Making 'Quoteable' Dialogue in Horror is effortless!

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Let's talk making memorable dialogue. It seems that the best lines in horror are iconic for many reasons. They just feel different. I'm going give you everything required to make quotable dialogue since I've been thinking about this for a long time.

My research uncovered that iconic dialogue is motivated by the character's motives. They're strictly aligned with their specific world view. Dialogue should be matched with action. Tapping into their experience, you can make relatable dialogue, but there are more than a few main elements that goes into making strong dialogue throughout your story. I'm not just talking about one-liners here, either. Making dialogue effective, let's go through it step-by-step.

Character Mapping 

 

To begin with, be ready to totally know the in's and out's of your main characters psychology. Mastering the psyche of your character is simple, just draw up a reference sheet for each character. I recommend drawing a mind map, since they allow for more unfiltered ideas. But you can just use bullet points too with subject headings.

For each sub-head of a character think about: their fears, their motivations, the backstory, their relationships, their traits, their growth arcs.

This is going to be the exercise in 'getting to know' your main characters, like nobody else. The reference can be shared within your production teams too, including performers. From revealing more things about your character, you'll begin seeing things from their perspective. 

Sticking yourself in a character shoes, lets you identify what the character would say/do. This is imperative, as it stops you from throwing generic and lifeless words into their mouths. Great example is In The Sixth Sense by M. Night Shyamalan, where the kid says 'I see dead people'. 

This kid (Cole Sear) isn't saying, 'I see ghosts' or 'I think I'm crazy for seeing strange people'. It's a simple line, but reflects his worldview that he's used to seeing dead people. It's simple to reflect the kids emotional maturity. He doesn't really know what crazy is, or if in fact that other people might see these people as well. It's not till later on, where the kid grows familiarity with the supernatural thanks to talking to his therapist, Malcom. 

Cole Sear: They scare me too sometimes.

Lynn Sear: They?

Cole Sear: Ghosts.

The kid's growth arc is shown later, he's becoming braver and the audience too are becoming more familiar with the supernatural elements of the film. 

Function

The dialogue must move the plot. But you can drive relatability at the same time. Moving the plot is simply a framing of the speech to ensure that the story has momentum. Just think, how does this line or scene further the main journey into the 'dark'. I've covered why the journey into the dark, is a mythic structure that's extremely effective in my previous blog post. By aligning your characters and main story through-line with a descent into darkness (physical, spiritual, thematic), it gives your story incredible power.

Relatability is drawn from your reference sheet about the character. If it's a secondary character, still take time to make a few bullet points about them. If it's a tertiary character...still make bullet points about them! It's imperative that you KNOW your characters, even the small ones. 

My recommendation is that if the character cannot further the journey into the darkness of the movie, then you should consider removing them. The exception being, characters that reveal a source of 'light' or hope. In doing so, they must still acknowledge the dark to bring in the light.  

The Merchant in Resident Evil 4, is tertiary but this guy symbolizes the threshold of survival. If you don't buy from him, you will likely die. His lines express this through tongue in cheek lines, that he's 'getting to know your tastes, stranger' and 'this weapon, it might save your life'. He furthers the plot, but is fleshed out enough to be presented as a comedic grifter. 

Furthering the plot, also means foreshadowing. You can easily allude to events that take place later in your story, by placing ideas in your audiences minds. Let your characters brew the foreshadowing. By doing so, it secures plausibility for big events or even the craziest plot ideas in the realm of your story. Simple foreshadowing can be added in the edit stages, but remember: less is more.  

Writing Dialogue is a Skill 

Writing is a skill. They say skills are developed through repetition. But my ethos on this blog is about making scary stories effortlessly. In my narrative research into dialogue, I noticed that making memorable dialogue requires more skills than just writing. It requires listening. Not only will you 1. need to speak back the lines you've just wrote multiple times, but 2. you'll need to start training yourself to really listen to the people in your life. I mean really listen. 

This is a bit of a mindful approach but start taking stock of the speech patterns, the tone, the language and phrases used by your friends. Really try and lend your ears to your family. Stop multi-tasking when listening to people talk, stop thinking. Begin training the skill in listening and strengthening your mind's focus. 

If you don't enjoy listening to people, then how can you expect people to enjoy listening to your dialogue in your story. Make it fun, repeat things back to people. Ask questions about the things they've said. Enter reflection mode. Make notes of memorable things people say.

Dwelling on your reference map and imagining the things that these characters might say is a fun practice too. Sit with it for a bit. The more that you start listening in and imagining your characters wants, needs, motives the more ideas spring up...also the more believable it becomes.

Okay I've covered: making effortless, natural, plot-forwarding, relatable dialogue...It's time to unleash the beast.

Entertainment 

The reason dialogue becomes memorable, is that it is entertaining! Even if your message is intense or you are making an artsy film, being memorable is more about showing than telling.

Instead of characters telling us what they're going through, sieve information and show us. Focus scenes on character actions. Show the dramatic kiss and make up V.s. a line that shoves information 'i want to kiss you but I have done brought dishonor' 

Favoring action, is more entertaining than sitting through lines and lines of speech. It's a total mistake, even though it's a trend I've seen in modern horror, where characters become mouthpieces for your own unique worldview or trauma. This is not entertainment. Because characters should be representations of the mass-psyche, they are reflections of our inner relationships to the world around us. This does not mean they are toys. Instead, think of characters in terms of mythic archetypes. These are impactful and recognizable personas that our brains are wired to pick up on and 'relate to'. Think: mentor, shadow, wise mogul, trickster. 

Relying on mythological tools is the most bankable thing you can try to make your stories feel more entertaining. Present your story ideas through a lens that is already 'known' to your audiences subconscious mind. Let mythology do the heavy lifting for you. I go more into depth on this throughout my blog. The main thing to remember is that your dialogue for characters needs instantly connect to your audiences, and make them root for incoming terror. 

Revert back to your reference sheet, and identify 'what mythic archetype are they' and 'do their archetypes grow/change'? By moving one 'recognizable mythic archetype' into another, the subconscious mind tracks this change. So let your characters evolve, let them act, let them be silent. Let go of 'trying to sound smart or poignant', because revolutionary horror begins with listening in and banking on what really works. 

 

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