An excerpt from my script review for Weapons which will be available 01/20/26:
3.) Quality of Characters
Before we go too far into this…
Maddie’s voice over in the beginning.
She opens the story, but then there’s never a Maddie in the script.
Why did we include her? Who is she? What’s her relationship to the other characters?
This is the type of thing you should definitely pay off.
(Pretty sure this was something both Reals and the Cap’n complained about.)
Anyway, the important part of this section.
Giving your characters flaws…
Justine.
She was a school teacher with an alcohol problem. On top of that, she’s had an affair with a local married cop who also has a drinking problem, and she’s too eager to get him back off the wagon.
Aside from that, and something that gets her in trouble with the school, is she’s “too caring” a teacher in that she is too personal with her students.
Most ways this can be viewed as her just being nice, but when you consider a male teacher doing the same things, it becomes clear she’s overstepping boundaries.
Archer.
He’s a dad of one of the missing kids, who also abused his son. It’s something he feels guilty about now which makes him go above and beyond trying to make things right, even if it’s having negative effects on his livelihood.
Paul.
He’s the cop, and former alcoholic who just happens to be married to his police captain’s daughter. Nothing like working for your father-in-law, especially when your wife comes home early and not only did you get drunk, you slept with your ex girlfriend…former mistress…well, someone who is not your wife!
James.
The junkie who’s out and about trying to steal goods to pawn for his next fix. This brings him in contact with not only Paul, but gets him into Alex’s house putting him directly in the line of fire.
Marcus.
He doesn’t really have any character flaws. I mean he’s a married gay guy, but I don’t think anyone is calling that a flaw on the production team. His one “flaw” might be his husband who is too trusting of Gladys when she stops by randomly on the weekend and asks to come in. Crazy old bitch with Joker style makeup and an 80s track suit? Nothing suspicious to you about that?
Gladys.
Well let’s just say, don’t fuck with Auntie Gladys.
The point here is that making your characters flawed in a horror story is good. Their flaws get them into trouble. Trouble leads to friction in the plot. Plot moves the story forward.
Not to mention that a traditional trope in horror is that the more flawed characters tend to die first, or have the worst of the “scary” forced on them.
Go back and look at your own characters…
Are some of their misgivings leading to their actions and demise in your story? Is it for the better? (One would hope.)
Want EARLY access to our videos, uploads, and movie/script reviews? Members get them FIRST! Follow this link to our Discussion Forum.
