Turning Grief into Horror: How Compression Shows the Way

When real-life pain meets imagination, horror becomes more than jump scares. It becomes catharsis. In Compression, filmmaker Jakob Bilinski transforms personal loss into a story that unsettles, resonates and ultimately heals.

As he shared in a YouTube video with Her Vision Film Festival, “Compression was born out of a lot of time and a fair amount of pain, if I'm being honest,” referring to the sudden loss of his kitten, the grief of which led to the story's core.

If you're a writer drawn to horror, Jakob’s journey offers a powerful framework: Start with the wound, then build your story around it.

Step 1: Start with the Wound

Before ghosts, gore or monsters, ask yourself: What is the pain you’re truly writing about? Jakob didn’t begin with a theme; he began with grief.

“I spent a long time just feeling sad. Then I realized, this was a movie about grief and loss. Everything that Hazel had gone through, I saw it clearly.”

Try this:

• Pinpoint one specific personal loss.

• Journal 500 words describing the moment in sensory detail. What did you see? What did you smell? What did you hear?

• Identify the emotional note that lingers the most. Is it emptiness? Anger? Fear?

This is your story’s emotional core.

Step 2: Translate Pain into Character

Now ask: What does your protagonist want, and how does their grief get in the way?

Hazel, Jakob’s lead character, isn’t just haunted. She’s trapped in the same emotional limbo he was.

“When you're dealing with mental health issues and your brain is attacking you, it feels frustrating. There’s no logic to it.”

Build your character like this:

• Define their “inciting wound.”

• Let that trauma fuel every decision, mistake and fear.

• Make sure the external horror reflects the internal one.

Step 3: Protect Your Own Sanity

Jakob admits, “I kind of did this backwards. I felt sad, then we made this movie, and now I go to therapy.” Writing from trauma is powerful, but it comes with risk.

Safeguards to build in:

• Cap writing sessions on emotionally raw material at 60 to 90 minutes.

• Debrief afterward with a friend, therapist or even a pet.

• Create grounding rituals: go for a walk, listen to music or journal something light.

Your story matters. So does your mental health.

Step 4: Merge Emotion with Genre

The power of horror is its ability to externalize what can’t be spoken. Jakob leaned into that.

“If it scares you, that’s a good sign,” he said. “Do the thing that you’re afraid of.”

Tactics to try:

• Link moments of sorrow with genre beats (e.g., a flashback triggers a supernatural event).

• Use pacing to reflect grief’s rhythm: calm, then sudden panic.

• Introduce recurring motifs (a broken music box, a flickering light) that echo your emotional themes.

• Use sound such as heartbeat rhythms and distorted whispers to evoke internal unrest.

Step 5: Shape a Cathartic Climax

“The only way out is through.” That became Jakob’s emotional map and Compression’s structural arc.

Your protagonist must face the fear they’ve buried. Whether it’s a ritual, a confession or a breakdown. Let that be your midpoint or climax.

Step 6: Balance Intensity with Breathing Room

Grief is overwhelming. Too much sorrow without contrast can numb your audience.

Revise with this in mind:

• Trim scenes that repeat the same emotional beat without advancing the story.

• Add moments of levity or hope such as a happy memory, a joke or a glimpse of light.

• Test your script with a small, trusted group. Ask: Does the grief feel honest? Is it too much?

Step 7: End with Resonance, Not Resolution

“This is the happiest ending I’ve ever had to a movie,” Jakob said, “for as miserable as it is.”

That’s the paradox you’re aiming for, an ending that honors the pain without being crushed by it. Your finale doesn’t necessarily need to tie everything up. It just needs to feel true.

Final Thoughts

Turning personal grief into horror is not an easy path, but it can be one of the most rewarding. Jakob Bilinski’s Compression shows that when you dig deep, stay grounded and build with care, horror can become an act of healing for you and your audience.

Next Steps for You:

• Write a one-page treatment rooted in a real emotional wound.

• Map your protagonist’s arc against your own.

• Watch Hereditary, The Night House, and A Ghost Story among films that weave grief into dread.

Your fear is valid. Your story is powerful. Let it haunt the page, and – just maybe – let it set you free.