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It may be the season of new beginnings and romance, but it's always spooky season in our hearts! There's never a bad season for a good horror film - they seem to be the one thing that's evergreen in the marketplace - but writing a good horror film is no easy feat. That's why Roadmap's resident horror expert Joe Russo is here with a three week lecture series to demystify why some movies scare your socks off, while others barely keep you up at night. And, even more importantly, how you can write your killer horror film.
This Three Week Lecture Series Will Cover:
- What makes a story scary
- Horror subgenres and tropes
- Structure and pacing
- Tone and atmosphere
- Characters and theme
Producer/writer/director Joe Russo has been recognized for his work with writers, developing many acclaimed screenplays over the last several years — including his own — which have been selected by film and television executives for the Young & Hungry List, The Blood List, The Hit List, and The Black List.
As a producer, Russo has several upcoming projects in development, including the “HULK HOGAN” biopic at Netflix starring Chris Hemsworth from Academy Award Nominee Todd Phillips (JOKER). His Netflix horror movie, THE INHERITANCE, is currently in post-production.
In 2023, Russo Executive Produced two movies he wrote on, SOUL MATES, starring Neal McDonough, and THE LOCKSMITH, starring Ryan Phillippe, Kate Bosworth and Ving Rhames.
In 2022, Russo was an Associate Producer on Skydance's THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER, which was directed by Peter Farrelly, and starring Russell Crowe and Zac Efron. The movie made its debut at The Toronto International Film Festival before topping the charts on Apple TV+.
In 2020, Joe's feature directorial debut, THE AU PAIR NIGHTMARE, an independent thriller which he co-wrote, debuted on Lifetime as their Sunday Night Movie of the Week. Joe's action screenplay, HARD KILL, starring Bruce Willis, from the Academy Award nominated producers of THE IRISHMAN, Emmett Furla Oasis, charted at the top of Netflix's Top 10, reaching #1 in the UK and #2 in the United States over the Thanksgiving holiday.
In 2019, Joe produced the Shudder horror anthology feature NIGHTMARE CINEMA starring Mickey Rourke (THE WRESTLER), with segments directed by acclaimed filmmakers like Joe Dante (GREMLINS), David Slade (HARD CANDY) and more. The Certified Fresh horror film was the second most-watched movie debut on Shudder in 2019, nominated for Best Limited Release by Fangoria Magazine and selected by Entertainment Weekly as one of "2019’s Best Horror Films”.
Joe began his career at Level 1 Entertainment under producer Bill Todman, Jr. (X-MEN, WILD WILD WEST), working his way up to Director of Development, where he managed a slate of feature films and television series, working hand-in-hand with major motion picture studios and television networks such as Fox, MGM, Showtime, SyFy, History and Amazon. Joe then served as a Development Consultant for Christina Aguilera and Matthew Rutler’s MX Productions, advising the company on their feature film division and their first-look television deal with Lionsgate Entertainment, where they produced the pilot TRACKS for Spike TV.
Cancellation Policy: You may cancel for a full refund up to 5 days prior to the start of the class. Cancellations requested after this period will be ineligible for refunds.
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