ABSTRACT
In a horror film script, characters never just idly chat. Whenever characters speak, they do so for a reason. Characters have goals they pursue; and dialogue is one of the tools they use. A great example is the ‘dinner scene’ from Psycho, when motel-owner Norman Bates makes a sandwich for his only guest, Marion Crane. Marion wants to marry her lover Sam, and has stolen money to do so; Norman would like to escape the demands of his angry, invalid mother. As they talk, they discover common ground; both are trapped by decisions they’ve made, both are lonely and desperate. In this scene – where two people almost connect, but not quite – we see the many things strong dialogue can do: establish character, seamlessly work in exposition, paint a mood (from the comic to the ominous), and advance the plot while creating suspense.
Dialogue also contributes to a film’s story-telling rhythm, which in a horror film often involves the build-up of tension and its release. One can vary this rhythm by alternating dialogue scenes with wordless ones (like the sixteen minutes that follow the death of Marion Crane in Psycho), or concluding an action sequence with a monologue (like the ship captain’s spellbinding speech about the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, in Jaws).
