# Top Scary Novels (any Genre) and Developing a Fear Factor Scale



## garethmottram (Nov 9, 2010)

There's no magic formula for terrifying people, right?  I get that everyone has different fears that slam down on their panic button but, with Halloween creeping up on us, wouldn't it be interesting to explore this premise:

*There are fear factor's that can be turned up or down and used in different combinations to scare readers in any genre from horror through paranormal to action/adventure.*

Here's my suggested factors with well known examples that score highly with me:

Blood, Guts and Gore: (5/5) Texas Chainsaw Massacre 
How high is the head count, are body parts exploding off the page and the gutters running with blood?

Suspense: (5/5) The Shining
Does the jeopardy build excruciatingly well, perhaps desperate escape scenes, safe havens slowly being approached or protectors weakening/turning?

Character Likability:	(5/5) Harry Potter novels
Is the protagonist fleshed out, believable, has a personality, a past and relationships? Do you really not want him/her to be sliced up?

Main Character Vulnerability: (1/5) Any James Bond => (4/5) Game of Thrones (only a 4 because there are lots of other main protagonist's still left to root for)
How likely do you think it is that the protagonist will die or be seriously hurt/tortured with lasting consequences or is there a heal spell that will make them all better again?

Supporting Character Vulnerability: (5) Hunger Games
How likely do you feel it is that the character(s) held dear by the protagonist will die or be seriously hurt/tortured with lasting consequences?

So, which factors press your panic button? What's your single  scariest book and *why * - give it a score (1 low, 5 high) for the Fear Factor elements in it that worked to keep you checking the doors at night. Also, are there any other fear factors that I've missed out or can you recalibrate my scale with better examples (e.g. a book more gory than Chainsaw Massacre?)

Remember, there's no right or wrong here - I'm just after what works for you.

Cheers, Gareth


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## KateEllison (Jul 9, 2011)

Suspense freaks me out so much, more than blood and guts because the unknown is that much scarier to me.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

I find that creepy sense of unease that something, somewhere is dreadfully _wrong_ more scary than any mere blood and guts (which I think has diminishing returns from a literary point of view after awhile).

Too many books to pick just one in any objective way, but on the spur of the moment let's go for Shirley Jackson's _The Haunting Of Hill House_ (5/5, natch)


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## hs (Feb 15, 2011)

For me, it's what you don't see but suspect is out there that scares me the most. _The Blair Witch Project_ is a perfect example. That was one of the scariest movies I've ever seen (more so than any blood and guts horror movie), but the audience never saw whoever/whatever was stalking the characters. When it comes to books, I thought Mark Z. Danielewski's _House of Leaves_ was pretty scary at times for the same reason.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Stephen King isn't very often the scariest horror writer of all time. But Pet Sematary -- both the book and the movie -- were absolutely terrifying.


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## garethmottram (Nov 9, 2010)

KateEllison said:


> Suspense freaks me out so much, more than blood and guts because the unknown is that much scarier to me.


I think this summarises my thoughts really well - suspense and what might happen or "be out there" is far scarier than endless slaughtering and chopping ups! Thanks to everyone who replied to this and answered the poll.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I wish someone in Hollywierd would look at these numbers and plan moviemaking accordingly, reduce the pure gore, build better suspense.


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