HORROR CHEAT SHEET
“The Horror Story is a primal external genre, an allegory for the horrific world we presently or could soon inhabit. It
serves as a prescriptive or cautionary tale about how best to metabolize our darkest fears and survive. The power
gap between the monster and the victim is immense and thus the victim who raises the courage to confront the force
with all of their inner genius to their last breath inspires us to do the same. To win is to survive.”-- Shawn Coyne
The HORROR STORY is an arch-plot (Hero's Journey) or mini-plot (multiple characters) external genre. It pits a
single victim (even though there may be multiple characters) against impossible odds and a supernatural,
scientifically explainable or ambiguous monster possessed by Evil and intent on annihilation.
GLOBAL VALUE: Life and Death
CONTROLLING IDEA CORE EMOTION
Positive: Life is preserved when the protagonist Fear
overpowers or outwits antagonists. People choose horror stories to experience the thrill of
Negative: Death results when the protagonist fails to courage in the face of fear in a life and death situation,
overpower or outwit his/her antagonists. without the actual danger.
OBLIGATORY SCENES CONVENTIONS
● An Inciting Attack by a monster. A single non-heroic ● The Monster can’t be reasoned with. It is possessed by
protagonist is thrown out of stasis, forced to pursue a the spirit of Evil and is present to devour and annihilate.
conscious object of desire: saving their own life. ● Conventional settings within fantastical worlds. Use the
● Speech in Praise of the Monster: Either a character or a familiar to ground the fantasy.
revelation praises the unbeatable nature of the ● Labyrinths: settings are claustrophobic, conceal dangers.
monster. ● Perpetual discomfort: Monster attacks randomly. Never
● The protagonist becomes the final victim after a series let the audience settle.
of "kill-off" scenes of the minor characters. ● Mask the power of the Monster. Progressively reveal
● Victim at the Mercy of the Monster: The core event of greater levels of power.
the horror story, the All is Lost moment when the ● Sadomasochistic flip flop: let the reader experience the
victim unleashes their gift power of the Monster while empathizing with the victims.
● False Ending. There must be two endings. ● Monster offscreen as long as possible.
● Use technology: Victims experience horrific attacks at a
remove,via screen or device.
HORROR SUBGENRES POTENT COMPANION GENRES
● Uncanny: The Force of Evil is rational and explainable: ● Love: Twilight
psychopaths, Frankenstein monsters, aliens, etc. ● Science Fiction: Alien
● Supernatural: The Force of Evil is from the spirit world and ● Morality/Punitive: The Shining
cannot be explained by conventional rational thought. ● Worldview/Maturation: Carrie
● Possession by a spirit or undead beings feeding on the living ● Society: Salem’s Lot
(vampires, zombies, etc.)
● Ambiguous: The evil perpetrator could be possessed by the
devil, or just plain crazy. We never really know.
