Private, interactive Zoom lab led by a Blumhouse-experienced Producer & Studio Executive

Take your horror feature from concept to completed first draft with hands-on, personalized feedback

Only 10 spots available!

Payment plans available at checkout or email edu@stage32.com for more info!

Horror is one of the most commercially durable and creatively alive genres in film—and if you understand why, you can break in faster than in almost any other space. From micro-budget breakouts to studio tentpoles, horror consistently punches above its weight at the box office, proving that a single, well-executed idea can launch a career. But effective horror is a discipline. It requires more than darkness and dread—it demands precise craft, psychological insight, and an understanding of what audiences are truly afraid of.

The best horror films work because they are grounded in character, rooted in theme, and built on escalating stakes that feel inevitable in retrospect. Whether you are drawn to survival horror, psychological dread, or high-concept scares, the fundamentals are the same: a world we believe in, characters we care about, and a threat that resonates on a deeper psychological level. Many writers fall into predictable traps—recycled setups, underdeveloped protagonists, or scares that feel unearned—while others focus so heavily on atmosphere or subtext that they forget what audiences actually came for: tension, payoff, and a meaningful threat.

Guiding you through this process is Sammy Warshaw, a seasoned producer and film executive with deep roots in horror. Sammy has worked with Blumhouse on HAPPY DEATH DAY, TRUTH OR DARE, INSIDIOUS 4, and HALLOWEEN, and brings additional studio experience from Columbia Pictures (Sony), along with producing credits on SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 and the KNUCKLES series. Having developed projects alongside Jason Blum and Neal Moritz, he knows exactly what makes a horror script stand out—and how to help emerging writers break through.

In this eight-week lab, you’ll move from concept through a complete first draft of your horror feature. You’ll explore commercial horror fundamentals, build tension and stakes, craft compelling character arcs, and execute set pieces that deliver impact. With weekly assignments, personalized feedback, and one-on-one consultations, you’ll refine every element of your script. By the end, you’ll have a polished, commercially viable horror screenplay—and a clear understanding of how to compete in today’s marketplace.

This interactive Stage 32 lab is held on Zoom and goes substantially more in depth than a Stage 32 webinar. Best of all? As soon as you sign up you will be linked on email with your Stage 32 Educator and given a questionnaire to fill out and send back to them. You will have access to your Educator for the duration of your class by email to ask them any questions you have about your craft or career - it’s like having a mentor on demand! And, if you can't make a live session, don't worry! All class recordings will be available 48 hours after each session and you will be able to view them in your Library on your Stage 32 profile. Finally, you can expand your network with like-minded creatives - you'll have a dedicated lounge for interactive support and discussions with your fellow classmates!

Handouts: 

The Horror Marketplace: Budget Tiers, Buyers, and Where Your Script Fits

A guide to getting your Horror script read

Case studies of Horror posters that sell the concept.

Week 1 — The Anatomy of Commercial Horror

Course overview and expectations

• What makes horror commercially viable today — and what the market is actually buying

• The spectrum of horror: tone, intensity, and finding where your story lives

• The three engines of horror: fear of death, fear of the unknown, and fear of loss of self

• Establishing premise, theme, and the central threat — what is your monster really about?

• World-building in horror: how rules create tension and earn suspension of disbelief

• The Final Girl and beyond: understanding and subverting horror archetypes

• What executives and producers look for when they pick up a horror script

Assignment: Develop a logline, a one-paragraph elevator pitch, and a one-sentence poster image description for your horror feature. Write a one-page treatment identifying your central threat, your protagonist's wound, and the thematic question your film is asking. Come prepared to pitch your concept to the group.

Week 2 — Act 1: Opening the Wound

Pages 1–25: Establishing the world before it breaks

• The horror opening: cold opens, false security, and the art of the first scare

• Introducing a protagonist the audience will follow into the dark — vulnerability, agency, and stakes

• Building a world worth destroying: normalcy as a horror tool

• Planting the threat: how to introduce your monster with maximum dread

• The inciting incident in horror: the moment the rules of the world change

• Foreshadowing and plant-and-payoff: laying groundwork audiences won't notice until it's too late

• Dialogue in horror: what characters say vs. what they're afraid to say

Assignment: Revise your outline as needed. Draft your first 10–20 pages, focusing on establishing your protagonist's normal world, introducing the central threat, and landing your inciting incident.

Week 3 — Act 2, Part 1: Escalation

Pages 25–55: Tightening the trap

• The mechanics of dread: how to escalate tension without burning through your scares too fast

• Discovery and denial: the rhythm of horror investigation and the cost of knowing

• Deepening character under pressure — who your protagonist becomes when the threat is real

• Set pieces in the first half of Act 2: staging suspense, not just shock

• The horror midpoint: a scare or reveal that reframes everything the audience thought they knew

• Supporting characters in horror — allies, skeptics, and expendables done right

• Subplots that amplify theme rather than dilute tension

Assignment: Write pages 20–45, building toward your midpoint. At least one significant set piece should be drafted. Focus on escalating the threat and pushing your protagonist deeper into the trap.

Week 4 — Individual Consultation #1

One-on-one review of your first half

Submit your material for a private consultation. We will assess the shape of your first half: Is the threat clearly established and genuinely frightening? Is your protagonist active and emotionally grounded? Are your scares earned? We will identify structural issues, pressure-test your concept, and map the path forward.

Assignment: Complete 45–50 pages before your consultation. Implement any major structural notes coming out of the session before Week 5.

Week 5 — Act 2, Part 2: The Descent

Pages 55–75: No way out, no way back

• Raising the stakes past the point of no return: isolation, loss, and impossible choices

• The darkest moment in horror — how to make your protagonist hit rock bottom and keep going

• Reveals and reversals: twists that recontextualize vs. twists that just surprise

• Avoiding clichés while delivering on genre expectations — the contract with your audience

• Violence, gore, and restraint — knowing what to show, what to imply, and what to leave to imagination

• What makes a horror script commercial: concept clarity, budgetability, and comparable titles

Assignment: Continue writing, targeting 60–70 pages. Your protagonist should be at their lowest point. The path to survival, if there is one, should feel impossibly narrow.

Week 6 — Act 3: Building to the Climax

Pages 75–90: The confrontation your whole film has been building toward

• What a satisfying horror third act actually requires — and why so many fail

• The climax as character test: your protagonist must face the threat using what they have learned

• Staging the final confrontation: location, stakes, and the logic of your world's rules paying off

• Subverting vs. satisfying: when to give audiences what they want vs. what they don't expect

• Resolving subplots and supporting character arcs without losing momentum

• The horror ending: ambiguity, catharsis, and the final image that haunts the audience

• What producers mean by 'producibility' and how to write with it in mind

Assignment: Complete 70–85 pages, with your final confrontation underway or complete. At least the first half of Act 3 should be drafted and the climactic set piece should be clear on the page.

Week 7 — Sticking the Landing

Completing and polishing your first draft

• The final image: what your last scene says about your entire film

• Horror endings that linger — the difference between an ending and an after-effect

• Polishing for pace: cutting fat, tightening dialogue, sharpening scares

• Checking your plant-and-payoff: does every scare land on something you set up?

• Character arc completion — has your protagonist been genuinely changed by what they survived?

• Reading your script as a producer: budget flags, casting appeal, and concept clarity

• Open Q&A and final advice for next steps

Assignment: Write your final 10–15 pages. Your first draft is complete. All character arcs should be resolved and the central threat definitively addressed. Read it cover to cover before your final consultation.

Week 8 — Final Consultation

One-on-one review of your completed first draft

Submit your completed draft for a final one-on-one review. We will evaluate the full shape of the script: Does it work as a horror film? Does the threat land? Is the protagonist's journey emotionally satisfying? We will discuss what is working, what needs a rewrite pass, and how to position the script for the market.

Assignment: Incorporate your notes, do a focused revision pass, and take a moment to recognize what you have built. A completed horror feature script is a real, tangible thing — and you wrote it.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

 PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 lab will be booked on a first-come, first-served basis. The opportunity to work this closely and for this long with an expert in the field is an incredibly unique and valuable opportunity. If you are interested, please book quickly. Once the spots are gone, they’re gone for good.

• This is an intimate, in-depth, practical, and detailed class held on Zoom where you will be interacting with your instructor.

• This class consists of 8 sessions roughly two hours in duration and offers significantly more in-depth content than a standard Stage 32 webinar.

• ***Your instructor will be available on email during the entire duration of the lab to answer any questions you have about your project.***

• To stay motivated and inspired you will have access to a dedicated Stage 32 Lounge post where you can meet, connect and communicate with your fellow classmates throughout the length of the class and beyond. Let Stage 32 help you find your tribe!

• Can't make it live? Don't worry, each session will be recorded and you can watch it on demand at your convenience. 

• You will be held accountable to take the lessons from each week and move your work forward.

• Payment plans are available at checkout through Shop Pay

• Writers looking to develop a horror feature film from concept to completed first draft
• Creatives who have a horror idea but need structure, guidance, and accountability to execute it
• Screenwriters who want to better understand what makes horror scripts commercially viable in today’s market
• Writers struggling with weak scares, underdeveloped characters, or stories that don’t fully land
• Filmmakers interested in crafting contained, producible horror concepts that can attract buyers or investors
• Intermediate writers ready to level up their craft with deeper focus on tension, structure, and payoff
• Writers who want personalized feedback and one-on-one guidance throughout the writing process
• Anyone serious about breaking into the industry through the horror genre with a market-ready script