Crafting Atmosphere: How to Make Readers Feel the Chills

Image by Nick Magwood from Pixabay

By Jennifer Trieckel

It’s Halloween! As a speculative fiction and horror writer, I’ve been doing a lot of research on this topic, especially lately. So, whether you're knee-deep in horror writing or just dipping a toe into the genre for the season, creating an atmosphere that haunts readers is key. Effective atmosphere in horror isn’t about jump scares or gore—it’s about that creeping feeling you can’t quite shake. Like there’s something watching just beyond the corner of your eye. When done right, atmosphere makes your story unforgettable, lingering like a chill down your spine long after the last page.

So, how do you build that spine-tingling atmosphere? Let’s break it down.

1. Use All Five Senses (Not Just Sight)

The best horror is immersive. Your goal is to make your readers experience the scene as if they are physically present. That means going beyond just describing what’s in front of the character. What do they smell? The sickly sweet scent of rotting leaves? The acrid tang of fear in the air? Think about the sounds, too—maybe the scratching of something unseen, or the muffled creak of floorboards underfoot.

Tip: To capture atmosphere, I like to brainstorm each sense separately when writing a spooky scene. Start with sound: is it eerily silent, or is there a faint hum, like whispering? Letting each sense layer in one by one builds a richer, more unsettling picture.

2. Set the Tone with Lighting and Shadow

Lighting sets the mood in an instant. A flickering streetlight, a distant flash of lightning, the dim glow of a single candle—each creates a different feeling. Think about how dim lighting or shifting shadows can change the tone of a scene from a harmless moment to a haunting one. Shadows, in particular, are your friends. What’s lurking just outside of the reader’s view? What’s implied but not yet revealed?

Try This: Describe how light interacts with the space. Instead of saying “It was dark,” try, “The dim light barely reached the corners of the room, where shadows seemed to breathe, shifting just out of view.” See how that instantly conjures a more vivid, eerie picture?

3. Use Pacing to Build Tension

Building tension is an art, and pacing plays a huge role. Don’t give away everything at once. Use short, clipped sentences to speed up moments of panic, but draw out moments when the character is alone, listening, anticipating. Give readers the sense that something will happen, but not quite yet. Tease it. Let the tension sit in the silence between each line.

Exercise: Write a paragraph where a character hears something unusual, but don’t reveal what it is right away. Stretch out their reaction, the hesitation, maybe a single step forward or a hand reaching out. This lets your readers stew in the moment with them, ratcheting up the suspense.

4. Choose Words Carefully

The words you use shape the scene as much as any plot twist or character. Opt for words that evoke a feeling—stale, creak, damp, flicker, hush, or groan. Instead of saying “scary,” describe the texture of fear: “A quiet that sank beneath her skin,” or “A hollow thud echoing like a memory.” It’s all about letting your reader feel it without spelling it out for them.

Examples: Words like “grating,” “stifling,” and “rancid” immediately bring an uncomfortable image to mind. Try using language that lets readers feel the texture, temperature, or sound of the scene—they’ll fill in the blanks with their own fears.

5. Draw from Real-World Fears

When it comes to crafting an eerie setting, base it on common fears—places or objects that people already feel wary of. Abandoned buildings, hospitals, graveyards, forests at night… these settings already have an edge because they play on deep-rooted fears. But don’t stop there. Think about what unsettles you personally, because chances are it’ll hit the same way with your readers.

Tip: I like to keep a “fear journal.” Anytime I feel a twinge of fear, even from something ordinary, I write it down. Could be as simple as hearing a strange noise in a silent house, or a door slightly ajar. It’s amazing how much material you gather that way!

6. Make the Setting a Character

In the best horror stories, the setting almost becomes a character in its own right. Think of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining—it’s not just a backdrop; it has a personality, an agenda. Giving your setting its own quirks and tendencies makes it feel alive, as if it’s actively watching or influencing the characters.

Try This: Write a scene where the setting seems to react to the character. Maybe the walls feel like they’re closing in, or there’s an odd smell that grows stronger as the character approaches. Little touches like these make the setting feel alive—and just a bit threatening.

7. Small, Unnerving Details Pack a Punch

Sometimes, it’s the little things that leave the biggest impact. An otherwise ordinary object that’s out of place—a doll in the middle of a deserted road, an old photograph in a strange location—can give readers that uncanny feeling that something’s off. You don’t have to explain it right away, if at all. Let it sit with them.

Challenge: Think of one small, strange detail for your next scene. Something that doesn’t belong, like a child’s shoe in an abandoned house. Leave it there without explanation, and let readers feel the chill.

Atmosphere is about what you don’t say as much as what you do. It’s about letting readers fill in the blanks with their own fears, slowly feeding them hints and eerie descriptions until they’re hooked. This Halloween, as you work on your horror, take some time to focus on atmosphere. Let your words evoke sights, sounds, and sensations that linger long after the page is turned. Because the best horror isn’t just read—it’s felt.

Additional Insights:

For more in-depth information, check out one of my favorite books on this subject, The Art of Fear: How to Write Scary Ghost Stories that Terrify Your Readers by James Colton. You can find it on Kindle Unlimited and also on Audible as a free book for subscribers.

ProWritingAids Horror Writers’ Fest was this week as well. If you are a subscriber, you can check out the replays here. There are many amazing webinars that explain these points in more detail, but my favorite is Subtle Horror Techniques: Crafting Fear Beyond Gore with J.B. Kish.

Happy Halloween and happy writing! Now go forth and create something frightening!