John Munn – Adventures in Serial Killing
We had a chance to meet up with John Munn who has three screenplays officials selected as part of the Utah Film Festival to discuss his screenplay Adventures in Serial Killing. The screenplay is about when a brother and sister discover that one of their parents is a serial killer. They team up with their other parent to bring the murderer to justice in this comedy / horror mash-up.
What was the inspiration for coming up with Adventures in Serial Killing?
I wondered what would happen if a child found out that one of their parents was a serial killer and what they might do to stop them?
I also loved the kind of horror films that blend scares with comedy – like “American Werewolf” and “Shaun of the Dead” – and I wanted to create a screenplay with both of those traits mashed-up together.
How long did it take you to write Adventures in Serial Killing?
The first draft of this screenplay was written in just ten days. It was so much fun that I didn’t want to stop. It has had quite a few drafts after that, but this was one of my easiest ones to put to paper.
What was the biggest challenge in writing this screenplay?
Could I keep the balance of horror, suspense and humor equally balanced plus still bring the surprises that I wanted the story to have. That was a fun tightrope to walk.
What was your favorite scene to write?
The sequence where the police arrive to question the suspected parent and then tour their house with their kids in tow. Pulling that rubberband of suspense as far as I could and dabbing in the humor was a lot of fun!
What was your favorite character to create?
I love Vicki. She is just as much a fan of the genre as I am and really represents where my youngest child is in his life. She is tenacious, brilliant and relentless in her pursuit. Discovering the clues, alongside her younger brother, was also a lot of fun. She might be fourteen, but she, like my son, has the soul of a thirty year old.
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 the 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!
What are your Social Media Handles you would like us to use?
https://www.facebook.com/JohnMunnJr
https://www.instagram.com/johnmunnjr/
https://www.networkisa.org/profile/john-munn
https://writers.coverfly.com/profile/writer-2663cdc72-151244
