So you’ve been struck by the urge to write, shoot, and edit a 5-minute horror film in just one weekend. What an oddly specific urge! Hopefully that means you’re signing up for the 2025 Nickel 48-Hour Horror Challenge.
But even if you aren’t here are some writing tips that might help.
Rule 1: Use what you have
Got an unfinished basement? A room full of clocks? A wooded hollow that whispers impossible promises? Why? But also, use those things! Using what you already have access to will help you save time as you won’t have to find, borrow, or build something key to your story.
Another bonus comes from specificity. An object or location that is right there in front of you can provide details that ground your story. You can write in the garage door that screeches when it closes or the doll whose eyes roll up into its head whenever it’s held upright. (EWW! Do you own that? Throw that away!) Details like that are hard to manufacture in a quick, no-budget shoot so spend some time checking out the stuff you have at hand before you dive into your script.
Rule 2: Less of everything (except tension)
If you’ve read about screenwriting you’ve probably heard the ol’ “one page of script = one minute of screen time” rule. This rule doesn’t really apply to short films and even less to short horror films. This depends on your writing style, but in my experience cramming a five page script into five minutes of screen time can be a challenge and it can leave your pacing in a mad dash. You’ll leave yourself more space to have fun with creative shooting, tense pauses, and slow reveals if you have less moving parts to deal with.
That means fewer characters and locations, less in-story time passing, and simpler plot points and character goals. Getting coverage on six characters or having to pack up your gear to move from location to location eats away at the precious little time you have. If you need a character to explain their tragic past in order for them to heal and grow by the end of the film you’re leaving yourself less and less time for that slow, terrifying scene of an awful doll with rolled back eyes stalking your main character through their unfinished basement. (You haven't thrown that doll out yet!? Get that out of here!)
Try to keep your story simple with one or two characters, just one location, let your story beats breathe, give yourself room to slow a scene down and build tension.
Rule 3: Find THAT SHOT and re-write around it
Maybe you know what THAT SHOT is going to be before you start writing, maybe you’ll find it in one of your drafts, the shot I’m talking about is the one that really gives you goosebumps. Maybe it’s something from a nightmare that keeps you up at night, maybe it’s the result of anxious ‘what-if’ thoughts going way too far, maybe it's something you write that surprises you. Whatever that shot ends up being, write around it.
Pull the shot apart: How can you establish the space early in the film? Is there a hazard or complication you can set up that pays off in this scene? Can you hide the scene’s solution somewhere in the film? If you want to go really nerdy with it: Why is this scene scary? Can you set up something about your character that makes this especially affecting for them? Is there a larger theme tied to what makes this shot scary? Are there images tied to that theme you can include in the film?
4. Don’t let anyone including me tell you what to do
Screenwriting has a lot of rules but no one can make you care about them and nothing bad happens if you break them. Your weekend filmmaking adventure should be fun so write something you’re going to have fun making. Make your 5 minute script 150 pages long, who cares? Write some stuff that’s not seen or heard by the audience, no one can stop you! Abandon words altogether and make a mood board then just shoot off vibes, what are they gonna do, arrest you? Who are ‘they’ anyway? I bet they’re boring.
I hope some of these tips help or that you go completely feral and make something wild. If you haven’t already, sign up for the 2025 Nickel 48-Hour Horror Challenge and make a short film on a short deadline!
Elling Lien
