Hey guys, if you read both interview links Scott put up (both fantastic reads, by the way), you'll notice that O'Bannon was penning a screenwrting how-to book. In one instance he notes it's sitting on a shelf, collecting dust.

Let's hope someone in his estate has the wisdom and wherewithal to get this thing on the market somehow. He said it best..."Lots of screenwriting books out there, not many by actual successful screenwriters."

I agree with Jeff about the interviews, great stuff. One thing he mentioned that I remember thinking back when I was in the 7the grade (about 1972) was the idea that it's the unknown that is scariest. I don't remember the movie, but I was being terrified until I saw the monster; after that, the movie was boring enough that I don't remember it.

Of course, Spielberg used the same dynamic as a survival technique in Jaws: Because Bruce (the mechanical shark) wasn't ready, all those opening scenes of the shark attacking people were shot w/o showing the shark per se, just intimating it. When Bruce finally shows up on screen, the audience has been fully prepped to expect a monster - and fortunately Bruce worked just enough to carry off that illusion.