Save the Cat!® Writes Horror

The Ultimate Guide to Creating Monster in the House Stories

By: Jamie Nash

Narrated by: Jamie Nash

“It’s he-e-e-re”… the most heart-pounding, jump-out-of-your-seat, scream-worthy book in the Save the Cat!® series.

Veteran horror screenwriter and novelist Jamie Nash leads us into the shadows of Blake Snyder’s legendary Monster in the House genre—and sheds light over the secrets to crafting truly terrifying tales.

Save the Cat! Writes Horror is your guide to writing and delivering blood-chilling films and novels using the world’s most successful storytelling method, including:

• A deep dive into horror’s core ingredients—Monster, House, and Sin—with subtypes, examples, and tools to help you design your own diabolical tale
• The mad science of turning Save the Cat!’s 15 beats into a horror story that builds tension, sharpens scares, and leaves your audience squirming
• How to balance Scares, Gross-outs, and Dread to torment your audience flawlessly
• Why knowing your horror’s heartbeat—Slow Burn vs. Relentless—changes everything
• How to use the Dread-O-Meter to engineer spine-tingling scenes with precision
• How to build memorable horror characters—from first-to-die victims to final girls and guys—while exploring how their flaws, choices, and arcs mirror deeper fears and social truths
• Plus: real case studies, scarecraft tools, career advice, and a comprehensive analysis of what makes the genre tick (and bleed)

Whether you’re a screenwriter, novelist, or seasoned horrorhound, Save the Cat! Writes Horror will help you write the kind of story that lingers long after the lights go out.

©2025 Blake Snyder Enterprises, LLC (P)2025 Blake Snyder Enterprises, LLC

Road Map to Dread

Great tips, rules, and structure to upping your game with your chills and thrills! Already using it to help my story structure.

Narrated with LOVING detail and concerned wisdom by someone who seems to really understand what their audience needs.

The detailed execution of the technique espoused on the book itself as she lays it out makes it clear to understand.