Nuts & Bolts: Interview With John Harrison, Netflix Series Creator, Author of Residue: Paramentals Rising
By Tom Joyce
Early in his career, writer and director John Harrison picked up techniques about telling a horror story from collaborating with George Romero. He’s spent decades refining those techniques as a screenwriter, director, and novelist – most recently in a new novel that released on the 11th of this month, Residue: Paramentals Rising, based on the Netflix series he created. In this month’s edition of Nuts & Bolts, John shares his thoughts about telling a horror story and storytelling in general. He also gives advice about releasing a book, and getting into TV writing.
Q: What did you learn from collaborating with George Romero?
A: One of the most significant things I learned from my years working with George Romero was the importance of story. Given the fact that he (we) worked in a genre that allowed for so much visceral excitement, it could have been too easy to rely on shock and awe, using all of his prodigious filmmaking techniques to simply overwhelm an audience with scares and creepiness. But George was insistent that he had to know what it all meant. And that meant knowing what the story is really about. The LIVING DEAD trilogy, for example, is not really about zombies and how to avoid being attacked by them. It’s really about the microcosms of society George created in the farmhouse, the mall, the underground caves. It was the story of us. The genre of horror allowed him to explore it so intimately.
Q: What advice do you have for HWA members who might want to get into television writing?
A: Television is changing so rapidly, it’s hard to outline a definitive career path that would lead from A-Z. This presents great challenges, but lots of opportunities, too. If one was determined to work in the more traditional forms of TV, I’d say LA would definitely have to be in your future. The center of the universe is still there, and the development, financing and production of any “traditional” television originates there. It is also where the connections are that one needs to get the work seen, perhaps get hired to a writing room. However, with the proliferation of alternative media, YouTube for example, there could be opportunities to create original work outside the “mainstream,” which would be a great way to get one’s work seen and burnish one’s cred. This requires connections and relationships, too, in order to get something produced. But there are probably fewer guardrails about the kinds of stories that might appeal. Some of one’s crazier ideas might actually be more interesting there. Maybe the best “way in” ultimately would be write/create IP that producers might see as adaptable to TV. That means novels and short stories. That means writing constantly and, hopefully, finding a representative who can expose that work to the right people.
Q: Are there any techniques/approaches to storytelling that screenwriters use, which would be useful for writers of short stories and novels?
A: The beauty of screenwriting is that storytelling must be visual, not narrative. Readers of screenplays and teleplays are not looking for the beautifully constructed sentence, or the most unusual metaphor. They want to “see” the story. Remember, movies are “motion” pictures. The imagery must move! The characters must move! The story must move! Writers of short stories and novels could definitely benefit from some of a screenwriter’s techniques in translating descriptive prose into “motion” pictures in the reader’s mind. I would encourage anyone wanting to pursue this to read as many screenplays as you can. Get a sense of how the writer makes you “see” the action, see how they convey what the characters are thinking/feeling, or understand how time can flow in a non-linear way.
Q: Can you share any overall advice about writing/storytelling?
A: Read. Steve King says “one can’t be a good writer without being a good reader.” It’s as simple as that.
Q: Do you have any advice regarding what authors should do in advance of a book release?
A: I had to learn a great deal about social media and (ugh) self-promotion. Unfortunately, the business has changed so much even in the last few years that it is imperative authors take as much control of their PR as possible. Yes, it’s a lot of work, maybe almost as much as the time spent writing. But unless you are a superstar, even the big publishers are not going to do that much for you. You have to do it. My friend, Kevin Anderson, has a saying: “The invisible man can’t sell books.” He’s written a really helpful “Author Marketing Guide” that goes into great detail. I think it can be available at WordFirePress.com
Q: Based on the different perspectives from which you’ve approached the genre – as a novelist, screenwriter, and director – what elements do you think make for effective horror?
A: The human mind fascinates me because it is the source of all horror. Fear is at the root and often the cause of horror. Therefore, for me the most effective horror in any medium is psychological. Even horror stories about monsters, serial killers, natural catastrophes, science gone wild etc, etc where the threat appears to be external, the true horror is what effect any of that has on the human mind and soul.
Q: Do you have any upcoming projects you’d like to tell HWA members about?
A: My new novel, RESIDUE: Paramentals Rising, will be published by WordFire Press February 11. They published my last novel, PASSING THROUGH VEILS, last year, and they have been wonderful collaborators. RESIDUE: Paramentals Rising is a paranormal thriller about a city under enormous stress and the monsters that emerge because of it. Told through the eyes of a young woman desperately searching for her famous photojournalist sister who has gone missing.
I’m also developing a TV sci-fi series called BLANK SLATE, with Producer Dean Devlin (Independence Day, Stargate, etc etc) and his Electric Entertainment.
And I hope my new podcast, John Harrison’s Sinister Stories, will drop in ’25.
Q: Where can people follow you online?
A: I’m on Facebook, X, and Instagram. If you visit: officialjohnharrison.com, you can find all my SM’s there.
Writer, director, and composer John Harrison began his career collaborating with famed horror director George Romero. He has since written and directed multiple TV episodes for a variety of networks as well as world premiere TV movies and miniseries, including the two Emmy-winning miniseries adaptations of Frank Herbert’s Dune and Children of Dune, which he wrote, directed and co-produced. He is an Executive Producer of the current big screen adaptation of Dune for Legendary Pictures. His first feature length film, Tales From The Darkside: The Movie for Paramount Pictures won Harrison the Grand Prix du Festival at Avoriaz, France. He co-wrote the Disney animated feature, Dinosaur, and wrote and directed the theatrical adaptation of Clive Barker’s Book of Blood. He is currently developing the TV series, Blank Slate for producer Dean Devlin and Electric Entertainment. His psychological thriller, Passing Through Veils, was published by WordFire Press, August 2023. His latest novel, Residue: Paramentals Rising, will be published by WordFire Press, February 2025.
Tom Joyce writes a monthly series called Nuts & Bolts for the Horror Writers Association’s blog, featuring interviews about the craft and business of writing. Please contact Tom at TomJHWA@gmail.com if you have suggestions for future interviews.
