The Professor is Ready For You
Learn how horror works with screenwriter Matt Greenberg, through a free weekly email and upcoming live classes - The Midnight Knock - coming in Nov '26.
30+ years
in Hollywood$1B+ gross
at the worldwide box office3 Stephen King
feature film adaptationsYale · London · Hollywood
Videos.
Matt talking horror, on camera. The two newest episodes from the channel show up here on their own.
Three kinds of people show up. Which one are you?
The Devoted.
“You've seen the classics, the deep cuts, and a few things nobody else wanted to watch.”
The Writer.
“You've got a scene, an outline, or a script that's almost doing what you want.”
The Haunted.
“You came for the craft. Somewhere along the way, it got personal.”
Meet Matt Greenberg.
(he's friendlier than the credits suggest)“In horror, you do not scare an audience by showing them a monster. You scare them by showing them how little stands between them and it.”— Matt Greenberg, Notes on Dread
See full bio
MATT GREENBERG earned his B.A. in Medieval Studies from Yale University, then went on to study acting and playwriting at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama.
His film writing credits include 1408, starring Oscar nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack (Dimension Films); REIGN OF FIRE, starring Academy Award winning actors Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey (Disney); HALLOWEEN: H20, starring Jamie Lee Curtis (Dimension Films); PROPHECY II, starring Oscar winning actor Christopher Walken; MERCY (based on the short story “Gramma” by Stephen King) from producer Jason Blum and Universal Studios; SEVENTH SON, starring Academy Award winners Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore, for Universal and Legendary Pictures; and the 2019 remake of Stephen King’s PET SEMATARY for Paramount Pictures/Lorenzo di Bonaventura Productions.
He has also performed uncredited rewrites on a number of films, including Guillermo del Toro’s MIMIC. To date, Matt’s movies have collectively earned over $1 billion in box office and ancillary markets. HALLOWEEN: H20 remains one of the top grossing and best reviewed films in the HALLOWEEN franchise. PET SEMATARY and 1408 are two of the highest grossing films based on a Stephen King property.
In television, Matt created the INVISIBLE MAN series that ran for several seasons on the SyFy Channel. He also wrote the episode “THE FAIR HAIRED CHILD” for Showtime’s anthology series, MASTERS OF HORROR. He has developed pilots for AMC, CW, SyFy, USA Networks, Disney + and Warner Bros TV.
Matt’s latest feature script, SAWBONES, is based on a story by Stan Lee, and will be directed by renowned auteur Timur Bekmambetov (NIGHT WATCH, DAY WATCH, WANTED). He is also at work on the feature THE UNDERTAKER for ZQ Entertainment.
Matt currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife and three children.
“Hollywood tends to treat terror like a spreadsheet of jump scares. But real dread operates like contagion, an invisible psychological current running beneath culture. Terror Terminal is our instrument to measure that current before the box office numbers confirm it.”
WGA West Member · Yale University (B.A. Medieval Studies) · London’s Central School of Speech and Drama
Choose Your Poison.
Love horror? Start with the weekly email and videos.
Write horror? Explore the teaching and upcoming sessions.
Midnight Knock
Free 90 minute webinar with Matt · on Zoom
Before the terror, there is the invitation. The midnight knock. The call from the dark. The sweet-looking child, floating outside your window, begging to be let in.
In horror, that first invitation is critical. It not only sets your characters on their dark journey, it compels your audience to join them. Learn how to craft your unique midnight knock that will echo in your readers’ ears long after they have put your story down.
Friday the 13th of November
5:00 pm PST / 8:00 pm EST
How to Haunt a Screenplay
A six-week, live, online class
Turn your haunting ideas into a screenplay that grips, disturbs, and lingers. Over six live sessions, we’ll explore structure, atmosphere, and character, with practical feedback to help you bring your horror story to life on screen.
Beginning mid January 2027
3:00 pm PST / 6:00 pm EST
The Nightmare Retreat.
Three days away from the screen.
For three days, the Seminar leaves the internet and moves into a room. You, Matt, and a small group of people who always stayed up for the scary part. We haven't announced the place or the price yet. Put your name down and you'll hear first.
- WHEN
- August 2027. Exact dates to come.
- LENGTH
- Three days
- WHERE
- To be announced
- PRICE
- To be announced
Appearances.
Where to find Matt in person and on stage. More dates are coming, and you'll see them here first.
- 10/29NYU Lecture
- 10/30Mainstage at FilmQuest
- 10/31NYTimes Opinion contributor
More updates coming soon!
Tell me when there's another →Sign up for Matt's Weekly Horror Take.
One email a week. What's moving in horror, what it means, and the one thing worth noticing before everyone else does. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
The Terror Terminal.
The Terror Terminal tracks what's rising in horror, what's cooling off, and where the real conversation is happening. (It's rarely the headlines.)
The Weekly Take is the story. The Terror Terminal is the evidence behind it.
Open The Terror Terminal arrow_forwardLoading the live board...
Questions people whisper before they sign up.
“I'm not a writer. Is this for me?” +
Yes. Plenty of people come here to understand horror, not to write it. Start with the Weekly Take. When you're ready to dig in, there's a seat at the table.
“Will Matt read my script and give me notes?” +
No. Matt is still a working screenwriter, pitching his own ideas, so he doesn't read anyone else's scripts. It protects everybody: nobody ever has to wonder where an idea came from. What he will do is teach you the craft: how dread builds, where tension leaks out, and how to see your own pages more clearly. That's what the guide, the sessions and the cohort are for.
“What actually happens in the cohort?” +
Six live Zoom sessions, one each week, with a small group. You bring the thing you're stuck on. Each session gives you a better way into it.
“Is there a free guide?” +
How to Write Horror with Teeth is being finished. Put your email on the list and you'll hear first when it is ready. It will cover how tension, anticipation and point of view work, and the small choices that make a reader lean in.
“What's in the membership?” +
Weekly videos before anyone else sees them, a live Zoom masterclass every other week, new articles, and a private 30-minute coaching call with Matt every month. Month to month, no contract.
“Is the cohort part of the membership?” +
No. They're two different things. The cohort is six weeks for one payment. The membership is the ongoing practice, month to month.
“What if I can't make a live session?” +
Every live session is recorded and archived privately within 24 hours for enrolled students.
“What's the refund policy?” +
Come to Week 1 of the cohort. If it isn't what you were promised, email Matt within 48 hours for a full refund. No awkwardness.
Contact.
Questions about the seminars, the retreat, or anything else? Write to us. A real person answers.
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