The horror genre of writing has a long history, tracing back to ancient tales featuring supernatural creatures with elements of surprise and dread. It became a more recognizable category during the medieval time period with Dante Alighieri’s poem, The Divine Comedy, and emerged as a distinct genre in the 18th and 19th centuries with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven.
Horror stories saw a big surge in popularity in the 20th century due to the widely read works of authors such as H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King. Today, it continues to be an in-demand genre with an eager fan base ready for their next scare.
In this article, we explore the horror genre and subgenres, key elements of effective horror stories, common tropes, pitfalls to avoid, and strategies to reach horror readers.
The word “horror” is defined as “an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust.” The goal with horror writing is to make the reader’s hair stand on end due to terror, phobias, tension, and dread. Some typical elements of a horror story include supernatural figures, gore, psychological suspense, and serial killers.
At its heart, horror is about primal fears, which are deep-seated, instinctual fears rooted in survival. They are often categorized into five types:
1. Extinction (death)2. Mutilation (bodily harm, being attacked)3. Separation (abandonment, rejection)4. Autonomy (loss of control, being paralyzed)5. Ego death (humiliation, failure)
These fears are triggered by threats in our environment and are a biological reaction that helps us avoid danger. Whether you're dealing with ghosts, slashers, or psychological breakdowns, your story should dig into these primal fears and evoke emotional responses beyond just shock. Some common subgenres of horror include:
Classic horror: Includes elements of the Gothic or Southern Gothic genres, with spooky settings and chilling characters.Example: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Slasher horror: Characterized by a human killer who systematically stalks and murders a group of victims, often young people, in a violent and suspenseful way.Example: I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
Survival horror: Focuses on a character's struggle to survive in a terrifying environment with limited resources, emphasizing tension.Example: The Ruins by Scott Smith
Cosmic horror (Lovecraftian): Focuses on the fear of the unknown and the vast, incomprehensible nature of the universe, rather than on traditional jump scares or gore.Example: The Fisherman by John Langan
Psychological horror: Creates dread or distress by exposing universal, human vulnerabilities or fears, relying on mental and emotional states.Example: Misery by Stephen King
Folk horror: Characterized by rural settings, isolated communities, and the clash between modern outsiders and the superstitious beliefs of the locals.Example: The Ritual by Adam Nevill
Horror comedy: Blends humor and fear, contrasting the suspenseful or terrifying elements of a horror story with comedic situations, characters, and dialogue.Example: John Dies at the End series by David Wong.
Writing horror is about more than just developing terrifying monsters or creating epic scares—it’s about evoking fear that sticks with readers and haunts them long after the final page. Whether your approach includes supernatural entities, psychological torment, or real-world dread, writing a great horror story requires a mix of atmosphere, pacing, relatable characters, and a deep understanding of human fears.
Atmosphere and Setting:Atmosphere is the foundation of horror. The setting of a horror story should feel oppressive, isolated, or dangerous. It’s especially important in horror writing to “show, not tell.” This means using all five senses—sight, sound, smell, touch, taste—to immerse the reader and make the setting feel like a character.
Horror writers can also use metaphors and similes to evoke unease or dread, and encourage readers to use their imagination through ambiguity and subtlety. The reader’s imagination often conjures worse horrors than what’s being described. All of these techniques create a more visceral and memorable experience for readers.The Slow Burn:Horror stories thrive on tension and anticipation. Authors can strategically control the pacing of a story, building tension slowly before any sudden, terrifying moments. A gradual build allows dread to take root before the big scares hit. The use of suspense to create curiosity, and foreshadowing to subtly hint at future events can make the reader anxious for what’s coming next, leading to a more impactful climax.
To control the pacing of a story, authors can use short, punchy sentences to speed up the pacing and create tension, while longer sentences with complex descriptions and varying emotions can be used to slow things down.Fully-Developed Characters:Any great story must include a protagonist that is believe, relatable, and flawed, with a clear need or goal. This is what makes readers care about the fate of your character and become more invested in the story. Strong characters have depth and complexities, with likes and dislikes, personality traits, motivations, quirks, and more. It’s especially important in a horror story to reveal your protagonist’s biggest fear, and exploit that fear. This drives the story forward and gives it emotional weight.
Horror stories provide a unique opportunity to introduce unreliable narrators. An unreliable narrator is a main character or storyteller whose account of events is untrustworthy due to factors like fear, mental illness, trauma, or deliberate deceit. This technique creates suspense and dread by distorting the reader's perception of reality, forcing them to question what is real and what is not. Horror stories use unreliable narrators to explore themes of madness and the unknown, often making the source of horror internal rather than external.The Monster (Literal or Figurative):Every great protagonist needs an equally great “antagonist” to struggle against. The antagonist is the “villain” or force that attempts to keep your main character from reaching his or her goals. It can be a literal monster, a human villain, or a psychological fear. Without this conflict or opposition, a story will be dull, uninteresting, and unfocused. This opposition pushes your protagonist to grow and change throughout the story, and can come from a person, group, or internal/external force. Make it clear what is at stake for your protagonist if the antagonist keeps them from reaching his or her goal. Whether it’s a ghost, a psycho killer, a childhood trauma, or the protagonist's own mind, your “monster” should represent something deeper—grief, guilt, social anxieties, or psychological turmoil.
Keep in mind that horror stories don’t always end with a resolution; sometimes the scariest part is what remains unresolved or unanswered.
As with most fiction genres, there are common tropes in horror, which are recurring devices, themes, or character archetypes that readers have come to expect and can easily recognize. It’s important to understand the elements and themes that resonate with readers of horror, but frequently used tropes can feel stale or cliché if you don’t insert your own creativity and voice. Here are five common horror tropes with examples and ideas on how to add a unique twist:
The Haunted Location: This trope revolves around a location with supernatural occurrences and a dark history. With this trope, writers have room to include intricate details like the history of the house or building and the entity that haunts it, making it come alive. Writers get to decide which characters survive the haunting and which don’t.
Example: The Shining by Stephen King
Unique twist: Make the haunting psychological or metaphorical, or, reverse reader expectations by making the protagonist the haunting presence.
The Final Girl:In this trope, a lone female survivor confronts the killer/monster on her own after all of her friends have been killed. She is often portrayed as being morally superior to her friends, tends to be the first to recognize the danger, and demonstrates resourcefulness in her survival.
Example: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Unique twist: Have a male be the lone survivor, let the survivor have morally grey traits, or, make the ending ambiguous—did he/she really survive?
The Creepy Child/Children:This trope includes a child or group of children who are either possessed, know too much, or are the source of the horror. This can be one of the most unsettling tropes in horror because of the innate innocence of children. When a child exhibits unusual or frightening behavior, it forces us to confront uncomfortable topics and realities.
Example: Children of the Corn by Stephen King
Unique twist: Explore why the child is creepy—is it possession, trauma, or perception? Or, consider making the child the true protagonist.
Monstrosities:In horror stories, a monstrosity is usually depicted as some otherworldly monster, supernatural being, or other entity that embodies fear and dread. They pose a direct threat to the characters, creating danger, suspense, and terror.
Not revealing the threat or monster directly is a common horror technique that can work brilliantly in a psychological thriller. The fear of the unknown, when left to the imagination, can be more terrifying than any physical threat.
Example: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Unique twist: Keep readers guessing about what the monster actually is, or, make the monster a misunderstood ally.
It Was All in Their Heads:This trope can include a few different types of psychological twists to keep readers on their toes. First, an unreliable narrator can create confusion and mistrust, blurring the line between reality and perception. Second, introducing a manipulative antagonist who twists reality can make the protagonist doubt their own perceptions and sanity. Third, past traumas experienced by the protagonist can affect how she interacts with the world. As the story progresses, she might start to experience hallucinations, nightmares, or breakdowns.
Example: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Unique twist: Leave readers unsure of what’s real until the final, shocking twist, or, have the antagonist use gas lighting to make the protagonist question her memory or judgement.
It’s easy to think that including a terrifying monster with a creepy setting and a few jump scares in a story is enough to satisfy horror readers—it’s not. Even established writers can fall into traps that make their horror tales less effective. Here are a few things to try to avoid when writing horror:
Too much backstory:When horror writers give too much explanation or rationale for the terrifying elements in their stories, it diminishes the fear factor. You want to leave room for some mystery for readers. Fear thrives on the unknown, and the reader’s imagination will make the story more personal and more terrifying without you explaining every detail.
Relying on gore for shock value:While blood and violence can serve a purpose in certain types of horror stories, it is not appropriate for all horror tales. If it’s all your story offers readers, it will feel shallow and desensitizing. If you’re writing a slasher horror story, for example, where a killer is stalking and murdering all of your characters, some gore may be necessary to raise the stakes and capture the intensity of the situation.
Relying heavily on cheap scares:Too many jump scares in a horror story will start to feel forced, especially at the beginning. To avoid cheap scares, focus on building dread and tension through the key elements noted above, rather than relying on sudden, unearned shocks. A "cheap scare" is a surprise that triggers a momentary startle but lacks lasting impact. An effective scare, by contrast, is a build-up of carefully constructed tension followed by an unpredictable shock.
Flat or stereotypical characters: Instead of using the expected, cardboard character tropes, focus on depth and dimension with your characters by exploring individual personalities, fears, and strengths, and understanding each character’s background to make them feel authentic. Using a range of diverse characters with varying backgrounds will more accurately reflect the true, human experience.
No matter the type of book you are writing, we recommend getting an understanding of your target audience and how to reach them during the writing process. The more you can tailor your story, marketing copy, and branding to appeal to that audience, the better your chances at getting their attention and ultimately, the sale. For horror authors, it’s important to understand which subgenre your story fits into, as this will help determine the best avenues for reaching these specific readers.
Building a list of comparable book titles and authors is a great place to start when trying to understand where your story fits into the horror book market. Comp titles are books already published in the marketplace that have similar themes, plots or tropes, voice, and tone to your book. Researching how these authors position themselves and connect with their readers can greatly inform decisions you will make when determining your own distribution and marketing strategies.
A strong, digital presence is also an important avenue for horror authors wanting to connect with readers. Some online strategies to consider include a visually appealing website, an active social media presence, an entertaining email newsletter, and engagement with horror-related communities, podcasts, blogs, and forums.
Website:An author website serves as your “central hub” on the internet and should include essential information such as your author biography, your published work, social media links, newsletter sign-up, contact details, and an optional blog. Your website can also be a point of sale for your books or offer direct links to where your book is available for sale. Platforms like Wix and Wordpress offer free, basic accounts to create a simple website. Your website branding including all fonts and colors should reflect that you are a horror writer.
Social Media:Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are filled with horror readers, eager to find their next book. Social media platforms allow for immediate feedback, discussions, and the ability to establish a global community. On Facebook, there are many genre and topic-specific groups where meaningful connections and discussions are taking place, such as the “Books of Horror” group with over 65,000 members. You can search for groups relevant to your work and join in on the discussions. If you have an Author page on Facebook, which we recommend you do, you can create a closed group for your fans to engage with each other and to receive exclusive content or promotions from you. Using relevant hashtags like #horror, #suspense, and #paranormal on your social media posts can increase your discoverability.
Goodreads, the largest social platform for readers, is a very active community for horror authors and horror readers. Authors can join the Goodreads Author Program which allows them to claim their books, advertise, run giveaways, and engage with readers. There are horror-specific groups where authors can engage with readers and form deeper connections.
For more prolific horror authors, subscription-based platforms such as Patreon, Substack, and YouTube can be considered as an additional revenue stream. These platforms allow authors to offer content directly to their dedicated followers in exchange for a small, monthly subscription fee. The content can include book-related bonus material such as short stories or deleted scenes, serialized chapters, or exclusive videos, podcasts, and Q&A sessions with fans.Email Newsletter:Building a reader email list is one of the most powerful ways to stay connected with your followers. It’s a direct line of communication that you own (unlike social media platforms, which are subject to algorithm changes). Through email newsletters, you can provide exclusive content, updates on new books, and offers that encourage readers to buy your books. Platforms like MailChimp and MailerLite offer free, basic accounts to get started and help you manage your email list and communications.Horror-related Communities, Podcasts, Blogs, and Forums:Horror readers are a group of very passionate and enthusiastic fans, eager to hear about or read about books that are creating a buzz in the community. Horror authors can connect with these readers through online communities, podcasts, blogs, and forums.
There are websites and organizations dedicated to the horror genre including Horrorworld.com and the Horror Writers Association. Tapping into these communications can give horror authors the opportunity to engage with both readers and other writers. Contributing guest posts to horror-focused blogs/vlogs or appearing on podcasts dedicated to the topic of horror can introduce you to a broader audience. These avenues offer unique opportunities to reach new readers, establish credibility, and build lasting connections.
Online forums like Reddit are also very active hubs for fans to come together and discuss everything horror. The “subreddit” community called r/horrorlit attracts a dedicated audience looking for focused recommendations and discussions with like-minded individuals.
In addition to online initiatives, horror authors can create genuine connections with readers through conventions and festivals. Websites such as Horrorcons.com and Fancons.com provide directories of upcoming horror-themed events.
Hollywood executives and producers continue to look for compelling stories that can be adapted to the screen, and the horror genre is at the top of their list. This is because horror series and films are often the cheapest and most profitable to produce, and the category has a large, loyal fan base. According to the Washington Post, “horror is now the fastest-rising film genre, having doubled its market share from 4.87 percent in 2013 to 10.08 percent in 2023.” As of 2025, horror movies have been reported to account for about 10% of box office revenues and 17% of North American ticket purchases. Episodic series such as Stranger Things and films such as Bring Her Back and Sinners are contributing to the surge in commercial success and critical acclaim.
One of the most popular contemporary horror subgenres is the “horror comedy”, which combines elements of both terror and humor. Examples include the episodic series Wednesday and the Scream film franchise. You can learn more about the book-to-screen adaptation process in the ALC article, “How do I get my book made into a TV show or movie?”, and in the recorded webinar, “Understanding the Hollywood Market and Common Scams to Avoid.”
Horror novels also provide a great opportunity to create branded swag and merchandise with the unique characters, memorable antagonists, and chilling settings. Swag (“stuff we all get”) are typically items an author gives away for free or with the purchase of a book such as bookmarks, postcards, stickers, and pens. Merchandise includes items an author sells alongside their book such as enamel pins, magnets, mugs, and t-shirts. Offering readers the opportunity to receive or purchase branded items is a great book marketing tool that can deepen your connection and turn them into loyal fans.
The most memorable horror stories come from deep, personal fears. Think about what keeps you up at night and how you can translate that into a compelling story. The more primal the fear, the more universal it becomes. By incorporating elements like a chilling atmosphere, strategic pacing, vulnerable characters, and a monstrous antagonist, you can grip readers and take them on a haunting ride they’ll never forget.
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