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Horror

Evoke fear and dread through atmosphere, tension, and the unknown.

Want to stress-test character dynamics before drafting? Plot a relationship web in ShipCraft and bring the most compelling conflicts back into this genre guide.

Essential Elements

Atmosphere of dread or unease

Threat (physical, psychological, or supernatural)

Vulnerability - characters in danger

Building tension and suspense

Sensory details (sounds, shadows, smells)

Fear of the unknown

10 Essential Tropes

The Final Girl

Last survivor who confronts the threat

Example: The resourceful character who makes it to the end

Haunted Location

A place with dark history or supernatural presence

Example: Abandoned asylum, cursed house, dark forest

Body Horror

Physical transformation or decay

Example: Unwanted mutation, parasitic invasion, decomposition

Unreliable Reality

Questioning what is real

Example: Hallucinations, possession, altered perception

Ancient Evil

Malevolent force awakened or unleashed

Example: Cursed artifact, summoned demon, forgotten god

Isolation

Cut off from help or civilization

Example: Snowbound cabin, deep space, trapped underground

The Monster Within

Internal darkness or transformation

Example: Vampirism, lycanthropy, possession, madness

Forbidden Knowledge

Discovery that should have stayed hidden

Example: Cursed book, dangerous experiment, eldritch truth

Slow Burn Dread

Gradually escalating sense of wrongness

Example: Small anomalies building to terrible realization

Jump Scare Setup

Moments of false calm before sudden shock

Example: Quiet investigation interrupted by loud noise

Famous Examples

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

•Relying only on gore without building tension
•Jump scares without setup or payoff
•Making the monster too visible too soon
•Forgetting the "why" behind the horror

Practice with Horror

Generate a 250-word story demonstrating key Horror conventions and tropes.

Mix Tropes Tool

Select 2-3 tropes to generate a story that combines them. Learn how different conventions can work together.

Select Tropes (0/3)

Horror Tropes

Select at least 2 tropes to generate a story

Spot the Convention Quiz

Test your knowledge of Horror conventions! Read a story and identify which tropes and conventions are present.

How It Works:

1.Read the generated Horror story carefully
2.Select which tropes you think are present in the story
3.Submit your answer to see how well you identified the conventions
4.Get +1 point for each correct trope, -1 for incorrect guesses