How to Make a Successful Horror Franchise

 

Have you ever wanted to write or direct a series of horror films? Well, I have just the right advice and tips for you that will lead you to prosperity and the fame that you so deeply crave. So here are my rules to make a successful horror franchise:

Cast Character Actors 

After the third film, you will start to lose your mainstream viewers and will now have to cater first to the naïve saps you’ve turned into hardcore fans and your true horror fans. If you want to keep their attention spans on your shallow franchise, you must cast an obscure actor to the mix. Now I’m not talking about casting a 1998 pop princess reject or a contestant from the third season of American Idol, I’m talking about casting someone with “Dick Miller” appeal. Trust me this works. If Dog Soldiers’ Sean Pertwee was not in Prophecy 4, I probably would have turned that sh*t off the second I saw the CGI ghost of Jason London appear onscreen. 

Listen to the Producers

Shows like Entourage have taught us that “the suits” are responsible for deflating all the creativity in most films. Every time a movie turns out to be sh*t, the producers are usually the ones that take the brunt of the blame. Although when it comes to horror franchises, it’s best to listen to them. They know how to cater to the target audience by injecting glossy cinematography, boo scares and gore. Think about it…if it weren’t for horror film producers, viewers would have been subjected to watching the horrific and unsettling (and might I also say UNFITTING) gang rape scene in Rob Zombie’s Halloween on the big screen. (There’s no rape in Haddonfield!) If Halloween 6 taught us anything at all, it was that sometimes producers DO know what’s best.  *Note-Why can’t I find a theatrical cut DVD of Rob Zombie’s Halloween any where? 

Make the Franchise centre around a Holiday

It doesn’t matter if your film is as brilliant as John Carpenter’s Halloween or as silly as Valentine, if you center your film on an official or unofficial holiday, you will at least guarantee yourself direct to DVD sequels and an eventual remake in less than 15 years time. (Maybe even sooner if it’s a “revamping”) This gives me a terrific idea for a horror film. I’d call it Labor Day: When Wearing White can be Deadly. What?! It could work.

Cheat Writer’s Block by Confusing Viewers

The financial success of a franchise may cause a lot of added pressure to pen a sequel every six months and the pressure to outdo the twists and turns from the previous instalments can be even more nerve-racking. So, if you have a plot hole in the film, just skip over it and move on.  General viewers will find this perplexing and it guarantees repeat viewings and also viewings of the even more confusing sequel to follow. So just relax! As long as you have some sort of mental countdown to a body part getting impaled or castrated, it will still be deemed as being a “psychological thriller.” 

Make Friends with Horror Film Critics  

When making a franchise, you must develop a thick skin fairly early in the game. You should only expect your first film to get any recognition by world renowned and respected film critics. While making the sequels to your original film, you should expect nothing more than green splats besides your films from then on in and that is why making friends with online horror film critics is the best thing for you.  Once you give a horror film critic a deluded justification that you actually belong on their top friend lists on Facebook or MySpace, they will promote footage, trailers, stills and even blogs you have written on your downtime on their sites.   Even if or when they realize they are merely just your “press buddy,” there will never be a conflict because let’s face it, press and media on your franchise increases traffic on their sites. This is an act I call a “Leeching 69,” because everybody wins in the end.  

Cast a Heroine with a “Star Quality”

Casting slasher films is not exactly rocket science, but it’s very important to make sure your franchise’s first heroine has a raw star quality that people will notice far after your film is released. You have to make sure to cast someone who has NO clue as to how talented they are. They have to see it as a privilege for being cast as the lead in the film when it’s really the other way around.  Doing this is extremely beneficial to your franchise because when they eventually blow up and become A-list, you can always guilt trip them to reappear in a later instalment. (Or offer them a sh*tload of cash!)

Hire a Great Composer

Where would Sean Cunningham be without Harry Manfredini? Where would Dario Argento be without Goblin? Where would John Carpenter be without….himself?  If these well-liked composers were not responsible for the creepy and iconic themes used in the Friday the 13^th, Halloween and Argento’s countless giallos, I am certain the following for these franchises would not be as big as it is today.  If you work over at Dimension films however, you don’t have to worry about hiring a great composer because all you have to do is recycle Marco Beltrami’s scores. Yup, every time I watched Dimension’s Broken Arrow, I expect to see a bumbling and gimpy cop feeling up a cheesy tabloid journalist with bad streaks.  (Hmm…I wonder why that is?)

Nix the PG-13 Rating

PG-13 slasher films may guarantee a high box office opening, (Last year’s Prom Night is a good example of this) but they do not necessarily assure a huge fan base.  Like watching a soft-core porno without close-ups and penetration shots, slashers without gore and needless nudity can make for rather tedious and frustrating viewings.  (There is only so much blood splattered walls and windows an audience can endure.) Remember a happy viewer is a loyal viewer. Unless your series is “self-aware,” you don’t need to waste any screen time on filler. What you lack in substance, you can make up for in the overloaded body count.

Hire the Same Crew

At one time or another, you will start to realize your once promising and ground-breaking story has now turned into an uninspired cash cow. It is wise to hire the same lovable crew from the set designer right down to the “fluffer” available in your trailer.  They are the people that will get you through and are the people that will guide the series’ new director (and believe me, there will be one) in the right direction when you eventually leave. 

Make Sure Your Villain is Scary

Well….at least in the first film.  You want to make sure your villain leaves an ominous and daunting feeling on its audience.  You also want to make sure to not show him too much in your first film.  You don’t want to give away the farm just yet.  You have to make sure your viewers come back for more. Eventually when the budget starts to dwindle, that’s when you can show more of your villain and can make him into a wise-cracking bad guy to disguise the fact that no other notable stars want to be in your franchise anymore.

Doesn’t that just sound glamorous? I know there are a lot of fellow horror fans that are probably taken aback from what I listed, but keep in mind my article was about how to make a successful horror franchise…not necessarily a GOOD horror franchise.  As far as franchises go, I am definitely a fan of the ol’ skool God villains of slashers, however there are so many other horror films out there that like festival favorites and independent films that get ignored because the mainstream (or should I say corporate) horror franchises own the box office. Support innovation by supporting good horror films that deserve a chance! It’s the only way the genre can evolve!