Research and planning is crucial for any creative project. It involves analyzing similar existing works to understand techniques, audience preferences, and areas for improvement. For a horror film specifically, one must watch and analyze horror scenes to understand essential genre elements. Brainstorming ideas and gathering audience feedback helps expand potential plots. Location scouting is also important, as certain settings like forests and abandoned houses are scarier than beaches. Technical aspects like camera angles, sounds, and editing styles must be researched as well to create an effective final product.