How to Write/RP Horror?

[Viper]

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In real life I have always been a fan of horror movies, listening to scary stories on YouTube, and generally just imagining a lot of 'what if' scenarios that more often then not involve shadowy figures standing at the end of a hall or bed. So recently I have wanted to try to RP horror, or at least write some of my own, however I can't seem to think of how this could be done well or if it would even work in the first place. You see, for role playing specifically, I can't think of a way to truly create a scary scenario for my partner. Yes, I can describe a building dark and creaking, I can tell you that from just outside of your window there is a creature watching you that can only be seen through the lenses of a camera, however this does not seem scary to me. Perhaps it is my problem, I am unable to truly get 100% into my characters shoes since I always know where I end and where they begin, so even if my character is in danger, I still know that I am completely safe. Unlike a movie, where you can see and fully emerge yourself into the situation, Rping simply is a bunch of words on a glowing screen. Even if I picture what it is that I am reading, how can I be afraid of a bunch of words where the moment I click away the situation is over? It's not like other RPs where the purpose is just to go on an adventure or learn about the other characters, in a horror RP you want to scare or at least unnerve the other person which is much harder to do. Gore based horror seems easy, or at least easier than psychological horror, since creating a gruesome scene that makes you scrunch your face in disgust is just a descriptive skill. But the kind that makes you hide under your covers, glance over your shoulder to make sure you are alone, or makes you hesitate to stare into your mirror with the lights off.... to me that is quality horror. So how would you do this, or does a horror RP just mean that you are focusing on darker elements?


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[Dusky]

The idea that immersion isn't possible without visual aid seems fallacious to me. If you'd like to really pack a punch with psychological horror, try building your language and writing skills. It's never the content of a story so much as the way it's written that gets readers in the feels, whether those feels are terror or something else.


Maybe @Grey has further input?

 

[Grey]

Ignoring for the moment the great disservice you're doing to generations of horror authors, I'll give you the short version. Horror is my favourite genre, and really writing something detailed on it is going to take me a while.


For now, the main things you're missing are two very crucial elements of horror.


First, there's the buy-in. In order to really get the most out of horror fiction, you need to do some of the work. It's very easy to dismiss cinema, novels, and videogames as not-scary because anyone capable of distinguishing reality from fantasy can just check-out, point at the strings, and lose interest. You have to accept you're reading, watching, or playing horror to be scared, to be unnerved. You have to buy in and try to be receptive to the material - whether that means turning out the lights, playing some spooky ambient music, or just psychologically priming yourself for the experience.


Second, there's the sense of powerlessness, the lack of control on which horror typically hinges. In a movie, you sympathise with the characters but can't control them, and so vicariously experience their helplessness, and their horror. In a novel it's much the same. In a videogame, you're deprived of certain mechanics like combat.


So for an RP, the typical freeform 1x1 format is less functional. You need one person, whether the other 1x1 participant or (my preference) a GM, to set the scene, control antagonists, arbitrate events. For extra spice, use a dice system - you don't know if you're going to succeed or fail, adding more tension and less complete control. If you're trying to write professionally, you might scare yourself with your writing (and probably should, since horror tends to be very personal), but generally if you're looking to be afraid you should let someone else take the reins.

 

[melissaphilia]

I've always found that the best way to learn to write is to read. Oldest rule, if you ask me. Check out the masters: Poe, Lovecraft, King. I took a Horror Story writing class in college once and read some really awesome short stories. Think about what scares you, personally. Try writing about your own fears, and understand how those fears make you feel, and then you can apply it to your characters. Write the truth.

 

[Dusky]

So for an RP, the typical freeform 1x1 format is less functional. You need one person, whether the other 1x1 participant or (my preference) a GM, to set the scene, control antagonists, arbitrate events. For extra spice, use a dice system - you don't know if you're going to succeed or fail, adding more tension and less complete control. If you're trying to write professionally, you might scare yourself with your writing (and probably should, since horror tends to be very personal), but generally if you're looking to be afraid you should let someone else take the reins.

I disagree here, especially regarding freeform 1x1s. Assuming both players trust each other to make developments to the plot, there's no reason they can't each scare each other. This is even truer if it's a largely open-ended premise being built as the players go. Letting go of the reigns is, to a great extent, what makes horror scary, but a collaborative approach allows you to do that and still be involved... And freeform roleplaying, especially the sort wherein the GM fulfills more of an administrative role than anything and has a character of their own (the sort of roleplaying that the bulk of the user base is accustomed to), is inherently collaborative and lends itself perfectly to a great big clusterfuck of scaring the shit out of each other. OvO-b

 

[Grey]

I've always found that the best way to learn to write is to read. Oldest rule, if you ask me. Check out the masters: Poe, Lovecraft, King. I took a Horror Story writing class in college once and read some really awesome short stories. Think about what scares you, personally. Try writing about your own fears, and understand how those fears make you feel, and then you can apply it to your characters. Write the truth.

This. Always this. Always read more.


I'd add Ligotti to the list, and Peter Watts' Blindsight is excellent sci-fi horror. Hrm, everything on my shelf here is Herbert (no) and Barker (not bad).


I thought of something e- Oh! House of Leaves!

 

[Grey]

I disagree here, especially regarding freeform 1x1s. Assuming both players trust each other to make developments to the plot, there's no reason they can't each scare each other. This is even truer if it's a largely open-ended premise being built as the players go. Letting go of the reigns is, to a great extent, what makes horror scary, but a collaborative approach allows you to do that and still be involved... And freeform roleplaying, especially the sort wherein the GM fulfills more of an administrative role than anything and has a character of their own (the sort of roleplaying that the bulk of the user base is accustomed to), is inherently collaborative and lends itself perfectly to a great big clusterfuck of scaring the shit out of each other. OvO-b

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree for now - I'll admit it's not impossible, but it seems unlikely to work as fluidly.

On a personal note, I believe cosmic horror and religious horror work well for roleplaying.

This is the kind of thing I tend to do a lot too. For something of a fusion of the two, The God-Machine Chronicle or the new Chronicles of Darkness are worth looking at. Indeed, the CoD book has a GM section with tips on running horror in general.

 

[Viper]

To @Grey and @Anomaly specifically, I meant to no offence to authors of the horror genre. In my life I have not had much contact with written horror, and although I have read a handful of great short stories, I have not had enough contact with horror in that medium to make it one of the first things I think of. It is just something that I don't immediately picture when I imagine getting scared.


To everyone else, I appreciate the suggestions and advice! I will definitely try to get my hands on at least one of the books/authors you guys mentioned since I agree that reading more horror will help me figure out how to write horror. Also, playing off of my own fears or the primal fears is a great starting point to get me writing. Thanks for the help!