How To Write A Horror Story Essay Example

Have you every wondered why scary movies or stories are.. well scary? What makes us jump at certain scenes, or what is it that causes those goosebumps? Well, it's actually more simple than one may think. Authors use literary elements to make horror what it is. Horror. Frightening. Scary. Creepy. Not only do authors set up scenes that make certain characters vulnerable, but they also create characters with disabilities or characteristic that make them at risk of danger. Finally, authors also set up situations where the characters are faced with the consequences of their actions, intensifying the suspense of the moment. Authors use these elements to make sure they deliver a truly frightening story to the reader.

First of all, authors create horror by making up scenes that make certain characters vulnerable. For example, the story, "The Tell-Tale Heart" is about a caretaker who is bothered by one of his client's eyes, so he makes it his job to kill him to rid himself of the eye, but is later greeted by his consequences. This story shows how a dark environment not only puts the mood and "feel" into place, but also can determine a character's fate. In the text, it's stated, "I had my head in, and I kept pushing on steadily and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped on the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up from the bed crying out, 'Who's there!'" This proves my previous statement because the key factor, the darkness, really sets the mood into place. Imagine you're in the old man's shoes. You hear the noise of the lantern, playing it off, calling it a bird's chirp or a cricket's creek, but deep down you know it's not either of those. It's something much bigger, but you don't know what it is. This is how darkness sets that frightening mood, but it's not the only factor. Noise, setting, temperature, and time can all be major factors of horror. The noise of the lantern, the creaky floorboards of the old man's room, the assumption that this all took place back in time (considering there are no mentions of modern technology) are all "contributors" to the horror genre. More evidence from this comes from "The Tell-Tale Heart" as well. This proof comes from when the killer is being interrogated by the police. He gets more and more nervous until he finally admits his deed. In the text, it's stated, "But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but they still sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct:- it continued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definitiveness."

Another method authors use to create horror is by creating characters that possess certain disabilities or characteristics that make him/her easy victims. In the text "The Tell-Tale Heart", it talks about the killer's motive, that being the eye of the old man. It's stated in the text, "I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture- a pale blue eye with a film over it." The characteristic given here is obviously the blue eye, which is the entire reason the killer wanted the old man dead. However, there's a bit more to account for. For example, the old man was already at a tremendous disadvantage, because he's old, and likely disable given the fact that he needs a requires someone to look after him, which was the killer's job. These characteristics add to the horror because of such an easy and victim he was made, he.