by Deirdre Gould

Created on: June 15, 2009   Last Updated: June 18, 2009

When you are writing a horror script there are four sets of rules to decide who survives your scenario. These rules are standard in the history of horror film, and some can be broken in order to upset the assumptions of the viewer and provide interesting twists, but some are so embedded in the mythos of horror, that they either require a very logical explanation when they are broken, or may not be broken at all without alienating your audience.

The reason that there are four sets of rules is that there are four types of story which fit into the horror genre. Before you can decide which rules apply, you must discover which type you are writing.

Type 1: The Classic Slasher

In The Classic Slasher, the set of characters is pursued by a killer or group of killers who have specific reasons for targeting those particular victims. Rule number one: The killer or killers will not be dissuaded until a. all victims die, or b. all killers die.

2. Slasher films are thinly veiled morality tales. Innocent people do not die in these films. The degree of guilt you can be killed for is up to the killer though. It used to be that anyone engaging in promiscuous behavior was first to die. That's no longer the case in modern slashers. These films are a reflection of the value system of the time and place they were created. Today it may be engaging in questionable science experiments, or of murder or accidental death themselves. Regardless of the frame, someone that's completely innocent cannot die, there must be a reason to kill each victim (they may be flimsy reasons, but there has to be one). That being said, not everyone who is guilty has to die.

3. Someone that has participated in the moral crime for which the killer is punishing may survive if they show deep remorsefulness. The more remorseful a character is, the longer they are likely to make it. Killers in slasher films usually kill cold-hearted people first. This rule can be broken, but not easily. Not because the audience will be outraged, but because it takes time to develop sympathy for a character, and you can't easily have a killer waiting around to kill someone while unabashed "sinners" walk around freely.

4. Safety in numbers. Most killers get victims when they are alone. This rule isn't hard and fast, but generally, the more people you are with, the more likely you are to survive. The reason this rule works is that it proves true to criminal behavior in real life. Most criminals don't want

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