The film and video industry is infamous for their disrespect, indifference and neglect of the craft of screenwriting, which is why it’s ironic that the Oscars have two screenwriting categories; Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay.
For the audience to care about a character, they need to feel what the character feels and vicariously experience the emotions they experience. The quickest way to get them to do this is to provide them with insight into the way the characters interact with their world, before they see them making important decisions.
Learn how to create a story and where best to locate it. Acquire the skill to create leading characters that have purpose. Discover the difference between obstacles and complications, and procure the ability to recognise and construct crucial structural beats.
Scary movies are hard to write. The Horror genre is sometimes looked down upon by audiences and screenwriters because of their low budgets, exploitative cheap thrills and over-use of blood & gore.
What they mean, is that in this case, when we look for originality, we are not necessarily talking about reinventing the wheel. Often by changing only a few specific details, we can take a successful well-worn concept that’s been done before, and simply by giving it a new and unexpected twist; we can make the material seem original … and the audience will love it all over again.