Overthinkings: Spooky

Everything looks spookier in shadows…

Horror isn’t for everyone. Personally, it isn’t a genre I read often, and certainly don’t delve into writing on a regular basis. But that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the spooky. So what is “spooky” and how does it differ from Horror or contribute to the greater vibe?

I tend to define “spooky” as there being a potential for scary. There may not be a mummy in the coffin. Scooby Doo is spooky because you know there is a rational explanation for whatever is happening, but the characters don’t. To me, Horror is what you end up with when the potential for scary is realized. (To be fair, spooky can also lead to Thriller or Satire or any other number of paths depending on some elements we’ll get to later.) Horror delves into worse case scenarios that allow readers to experience trauma and violence from a safe distance; it plays with fears and prejudices and notions of how the world works and uses them to examine common held ideologies; it uses metaphor. Anyone can write spooky. Well crafted Horror is an art. 

So we are sticking with Spooky for this Overthinkings! What components are needed to write a spooky story:

The first thing I think of when someone says “spooky story” is the setting. Gothic mansions with chipped gargoyles, moss covered graveyards, abandoned public places that once were site of some horrible tragedy are all classic spooky settings. The idea is to lead the reader somewhere forbidden, taboo, otherized, and far from help. By placing the scene somewhere where tragedy has already struck, you are setting up the expectation of danger. The abandoned theme park where six kids were kidnapped by a clown is not where cheerful stories take place. 

Setting also includes time of day, seasons, weather, and ambiance. Clownydeathland is going to feel more foreboding if there are shadows where things could be hiding, broken booths and mice chewed stuffed animals, and drizzling rain with the occasional thunderclap to cover the screams. 

In horror stories the setting is often fairly normal until the protagonist begins to uncover the truth, it is the expectation of status quo being broken that triggers the reader. But spooky should quickly move beyond the normal to the creepy—give a glimpse of what the protagonist’s safe space is, then take them into the danger zone.

Themes in spooky stories tend to be fairly simple as to leave plenty of time for jump scares. By themes I mean “what big idea are we exploring”.  Bad decisions and consequences are a classic—this goes all the way back to fairy tales and other morality stories; urban legends are great examples—Growing up/losing innocence is another go-to. Friendship/loyalty can appear if we have a nice group of characters to work with. 

Figure that your characters aren’t going to have huge personal growth arcs. The themes are largely going to play out through plot events. We are far more interested in what is happening to the character rather than the lessons they are learning from the experience. That said, the characters are still important in a spooky story. 

Characters are the vehicle for the reader’s experience. They vocalize the readers thoughts, and their internal and external dialogue can ramp up tension. 

“This is the funhouse where they finally found the bodies,” Josie whispered gleefully. 

Todd glanced at the shadows that danced across the faded mural of Sassy the clown’s lurid smile. “And you want us to go in there?” He jumped as a pair of hands slammed down on his shoulders. 

“We’re gonna sleep in there!” Harriet hissed in his ear. “Just us and the ghosts!”

A spooky story may or may not have an antagonist. Just as likely, the protagonist is running from or fighting against their own minds, figments of their imagination, or an unseen force. When the curtain is pulled back, it was just the wind the whole time. Remember that the moment you define or describe an antagonist on the page, the reader is no longer using their own imagination. Things become far less scary when you can see them. The effects of a foe leave the reader to superimpose their own active fears into your narrative, doing much of the work for you!

Events in a spooky story may or may not be supernatural, but the consequences should feel plausible. Todd might realize that Harriet and Josie aren’t great friends to him through a series of escalating events, perhaps he ends up getting injured; there should be at least one chase scene with stumbling and noises and a face to face that gets everyone’s heart racing. At the end of the night, whether anyone leaves the park alive or not, fire breathing demons should not be involved. The realization of the potential for danger should be based on the character’s bad decision making rather than an external sentient force. 

Spooky stories are meant to be fun— told around campfires, at sleepovers, in hushed whispers to younger siblings. They are at heart lessons in consequences wrapped up in shivers. Go forth and spookify!

Writing Prompt: take a classic urban legend and modernize it with components that you find spooky. 

OR

Combine Spooky setting+Classic theme+one or more characters. Take your character out of their comfort zone and pour on the bad decision making!