Working on a horror script...
 

(Before anyone asks, this has nothing to do with the Kickstarter idea I posted a few weeks ago.)

I've started on a screenplay that's heavily inspired by the Japanese horror genre. I don't want to go into too much detail about the plot ATM, but the protagonist is an American guy in Japan who undergoes a metamorphosis into a yurei (female ghost).

What I'm grappling with right now is how to present the transformation, and this seems like the best community to ask. Should it be a more rapid change, i.e. taking place over a single night, or something more gradual, like Cronenberg's version of The Fly? The first scenario would allow more time with the character after he's fully transformed; the second would be more drawn-out.

The structure of the transformation tends to influence the structure of the story, which is why I'd like to hear from other TF enthusiasts about what they'd personally like to see in this kind of movie, in the freakish chance it ever gets off the ground someday. ;) The film itself would basically be a moody character piece, with most of the narrative unfolding from the perspective of the "transformee." If anyone's ever seen I, Zombie: The Chronicles of Pain, that's a pretty good example of the kind of tone I'm hoping to recreate.

Re: Working on a horror script...
 

When I see the term "rapid change", I think of it over the course of a minute or two, rather than "over a single night" (unless it's more of a 'poof' transformation--where the transformee goes to bed as a man, then the scene cuts to a woman in the man's clothes waking up, which is not Process, if you ask me).

When asking about the length of the transformation, you should make it fit the plot of the story. You don't have to describe the plot here, but it's something for you to keep in mind.

I'd like a more drawn-out transformation myself, but it really has to fit the plot of the story, which you're keeping under wraps here.

Re: Working on a horror script...
 

I don't think I'd have the TF itself quite as fast as David Naughton's in "An American Werewolf," mainly because I'd like the protagonist to have more time to react to his predicament. Hence, "over a single night," which is basically a compromise between a two-minute TF (as seen in AWIL) and something which develops over a month or so (Cronenberg's Fly).

That being said, I don't want to divulge TOO much of the plot, for personal reasons. My apologies if you need all that information to make a proper assessment.

Re: Working on a horror script...
 

It kinda hard to give feedback to something that doesn't have the full story there ( i understand the reasoning thoguh). The type of TF/TG is the result on why this is happening to this man and the outcome of it all. If the focus is the man slowly tuning to this person or is he being used as a pawn. These help determine what way to go. I honestly like the whole slow aspect since it draws out the horror rather than just quick here you go.

Re: Working on a horror script...
 

funny you mention AWIL. Jim's working on his own project. ;) (sequence about 50 long), anyways it all depends on your story if its drawn out do you want the guy to find it "normal" after some time with it and just get on with life as it happens. I'm guessing you have your "beginning, middle and end" worked out and you looking to fill in the gaps (Jim fills his gaps with sex)

feel free to bounce ideas off me. :)

Re: Working on a horror script...
 

For spirit possession-based TFs I usually prefer the transformation to unfold over several days, with dreams between the main character and the spirit to illustrate either the spirit's subjugation of the MC or the MC's surrender to the spirit, or a merger between the two. I like this structure because it gives space for the MC to ignore/deny/hide/despair/accept the physical and behavioral changes when awake and externalizes the inner conflict during sleep.

Edit: While it doesn't necessarily need to go for the same length or overall tone, Burntwitch and Sizzkun's Girl In My Dream comic is an example.

Re: Working on a horror script...
 

Without knowing more of your plot, it's hard to say how best to do it. All we know is it's a TF/TG into a yurei.

Looking up Yurei, it seems they are ghosts of those who were wronged, died in childbirth or at sea, or the spirits of children. Nothing in the wikipedia article I read said they had to look female, though all the examples did.

So why not have him simply die and become a yurei? And he's shocked to find that, as a spirit, he looks female. Just one more thing to be vengeful about, eh?

Re: Working on a horror script...
 

For something like this, I'd say the slower the better. Unless the focus is really more on the protagonist's reaction to his/her new condition. Blackshirtboy did something along these lines for his 2015 Halloween comic, it might give you some ideas!

Re: Working on a horror script...
 

Yeah, I love that comic. I thought about commissioning a sequel from Blackshirtboy for a while, but I decided to conserve my funds for this project (assuming it ever comes to pass).

Xodiac raises a good point about the nature of yurei. I might have to shift around my concept a little bit (perhaps make the female creature a yokai instead of yurei), but the basic premise remains the same. I'm really agonizing over sharing more details of the story, but this is one I want to actually do something special with, as opposed to merely creating the usual fetish art. A story a lot of people can read, instead of one particular niche. That's why I'm hesitant about going into greater depth about it, at least in a public forum. There's plenty of unscrupulous people out there who cheerfully rip off ideas without batting an eyelid.

Re: Working on a horror script...
 

Come to think of it, this is a mildly popular concept. Mr. DNA did a small series of comics with Sadako (1, 2, 3, 4), and Cluedog did a picture involving Ghostbusters and The Grudge.