The Filmmaker's Book of the Dead: A Mortal's Guide to Making Horror Movies

by Danny Draven

Produce, direct, promote and sell your own chilling horror film with real-world advice from award-winning producer/director/writer Danny Draven! The second edition is completely updated with information on new technology, new exclusive interviews with industry pros, new photos and samples from the production of recent horror movies, new behind-the-scenes video, information on modern distribution methods and delivery and more! From the history of horror and the technique of the scare to pre-production and distribution, this complete, full-color guide to filmmaking uncovers all the insider secrets for creating your own spine-tingling horror film from start to finish.





The 2nd Edition features all NEW interviews from industry professionals such as:

Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers, Bag of Bones, Desperation, The Stand)

John Ottman (Composer/Editor of X: Men: Days of Future Past, The Usual Suspects)

Mark Ordesky & Jane Fleming (Producers of Lovely Molly, Exists)

Kane Hodder (Jason from the Friday the 13th, part 7 to 10, Hatchet)

Tibor Takacs (Director of The Gate, Spiders 3D, Megasnake)

John Debney (Composer of Predators, Sin City, End of Days)

Jojo Draven (Composer of Ghost Month, Reel Evil)

Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes, Weird Science)

Mike Mendez (Director of The Gravedancers, Big Ass Spider!)

Neal Marshall Stevens (Screenwriter of Thir13en Ghosts, Hellraiser: Deader)

Chris Alexander (Editor in Chief of Fangoria Magazine)

Jessica Cameron (Actress/Director of Truth or Dare)

Denise Gossett (Founder of Shriekfest Film Festival)





A newly updated companion website that features:

*Behind the scenes videos for films films such as Puppet Master, Blood Dolls, Trancers, Subspecies, Reel Evil, Ghost Month and more!

*A revised collection of horror movie trailers!

* Sample scripts, schedules, storyboards, agreements and more!





Other featured interviews include:

James Wan (Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring)

Robert Englund (Freddy from Nightmare on Elm Street)

Robert Kurtzman (From Dusk Til Dawn)

Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, From Beyond, Dagon)

Tom Savini (Night of the Living Dead)

Lloyd Kaufman (Toxic Avenger)

Charles Band (Parasite, Metalstorm, Ghoulies)

John D. LeMay (Friday the 13th: The Series)

David DeCoteau (Puppet Master 3, Sorority Babes in the Slimball Bowl-O-Rama)

Debbie Rochon (Tromeo & Juliet)

Reggie Bannister (Phantasm)

Sam McCurdy (Director of Photography of Dog Soldiers, The Decent, The Hills Have Eyes 2)

Nathan Barr (Composer of Hostel, True Blood, Hemlock Grove)

Jim Dooley (Composer of When A Stranger Calls)

Chuck Williams (Bubba Ho-Tep)

Herschell Gordon Lewis (Blood Feast, Wizard of Gore)

H.P. Lovecraft's Notes on Writing Weird Fiction

And many more...

Genres: Nonfiction

436 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 22, 2009

Reviews

[Horror DNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danny Draven started out working for filmmaker Charles Band at Full Moon Pictures. Ten years of low budget horror films led him to create his own production company, Darkworld Pictures, and allowed him to realize a dream of shooting Ghost Month, a feature on 35mm film. During the course of this production, Draven began assembling information acquired over the years to create a “How to” guide for low-budget filmmakers. What followed is the exhaustive and comprehensive book The Filmmaker's Book of the Dead, filled with detailed information that explains the procedure of creating a horror film from pre-production all the way through to release.

You can read ZigZag's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[yuzzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

EH NOT BAD tho i would like more tips instead of making big deals out of movies that are already made.

[Alfred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for first time film makers

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

En "The Filmmaker's Book of the Dead: How to Make Your Own Heart-Racing Horror Movie" Draven nos muestra con un conjunto de Tips técnicos, entrevistas y anécdotas cómo poder realizar nuestra película de terror de forma independiente.

Por realizar me refiero a todo el proceso, desde la preproducción hasta la distribución y venta, por eso "The Filmmaker's Book of the Dead: How to Make Your Own Heart-Racing Horror Movie" es una colección invaluable de conocimiento para el cineasta independiente.

Las secciones dedicadas a entrevistas nos plantean un resumen del capítulo que acabamos de leer e igualmente proporcionan información sobre profesionales del área, desde el punto de vista independiente.

Es un libro lleno de recomendaciones desde software de edición hasta ejemplos de contratos (aplicacbles en EEUU, no se en otros países).

Despues de leer un poco de teoría como el "Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need" y "Successful Television Writing", "The Filmmaker's Book of the Dead: How to Make Your Own Heart-Racing Horror Movie" ayudará a tener un panorama general sobre el proceso de hacer una película.

Lo recomiendo ampliamente.

[Seth Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is wonderful and makes great use of current technology. Many books that I've read on film-making are written by old school professionals who do not discuss the advantages or capabilities of digital film-making. Danny Draven also gives a very in depth look at every aspect of the film-making process, from pre-production all the way through to post-production and avenues of distribution. Scattered throughout the book are interviews with people who have made a living through independent horror films, both in front of and behind the camera. So this is a great book for anyone who is interested in trying to create a horror film, it makes you realize just how much work goes into a project.

[William Prystauk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is wonderful, methodical and well thought out. Most important, it's an eye-opener for those who want to make their own horror movie. The only problem I had with the book is though Draven is meticulous, missing words and bad grammar got by him on many occasions. Furthermore, he would go in depth about many things, but never gave a solid definition for a "screener" for example. However, this is really wonderful and highly recommended for those wanting to take the movie making plunge.