“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.”
Horror is a genre of writing that requires readers to be hooked throughout. If your audience isn’t properly immersed in what they’re reading, there’s no chance of them feeling scared, uneasy or any other sensation you’re looking for after all. Because of this, having a strong start to your book is vital. Join us at What We Reading as we present some of the best techniques on how to start a horror story, as well as some seriously spooky examples to set you on your path!
Determine Your Fear Factor
The goal of your horror story is to scare your readers.
It sounds like an obvious place to begin, but it should be at the centre of your attention every time you write. Horror is a genre that explores fear. This can come in a variety of ways such as revulsion or the uneasy sensation that comes with suspense and tension. However, lots of new and inexperienced writers feel this is achieved through shock value. Kickstart proceedings with something outrageously gorey or supernatural and let the adrenaline coast through to the end.
But horror fans are savvy to shock value these days. Having a constant supply of action ruins the flow and pace of a story and begins to feel cheap before long. Instead, the best horror writers know when to evoke fear in a reader and, crucially, why they are doing it.
Knowing what type of horror subgenre you’re going to primarily operate in is a great way of ensuring your fear factor is front and centre from the get-go. For example, in S.A. Barnes’ Dead Silence, the opening scene features protagonist Claire Kovalik having visions of her dead mother. Whilst more violent horror aspects are explored later on, this helps establish the book first and foremost as a tension-packed supernatural story.
Set The Tone
On the subject of themes, it’s good to introduce your tone to the reader right from the very start of a horror story. Not only does this give them a flavour of your writing style, storytelling and characterisation, but also a sense of the central themes at play.
For example, is the story one of enduring hope, or entirely nihilistic? Do your main characters live to see the sun coming up, or do they fall victim to whatever baddies you have in store? Naturally, you don’t want to spell out exactly how things are going to pan out in the first chapter. However, your opening acts can serve as a great precursor to what readers can expect going forward.
In Get Out the plot is laid out by following a black man as he mercilessly stalked through a street. The use of the ‘Run Rabbit Run’ song helps to create tension, instantly showcasing the core theme of racial prejudice that is carried throughout.
Introduce The Main Character
As we mentioned above, attempting to scare readers through an array of objectively scary occurrences but without any context behind them isn’t how you make a book memorable. Instead, you need there to be a relationship between the characters and the scares so that audiences can see things through.
Something like a dead cat is naturally horrifying to see, but the potency of such an image is amped up to another level if it is the same cat your main character buried and had nightmares about during their childhood, as an example. By making these sorts of connections, you demonstrate not only your ability as a writer to weave together scares with context, but also tie these scares with the development of characters.
Hook The Audience
One of the best strategies for how to start a horror story effectively is by introducing a character from the get-go. It isn’t always a vital component in other genres, but in the world of horror having a character to visualise and connect with is essential.
You should also establish things like atmosphere, imagery and descriptions. Even in a slow-burning horror book, you’ll want to grab the audience’s attention with a setting, character or event that rewards their attention from the get-go.
It’s important to remember the start of a book is almost a guarantee to a reader in terms of what the story is going to be about, who the characters are, where it’s taking place, what the threats are, where the threats are coming from as well as what some of the core themes and messages at play are going to be.
Check Out All The Horror Subgenres In Fiction
Don’t Reveal All
We just mentioned how vital it is to hook a reader at the beginning of your story. But, you might be wondering: how much should you reveal in your opening act? Do you reveal the monster in the opening exchanges so readers can understand and appreciate its scares, or keep it hidden in the shadows so that the unknown makes it even more terrifying?
Ultimately, there is no definitive answer to this question.
If you don’t show a villain or threat, it should at least be hinted at. The reader should be able to get a sense of the monster and its characters, even if it isn’t explicitly described from the off. Is it a very physical monster such as a knife-wielding serial killer, or a paranormal or biological threat, for example? Suspense can be built by hinting at these things and then, subtly, tying them to the main character.
Check Out The Best Monster Horror Books Of All Time
Examples Of How To Start A Horror Story
We can reel off the best strategies and techniques horror writers can use to kickstart their story, but sometimes seeing them in practice is the best way of learning and inspiring. With that in mind, we’ve picked out some of our favourite examples of the best horror book openings for you to compare:
The Haunting Of Hill House – Shirley Jackson
“No living organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”
Check Out The Best Books Like The Haunting Of Hill House
The Shining – Stephen King
“Jack Torrance thought: Officious little prick.
Ullman stood five-five, and when he moved, it was with the prissy speed that seemed to be the exclusive domain of all small plump men. The part in his hair was exact, and his dark suit was sober but comforting. I am a man you can bring your problems to, that suit said to the paying customer. To the hired help it spoke more curtly: This had better be good, you. There was a red carnation in the lapel, perhaps so that no one on the street would mistake Stuart Ullman for the local undertaker.”
Interview With The Vampire – Anne Rice
“I see—” said the vampire thoughtfully, and slowly he walked across the room towards the window. For a long time, he stood there against the dim light from Divisadero Street and the passing beams of traffic. The boy could see the furnishings of the room more clearly now, the round oak table, the chairs. A wash basin hung on one wall with a mirror. He set his briefcase on the table and waited.
“But how much tape do you have with you?” asked the vampire, turning now so the boy could see his profile. “Enough for the story of a life?”
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
