Scott at 2011-07-12 16:16:40:

I know, someone already Tweeted that. My response:

1. Beetlejuice is 23 years old which is ancient history as far as Hollywood is concerned.

2. Haunted is a different genre (horror) than Beetlejuice.

3. Similar but different rules Hollywood.

CJ at 2011-07-12 16:30:39:

I wonder where the tension, horror and surprise will come from if we're riding shotgun with the "monster" rather than the victims in the house, unless the humans are the evil ones and the ghost is the "hero."

Scott at 2011-07-12 17:56:43:

@CJ: Good question and that's thinking like a screenwriter. Imagine a big time producer met with you and said, "I've got a killer idea for a movie. It's a horror story, a haunted house, only we take it from the perspective of the ghost."

What would you do?

Your instincts are smart: Make the Ghost a sympathetic Protagonist, like what they did in Beetlejuice.

But what if the Ghost is stone cold evil? And the Ghost is your Protagonist?

Why not, right?

Make them fascinating. Make them interesting. Make them compelling. Even make them funny.

In other words humanize the evil.

They have a world view that makes sense to them. It just so happens it's an evil-as-hell viewpoint.

What would you do to tell that story?

What story would you come back to that big shot producer and pitch him/her?

Alexander at 2011-07-13 00:51:48:

The Others comes to mind as well...

SPOILER!

but we don't know they're ghosts, haunting the home until the end. Maybe this script begins immediately from the ghost's perspective.

CJ at 2011-07-13 06:51:17:

@Scott: Have the ghost be the restless spirit of a teen girl who was abducted and murdered years ago, and has long since been forgotten ... until one day a group of sadistic killers take up residence in the old abandoned house and try to do the same thing to another woman...not on the ghost's watch they won't.

Earl at 2011-07-13 08:41:00:

@ CJ, that is a wonderful Idea!

I think it takes a very elite writer to make typical villain type characters likeable.

From Casper The Friendly Ghost to Sixth Sense. I think there is something inside us that likes to see the "positive" or "not so awful" side of ghosts and death.

CJ at 2011-07-13 11:03:27:

Thanks Earl. I'll let Haunted come out, then unveil my idea. I have to hope Haunted does well, so studios will be looking for similar, but different takes on it...

Scott at 2011-07-13 11:52:24:

@CJ: I concur with Earl. That's a good idea. Perhaps even more important, it shows strong screenwriting instinct in creating a hugely sympathetic Protagonist, plunging them into a crisis situation, giving you lots of dynamics to explore in crafting the story. Good work.