Excellent advices and opinions people! This is all one next progressive step to making a fantastic next-classic horror movie. I agree with you all and vodstok that the atmosphere should be the first priority of any horror movie out there, because as egekrusher said...the scare factor would be easier to achieve in that sort of "dark, dreaded" atmosphere.. The second most important is of course, the "scare-factor". Bloodrayne made a good point that most hardcore horror fans are allready desensitized enough to miss out on the "scare-factor". Because of that, we need to pump up the viewers with true, real life brutal terror at the beginning to get them into a state of shock and fear. As in the Texas Chainsaw massacre..in the beginning of the movie at the intro there were flashes..and everytime the screen flashed, there was quick view of a face of a dead body, or skulls or whatever. You guys remember that part? I believe that part really got the viewers' brain into preparing its natural instinct of fear. third of all I learned that....the character is the 3rd most important feature..I agree with orangestar that TCM could have been MUCH better if we knew the characters more better (like the quiet driver of the van). There needs to be some sort of character introduction before the action jumps in. Tobe Hoober, the director of TCM originally meant the beginning scene of the scene of the van driving on the road scene as an introduction of the characters, which was when the teens talked in the van. Unfortunately, that wasn't good enough to know them enough..therefore to care for them during the later brutal scenes. Do you guys have any idea how Tobe Hoober, the directer of TCM could have made us know the characters a little more better than just a short van scene? I personally think that the Movie should have been longer..fitting more time in the beginning for the introduction sequence of the characters which he failed to do so. Personally, I believe that the beginning is the most important scene because it introduces the characters, and gets you to "bond up" with them for the later scenes. Do you guys agree? Allright once again..you guys had great, fantastic answers, and I will make full USE of them for my scripts. For egekrusher, I know your waiting for brutal terror, and goddamnit it I am working on it :) For Natas....regarding your brain taking you over and making sounds and stuff for you....thats called an "acid trip" :D