12/17/2022 0 Comments Visage horror ghost![]() Then there’s the more subtle: mentioning a detail that would be innocuous anywhere else, but in this particular scenario is out of place. So how can you leverage this in your ghost story? There’s the obvious: characters with slightly deformed features or unnatural movements. This is why mannequins, dolls, and clowns are common phobias. When something comes so close to being real, but falls short in some subtle way. In the realm of robotics and computer graphics, it is called the uncanny valley. It tips us off that someone around us bears a sickness that we don’t want to catch, that someone is pretending to be something they’re not. This is a natural extension of our fear of the unknown. You were listening to a pleasant tune, but that one note-was it off-key? What’s wrong with this picture? You were climbing a familiar staircase, and the last step was missing. We may not be able to tell what, but something is…off. Why is it that one smile can put you at ease, while another makes you want to get out of the room as quickly as possible? Does it reveal just a few too many teeth? Are the eyes above it just a little bit soulless? Is the accompanying laughter a tad too enthusiastic? “The Room with the Dolls” We hear the screams, but we don’t know what’s happening to Billy on the other side of the door. “The Dark” Whether it’s angry footsteps from the attic or desperate scratching at the bedroom door, our minds are left to wonder what could be making those noises. Everything is described through the limited viewpoint of a boy who refuses to look at it. Examples of the Unknown “The Babysitter” The reader is never given a good idea of what the babysitter actually is. Doubt makes people uncomfortable, which makes them easier to scare. By not attaching a label to your entity, you produce doubt. If you’re constantly mentioning ghosts or vampires, then the reader knows exactly what they’re up against. Your readers will imagine the rest, filling in the gaps with whatever scares them most.Īnother way you can introduce an element of the unknown is to limit how often you use trope words. Use this against them! Don’t bog them down with long descriptions of a gruesome specter instead, use simple words to sketch a vague impression. Your readers, by the very act of reading, have activated their imaginations. When writing your ghost story, don’t be afraid of withholding information. A ghost is like the wind you see a curtain flutter, and the question remains in your mind, what is it? You won’t see the ghost you’ll only hear it, smell it, feel it. The best ghost stories take full advantage of this. ![]() That’s why a touch on your shoulder when you’re all alone is so frightening: it should be impossible. ![]() Darkness could be hiding anything-what exactly, we don’t know-so we get scared. They don’t know what’s making that noise in the other room, so they call it a ghost and get scared. People don’t know what comes after death, so they get scared. ![]() Instead, you must understand where terror truly lies. If you rely on your audience being scared simply because your story includes any of the above, you’re doomed to fail. Monsters, murderers, darkness-none of the horror staples are really terrifying. Are you ready to inspire nightmares? Then follow me… Fear of the Unknown If you can write a scary ghost story, you can write anything. But the art of raising goose bumps? That is an elusive art indeed. Just flip through the pages of any ghost story anthology how many of them are genuinely scary? It takes more than tortured groans, rattling chains, and a splattering of gore anyone can do that. Be sure to check out my book The Art of Fear for lots more ghost story advice!įear is one of the hardest reactions to provoke in writing.
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