High Octane Nightmare Fuel

This is the thread in which we talk about writing it.

Links to articles (or tutorials) on the subject, guidelines, advice, stories you think are great examples of how to do it right: It all goes here.

Posting excerpts to see if everyone thinks they're scary enough is fine... But I'm afraid they'll hijack and derail the entire thread if we're not careful, so try not to let that happen.

Project progress: The Adroan (102k words), The Pigeon Witch, (40k). Done but in need of reworking: Yume Hime, (50k)

I find that it's the little things that can really make something terrifying.

Of course, I'm the same person that finds this:

frikking horrifying by the third minute, just due to build up.

I mean, you try to make body horror, and usually it comes out as being tacky. Go with simple, not cluttered. Let the atmosphere and music and stuff work to your advantage. Scariest thing in the world isn't gonna be so scary if everything around it is dull and generic.

Even this guy while being highly complex is made up of one dominant color, and one dominant trait. (he's also incredibly fragile and weak, so there is also that odd added extra part of it that actually makes it scary)

My main point is, sometimes the scariest things are not the all powerful big burly spider guys.

Although that can still be pretty scary.

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That isn't a guide, just my own two cents. So this is actually completely against the main point of the rules. For that I apologize. I am in the rambling mood. I can thump this if you want.

And because I can, this was my own attempt at nightmare fuel a bit back

edited 15th May '11 2:23:14 PM by MrAHR

Read my stories!

If you're writing, write about the pain. Or show something horrible that you'll HAVE to fight to the best of your ability, and make it clear that it's a hopeless fight.

The anticipation of the pain can get hella scary.

You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.

See also: Moffat, Steven, who can create nightmarish scenarios without spilling a drop of blood onscreen, or even needing to heavily pester the special effects department. Just pure Primal Fears and undiluted Paranoia Fuel.

edited 15th May '11 4:12:16 PM by KillerClowns

I'm trying to write High Octane Nightmare Fuel stuff for The Fear Mythos, but I think the most nightmare fuel post I've written doesn't even have any Fears in it here. So, yeah, it's kind of hard to write.

The best example I know is the elder Toguro from Yu Yu Hakusho. You do NOT want to eat him up. High Octane Nightmare Fuel and Body Horror are only synonyms of him.

Help?.. please...

I watch scary movies such as Tales From The Crypt and watch The Ruins

In an anime, I'll be the Tsundere Dark Magical Girl who likes purple MY own profile is actually HERE!

Im just an amateur, but I've been trying my hand at this.

Of course, then I scared myself trying to write this.

There are too many toasters in my chimney!

I never really write High Octane Nightmare fuel. Too squeamish.

Be not afraid...