1. HORROR, THRILLERS,
SCARY STORIES
•About this course
•Syllabus
•Reading List

2. About this Course
 In this course we will be discussing three
important elements of thrillers/scary stories:
 Setting
 Characterization
 Suspense
 Each day will culminate in a writing exercise that
demonstrates knowledge of each of these
elements
 Final project will be a telling of an original
thriller/scary story that includes the three
elements discussed in class
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3. Syllabus
 Monday: Setting
 Tuesday: Characterization
 Wednesday: Suspense
 Thursday: Finding the “scary”
anywhere
 Friday: Finish and present original
stories
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4. Setting –
With a partner, brainstorm a scary setting and list
details from the following categories:
 Time – season, time of day, year (past, present, future)
 Weather
 Location
 Imagery
 Sights
 Sounds
 Smells
 Mood
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5. Characterization –
With your partner, brainstorm two characters for a story
– a protagonist and an antagonist/villain. Include the
following details for both:
 Physical Attributes
 Personality characteristics
 Reaction to others
 Others’ reactions to character
 Motivations
 Thoughts/ Feelings
 Dialogue between characters
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6. Suspense
With your partner, brainstorm ways to add
suspense to your story. Use the following for
ideas:
 Conflict – fear, danger
 Obstacles for protagonist
 Foreshadowing
 Slowing down action/ important scenes
 Repetition (words, actions, images)
 Unexpected ending/twist
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7. How Are Elements of Setting, Characterization
& Suspense Used in this dramatization of Edgar
Allen Poe’s The Telltale Heart?
The Telltale Heart

8. Reading List
 “The Black Cat” – Edgar Allen Poe
 “The Reaper’s Image” – Stephen King
 “The Body” – Stephen King
 Various Urban Legends from
Snopes.com
 Stories from Scary Stories to Tell in the
Dark
 Stories from Nearly Departed
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