Good examples of fear/terror inducing techniques used with enemies

Broadly, the first thing that pops to mind is a cascading series of events demonstrating the antagonist's power and the protagonist's weakness:

1. Protagonist believes he or she has a solution. That could be a method of escape, or a way to counter the antagonist, or some other plan that will move them toward resolution. Protagonist executes this plan.

2. Plan seems to be working until a critical point when it's revealed that the protagonist's "solution" was really the product of manipulation on the antagonist's part. We (and the protagonist) see that not only has ground been lost because of the time and energy wasted on the plan, but that the antagonist is thinking n steps ahead of the protagonist.

If possible, it should be a surprise to both the viewer/reader and the protagonist. When this sort of sequence is executed well, there's a wonderful sinking dread that sets in at the moment of realization.

When executed poorly, it can feel predictable or contrived.

posted about 13 years ago

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Erik Robson‭

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I've been reading 'The Fire in Fiction' by Donald Maass lately. What I found useful was the following tip (paraphrased):

The character must believe the danger is there. If you can build up the character as someone the reader empathises with and can connect to, then when you start to build up their fear, it comes across to the reader. Doesn't matter if the reader doesn't find an enemy head on a pike scary (and these days, many people are so inured to gore and violence a simple description would wash over them) - what matters is that the character is completely creeped out and terrified.

In short, one effective way of creating fear is to tie that emotion to the character whose POV we are seeing the scene from. We as readers are emotionally connected to that person, so even if we're not scared, seeing how scared they are will feed our fear.

posted about 13 years ago

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Lexi‭

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If you are looking at the specific devices look at look at the medieval torture devices. Skinning, salting, burning, bronze cow, crucifixion, impaling, gutting, keel hauling etc.

If you are looking for techniques there are many ways to create suspense and horror. For example, shifting the pace at a key scene to add additional details about something would leave the reader in suspense and anticipating the continuation of the story after the descriptions. Leave the reader hanging this way but not too many times.

Or using the lull before the storm kind of technique where the hero is doing an everyday thing when something extraordinary takes place suddenly. For example, In the original Bram Stalker's Dracula there is a simple scene where the hero is settling down in the castle and the author is providing descriptions and the reader is lulled into a sense of normal, when the hero opens a window and sees the creature clawing its way up the wall of the castle and entering into it through a window below. simple then shocking.

posted about 13 years ago

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Adeem‭

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There are a lot of different ways that people can invoke fear or intimidation tactics, but ultimately you will have to decide what works best for your story. A lot of times a group or individual will carry out some extreme act, and from that point on, just the mention of a repeat will be enough to cause fear. For example, a suicide bomber walks into a crowded marketplace and activates his bomb. From that point on, anyone could call and say that there is a bomb in a crowded location, and authorities are going to clear the place out even though there may not really be one. Depending on how your story goes, this could even be used as a diversion for something else that the instigator wants to cover.

There are so many examples in plain sight, but it depends on how extreme or how mild you want your tactic to be. For example, a radiation sign on a fence tends to keep people outside a selected perimeter. A skull and crossbones on a container or on a door will prevent people from proceeding with whatever they were doing.

posted about 13 years ago

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Steven Drennon‭

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Ninety-five percent of the time, what you don't see is scarier than what you do see.

Think about The Blair Witch Project, even though it's a movie. You never see the villain. That ending STILL gives me nightmares.

Think about Voldemort and the Death Eaters rousing fear and suspicion among the wizarding world, even before his return at the end of Goblet of Fire. You could never be sure if someone was Imperiused... or a Death Eater... or just dotty.

The fear of the unknown adds an extra layer of terror to any antagonist, so hold back your reveal as long as you can. When the protagonist is facing an enemy and doesn't even know what it is, or if "it" is a "them" or a "who" or a "what" or "how big," that's one less facet your hero can prepare for, one more surprise on the antagonist's side, and that much less control your hero has.

posted about 13 years ago

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Lauren Ipsum‭

2098 reputation 13 1143 397 1

Try tackling some appropriate pages from TV Tropes, and just branching out from there.

That should give you about a gazillion times more examples than you'll know what to do with. :P

posted about 13 years ago

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Standback‭

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