London Comedy Writers Newsletter #538
Our next meeting takes place on All Hallows' Eve! Costumes tolerated (no pirates).
Our next meeting is Tuesday 31st October
But it’ll probably just be normal, don’t worry. As usual we’ll be upstairs at the Old King's Head near London Bridge from 7pm for a death-themed sitcom and some spooky sketches. Details on our website. Latecomers will be burned in a Wicker Man.
We are currently booking slots for sketches, sitcoms, webisodes, comic plays and monologues and this is an especially good time to get on the list. Remember, your space on the list is dependent on you turning up to support other writers.
Some Comedy-Horror for Halloween…
While there have always been enjoyable horror-comedies up on the big screen, from Gremlins to An American Werewolf In London to the original Evil Dead series, recent years have seen the genre-mix successfully migrate to sitcoms, most effectively in mockumentaries from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement - What We Do In The Shadows (which returns for a new series this week) and Wellington Paranormal. Meanwhile the UK has had notable success with Being Human and those shows from the League of Gentlemen creators that straddle the boundary between humour and scares.
Well-Worn Tropes
I think part of the reason for the upturn this century is because the tropes of horror are so well-worn they’re ripe for spoofing or subversion. Certainly there’s very little excitement generated by the release of yet another boilerplate slasher film, creature feature or cabin in the woods flick these days. But add some ‘meta’ observation, genuinely funny lines and engagingly self-aware characters who nonetheless feel real (as Scream did, for example) and all of a sudden we’re in much more interesting territory.
The Tonal Tightrope
It’s not easy to pull off though. My most recent writing project is a UK-set comedy-horror about fungal networks (inspired by a conversation with someone after an LCW meeting, interestingly enough). As I discovered, one of the trickiest elements is to juggle the tone. In a single genre it tends to be consistent all the way through, but moving from laughter to fear demands a writer walk the tonal tightrope. If you can pull this off without jarring an audience the contrast will really draw them in. Humour provides a respite from the terrifying moments while frightening scenes keep a viewer excited; trembling and on their toes until the next gag brings some relief from all the tension.
Sink Your Teeth Into It
Getting that balance right is vital. Some genre mash-ups simply add a bit of over-the-top gore or a few one liners to a conventional horror plot, which never feels like enough. Without genuinely funny characters we can warm to and who have real depth, the comic elements can feel like an afterthought. On the other hand, as comedy writers, our instinct might be to aim for the laughs and maybe add a few jump scares or bloody deaths, leaving little for horror aficionados to sink their teeth into. Horror really needs enthralling peril, terrifying ideas or the catharsis that comes with being confronted by our deepest fears in a fictional setting to work well.
The Benchmark
Here in London the benchmark horror-comedy for me is Shaun of the Dead (featuring long-time LCW actor and Ray in our sitcom podcast Nick Ewans as Swingball / Pyjama Zombie - look out for him). In that 2004 film Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright balanced varied genre elements to produce a very British, suburban take on the zombie flick, one that provided thrills, shocks and guffaws in equal measure. The film was thoroughly deserving of its success and, this Halloween weekend, I’m very tempted to watch it again.
Al
'The best comedy and horror feel like they take place in reality. You have a rule or two you are bending or heightening, but the world around it is real.'
Jordan Peele
Competitions and opportunities
The Victoria Wood playwriting prize for comedy is after original, full-length, unperformed and unproduced work for the stage. By “full-length” they mean your comic play must be upwards of 70 pages long. Deadline: 1st December.
Spread the Word are looking to commission work from London-based Deaf or Disabled writers who are committed to developing their careers by applying for the 2024 Deptford Literature Festival Deaf and Disabled Writers’ Commissions. Applications are encouraged from those who meet the criteria and write poetry, fiction, narrative non-fiction or writing for performance. Deadline: 1pm on 7th November.
And make sure you get your Comedy Drama or Dramatic screenplay ready for the next BBC Writers’ Room Open Call. They will be accepting scripts from noon on Tuesday 7th November. Deadline: 5th December.
Member news
The London date of LCW-er Ben Lund-Conlon’s acclaimed live show ‘Lies, Damned Lies and Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ is fast approaching. This performance will be filmed and takes place at the Museum of Comedy on the 11th November – hope to see you there!
LCW documentary star Jo Tilley offers a professional script consultancy service for budding writers with a particular emphasis on developing female characters and a free consultation for your first 10 pages. Find out more on Jo’s website.
Brad Ashton’s new book ‘Laugh Is What You Make It’ draws on the author’s half century of writing gags and comedy routines for the likes of Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Frankie Howerd, Bruce Forsyth, David Frost, Bob Monkhouse and even Groucho Marx.