things real-life video or film can't. That 'other dimension' aspect like. Thinking back to 1999 and "Final Fantasy: Spirits Within" that remains the best human rendered animation I've ever seen and that was 20 years ago. Shouldn't be hard to make real-looking people digitally.
There's never been a movie about Hell as it would be. There's only been demons int his world, or brief jaunts into it but never really from the perspecive of the damned who's not leaving or being resuced in the end. And constantly, nothing really scary. I wanna make something where you leave and consider the merits of living morally. Like "Dante's Inferno" did for me. Not just another gorefest for the sake of being gross. That's not scary. Considering teh possibility there really is a Hell and if you live a bad life you might wind up there being ripped to shreds over and over for the rest of time - that's scary.
Some early ideas:
- character 1, a murderer who's seen murdering his victim in cold blood. A thrill kill perhaps, no passion involved, he just wanted to kill someone to 'see what it's like.' Does. And gets away with it. Then, later he dies for some as yet unthought of reason and 'wakes in Hell' No where for him to run or hide he's just acutely aware he's helpless. Then let him have it. Graphicly and horribly. Imagine the very worst things you can do to hurt a human being bearing in mind he wont die no matter what you do. Now imagine something a lot worse.
Dunno how many characters I'd have, suppose it'll be determined by how long it's gonna be. Like at least 3 though. A murderer, a betrayer/liar/cheater type, and a hateful person.
Some side-angles I'm considering are a foreshadowing or warning point for all of them to reduce the chance the audience feels sorry for them. "They had a chance to avoid this horrible fate but scoffed at it." Something like that. Or many chances. I don't want the audience to feel sorry for them, but at the same time I don't want them rooting for what's happening to them as much as being terrified at the possibiltiy "There but for the grace fo God go I" like.
Also, I don't want Hell to be depicted as anything familar. No rows of cells with people being tortured inside or screams from other cells. Isolation's scary. Being alone, helpless, at the mercy of something else who's literally alien and there to do a job which involves hurting you. Isn't personal, it doesn't hate you, it's not a sadistic monster, it's just doing what it's made to do. That kind of aloofness has always really scared me especially where sharks are concerned. When they bite people and kill them it's not personal, you're just a prey item to the shark and all your humanity, hopes and dreams is suddenly meaningless. There's a bigger stronger animal that wants your flesh for a snack and that's it. Same as my concept of Hell. You're there to be punished. Not learn a lesson then go back home. No one's coming for you, what's happening is your existence from now on - horror.
After the first sinner's ripped to bits in various ways, cut back to the real world and the next sinner. Now the audience understands and has a reference point and chance to destress and relax, all the while knowing what's coming yet being powerless to warn the person on screen or avoid what's coming. It also reinforces the commonality. We all sin and misbehave yet despite knowing about Hell few of us believe. I think if more did believe the world would reflect that belief. But looking at the world, I think true belivers are few and very far between.
Rinse, lather, repeat however many times I can squeeze into 90-120 mins. Then, the last sinner heading for a bad fate I want to be the 'big reveal' where instead of sinning and winding up in hell has some epiphany moment and changes direction avoiding it. But only for a while. Like most of us changing over a new leaf only to return to our bad ways. Thinking of the original "Tron" line, "Train him for the games. Let him hope for a while. Then blow him away." Audience thinks the last guy or gal has avoided damnation but woops, not so much.
Whole experience should be like having spent some time in Hell themselves. Not leave on an up note because there isn't one in Hell and that's the point I wanna make. That 'this is real. I heard about this all my lfie but convinced myself I didn't belive, but now here I am, this is really happening, oh my god!' Like the girl in the opening scene of "Jaws" That terror and blood curdling scream but instead of the water silencing the scream, in Hell the audience sees and hears it going on and on and on.
