How to Create a Setting? Horror

• How does Horror unfolds?
• Horror accumulates gradually in a closed Space.
• Independently of this Space’s scale.
• Horror saturates.
• And then Bursts.

Summary – 6 steps to Horror

1. Establish a Changing Atmosphere.
2. Create a Place of Comfort.
3. Place a Precious Object in this Place.
4. Place a Threat.
5. Let Brutality & Pain accumulate.
6. In order to prepare the Separation.

• You only need 2 elements to create Horror:
  1. Offer something precious.
  2. Remove it.
• It also works for Drama & Comedy.



Polymorph Atmosphere

Horror’s Atmosphere has 3 Dimensions : the Stagnation, the Depths & the Unknown.

• Stagnant Atmosphere
• The Characters must have the sensation they are visiting a Dead World.
• A World which cannot Change anymore.
• Which cannot Evolve.
• Where Life cannot be Renewed.
• All should Stagnate:
  • Light
  • Sound
  • Temperature
• They shouldn’t feel that this World is Inert.
• Inertia has a reassuring dimension.
• There’s no threat in Inertia.
• A Stagnant World, was once alive.
• And wishes to recover its lost life.
• By taking it from the Characters.

• Deep Atmosphere
• Horror bears Attractiveness.
• Use limited Light.
• Place light Deliberately.
• In order to Limit Information.
• And to Focus the Characters Attention.
• A deep space feels Cryptic.
• Information is scarce in the depths.
• This scarcity creates Attraction to this Deeper Space.
• The Depths generate themselves.
• There’s a sense of Aesthetic in these moving shades.
• Captivating forms, partially seen catch the eyes.
• These Sable animations call your Characters.

• Alien Atmosphere
• Horror is always set up.
• Start your Story with Familiar, reassuring elements.
• And then, let the Mundane be Consumed.
• Absorbed by Otherworldly elements.
• Everything will become a potential source of Dephasing.
• To create Confusion.
• To break Expectations.
• A Peculiar World in which the Characters fantasies can Develop.
• An Alien world begets Unrelenting odd.
• It is a New World.
• Bearing New Possibility.
• Invading the Characters Minds.
• Unlike in the Known world, there are no Consequences here.

If you want to know more about Atmospheres.



Comfort & Protection

• Comfortable Area
• Your Characters need to rest.
• They need a place in which they can feel safe.
• A Little Space.
• A Cramped Space.
• With Limited Comfort.
• It should only respond to their Basic needs.
• A small room may feel pressuring.
• But remember…
• In a small Room, it’s easier to see a menace coming.

• Precarious Protection
• This room is Fragile.
• Is is only more Secure than the rest of the Environment.
• It doesn’t mean that it should be Solid.
• Its reliability is Limited.
• The Main Protection this place offers is Discretion.
• Your Character are meant to Hide in this room.
• If this place is discovered, it will be destroyed.
• This room is Delicate.
• Slightly Shambling.
• And Dear to the Characters.
• They have to Protect this Room as much as it Protects them.

• Precious object
• Who hides in this Room?
• The Characters.
• And all the Characters want to protect.
• A Fragile Creature.
• A Juvenile Creature.
• A Child or an Animal.
• A Creature Unlikely to protect herself.
• The Object the Characters wish to Protect may be an Immaterial object.
• It can be the Room itself.

If you want to know more about Familiarity.

Pain & Brutality

• Threat
• Once you’ve established the Atmosphere & the Space of Comfort…
• Introduce the Threat.
• A Restless threat.
• Which only exists for the Characters.
• She is there to find them.
• The Threat is bonded to the Characters.
• Whichever its objective may be.

• Duress
• Horror is Frustration.
• The Threat must pressure the Characters.
• She must force them to Act.
• She should exhaust them.
• It may not only be a matter of Physical Integrity.
• The Threat may not want to Hurt the Characters.
• Yet, she will.
• Make use of the Environment.
• Let the Environment enclose the Characters.
• Trap them.

• Violence
• The Characters & the Threat will react to each other’s presence.
• They will react Intensely.
• In the late stages of the Story, the Characters will be exhausted.
• They will seek the Threat.
• They will pummel her.
• Every deep horror story allows the Character to become the new Threat.
• Only for the sake of Retaliation.
• In this kind of Story you want to display the Pettiness of a Character who fancies herself Absolute.

If you want to know more about Pain.



Separation

• Loss
• Loss does not have to be Definitive.
• Loss can be Transitory.
• Loss can be prepared through the Environment.
• By placing Icons & Symbols.
• By telling Tales.
• The use of Allegory give a sense of Eternity to Loss.

• Persisting Grief
• If a Character dies early in the Story.
• Be sure to Display the Consequences of this Death.
• Loss & Grief only exist in their Consequences.
• Let the pain persist.
• Let it be reminded :
  • By the Threat.
  • By the responsible of the Character’s death.
  • By the Environment.
• Every element is a Tool to bring back the Pain.

• Place of Separation
• Separations happen in Memorable Places.
• Design a space in which the Characters will be separated.
• Use Symbols to reinforce the Specificity of the Place :
  • Objects
  • Scriptures
• Create an Attachment to a Specific Character :
  • Victim
  • Main Character
  • Perpetrator
• Use Specific Lighting.
• Highlight the Separation.
• Use Colors contrast to distanciate the Character from the Object of its want.
• Use Sounds to open the scar further.
• A Song.
• Or a Scream.

If you want to know more about Separation & Loss.