A Filmmaker's Guide to: The Speculative Genre

In this chapter of ‘the filmmaker’s guide’ we’re actually going to be learning about literature and film together. I understand that many of you are sitting in university during difficult times and finding it increasingly hard to study and I understand that many of you who are not at university or not planning on it are possibly stuck of what to do, need a break or even need to catch up on learning film before you get to the next level. This guide will be brief but will also contain: new vocabulary, concepts and theories, films to watch and we will be exploring something taboo until now in the ‘filmmaker’s guide’ - academia (abyss opens). Each article will explore a different concept of film, philosophy, literature or bibliography/filmography etc. in order to give you something new to learn each time we see each other. You can use some of the words amongst family and friends to sound clever or you can get back to me (email in bio) and tell me how you’re doing. So, strap in and prepare for the filmmaker’s guide to film studies because it is going to be one wild ride.

The Speculative Genre

What is it?

The Speculative Genre often encompasses things that are supernatural, paranormal, eerie and pretty imaginative when it comes to dark happenings. Within the speculative genre are many other sub-genres including: horror, fantasy, Sci-Fi, dystopian etc. But I think speculative fiction is a genre on its own and is not as explicit about itself as the sub-genres I have just stated above. Speculative fiction and speculative film is often hidden, concealed and often does not let its 'secret' be known to us. It is filled with people hiding things from each other, terrified that someone will find out.

In literature, there have been many speculative authors and it has become one of the most popular genres of all time even though not a lot of people have even heard the term before. Possibly the most famous writer ever to grace the speculative genre was Daphne Du Maurier. Daphne Du Maurier created such works as: "Rebecca" and "The Birds" - both made into films by Sir Alfred Hitchcock. She also wrote "The Apple Tree" which I adapted into a film script for a university project once. [Just slide myself in there].

Other authors of the speculative genre and their works include:

1. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
2. The Green Mile by Stephen King
3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
4. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
5. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
6. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
7. The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

What about film?

In film, speculative fiction is often presented as one of these sub-genres but still retains the element of speculation that we see in the 'natural' works of its kind. For example: we can have a Sci-Fi film that still retains a cold eeriness to it, which is the element of the speculative genre it keeps. If you were to make a work like this, make sure that you too, retain that element because it is the only thing that will link the two together for an audience that normally sees the genres as entirely separate things.

Here are some films which successfully do that and some that are entirely original scripts that incorporate both genres as well:

1. The Lord of the Rings
2. I, Robot
3. Us
4. The Hunger Games
5. Inglorious Basterds
6. Bird-box
7. The Stand
8. Stranger Things
9. Blade Runner
10. Resident Evil

When we look at speculative films, we are looking for the ways in which the film itself incorporates elements of speculation and this means: secrets to and from characters, internal affairs and turmoil, unwanted changes, eerie atmospheres around certain people and even trust issues.

Now we’re going to have a look at some further reading around the subject so that you can get a better idea of where to start on your speculative fiction journey. It is one of my favourite genres so I hope you have fun.

Further Reading: