DZ-121: Escalating Antagonism in SINNERS

Listen to strengthen your story by focusing on the antagonistic forces in your script.

We often struggle to develop the middle stages of a story. Could this be because we focus on our protagonists’ journeys and plot structure more than on how the antagonistic powers are awakened, wronged, discovered, gathering strength and revealing themselves?

In this episode, Chas and Stu are joined by professional screenwriter and playwright Kim Ho to explore how a generative story cycle (from tabletop role-playing game MOTHERSHIP) can be used to develop stories, not just write them better. This cycle is TOMBS: Transgression – Omens – Manifestation – Banishment – Slumber. Kim also contrasts this cycle with the Onset, Discovery, Confirmation, Confrontation cycle identified by horror philosopher Noel Carroll, as well as the philosophy of the FINAL DESTINATION franchise as analysed by The Morbid Zoo.

By applying the TOMBS cycle to Ryan Coogler’s amazing 2025 original feature SINNERS, we discover how focusing on the rising power of the various sources of antagonism can generate narrative fuel (and make your second Act sing); force your protagonists to Survive, Solve or Save (pick one); and how this escalation in antagonism can be mapped quite separately from your protagonists’ character arcs.

To prove that TOMBS does not just work for horror stories, we polled our patreons for which other genres to explore. Stay turned for the next episode (DZ-122) where we apply the TOMBS cycle to thriller REBEL RIDGE and comedy classic MEET THE PARENTS.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

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→ Read the transcript for this episode.

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"when you use those structures that are out there, they tend to be around plot and they tend to think primarily from the protagonist's point of view. And using this system, we can actually look at the forces of antagonism in a story." — Chas Fisher @ 00:06:31

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CHAPTERS

00:00:00 – Cold open

00:00:18 – What is T.O.M.B.S?

00:06:31 – › How TOMBS shifts focus to antagonistic forces

00:15:22 – › Reading the five stages of the TOMBS cycle

00:24:12 – › Transgression as thematic and social boundary violation

00:31:04 – SINNERS

00:36:01 – › Delayed horror manifestation and the TOMBS framework

00:45:31 – › Mapping transgression and omens across dual antagonists

00:57:48 – › Confirmation, confrontation, and the stages of horror

01:08:09 – › Survive, solve, save as competing character objectives

01:17:51 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up

01:23:51 – Thank you patreons!

FILMS

SINNERS (2025) — (w) Ryan Coogler

SCRIPTS

Study the script: SINNERS (2025) — Ryan Coogler

LINKS

IMDB: Kim Ho

Explore: Mothership

YouTube: The Philosophy of Final Destination by the Morbid Zoo

Read: The Philosophy of Horror by Noel Carroll

EPISODES IN THE ESCALATING ANTAGONISM SERIES

DZ-121: Escalating Antagonism in SINNERS

DZ-122: Escalating Antagonism Across Genres

RELATED EPISODES

DZ-49: Antagonists! 1 - vs Humans

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Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2025/dz-121/