The Gorge written by Zach Dean (Tomorrow War) and directed by Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) is a mixed bag of romance, sci-fi, fantasy, action, thriller, horror that asks, &#8220;What would the doorway to hell look like?&#8221;
There’s a chasm (the gorge) and cement guard towers on either side. The West is manned by Americans (Miles Teller) and the East by a Russian (Anya Taylor-Joy). Expert snipers with no ties to others; their mission is to prevent whatever is in the gorge from coming out.
&nbsp;
<h3>Mystery</h3>
&nbsp;
What I thought was most effective in the storyline was the mystery of what was going on in the gorge. Levi Kane (Miles Teller) is told by J.D. (Sope Dirisu) some of the rules, but the whole situation is as foggy as the mist that rises from the gorge.
This carries a lot of the beginning setup. We’re interested and can’t stop asking questions. Add in the natural curiosity of putting two attractive people on stage and we can’t wait to find out how that’s going to unroll, even if we know there’s certain inevitabilities. Highly effective storytelling. 
Plus, there’s this constant undercurrent of genre violence. The weapons are big and nasty so the critters, whatever they are, will be too.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_49032" style="width: 780px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-49032" class="wp-image-49032 " src="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0104-1024x683.jpg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine " width="770" height="514" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0104.jpg 1024w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0104-150x100.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0104-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0104-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px" />Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) &amp; Levi (Miles Teller) Photo courtesy of Apple TV+</div>
&nbsp;
<h3>A-Story/ B-Story</h3>
&nbsp;
I always tell students to include a love story when possible. It gives you places to go in the narrative thread and compels a nice level of audience interest. The plot is one thing, the romance another. And rather than being a mixed-bag in The Gorge as I’ve seen mentioned, both stories are necessary and complete the story line. 
Levi and Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) are a refreshing change of pace in an actioneer; and that bond as equals, back-to-back fighting partners, is made even stronger by their burgeoning love. They fight for each other like the demons that are chasing them and you never don’t believe it.
When Levi falls into the gorge, Drasa doesn’t hesitate to dive in after him. Her logic isn’t at play here; her emotions are, and I never doubted she’d try to save him. 
The love story is essential to the entire film. And it forms the basis of a nice ending.
&nbsp;
<h3>The Rules</h3>
&nbsp;
All stories have rules. Setting them up is the best way to create suspense. If magic/ supernatural/ alien powers can do anything then there’s no suspense. Plus, we need limits to understand how hard it will be to succeed. 
J.D. gives Levi the run down as soon as Levi arrives.
Bullet points from the script:
<ul>
<li>You are completely isolated and self-sufficient.</li>
<li>That is East Tower. Contact with the other side is strictly forbidden.</li>
<li>Land mines and lethal tactical barriers are to the north and south of the Gorge.</li>
<li>There are automatic Phalanx gun turrets every 600 meters or so. You restock the ammo in the auto guns, check the containment fence, cloakers, and suspended mines. </li>
<li>Straydog protocol, etc. </li>
</ul>
Much of this information is necessary for the story to proceed now and some later. It’s a lot, but it’s delivered in an easy-to-digest way. The rules give us a way to gauge what’s coming. It sets boundaries and creates moments where we know danger is lurking. It also establishes the stakes.
Whatever is in the gorge, there’s enough armament to stop an army &#8211; and once the action starts popping off (the first invasion) we understand why.
&nbsp;
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-49033 " src="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0103-1024x683.jpg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine" width="771" height="514" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0103.jpg 1024w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0103-150x100.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0103-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0103-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px" />
&nbsp;
<h3>Suspension Of Disbelief</h3>
&nbsp;
I’ve seen this written as suspension of belief. Not so. The phrase means we set aside our disbelief to enjoy the movie/ show. Do we really accept flying monkeys? Wicked witches? And an entire town of munchkins? Yes, because we’re in Oz, over the rainbow, where things are not like our world.
In similar fashion The Gorge is a world unto itself. We suspend our logic and what we know to go there. The writer’s job is to make the unbelievable believable, or at least acceptable. Some of what we’re meant to embrace is right up front, and some comes later by way of explanation of what’s really behind the existence of the gorge. 
&nbsp;
<h3>Moderated Info Dumps</h3>
&nbsp;
Perhaps the hardest part of any sci-fi story is explaining it. The Gorge is effective in that, as mentioned, in that we get info as needed. After the initial briefing by J.D. Levi doesn’t get much more in the way of what the gorge is until he falls into it. Then, with Drasa, he explores the inside of the gorge and we’re enlightened as to what has happened to create this situation.
Before this, we know a little, have seen a little of the creatures, but nothing like when inside the gorge. Info dumping and visuals are important to get just right. New writers have a tendency to create long, static scenes and shove all the information into it. There’s about a thousand more interesting places to give info than a restaurant, and yet writers consistently put scenes in restaurants and coffee shops.
For any of its faults, The Gorge has extremely interesting backdrops for any info scenes.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_49034" style="width: 781px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-49034" class="wp-image-49034 " src="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0106-1024x683.jpg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine" width="771" height="514" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0106.jpg 1024w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0106-150x100.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0106-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0106-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px" />Bartholomew (Sigourney Weaver) Photo courtesy of Apple TV+</div>
&nbsp;
<h3>Set Pieces/ Unique Moments</h3>
&nbsp;
The Gorge fully utilizes the uniqueness of its situation and story. There are moments here that I’ve never seen before and probably won’t see again. A sharpshooting contest involving bottles of booze across a chasm, going on a date via zipline and eating rabbit stew, and climbing a mountain using the winch on a Jeep.
Enough moments to keep the story fresh and interesting.
&nbsp;
<h3>Split Personality</h3>
&nbsp;
Yes, the movie is a romance and a sci-fi actioner/thriller combo. Many point out the unevenness of this approach to mashup storytelling, but as mentioned, it works to make the story stronger.
I’d call it a mashup &#8211; like Linkin Park/Chainsmokers w/Halsey. It feels like it shouldn’t work, but it does. And it’s not all one or the other. Each scene honors a specific genre.
Don’t dismiss the enduring tension of the unknown in the first half of the movie with hints of terrible things to come dropped throughout. Screams are heard coming from the gorge. Things are creeping on the walls in the shadows, and at 36 minutes those walls are attacked by multitudes of creatures. 
Lots of suspense and action to play out with the nascent romance. Then, once Levi and Drasa are in the gorge, plenty of action, but also suspense and romance as the perfectly paired duo work to save each other. Will they survive?
The action escalates to intense levels. but there was always the anticipation of that action happening even when they were falling in love. It all adds to the tension because we now don’t want them to die just as they’ve found each other.
&nbsp;
<h3>Not So Odd Couple</h3>
&nbsp;
Two snipers walk into a gorge as the joke may go. One is Russian, playful, and beautiful, and the other is rugged, stoic, and a poet? Yes, well, since the film’s themes are taken from a T.S. Elliot poem, The Hollow Men, regarding the tolls combat takes. It’s also illustrative to what’s in that gorge and the price warriors pay for war. These are broken characters because of duty to their respective countries.
Having them share some things (dealing death, world-class sniper skills) but not having things in common (his poetry, her (mostly) lightness of being) allows for great touchpoints where they can form a dynamic relationship in a hurry. They bond over the toll of their occupations and learn from each other other things that delight them. She makes him rabbit stew and he tells her about his poetry. They comfort each other about the nightmares they have. Great ways to create a relationship quickly that’s believable. I wonder what their tinder profiles might look like?
&nbsp;
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-49035 " src="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0102-1024x683.jpg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine" width="772" height="515" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0102.jpg 1024w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0102-150x100.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0102-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Apple_TV_The_Gorge_Photo_0102-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 772px) 100vw, 772px" />
&nbsp;
<h3>Villains</h3>
&nbsp;
Beside the creatures who live in the gorge, Sigourney Weaver plays Bartholomew, a tough woman in charge of a covert group. Of course, Weaver is well known as being a badass as Ripley from the Alien franchise and she makes us believe that another badass, namely Drasa, can kick butt and take names in similar fashion.
The hollow men are also incredibly dangerous and play their role in the action, but it’s Bartholomew to be afraid of. She shakes your hand with a knife in the other. This is nicely set up when the previous guardian, J.D., is dropped from a helicopter to his death on her orders.
Sprinkle in some internalized demons and you’ve got solid CGI villains on all fronts. Well-designed to serve their purposes.
&nbsp;
<h3>Themes</h3>
&nbsp;
As already mentioned, there’s isolation, commercial greed, love, betrayal, situational morality &#8211; lots to unpack. The strongest theme is finding love when and where you never thought you would. But the idea of so-called justified assassination is strong and hangs over these two like nothing else. The writer works hard to make Levi and Drasa at least understandable.
Drasa’s father Erikas (William Houston) talks to her at a cemetery about her last assignment.
&nbsp;
ERIKAS 
Moscow could not risk having a direct link 
to the oligarch&#8217;s death.
DRASA 
He had four children.
ERIKAS 
The Belarusian (her last hit) made himself rich trading 
in white phosphorus bombs and land mines. 
How many children&#8217;s legs were lost? 
How many little faces were forever burnt 
by those transactions?
&nbsp;
DRASA 
It&#8217;s not so easy anymore. I don&#8217;t sleep. 
Sometimes for days.
&nbsp;
Levi has similar hesitations and so the two bond on a level that only they can understand. Love conquers all, even with assassins.
&nbsp;
<h3>Inevitable Not Predictable</h3>
&nbsp;
Both the A-story and B-story are eminently satisfied by their endings. 
The gorge and Bartholomew are nuked and Drasa escapes. At that point, we’re not sure Levi makes it out, but the deliberately ambiguous setup to this sequence implies he did.
When the epilogue cuts to Drasa as a waitress in France (at a place she and Levi had talked about before) there’s Levi with a sign that says, “I’ll take the rabbit stew.” They go moonie-eyed over each other and the love (emotional) story is satisfied &#8211; everyone lives happily. Connection and redemption, where at the beginning of the movie, none was possible.
<a href="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/scott-derrickson-reveals-the-dire-secret-of-the-gorge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">[More: Scott Derrickson Reveals The Dire Secret Of “The Gorge”]</a>

Why A Multi Genre Mashup Works In “The Gorge”  

What makes a successful horror film? Is it just blood and mayhem or is there more to it?
The Substance, written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, is a master class in how to do a great horror movie, one with tragic resonance, and power.
&nbsp;
<h3>Background</h3>
&nbsp;
An aging actress, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) who is a world standard for beauty and desirability, overhears the producer of her hit workout show on the phone talking about how old she is and directing the person on the phone to find someone younger. In our youth-obsessed culture this hits hard and causes Elisabeth to panic. In desperation, she decides to partake of the mysterious ‘substance’ which will create a younger self, separate but never really separate, from her current self.
Let the mayhem begin.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_48514" style="width: 781px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-48514" class="wp-image-48514 " src="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Coralie-Fargeat-2153826230-1024x576.jpg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine" width="771" height="434" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Coralie-Fargeat-2153826230-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Coralie-Fargeat-2153826230-150x84.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Coralie-Fargeat-2153826230-250x141.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Coralie-Fargeat-2153826230-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px" />Coralie Fargeat. Photo by Rocco Spaziani</div>
&nbsp;
<h3>Rules</h3>
&nbsp;
Good horror &#8211; any story really &#8211; functions under a set of rules to create suspense. In this case, there are some creepy, odd ones and violating them leads to horrific (of course) consequences.
Elisabeth is informed:
At the bottom of the box, a small white note card with
instructions and icons:
«YOU ACTIVATE» &#8211; only once (intravenous)
«YOU STABILIZE» &#8211; everyday (intramuscular)
«YOU SWITCH» &#8211; every 7 days without exception. 
She turns the card over and reads the inscription on it:
REMEMBER YOU ARE ONE
She’s also given special food for herself and &#8220;The Other.&#8221; 
Notice the use of “The Other”, an alien/supernatural reference. Ms Fargeat never misses a chance to infuse/ overlay this film with sly references that surround the storyline. There are many nods to classic horror films in this one.
Once Elisabeth makes the decision to do this, a second her, much younger, explodes out of her back. Once born, Sue (Margaret Qualley) sews up the back of the unconscious Elisabeth and hides her in a secret room.
&nbsp;
<h3>Solid Narrative Thread</h3>
&nbsp;
The Substance has a compelling story as Sue becomes the new face of the workout show. It’s a slow ascension to superstardom and also a slow burn to upping the stakes as it goes.
Sue falls in love with the glamor and power (how can you not?) as Elisabeth increasingly becomes bothered by the fact that her younger self is on the ascendancy of stardom. Part of this is the lack of love the older Elisabeth is given which taps into the character’s ego. She’s yesterday’s dried up meal; an afterthought at this point. No one is calling her, offering her jobs, or telling her she’s the prettiest girl in the world &#8211; that’s now all Sue’s. And Elisabeth can’t handle it. A giant billboard outside her window of Sue mocks her constantly.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_48513" style="width: 781px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-48513" class="wp-image-48513 " src="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/the-substance-4-ht-gmh-240815_1723755592497_hpEmbed_31x16-1024x529.jpg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine " width="771" height="398" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/the-substance-4-ht-gmh-240815_1723755592497_hpEmbed_31x16-1024x529.jpg 1024w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/the-substance-4-ht-gmh-240815_1723755592497_hpEmbed_31x16-150x77.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/the-substance-4-ht-gmh-240815_1723755592497_hpEmbed_31x16-250x129.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/the-substance-4-ht-gmh-240815_1723755592497_hpEmbed_31x16-768x397.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px" />Harvey (Dennis Quaid) Photo courtesy of TUBI</div>
This allows for a constant drumbeat of resentment to build in the storyline until it reaches and goes wildly beyond a climax.
&nbsp;
<h3>Theme</h3>
&nbsp;
The themes in this movie could encompass an entire book itself. But let’s focus on two:
Ego: Without a doubt the strongest theme in the literary universe. Frankenstein, Alien, The Thing, The Fly, etc. All focus on the folly of humankind’s unholy but human desires. Here it’s obvious, almost a cliché of Hollywood &#8211; aging means less of everything. 
Plastic surgery, weight-loss drugs, even recreational drugs infect every aspect of our lives in an attempt to modify our lives and Hollywood is even more so. Move aside, the industry seems to always say, we want the next, better, younger version.
Internal Horror:  Although Hollywood is probably the worst offender and we can say to ourselves, “that wouldn’t be me” that nagging voice in our heads warns us that younger versions of the workforce, any workforce, seems to value youth against experience. The latest 19-yr-old suddenly appears at the desk next to yours and the writing on the wall is clear. 
Good horror films thematically reflect both society and our own internal fears.
&nbsp;
<h3>Satire</h3>
&nbsp;
Hand-in-hand with the thematic overlays in The Substance is the world vision. 
Satire, which exaggerates a situation for effect, is a tried and true sub-genre to include outrageous moments. Fargeat knows and embraces this story-telling method with masterful glee to create some of the most challenging moments in film. 
Pushing limits, which satire does very well, is deeply infused in the DNA of this movie. Besides the obvious gross and bloody moments, the in-your-face shots of Sue’s lower body parts, for example, are just a small part of Fargeat’s satirical delivery.
Thin WAISTS and PELVISES sway suggestively.
SUPER HIGH CUT flashy leotards, reveal perfectly waxed groins
underneath &#8211;
Firm and BOUNCY BOSOMS compressed inside the Lycra.
Close up shots of Harvey, Dennis Quaid’s character’s disgusting eating (symbolic of corporate greed) and his consistently overly-exaggerated demeanor continue to bolster the satirical nature of the film.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_48516" style="width: 779px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-48516" class="wp-image-48516 " src="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-Substance-Demi-Moore-e-Margaret-Qualley-nel-nuovo-trailer-italiano-del-film-1024x576.jpg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine" width="769" height="433" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-Substance-Demi-Moore-e-Margaret-Qualley-nel-nuovo-trailer-italiano-del-film-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-Substance-Demi-Moore-e-Margaret-Qualley-nel-nuovo-trailer-italiano-del-film-150x84.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-Substance-Demi-Moore-e-Margaret-Qualley-nel-nuovo-trailer-italiano-del-film-250x141.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-Substance-Demi-Moore-e-Margaret-Qualley-nel-nuovo-trailer-italiano-del-film-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px" />Sue Sparkle (Demi Moore) Photo courtesy of TUBI</div>
&nbsp;
<h3>Sexuality</h3>
&nbsp;
Sex is universal. Solid horror gives the audience one of the tropes it craves in horror &#8211; nudity. Yes, okay, not every horror film has nudity, but many of them do. We&#8217;re exposed and vulnerable. It’s part of the peek-through-the-keyhole, voyeuristic nature of the genre. Fargeat knows this and delivers.
Fargeat takes the nudity one thematic step further as part of the body-image theme that infuses the storyline. We are our own worst critic, and in one scene a naked Elisabeth studies herself in the mirror focusing on any minor flaws or imperfections. It’s motivation for the character and speaks loudly without dialogue to her inner thoughts. 
We, the audience, have to be as critical of Elisabeth’s body as much as the main character herself in order to understand her motivations but we’re also following the camera as it scans her, judging. How many of us look in the mirror and wish we saw something different, better? The nudity allows us to relate to this scene on many levels.
&nbsp;
<h3>Gore</h3>
&nbsp;
Blood, blood, and more blood. Fargeat puts Rob Zombie to shame with her use of grotesquerie and blood effects.
The moments of the Sue creature evolving into something horrible, the disgusting sounds Dennis Quaid’s character makes while eating, Sue’s horrifying loss of teeth and nails, Elisabeth’s binging food &#8211; there isn’t a point where you’re free from visual, auditory, or intellectual gore which suffuses the entire film with constant tension and repellent moments.
In an ending scene, the twisted creature that MonstroElisaSue has become sprays an audience with massive amounts of blood. 
Everyone is sprayed with the blood now gushing out of her arm
stump, like a snow canon.
She sprays blood in every direction, like a lawn hose, while
spinning around in her princess dress.
Of this scene, which took 36,000 gallons of fake blood, Fargeat says, &#8220;All the violence that you project on me, the monster, at some points, it’s projected back on the audience, which is all of us.&#8221;
The final creature is a disgusting masterpiece of mismatched body parts like a breast attached to an optic nerve that falls out of an eye socket. But, again, it has purpose. Beyond any beauty standard, the creature MonstroElisaSue at this point is finally free from judgment.
&nbsp;
<h3>Violence</h3>
&nbsp;
The movie delivers in all aspects like any traditional horror film. There’s emotional, mental, physical, and societal violence aplenty to keep this delivering constantly on gut-churning tension. 
A fight scene between Elisabeth and Sue is as violent as any John Wick film.
&nbsp;
<h3>Suspense</h3>
&nbsp;
Likewise, the suspense is ever-present and always building. The film never relaxes because there’s this body in the hidden room &#8211; sometimes Sue, sometimes Elisabeth &#8211; that may at any moment spring out at us. Like a Frankenstein monster, reflecting the creator’s flaws, the Other is there and will always be an unknown element.
Plus, technique-wise, there is a perfect pacing to the building of this suspense and violence. The story narrative supports the success of every three-act structure which, despite the trendy criticism against it, is perfect to push a story along certain pathways to deliver on maximum suspense.
&nbsp;
<h3>Ending</h3>
&nbsp;
The MonstroElisaSue created in the last act is reminiscent of the movie The Elephant Man. You can almost hear John Merrick (John Hurt) shouting , “I am a man not a monster!” as she looks out over an audience there to see Sue twinkle as the latest ascending star. 
But she’s horrible. A pastiche of two bodies slap-hazardously melded together, leaking fluids, twisted into a barely recognizable human shape. The pathos is throat catching, palpable. This is powerfully emotional and visceral.
Monsters dying in the end of horror tales is appropriate. Feeling sorry for them is rare indeed. The Frankenstein monster’s ending in the original book is one of emotional pain and isolation. The best of the best in horror makes you feel similarly sorry for the creature who just moments ago was wreaking havoc on the population.
As MonstroElisaSue sprays blood on the audience and then drags herself up Hollywood Blvd to die on her star, we cringe at her horrible appearance but as she dies our hearts elevate a little because she’s finally free of the true horror of this film &#8211; the unrealistic beauty standards we’ve enforced on ourselves.

Breaking Down The Main Elements Of “The Substance”

<div class="seriesmeta">This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series <a href="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/Best Of 2020/high-school-movies/" class="series-4373" title="High School Movies">High School Movies</a></div><div class="seriesbox"><div class="center"> <a href="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/Best Of 2020/high-school-movies/" class="series-4373" title="High School Movies">High School Movies</a></div><ul class="serieslist-ul"><li class="serieslist-li"><a href="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/what-makes-high-school-movies-work-part-1/" title="What Makes High School Movies Work? (Part 1)">What Makes High School Movies Work? (Part 1)</a></li><li class="serieslist-li-current">What Makes High School Movies Work? (Part 2)</li></ul></div><h3>Archetypes</h3>
&nbsp;
Parents (good and bad), teachers (good and bad), friends, teammates, and classmates (good and bad), and siblings all form the basis of an archetypal character set.
In The Edge of Seventeen:
Nadine’s mother: a bit unraveled and trying to cope with her own life as well as her two children. Nadine’s father is dead and that’s a deep hole in her life.
Nadine’s brother: Darian is tall, athletic, handsome, and popular. Most things Nadine isn’t which has created this huge gap between them.
Mr. Bruner: An acerbic but understanding teacher who Nadine feels comfortable confessing to. It’s my contention that he was created in this sarcastic mold to deliberately reflect back Nadine’s melodrama, and also to act as a sort of oracle, the wise teacher living above it all so Nadine could talk to him without much judgment from him.
Krista: Friend, friend, friend… betrayer. Because Krista and Darian hook up (yes in the sexual sense) Nadine feels isolated and strikes out at both. This situation is used as a way to transition Nadine to a more adult attitude about the way forward in life. Life is change. Nadine must accept that.
Nick (Alexander Calvert): The unattainable hottie who stands for values that the main character thinks they want but are really false given who they really are. This causes a learnable moment in the character’s storyline as the inevitable rejection occurs.
The rival, Shannon (Nesta Cooper): films like Mean Girls, Heathers, and of course Edge Of Seventeen have a cliquey group led by a particularly nasty rival who is meant to embarrass and cause grief for the main character. No strength or growth without conflict is the reason.
Erwin: The lovable boy friend who becomes a boyfriend. This particular trope is used extensively in many high school movies and TV series. Again, this is a growth scenario so the character can see with clearer eyes what is really important as they transition to adulthood.
&nbsp;
<h3>Tone</h3>
&nbsp;
One of the joys of high school movies and TV is the ridiculously vast tonal motifs available. Everything from the fun and silly Superbad or Project, to the somber Palo Alto and challenging, powerful “he Hate U Give (which was criminally under-represented at the 2018 Academy Awards).
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_48270" style="width: 783px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-48270" class="wp-image-48270 " src="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Hate-You-Give-Still-2-1024x682.jpg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine" width="773" height="515" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Hate-You-Give-Still-2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Hate-You-Give-Still-2-150x100.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Hate-You-Give-Still-2-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Hate-You-Give-Still-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Hate-You-Give-Still-2.jpg 1501w" sizes="(max-width: 773px) 100vw, 773px" />Key cast in The Hate U Give. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Films</div>
&nbsp;
Edge Of Seventeen splits the difference as a serio-comic dramedy.
An example is this hard-to-watch, but funny moment where Mr. Bruner reads the text Nadine accidentally sent to Nick, her crush.
&nbsp;
Nadine storms into Mr. Bruner’ classroom. 
Without explanation, she hands Bruner her phone.
BRUNER 
(reading) 
&#8220;You&#8217;re complicated and simple. And I just feel this 
connection between us. I feel like I already know you.&#8221;
(beat)
This is kind of sweet. I think you&#8217;re overreacting. 
&#8220;I just wanna be with you. I wanna give you&#8230; head. 
I want you to put your&#8230; 
We can do it in the Petland stockroom.&#8221;
Bruner frowns, thinking.
NADINE 
Say something. Oh, my god, say something, please. 
Help me.
He thinks. Finally &#8211;
BRUNER 
You need to watch out for run-on sentences.
NADINE 
(freaking out) 
But can&#8217;t you just do something? Can&#8217;t you&#8230; 
can&#8217;t you just do something? 
You gotta be able to do something.
(even more frantic)
If you get his address and you confiscate his phone, great. 
Get his address. You give it to me. I&#8217;m gonna go there. 
And I&#8217;m gonna, um&#8230;
She’s losing it.
&nbsp;
Later, Nadine and the object of the email (Nick) go out on a date.
It begins to get amorous. Too amorous for Nadine.
&nbsp;
Nick parks the car. Nadine smiles as Nick looks over at her.
NADINE 
I can&#8217;t believe this is happening. There&#8217;s so much that I&#8217;ve 
wanted to tell you and ask you, and I just can&#8217;t believe this&#8230;
He moves toward her, lowers the seat until it reclines.
NADINE 
Um&#8230; Oh, wow. It just keeps going back, doesn&#8217;t it?
Nick’s hands begin to roam over Nadine’s body. The panic she now feels is clearly reflected on her face as she realizes that Nick is taking her email literally and is wanting to have sex with her.
NADINE 
Yeah… I don&#8217;t know if I should…
He reaches to remove her panties. She goes into full panic mode, pushes him away.
NADINE 
Get off! Get off! Off!
A confused Nick rolls off her.
NICK 
Okay. What the hell?
&nbsp;
Earlier Nadine had teased her buddy Erwin about hooking up and it insulted and hurt him. She still doesn’t get that actions have consequences, especially when it comes to sexual matters. With Nick she is shown that again. All part of her growth and illustrating some of the more serious themes here. There was real fear that Nick wouldn’t stop his advances.
Of course, as stated, movies like The Hate U Give have a completely different tonal palette as friends are killed and families are threatened. The main character, Starr (Amandia Stenberg ) lives in two worlds: her challenging home neighborhood and the upper-middle class private school she attends. She even calls herself Starr One and Starr Two to differentiate the different people she is when at each location.
Her lesson is from a Tupac Shakur quote and forms both the title and theme of the movie.
The range in high school movies is truly immense. 13: The Musical is sweet and uplifting. 13 explores a young girl’s train wreck of a life as she speaks to herself via TikTok videos. Kids is shocking and bleak, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is painful, Bottoms strike a goofy blow for the LGBTQ+ community. Project X is just insane. Elephant based in the Columbine shootings is plain scary.
The gamut is huge and the range almost unlimited for anyone wanting to write a high school film or television series.
&nbsp;
<h3>Techniques/ Motifs</h3>
&nbsp;
Some would call these cliches. And done badly, they are. They are also strong motifs/tropes, and techniques that define a genre and can be elevated beyond the cliches they’ve become.
<ul>
<li>The Outsider &#8211; typically the main character. It’s rare that any popular kid is used as a main character because it’s not as dramatic a catharsis as the person who is alienated from their peers.</li>
<li>Sex &#8211; losing one’s virginity seems to pop up a lot even in today’s woke world. If the quest comes with insight it can be very illuminating. In 13: The Musical with its underage protagonists it’s a first kiss that becomes the goal.</li>
<li>The Crush &#8211; the unattainable love interest is always a good motor to keep the story running strong. It offers many opportunities for funny/serious moments and I doubt any of us hasn’t been on one end or the other of this.</li>
<li>“Slut Shaming” &#8211; male or female. This goes hand in hand with bullying. Easy A is probably one of the best examples of this, but Mean Girls also pushes this really hard to good effect.</li>
<li>Social climbing &#8211; you can see this explored  in Heathers and The Edge of Seventeen as well as Mean Girls. Social climbing is a very strong motif in almost all high school movies.</li>
<li> True Friends &#8211; Book Smart shows the value of real friends, those who have your back in any circumstance. Most times this is connected to social climbing where the central character or their old friend goes rogue with the ‘cool kids’.</li>
<li>The Lunch Table &#8211; how many scenes have we seen where the cafeteria is segregated by groups (Geeks, Nerds, Jocks, Plastics, Cheerleaders, etc.) and this segregation serves as a way to show social movement when a character is invited to the ‘cool’ table and abandons their normal table of friends.</li>
<li>Bullying &#8211; Glee has slushies, others have the evil Jocks/ Cheerleaders/ Gangsters who rule the school. Even in today’s woke world, this motif still resonates strongly. “Dope” has shoe-stealing gangsters who don’t steal lunch money, they steal Jordans.</li>
<li>Clueless Parents &#8211; well, duh. Every generation of stories, and I do mean every gen uses this motif because it’s so reliably relatable. Who hasn’t thought their parents out of touch and unreasonable? Even if the characters truly love their parents, they rail against the restrictions placed on them, and that’s usually the job of mom and dad.
<ul>
<li>A side slice of this is the missing parent through abandonment or divorce. This creates a backstory that has real impact.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Graduation &#8211; many stories use this as a plot engine to tie the other stories together. That diploma is an outsized achievement and many times of super importance.</li>
<li>Tutoring &#8211; nothing gets two disparate people together like tutoring where the smart kid helps the underachiever to pass the next test. Words On A Bathroom Wall utilizes this to good effect.</li>
<li>Social Media &#8211; not much moves us in today’s world like social media. Texting, TikTok(ing), SnapChat, inadvertent Send Alls are a part of everyone’s life and most especially youth which has embraced these mediums like extension of their bodies.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h3>In Conclusion</h3>
&nbsp;
Bob Dylan has a lyric, “Oh, but I was so much older then, I’m much younger than that now.” High school movies succeed and thrive across many generations because of the seriousness of that time of life. Sure, getting older is hard as we matriculate to college and adulthood, but there’s nothing quite as difficult as high school. Writing about it brings insight and the persistent themes of growing into our skins make that script universal.
<fieldset><legend>Series Navigation</legend><a href="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/what-makes-high-school-movies-work-part-1/" title="&lt;&lt; What Makes High School Movies Work? (Part 1)">&lt;&lt; What Makes High School Movies Work? (Part 1)</a></fieldset>

Why A Multi Genre Mashup Works In “The Gorge”

Breaking Down The Main Elements Of “The Substance”

What Makes High School Movies Work? (Part 2)

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