We all have our own idea of a horror story, but what makes one truly effective? Here are a few notes compiled from ‘Masterclass’ (original source)…
- The horror story taps into our fears by combining the ordinary with the shocking, the unnatural, and the grotesque.
- Many horror stories place their main character in relatable settings such as a new house, a summer camp, a sleepover, a hotel stay, or a camping trip.
- The relatability of these settings primes the audience for future terror.
- In horror, the familiar is subverted by something grotesque and threatening.
- Toying with people’s real-life fears tends to scare them much more than just grossing them out.
- In most cases, psychological horror sticks with audiences far longer than a jump scare or gross-out moment in a slasher film.
Below are some suggestions for writing activities…
- What scares you? What is creepy?
| Explore a childhood memory Two memories I have: Aged about 7, on holiday at Mablethorpe, out with mum and dad and needing the bathroom. The nearest convenience was this old round building on the promenade. Inside it was dark, the moonlight shone on the glassy tiles, you had to go in the unlit cubicle. I have always found certain types of tiling, since then, terrifying. Aged about 20, holiday job, night shift in a meat factory. Skeleton staff, about 8 of us so it was really lonely, and dark, and creepy. Having to take the cured hams all the way down to the hanging refrigerators… on my own. There were tales that old Mr Bloor had… I couldn’t do it! |
- Explore an ordinary setting
| Pick one feature in it that could become the focus for a scene. What attributes does it have that could set the reader’s pulse racing in the right circumstances? The local laundry the school toilets the manager’s office the bathroom a public toilet at the seaside a beach hut a compartment on a train an outside dog kennel a summer house a garden shed a caravan an articulated lorry a playground |
- Character
| Stories work by exploring the changing conflicts of a range of characters, the consequences of their actions, analysing what they have or haven’t learnt, and their propensity to get themselves into bother! What else? Discuss. |
- Pan Book of Horror Stories
A staple classic of my youth – if you have a copy, look at some pages and select a list of up to 10 phrases that appeal. This can also be applied to any collection of horror stories.
Could this be a poem?
Now flesh it out.
- And finally….
Use any of the items that may have triggered some horrific thoughts to create a 500 word flash fiction
Or….
A poem A diary entry An article A dialogue A monologue A memoir A letter
Sara Burgess – May 2023
Huddersfield Authors Circle 
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