how to
How-tos for all things horror; tips and tricks to help you write like Stephen King, tell a scary story, keep the monsters at bay and more.
50 Spooky Things You Can Do Without Leaving The House
The world is an ominous place to be right now with everyone existing only within the borders of their own home, aside from the traumatising trip to grab essential groceries and the emotional roller-coaster that ensues when they are out of stock. If the global situation unfolding is not unsettling enough for you and you are getting Halloween fever then we have got you covered.
By A. N. Merchant 6 years ago in Horror
Establishing the Corkscrew: Visual Film-making in 'The Wretched'
In the new horror movie, The Wretched, there is a scene in which directors, Brett and Drew Pierce, have a scene featuring a corkscrew. This corkscrew will have no significance in the long run. Our antagonist, that we will simply refer to as ‘Wretched,’ has taken the form of one of our protagonists. Wretched is using this female form to deceive another character and enact an enchantment upon them.
By Sean Patrick6 years ago in Horror
20 Tips For Writing the Perfect Short Horror Story
The key to writing the perfect short horror story is not to panic! Pick something that could happen to your reader. Pick a location that’s familiar to your reader. Eat, drink, sleep the horror that you have created before you actually begin to write. Lie back in a darkened room and really visualize it. Scare the pants off yourself. Go to your location or one that looks like it and sit there quietly for a while. If your story takes place on a quiet street in the early hours, find one, get up in the early hours and drink it up. Take a pad and write down some notes about what you see and how you feel. Try to see the story from three or four different views even if they won’t be in the final version. Choose someone timid, someone thick skinned, someone religious. The choice is yours. Take your time, build up the pressure, slowly but surely. This may be a short horror story but you’ve got more time than you think to lay out your stall. Stay focussed. Don’t get bogged down in back story. In fact, try giving back story a miss altogether. Anticipation is nine tenths of the horror story battle – let your reader know something bad is going to happen, lead them there by the hand. Dig deep into that horror. Choose one that scares you. If it doesn’t scare you, how do you expect it to scare the hell out of your dear reader? Throw a few red herrings in there, twist them on their heads. The old cat jumping out of the fridge is a bit of cliché but you get my drift. If you’re scared of heights, go and stand on the edge of a tall building and lean over, if you’ve got a spider phobia, go and put one on the palm of your hand. Remind yourself how real fear feels. Don’t overload your reader with gore. It becomes boring and they quickly attain sensitisation. A splash of blood here and there will do fine. Don’t over describe. You’re not Dickens. Give your reader some credit that they can imagine your ultimate horror. Don’t be afraid that they won’t get the point. Keep the monster/horror hidden for as long as possible. Read the best and the worst of horror. Reread the passages that got your heart racing and try to see how the author did it. Look at the way you reacted and imagine that’s what you want your reader to feel. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different styles. Write a couple of different versions of your short horror story to see how it comes out. Leave your first draft for a decent amount of time so that you come back to it fresh. For some people that’s a couple of days. For others it’s a couple of months. Always, always read your draft through once without touching it before you sit down to edit. Check you have the right vocabulary to scare. Choose the words to describe your fear with care. Make sure they fit and sound right. Try not to use unusual words that your reader won’t readily know the meaning to. It will break the flow. You’re trying to build fear not a larger vocab. Don’t forget that your short horror story isn’t written in stone. It can change. It can evolve. It can be totally different from the original. Don’t be afraid to delete stuff that doesn’t belong.
By G S Meredith6 years ago in Horror
Hide and Seek Alone
Do you have the urge to put your life in danger? Do you have a morbid curiosity of death and demons? What if I told you that there is a game that can satisfy your craving for the danger and the unknown. There is a game called hide and seek, just like the one from your childhood, but you're doing this alone. Keep in mind you're not completely alone here, you are playing this game with someone and they are not good company to keep. In this game of hiding and seek, you will be playing for your life with a demon that you summon. Try not to lose though, the mess is a pain to clean up.
By V-Ink Stories7 years ago in Horror
Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary There are numerous stories that surround the mysterious apparition known as Bloody Mary. So many stories describe her as being a witch who kidnaps young girls, kills them, and drains their blood to keep herself young and beautiful. Others show her as an evil presence used to curse whoever dares to attempt her ritual.
By V-Ink Stories7 years ago in Horror
Channel Infinity
If you have played the ritual the three kings, then this one is a bit similar to it. If you ever had a burning question for the unknown or even had the urge to seek the truth then you may attempt this ritual. Keep in mind, although the pay off is amazing, the road to it is no simple task and everything is ruled by chance.
By V-Ink Stories7 years ago in Horror
