13 Horror Story Writing Rules Every Writer Should Know

Do horror stories haunt you later on? They do for most people. Because horror story writing is not about gore and jump scares. It’s about psychology, pacing, and the right kind of tension.

Recent research on ResearchGate has proved that these psychological effects of writing horror are long-term and deep. Because of them, the interest in the horror genre is on the rise.

The box office collection from horror movies in 2023 was around 10 percent, which was less than 5% in 2013.

After years of studying horror classics and analyzing what works (and what doesn’t), I’ve gathered these 13 rules every writer should follow for writing horror fiction.

13 horror story writing rules every writer should know

I wish I had known these writing horror tips when I was starting out 5 years back. I learned them through many failures and dull stories. But you can benefit from my experience by reading and implementing these rules in your horror stories.

1. Fear comes from the unknown (FOTU)

The scariest monsters are often the ones you can’t fully see or understand. Think of “The Blair Witch Project,” the witch is never shown, yet the fear is intense.

We humans cannot control what we do not see or understand, not even our thoughts and emotions. That’s why fear of the unknown (FOTU) is called the fundamental fear by Science Direct. That’s what makes a horror story a horror story.

2. Start with a normal world

At the very start of my writing career, I used to start with a scary scene. That was to tell my readers that my story is actually scary. But with time, I have learned that the real terror is in anticipation.

So before the terror begins, ground your reader in a normal, believable setting. Stephen King always begins with the everyday (like Derry in It) before unleashing chaos. This helps your readers create a backstory in their minds. Then the horror feels more relatable.

3. Don’t show too much too soon

After creating a normal scenery, do not just put a witch out of nowhere. That’s one of the biggest mistakes I see new writers make. They reveal the plot too quickly.

Slow twists are often more effective. Alfred Hitchcock once said, “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” Reveal the mystery story in stages. Let your readers create multiple scenarios in their minds. They will read your story to find out if they are right or not.

4. Use sensory details to build atmosphere

According to Mailchimp, stories rich in sensory language are more likely to trigger emotional reactions. So describe every feeling of your characters in detail.

Like the smell of decay, the cold breath on the back of the neck, etc. For example, say “She was shivering like a blizzard struck her. Her whole life went through her eyes”. Your readers will automatically know that she was terrified.

This draws readers in physically. They start to imagine the feelings, and that’s how to write a horror story.

5. Make it personal for the audience

Readers fear what they relate to. So, how do I write a horror story? I try to create scenarios that most people encounter in their lives. This method is known as Quiet Horror. It derives its horror from everyday thoughts and fears.

Like in Hereditary, the horror revolves around grief and family trauma. When you tie the horror to something personal (loss, betrayal, childhood fears), it becomes deeply unsettling.

6. Break the rules, but know them first

Sometimes, doing something unexpected makes your story stand out. For example, Jordan Peele introduced racial themes in Get Out, which were rarely explored in the genre.

But he did all the other things right. He knew how to build tension, when to deliver the twist, etc. So you must work on the classic patterns that work and then experiment with the process.

7. Pacing is everything

I told you about quiet horror. That works on slow-paced narratives. You build tension gradually. Describe normal daily life events with a subtle touch of abnormality in a way that is not clear.

So people can feel something extraordinary but cannot point it out. This unsettling sense will make your readers continue reading your work.

8. Use real-life fears

Pandemics. Home invasions. Losing a loved one. These are real fears. Most of us do not experience them, but we are afraid of them.

That’s why the ghost story writing grounded in reality hits harder than pure fantasy. The Babadook, for example, is terrifying not just because of the monster, but because it’s a metaphor for depression.

Even AI is smart enough to understand the context between the lines and generate horror in real-life scenarios. Like the story writing tool. Just explain a normal situation and ask for writing horror, it will help writing horror short stories within minutes.

9. Avoid cliché characters

If you remember the horror stories from our childhood, most of them had “a dumb teenager” and a “grumpy cop.” Many of them even had a funny black character who was always the first one to die.

Modern audiences want complexity. So give real motives, flaws, and arcs when writing horror characters.

10. Let the ending haunt them

Let me tell a secret to make your readers think about your story and stay up at night. Do not fully complete your story. Have you seen Inception by Christopher Nolan? Nobody knows what actually happened at the end.

Some people even read the whole story again to make sure they didn’t miss a thing. This way, you let people think about it and create their own versions.

11. Don’t over explain the supernatural

One of the main reasons that we fear ghosts is that we do not fully understand them. Maybe if we understand their biology, we fear them less.

Plus, I have learned that horror loses power when everything is explained. Let your readers guess the physique and nature of your antagonist using their own imagination. The Shining never fully reveals what’s behind the Overlook Hotel’s evil. That’s exactly why it’s still debated decades later.

12. Dialogue should add tension

Dialogue is a powerful tool in horror. But only if used right. Many beginner writers make the mistake of using it to give unnecessary information. That ruins the mood.

Every line of dialogue in a horror story should either raise questions, reveal character anxiety, or add suspense. For example, in Psycho, when Norman Bates says, “We all go a little mad sometimes,” it gives chills. Not because of what he says, but how casually he says it.

And when he is revealed as the main antagonist, people realize why he was so casual that time.

13. Test your story’s fear factor

Finally, keep this in mind that you can’t be the only judge of how scary your horror story is. What gives you goosebumps might not affect someone else. That’s why you must test your story’s fear factor.

So share it with some friends that you trust and ask for feedback. You can even read scenes aloud to yourself in a quiet, dark room. If it doesn’t creep you out even a little, it might not work.

Conclusion

Writing horror is both an art and a science. These rules aren’t meant to box your thoughts. But to guide you toward building stories that people remember.

So whenever you’re crafting a haunted house tale, ghost story writing for kids, or a psychological thriller, remember this: fear is universal, but great horror writing makes it personal.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I come up with ideas for horror story writing?

The best horror often comes from asking: What if something felt a bit off? Take normal life scenarios and combine them with abnormal situations or people. It will get you started, and that’s what you need in the beginning.

2. Can I mix horror with other genres like romance or sci-fi?

Absolutely! In fact you should try it. Hybrid genres like horror-romance (Crimson Peak) or sci-fi horror (Alien) have massive followings. Just make sure the horror element stays strong.

3. Is first-person or third-person better for horror writing?

First-person provides more emotions, perfect for psychological horror. While third-person builds suspense through multiple perspectives. Choose what type of fear you want to see in your readers.