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The Art of Storytelling: Simplicity, Twists, and the Heart of a Hero

Updated: Jun 27

The Art of Storytelling: Simplicity, Twists, and the Heart of a Hero


The Art of Storytelling by Eddy Sanchez
The Art of Storytelling by Eddy Sanchez

As I sat reflecting on the films from the recent festival, it became clear to me that storytelling doesn’t need to be grandiose or costly. In fact, the most effective narratives flow naturally, incorporating unexpected twists that keep audiences engaged. This was particularly evident in the Spider-Man films—both the original Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). While Spider-Man had a budget of $139 million and grossed over $825 million worldwide, Spider-Man: Homecoming had a larger budget of $175 million but also achieved significant financial success. Despite their budgets, both films showcase powerful storytelling that resonates with viewers.


The Relatable Journey of Peter Parker


When I first watched Spider-Man, I was instantly captivated by Peter Parker’s journey. He is a normal young man navigating the everyday anxieties of teenage life—school, friendships, and unrequited love. The film doesn’t rely on extravagant special effects or a convoluted plot; rather, it draws viewers in through its authenticity and relatability. Peter’s character feels profoundly human, allowing us to connect with his struggles and desires for acceptance in a world that can often feel isolating.


Responsibility: The Core Theme of Spider-Man


As the story unfolds, we witness Peter’s transformation into Spider-Man after being bitten by a radioactive spider, granting him extraordinary abilities. This leads us to the first significant twist: unlike many superhero narratives that glorify power, Spider-Man is fundamentally about responsibility. The iconic line, “With great power comes great responsibility,” serves as a poignant reminder that our choices have consequences. This simple yet profound truth elevates Spider-Man from just another superhero movie to a meaningful exploration of morality and the weight of our decisions.


Navigating Dual Identities


One of the most compelling aspects of Spider-Man is its exploration of Peter's dual identity. The contrast between his ordinary life and his superhero persona introduces a rich layer of complexity to the narrative. Peter struggles to balance his roles as a student, friend, and budding hero, often facing dilemmas that resonate with many of us. This blend of the mundane with the extraordinary is a hallmark of effective storytelling, showcasing how remarkable experiences can emerge from everyday life.


The Emotional Depth of Friendship and Love


Another unexpected layer of the story is Peter's relationship with Mary Jane Watson, portrayed by Kirsten Dunst. Their evolving connection introduces a romantic element amidst the chaos of Peter’s new life as Spider-Man. This emotional depth enhances the narrative, illustrating that the struggles of heroes can be just as daunting as their battles against villains. The sacrifices made to uphold his responsibilities create a poignant narrative thread that resonates with audiences.


The Impact of Spider-Man: Homecoming


Similarly, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) continues this tradition of balancing great storytelling with relatable themes. With a budget of $175 million, it also achieved impressive financial success, grossing over $880 million worldwide. This sequel builds on the foundation laid by its predecessor while exploring new dimensions of Peter’s character and responsibilities. Just like the original, it emphasizes the importance of responsibility and personal growth, showing that even with a larger budget, simplicity in storytelling remains key.


Celebrating the Timeless Art of Storytelling


In conclusion, both Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Homecoming exemplify that the best stories are about ordinary people with extraordinary experiences. They highlight the importance of creating characters we can empathize with, incorporating surprising twists, and weaving narratives that foster emotional connections. As I reflect on the films from the festival, I encourage all storytellers to embrace simplicity, tap into humanity, and remember that the most profound stories often begin with straightforward premises and culminate in heartfelt endings.


Let us celebrate the art of storytelling—an art that remains timeless, regardless of budget constraints.


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The 5 Best Horror Films of the 1990's | E-Writes Podcast

The 5 Best Horror Films of the 1990's | E-Writes Podcast


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Welcome back to the E-Writes Podcast! Today, we’re delving into ’90s horror, when the scary movies were ingenious and impressive, leaving impressions that still linger upon us today.


1. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)


Directed by Jonathan Demme, "The Silence of the Lambs" is a psychological horror thriller that redefined the genre. Following FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she seeks the help of the brilliant yet sinister Dr. Hannibal Lecter to catch a serial killer, the film masterfully blends suspense with complex character studies. Iconic moments, such as Lecter’s chilling interactions with Starling and the infamous “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti,” have made this film a timeless classic, earning it multiple Academy Awards.


The Silence of the Lambs, Jonathan Demme, psychological horror, Hannibal Lecter


2. Scream (1996)


Wes Craven followed up his hugely successful A Nightmare on Elm Street with another slasher, this time one that was hyper-aware of the slasher genre itself. Released in 1996, Scream revived the horror genre in the late 1990s, earning enormous commercial success and spawning three sequels. A masked killer called Ghostface terrorizes a group of friends in a small town. One of the killer’s hallmarks was calling the kids on their landlines and quizzing them on their knowledge of horror films, while taunting them and executing various action sequences that included shapes, stabbings and surprises. Despite being clever and funny, it was also terrifying at times. While remaining a great slasher itself, it managed to satirize the slasher genre.


Scream, Wes Craven, slasher film, Ghostface


3. The Sixth Sense (1999)


In "The Sixth Sense," M. Night Shyamalan captured audiences with a compelling narrative and a twist that was unforgettable. Throughout the story, Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, attempts to help Cole, a young boy who claims to see dead people. In this psychological thriller, viewers are left breathless by its emotional depth and shocking conclusion. Among the best horror films of all time, "The Sixth Sense" is still regarded as one of the best.


The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan, psychological thriller, twist ending


4. Candyman (1992)


The film "Candyman" is directed by Bernard Rose and explores urban legends and the power of belief. Adapted from Clive Barker's short story, Candyman follows a graduate student who accidentally summons the hook-handed killer's vengeful spirit. This film stands out for its chilling atmosphere and rich themes of racial and societal fear, as well as its haunting score.


Candyman, Bernard Rose, urban legend, horror film


5. The Blair Witch Project (1999)


This breakthrough low-budget found-footage horror, which launched a thousand knock-offs, tapped into the independent filmmaking zeitgeist by following a trio of documentary movie makers into the Maryland woods to investigate the tale of the Blair Witch, who reportedly abducted children in centuries past. It pitches the audience into a series of unnerving scenarios, using psychological tension and minimal pure storytelling to drive its slow-burn dread—a technique that was pioneered in 1999. With a novel marketing campaign and its documentary-within-a-documentary horror concept, it was a perfect cultural appropriation of the late ’90s.


The Blair Witch Project, found footage, independent horror, psychological tension


Conclusion


In the 1990s, the horror genre transformed itself in ways both familiar and unexpected. Some of the ensuing movies produced considerable fright for their audiences. More than that, however, the crop of chillers that graced the decade not only demonstrated their familiarity with what made previous horror craze-inducers effective; they defied the very boundaries of horror itself. The top five of those films contain within them the seeds of a new cinema. They reveal that the ‘90s gave birth to a spirit of horror that still thrives today. Honorable mention: Leprechaun (1993)... and it seemed to come from nowhere.


We’d love to hear from you! Which '90s horror film is your favorite?


Thank you for tuning into the E-Writes Podcast! If you enjoyed this exploration of the haunting world of 1990s horror, be sure to subscribe for more spine-tingling content and discussions about the films that shaped our fears. Until next time, keep the lights on!


Links to the movie trailers below:


- The Silence of the Lambs  

- Scream  


- The Sixth Sense  


- Candyman  


- The Blair Witch Project  


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The State of Horror Films: A Decade of Evolution | E-Writes Podcast

The State of Horror Films: A Decade of Evolution | E-Writes Podcast


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Welcome to the E-Writes Podcast! Today, we’re exploring the current state of horror films, a genre that has seen remarkable transformations and innovations over the years. As we dive into the films of this decade, we’ll examine whether the horror genre is thriving or struggling to find its footing. Horror films have a long history of spine-chilling narratives, but are there great horror films in the 2020s? Here are the arguments for and against this claim.



Evidence for Great Horror Films in the 2020s


1. Innovative Storytelling


What then for the horror genre? Does its most recent output reveal a robust innovation that’s capable of continuing to offer viewers new and exciting ways with which they can experience their worst nightmares? Or will future generations scoff at Hereditary much as some in my parents’ generation scoffed at Psycho – and will they be right to do so? Quite the reverse, I feel. There has seldom been a better time to be an aficionado of horror movies. Just as the genre was growing tired, it was reinvigorated by The Blair Witch Project (1999). Even now, more than two decades later, it feels like the game is still being reinvented. For example, the recent remake The Invisible Man (2020) recast the otherwise similar Universal Studios classic from the 1930s so that it chimed productively with recent thinking about domestic violence. And, as with marvelous examples such as Scream (1996), it demonstrated that horror could also embrace social issues in provocative and convincing new ways.


2. Diverse Voices  


More and more people with a vast range of voices are being given the opportunity to make horror films, with recent releases like Nia DaCosta’s Candyman (2021) and Axelle Carolyn’s The Night House (2020) coming from the directing minds of black and female directors, whose films address issues of race and identity, as well as mental health.


3. Successful Franchises and Unique Concepts  


Franchise sequels such as A Quiet Place Part II (2021) can both live up to the promise of their predecessors and move forward into new characters and worlds. Stand-alone movies like Malignant (2021), by James Wan, allow the genre to experiment with jolting audiences out of their complacency with surprises and innovative plots, even if those movies themselves might often fail to adhere to classic horror tropes.


Evidence Against Great Horror Films in the 2020s


Perhaps the biggest critique of the contemporary horror landscape is the prevalence of the reboot. As long as people have fond memories of a prior film, studios know it will draw in audiences by default. At the same time, nostalgia alone doesn’t always make for captivating filmmaking. Look at reboots and remakes of famous films that range from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) to The Grudge (2020) and Halloween Kills (2021): often they repeat rather than innovate, and fans wind up dissatisfied because it feels like a copy that’s inferior to the original. Filling out the yearly slots for horror films compels studios to rely heavily on restarted franchise models. This not only risks stereotyping what audiences expect of ‘horror’, but it can also stifle creativity by overshadowing original, new horror films.


2. Mixed Reception  


Not all horror films released in this decade have received favorable reviews. While some films have been praised, others, like "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It" (2021) and "Fear Street Trilogy" (2021), have garnered mixed to negative responses, suggesting that not all entries are hitting the mark with audiences and critics alike.


3. Market Saturation 


Streaming platforms have proliferated horror, which, in turn, leads to an oversaturation of the market with complete and dissimilar projects being greenlit left and right. With the sheer amount of (subpar) movies unleashed to the world in a short amount of time, the fear of a saturation effect raises its ugly head. During the last several years, enough uninspired content has flooded the genre to make it questionable whether the modern viewer, in spite of his or her hunger for inspiration, is still able to be creeped out effectively.


Conclusion


Where does the horror film genre go from here? It enters the 2020s facing both those challenges and innovations. On the one hand, we can see a horror genre that is exploring a wider variety of narratives, and with each passing year, those narratives are expanding. Horror is poised on the edge of startling technical innovations and the continued relevance of films made half a century ago, and the tale it tells will be a long one. In many ways, the genre is in great shape: it remains as vital as ever. Horror films continue to explore and comment on modern society and culture, and each year they strive to set new standards for what works and what doesn’t. Even now, with its ever-expanding ranks of fans and participators, it occasionally strikes the perfect balance between pagan grandeur and over-the-top excess that it has always striven to attain.


We’d love to hear from you! What are your thoughts on the current state of horror films? Are there any recent favorites that stand out to you?


Thank you for tuning into the E-Writes Podcast! If you enjoyed this exploration of the state of horror films, be sure to subscribe for more spine-tingling content and discussions about the films that shape our cinematic experiences. Until next time, keep the lights on!


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