When we sit back on a blustery Halloween evening, a horror film lighting up our TV screens and shivers rippling down our spines, it’s easy to forget that writing is what makes these thrilling experiences possible.

Powerful, snappy writing is what leads us through the twists and turns of a thriller novel; it is what turns a laughable villain into one that makes our hair stand on end. During October, good writing is the difference between a laugh and a shriek. When looking at the many forms of successful horror, both on page and off it, there is a lot to learn about how to craft a powerful piece of writing.

A Haunting Build-Up

It would be hard to criticise classic horror. After all, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, published in 1818, practically revitalised the entire genre, and is still relevant in horror spaces today. Classic horror plays its cards slowly, waiting to use its best lines or moments once they have been earned.

This is relevant in good copywriting, where overall cohesion and a solid structure or subheading style is more important than a few cheap sentences for clickbait. Rather than clumsily forcing in a hyperlink, a piece of writing should allow for these links to come naturally. Just like the creature in Frankenstein is slowly fleshed out in the story, a good piece of writing is about a strong build-up, not rushing to get out all the best ideas.

Keeping it (Terrifyingly) Real

From the 2000s to the 2010s, creepypastas and internet horror were at their peak. However, these stories have seen a huge resurgence in online YouTube horror communities, where well-written spooky stories are read for an audience, not unlike listening to tales around a campfire. The key to these scares is bringing in a supernatural element while being just believable enough to scare an audience.

Ted the Caver, an infamous creepypasta chronicling a man’s real-time updates while caving, slowly brings in haunting details and moments, before ending on a cliffhanger. In writing, exaggerating ideas or using an overly fluffy voice might make readers feel like they are being talked down to. Creating the perfect balance of intrigue and down-to-earth realism is a far better way to convince readers of your piece.

Striking at the Perfect Moment

Modern horror has now expanded off the page and into theatres, but good writing in films is still crucial for any script to resonate with an audience. Modern movie classics like Saw and Final Destination are both examples of how thrillers can sometimes focus on the excitement of scares, rather than the suspenseful build-up. 

In writing, catchy hooks are often used to keep readers engaged, particularly as short-form content has become more popular than ever. Using interesting facts as hooks or introducing opposing ideas for tension are both ways of making writing a little more engaging. While writers do not need twists and turns with the frequency of Saw’s deadly puzzles, a little occasional excitement never hurt anyone. Well, mostly.

Up Close and Personal

Once a reader’s eyes are on the page, keeping them focused is easier said than done. It is important to think about how to bring readers in on a personal level, instead of expecting generic, aimless writing to capture people’s interest. Horror has moved a step further with this idea by expanding into video games, where the player is not only experiencing the story, but is directly a part of it. 

Whether or not a player escapes the ghoulish monsters in Silent Hill is entirely up to their instincts and understanding of the game. Players will feel more afraid, more engaged, because of their direct connection to the story. In writing, readers are far more likely to be interested when they are reading about topics or ideas that they can relate to, and when writing is localised by local trends or cultural norms. By focusing on relatable, useful ideas, readers are more likely to stick around.

A Scream-Worthy Finale

While Halloween and horror might seem a far cry from discussions of quality writing, there is a lot to learn from how to craft the perfect scare. Good horror uses pacing to allow the final scene to shine, keeps the tone believable, and inserts a scare at the perfect moment, all while playing on the audience’s real experiences. From that angle, horror and its many sub-genres are a great place to learn from, as copywriting utilises these same principles. Of course… without all the screams.