Scary books are not restricted to a genre, nor do they have to contain the same formula or tropes as other scary books. Here are a list of things that make a scary book in my eyes. If you have some favourite scary tropes or elements you want to talk about, leave a comment!

An eerie, ominous tone or setting from the start

Books were the protagonist or narrator feels that sense of tension or eeriness from the get-go start the book on such a good note. That dark, unsettling presence in the text – whether it is in the tone of the narration or the setting description – has me locked in and I simultaneously need to know the root cause of it and am on edge for when it arrives. H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a great example of this, but I would also like to highlight Rachel Gillig’s One Dark Window and Susan Dennard’s The Luminaries. Each of these books has that vibe to them, and each is used in a specific way to entice and immerse the reader.

Specific, off-putting language choice

Have you come across a book where the description or dialogue uses words not usually chosen in daily context, and the use of those words creates an air of discomfort or even fear that sends a shiver down your spine? This can be jargon related to a job being used in casual conversation, observations resulting in the identification of something being out of place or wrong, or someone’s dialogue sending warning signs to the narrator/protagonist. All of these can lead to something being really wrong, and it is such a great way to foreshadow or unveil information.

Characters with a lack of remorse and empathy

There is something harrowing about characters who show no signs of remorse, empathy, or understanding for the common good. I find these mostly in historical fiction, especially historical fiction murder mysteries, where the villain is a powerful, influential man putting greed and personal advancement before humanity and the common good. This is especially scary when its linked to a secret society or club because then the evil acts more like a hydra – cut one head off, two more shall take its place.

innocent/nostalgic songs or stories where they shouldn’t be heard

This one really gets me. There is a childlike motif in Søren Sveistrup’s The Chestnut Man which is a recurring point of tension and death in the novel. It is expertly utilised to an unsettling degree – a symbol of childhood antics and pastimes found near the vicinity of such a gory, horrific killing. This is where any carnival music would fit in too, though I can’t think of any recent reads that use music in that way. This juxtaposition of innocent and evil sparks such tension and concern, increasing the pacing and pulling the reader deeper into the dark, terrifying depths of the novel.

When the villain is still well hidden by the 80% mark

This is not only a sign of great storytelling, but a means of fantastic thriller, suspense, or horror conventions. I see this in historical fiction murder mystery too, but there is less tension in the mix so it doesn’t anyways feel so ominous. This also pairs nicely with a time pressure, a rising conflict, or a pending event that you know will culminate in the conclusion for the masses. It just feels right for there to still be the big reveal in the final 10% and for the climax to be an action-packed, high-tension thrill ride.

These are but a few elements and tropes I love to see in scary books. Sometimes, there are one-off additions that are the icing on the cake – a character walks into a room and sees a shrine dedicated to someone, or worse them; the character everyone thought was dead/missing is actually alive and was behind everything all along; the character everyone thought they’d saved is actually dead and a doppelgänger has taken their place. There are many things hat can line up perfectly to create a sinister effect on the reader. Again, if you have any favourites or books with your favourite scary trope or element, let me know in the comments.