Increase Your Space: If you’ve got a limited set but need a much bigger area, try this. Have your actor walk (or run, depending on what you’re filming) toward you, and simply repeat the clip over and over again. If you need variations, mark the spot he or she started in and film it again, editing the clips together afterward.

Fake Weather: Instead of getting your equipment all wet, use a hose with a spray-nozzle to make rain. Rent a snow machine for icy scenes, and use a large fan to create a windy day.

Stab Someone: Keep your actors safe with this fake-stabbing technique. With the assailant/murderer/stabber standing further away from the camera, have him or her “stab” the air behind his or her “victim.” Have the victim act as if he or she has actually been stabbed, of course. Cut to a close-up to the victim’s face, then add the sword under his or her arm, as if it has really been impaled there. Commence direction as you want the scene to play out–the victim to fall, the assailant to remove the sword–and simply edit the film when it’s finished to flow smoothly.

Monster-Making: If you can’t afford a monster costume (they usually look pretty unrealistic anyway, unless specially made for your film), buy some liquid latex. For under fifty bucks you can create scar tissue, fat, scary faces, wrinkles and whatever you need for your monster–or even for characters who just need new looks for the roles they are playing.

Here are some very simple and very cheap ways to complete the special effects you’re after.Fake Blood: Mix clear corn syrup, red food coloring, and a little bit of milk (so it’s not transparent)–and voila! Your own fake blood, at your fingertips, without having spent any. Add some purple food coloring if you wish for a darker effect.

Head-On Collision: Rather than making your actors run straight into a vehicle or other object, use this trick: Using a steady hand, film the actor slowly moving toward the object with a wide shot. Move your camera very slowly behind the object, and as the actor slowly continues to move forward, move the camera to the side of the object. Have your actor (still moving slowly) bump his head against the tree and pull back very quickly, as if he or she had hit it very hard. When you’re finished, simply edit the whole scene by speeding it up.

Exploding Objects: Rather than blowing up expensive equipment (or being put on a wanted list for making bombs), try this technique. Using a normal shot, tilt your camera at an angle. Have your actors (or just people hanging around your set) throw a bunch of trash into the frame to make it look like something has blown up. Use a smoke machine  to add credibility to the falling debris. When you’re finished, add sound effects.

As we’ve seen in so many horror movies, camera quality is usually not a big issue, so you don’t need to spend your budget there. In fact, if your footage is grainy or even not shot so well, it can sometimes add to a feature in this genre.

You should also skip paying for expensive venues. Horror and sci-fi movies can take place basically anywhere. You could probably get permission to shoot your film at certain places at school, or even your workplace. Try the houses of friends and family as well. Houses with barns, ponds or other bodies of water, or fields or other large running, forest areas are all good choices.

As we’ve discussed before, don’t spend your money on casting, either. A token payment is fine for struggling actors who agree to help out, but try to get friends and family to star in the film for free first. You could even make it a fun family project–or simply make it a favor you’re willing to pay back soon.

Speaking of actors, make your alien, killer, or other bad guy a human. This will save you a ton of money on costumes and special effects. Aliens can look like humans, and human killers can be just as terrifying as monsters. If nothing else, you could even have half of a face rip off (think Terminator) in a scene and replace it with some cheap but effective 3-D effects gel and paint. You could even obscure your villain’s entire face with a creepy costume (as in I Know What You Did Last Summer or The Watcher).

With all of these tips, you should have plenty of money left over to create some really scary effects such as blood, wounds, and general gory glory.

Here are some more tips for keeping your script simple during writing or editing.Limit your scenes. Whether you liked it or not, Twilight was a very successful movie–at least among the teen girl demographic. The entire movie, however, took place in only a few scenes. The Shawshank Redemption, an award-winning film, takes place in a prison for nearly the entire film. The more scenes you use, the more money you are likely to need.

Skip fancy costumes. It’s one thing to have period dresses or a cop uniform; it’s quite another to require lots of monster makeup, fur, scales or antennas. Then there’s the problem of looking real when you have to budget these items down and buy cheap costumes or makeup. Instead, keep an element of mystery in your film by not allowing the monsters to be fully seen; films such as Signs and Cloverfield proved that you can scare an audience just as well with what they can’t see. Help scare them with their own imaginations through the tension you create in your directing.

Keep high-tech equipment to a minimum. Sci-fi scenes can be ruined with rocket ships or medical equipment that look like they were made with tinfoil. If you can’t come by something real–or a decent enough copy–cheaply, you might want to cut it out entirely, show only a part of it, or simply have characters mention it in dialogue. If your scientist is conducting an experiment, you could even simply show his back as he does his work.

But you also don’t want to skip these items, either. Makeup and costumes can add lots of aesthetic value to your scene. Plus, if your leading lady comes down with a rash, you want to be able to cover it up.

Here are some ways to secure makeup and costumes on the cheap.

Make your movie BYOB. Instead of beverages, though, have cast members bring their own makeup and costumes. Chances are that your actresses have their own stash–budding actors might as well. Recently Dakota Fanning used her own wardrobe in the film Push; if your movie calls for clothing your actors already have, you can do the same.

Raid relatives’ stashes. If you have a sibling or other relative who is in theater or simply loves to dress up, see if you can borrow a few items.

Buy secondhand. Visit the local goodwill, thrift shop or consignment store for cheap clothing.

Use e.l.f. cosmetics. This company is famous for $1 makeup. They even have kits where you can get items for less if purchased in bulk.

Visit party supplies stores. They usually sell cheap makeup and costumes for Halloween and other occasions.

Borrow from school. If you are attending school and the theater department will let you, see if you can borrow or rent costumes cheaply from them.