John Munn – A Nice Place To Visit

We had a chance to chat with screenwriter John Munn about his feature horror/thriller screenplay A Nice Place To Visit which is an official selection at the Utah Film Festival.

A Nice Place To Visit follows a burned out psychic who is convinced by a small town police force to come out of retirement and help them convict a serial killer who may have supernatural powers of his own.

What was the inspiration for coming up with A Nice Place To Visit?

This screenplay started as a novel that I began writing in high school forty years ago.  I had grown up a fan of the “Twilight Zone,” Stephen King as well as other genre writers and I wondered if I could write a story that would have the same impact as those stories.  It has been through many drafts, but the core “question” has always been the same: could this kind of battle between two high powered psychic individuals take place in a small town away from the rest of the world..And what would that look like?

How long did it take you to write A Nice Place To Visit?

This was my first screenplay and it has been through nineteen drafts over the past thirty years.  I am about to put it through another next week, based on some wonderful notes that I received from some industry professionals.  But it took me about seven weeks, initially, when I first wrote it in 1992.

What was the biggest challenge in writing A Nice Place To Visit?

Learning how to write a screenplay, because it was my first.  I used a service called “Script Shark” at the time and my first draft was over 260 pages.  Through their instruction, and patience, I eventually got it down to 119 pages over several sessions.  But it was a great experience that taught me so much!  The screenplay is currently at 111 pages and may just end up being less than that after next week’s rewrites,

What was your favorite scene to write?

The conflict between Loren and Aldo that takes place in his childhood home.  So much has built up to that moment and finally being able to show that Loren is Aldo’s equal really was a joy for me.  Their last confrontation was equally fun, but this initial battle really sets up everything that follows at City Hall..

What was your favorite character to create?

It’s always fun to write a charismatic villain and Aldo Carpe is certainly that.  I truly enjoy his bravado, his quiet menace and sarcastic sense of humor.

How/When do you plan to make it into a film?

I am hoping it gets optioned someday by someone who loves the story and characters as much as I do.  I know it won’t be the same script after another professional has taken it to heart, but I am very excited for the collaboration, and changes, that their ideas will bring to it!

What do you have next in the works?

I am trying to find a Manager as I work on my next two screenplays.  Someone who doesn’t mind taking on a “baby writer,” but would help nurture my career in a way that I could help get my work produced as well as helping others through spec work, rewrites and/or in a writer’s room. My upcoming screenplay work includes a werewolf story that starts in the middle ages and spans to today and another which is a very personal script about my father that has a “Big Chill” feel to it in both its sense of drama and humor.

How can we learn more about you and your projects?

Thank you for asking!  You can always get updates through both my Coverfly.com and NetworkISA.org profiles as well as my Instagram account.  Another one of my goals this year is to develop a website and newsletter to have a quick way to get info!

Born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, John is the grandson of published fantasy writer H. Warner Munn. John was also the Owner/CEO of Comic Book Ink – A shop that was a seven time consecutive nominee for the prestigious Eisner Award for the “Spirit of Comic Book Retailing Award.” The only award created by the late Will Eisner himself.