Sugar, Spice & a Spoonful of Fear: Why Fear is the Secret Ingredient in Every Genre (Part 1: Horror, Drama & Romance)
- Natasha Langridge-Thorpe
- Jan 21
- 14 min read
Updated: Apr 14
Think about your favourite film or television series. What genre would you say it belongs to? Genres are distinguished by various elements. For example, action films often feature car chases and fight scenes, whereas in a romance movie, you might expect a kiss or a heartfelt speech. Each genre has its own set of audience expectations. However, fear might be the secret ingredient that all these genres share.
Fear is often associated with the horror genre. However, it can significantly influence the emotional core of storytelling across all genres. Incorporating fear into your stories can help you create engaging narratives and lead to intriguing character decisions. Therefore, understanding how to utilise fear is crucial for crafting an impactful story that resonates deeply with your audience, regardless of the genre.
Employing Fear as a Storytelling Tool
Fear is a universal emotion, so why not let your characters experience it too?
Its universality makes it a relatable component, capable of creating suspense and increasing the stakes. Fear can serve as an external and internal force, influencing the plot and enhancing the audience's emotional investment. The versatility of fear allows it to be portrayed in a variety of different ways, including but not limited to:
Fear of loss
Fear of failure
Fear of change
Fear of rejection
Fear of heartbreak
Fear of vulnerability
Fear of danger
This versatility can help you include fear within your stories in a number of different ways. When used effectively, it can transform your story into an unforgettable experience filled with emotional highs and lows.
Fear in Different Genres
With various genres to explore (hence the need to split this topic into multiple parts!), part 1, focuses on how you can use fear within the horror, drama, and romance genres.
Horror
The horror genre is a prominent example of fear woven throughout a story. These stories are designed to evoke intense feelings of dread, terror, and unease by incorporating elements like physical danger, supernatural forces, and psychological distress. Techniques like jump scares, eerie silences, and grotesque visuals are commonly used to amplify the fear experienced by both characters and viewers.
But nothing is more terrifying than the unknown.
Things that we can’t control, explain or predict can be scary. It’s true that people often fear what they don’t understand. The horror genre taps into humanity’s fear of the unknown to craft engaging stories, allowing the audience to experience the same dread as the characters. This uncertainty keeps viewers on edge, unsure of what might happen next, and ensures that the fear lingers long after the story ends.
Techniques for Writing Fear in the Horror Genre
Unseen Threats
I recently watched Nosferatu (2024), and the introduction of the antagonist, Count Orlok, stood out to me. The film chose to keep him partially hidden for a significant amount of time, instead of showing his character in full. Shadows and brief glimpses, like his hand or mouth, hinted at his presence without fully revealing him, to gradually build tension.
The focus was placed on another character’s terrified reaction, prompting the audience to ask questions about Count Orlok. What does he look like? How terrifying can he be? Why do other characters have such intense reactions to him? These questions invite the audience’s imagination to fill in the blanks. Sometimes their minds can come up with something far scarier than anything shown on the screen. Partially concealing the antagonist keeps the audience engrossed, eagerly awaiting the full unveiling of Count Orlok.
Unreliable Narrator or Reality
How do we know if we can trust the narrator in a horror story? We typically assume that they’re reliable until something occurs that makes us question the validity of what we’ve been told. People crave certainty and logic, and when reality is distorted, it can cause significant discomfort for viewers.
For example, you could blur the lines between supernatural and psychological explanations. Is a character truly being haunted, or is everything taking place in their mind? The unclear lines between fantasy and reality are portrayed in Black Swan (2010), where the protagonist’s quest for perfection drives her into delusions.
Isolation
Your protagonist could find themselves trapped in an environment where help is just out of reach. Maybe they’re inside a secluded cabin or confined within an abandoned facility. Removed from the safety and comfort of society, they have no choice but to confront danger without relying on outside assistance. Isolating your protagonist can also emphasise their solitude and vulnerability.
You isolate your character by making the environment around them a source of fear. For example, the setting could be claustrophobic, dark, or eerily silent. This oppressive atmosphere serves as a constant reminder of how truly alone the protagonist is. The connection between the character and their environment can intensify the fear, drawing the audience into the character’s terrifying experience.
You can feel isolated even when you’re surrounded by lots of people. For instance, social isolation can occur when characters find themselves isolated within a community, unable to trust anyone around them. In Get Out (2017), the protagonist, Chris, is surrounded by his girlfriend's family. However, the behaviours and motives of those around him make him feel completely alienated.
Slow-Build Tension
A few months ago, I visited Disney World and realised that I'm quite scared of 'drops' on rides. However, I tried to keep an open mind about trying different rides, so I'd often think, 'What if there's just one drop in the entire ride, and it's so quick that it's over before I even have time to process it?' Whenever this happened on rides, I didn't have the opportunity to be afraid for too long because it happened so quickly. This approach is the opposite of what you want in your stories. You shouldn't rush to reveal the 'fear' because then people won't have the chance to emotionally respond to it.
Gradually cultivate a sense of dread by effectively controlling the time and pacing. This approach draws the audience deeper into the narrative, heightening their unease before delivering the final payoff. Slowly building tension often resonates more with viewers than relying on constant jump scares, as it maintains consistent discomfort that keeps them on edge.
Since A Quiet Place (2018) revolves around keeping quiet, even the smallest noises feel life-threatening. The film employs sound to steadily increase fear, utilising distorted audio, unsettling noises, or complete silence. These auditory elements contribute to slowly building tension within your story. Then you can create a story where every moment is brimming with the potential for danger.
Drama
In the drama genre, fear can be used as a powerful tool for enhancing conflict and raising the stakes. These stories are designed to delve into realistic scenarios with relatable characters, narratives, and environments. One of the major expectations of the drama genre is conflict. These conflicts are typically depicted as relatable, realistic challenges that the characters must overcome. By incorporating fear into your story, you can amplify this conflict and heighten the emotional impact. For instance, your protagonist could be afraid of confronting someone because they feel intimidated by them.
Fear can act as a transformative force that propels the character and the narrative, leaving a lasting impression on the audience. For example, fear could be linked to your characters' core motivations and desires. Your protagonist and antagonist could have conflicting goals. If one of them achieves their goal, then they could crush the hopes of the other. The fear of failure could encourage them to take action to get what they want and sabotage what the other character wants. In this sense, fear is driving the story forward. By exploring the depths of fear in the drama genre, you can create scripts that resonate and provoke thought long after the final scene.
Techniques for Writing Fear in the Drama Genre
Multi-layered Conflict
Conflict is a key component of the drama genre and can be combined with fear to heighten tension. However, it's crucial to explore how fear can be utilised to create different types of conflict.
Internal conflict forces characters to confront their fears, insecurities, or moral dilemmas. This struggle to address internal battles creates unease and adds emotional depth. In Orange is the New Black (2013), Piper struggles with the fear of losing her identity within the prison system. Her journey from a privileged individual to a hardened inmate reflects her internal conflict between adapting to survive and clinging to her former life. This fear leads to moments of introspection, questionable decisions, and moral dilemmas.
With interpersonal conflict, fear often arises from the tension between individuals who are concerned that their opposing desires will damage their relationship. In The Crown (2016), Prince Philip fears being overshadowed by Queen Elizabeth's role as monarch. His struggle for independence and respect creates friction in their marriage.
External conflict introduces fear by placing characters in scenarios involving physical dangers or threats from their surroundings. For instance, in 1917 (2019), two soldiers navigate enemy territory during World War 1 to deliver a life-saving message. Their fear of the unforgiving environment and the risk of being discovered by enemy forces generates continuous external conflict.
Relatable Fears
Relating to someone's fear makes it easier to empathise with them and their struggles. By depicting relatable fears in your stories, viewers can see reflections of their own lives or experiences within the narrative.
By drawing on universal fears, you can create fears that many people find relatable. While not everyone is afraid of the same things, universal fears are those that almost everyone can comprehend. This is because they address core aspects of the human experience and deeply resonate with others. For example, fears such as losing loved ones, missing opportunities, or losing one's identity are considered relatable.
In Black Mirror (2011) Season 3, Episode 1: 'Nosedive', the main character, Lacie, exists in a society where each individual is rated on a 5-star scale by others, determining their social status, access to resources, and opportunities. The episode highlights modern concerns about social media use, where likes, followers, and online reputation have real-world consequences, for example, losing job prospects or negatively impacting personal relationships. The episode taps into the fear of how digital platforms intensify social pressure to conform and the fragility of status in such a system.
You can also create relatable fears by illustrating how a fear affects a character's immediate goals or relationships. For example, a parent who fears losing custody of their child could go to extreme lengths to prove that they're fit to be a parent, even if it jeopardises their mental health or career.
Subtle Dialogue
Using subtle dialogue allows you to portray how afraid characters are without directly stating it. A character could avoid openly addressing their fears, but their discomfort is evident in their words.
This can be achieved by using long pauses, fragmented sentences, or depicting a character's reluctance to respond to direct questions. These techniques heighten the tension as people often find it difficult to articulate their thoughts when they're afraid. Integrating these natural speech patterns into your script can reveal a character's genuine emotional state and pull the audience into the scene.
For instance, in Little Women (2019), Beth's illness becomes a central source of fear for Jo. As she talks to Beth, Jo demonstrates her love for her and how afraid she is that she can't control the situation.
Beth: “It’s like the tide going out. It goes out slowly, but it can’t be stopped.”
Jo: “When my mind wanders, I think of things like how you’ll miss me marrying, and how you’ll never get to go to Europe. You should be the one going on trips and adventures. Not me.”
Beth: “But you will go... for me.”
Jo: (starting to cry) “No, no. I can’t.”
Beth: “You’ll get better at it in time.”
Beth's metaphor of "the tide going out" reveals that she has accepted her impending death. She doesn't explicitly state that she's dying, which adds to the poignancy of her words. Her calm tone amplifies Jo's fear because it contrasts with Jo's emotional state.
Jo's brief and fragmented response, "No, no. I can't," reflects her inability to confront the reality of losing Beth. Instead of launching into a big outburst, Jo's quiet protest highlights her internal struggle. The subtlety in her dialogue makes the scene feel relatable and deeply moving, drawing the audience into her emotional state without it feeling forced.
Foreshadowing and Symbolism
It's crucial to add the ingredient of fear early on in the story; then you can start to develop it throughout the narrative. This can be achieved through foreshadowing, which introduces subtle hints of danger to keep the audience on edge. For instance, showing a broken lock on a door early in the story could evoke fear when the door is later shown to have mysteriously opened.
Furthermore, you can use symbolism, such as specific objects and visuals, to represent the character's fear or foreshadow future story events. For example, using the recurring imagery of a raven to symbolise impending doom, appearing before pivotal moments.
In the historical drama Victoria (2016), foreshadowing and symbolism are used to build tension and fear. One example is the foreshadowing of Prince Albert's premature death. His health is portrayed as a concern from the beginning of the series, and his health continues to decline as the show progresses. In various episodes, Albert also contemplates his legacy and worries about securing a bright future for his children, as if he fears his time is limited. These moments subtly allude to his eventual death from typhoid fever, without directly addressing it.
Symbolically, winter imagery becomes a recurring visual in several scenes involving Albert in the later seasons. These snowy landscapes and the cold can be used to represent the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. For example, he is seen walking through a frosty garden while shivering. This imagery serves as a visual metaphor for his deteriorating health and approaching end.
This combination of subtle foreshadowing and symbolic imagery heightens the emotional impact, making Albert's eventual death feel inevitable and devastating.
Romance
Incorporating fear into the romance genre involves merging emotional vulnerability with the tension that emerges from love and relationships. Romantic fear can arise from numerous sources, both internal and external. For instance, it can stem from the risks associated with love, such as the possibility of rejection, loss, betrayal, or heartbreak. This makes the fear within these narratives feel deeply personal and relatable.
Rejection is one of the most universal fears in romance, fuelling internal conflict and fear. Characters often worry that their affections won't be reciprocated or that they might jeopardise an existing relationship. As a result, they may hesitate to confess their feelings or fear judgment if their vulnerabilities are revealed. For instance, a person admitting their love to a best friend might fear damaging their friendship.
Love requires openness, which can be daunting for characters who have built up emotional walls. This fear of vulnerability can make characters reluctant to open up about their past, fearing judgment from others. Previous trauma, particularly related to relationships, can make individuals cautious about falling in love. For example, a widower might fear finding love again after losing their spouse. By utilising fear in your romance stories, you can add complexity to characters and relationships, enhancing the emotional stakes while keeping the audience invested in the story.
Techniques for Writing Fear in the Romance Genre
Near Confessions
Have you ever wanted to express your true feelings, only to hesitate at the last second out of fear? Incorporating near confessions like this into your story can heighten the tension by creating scenarios where a character is on the verge of revealing their feelings but pulls back due to fear of rejection or the vulnerability of being emotionally open. For instance, in Heartstopper (2022), Nick frequently struggles with his developing feelings for Charlie and his reluctance to fully acknowledge them.
Nick is reluctant to express his feelings for Charlie because he is unsure about his emotions. He also fears the repercussions of coming out publicly and its impact on his relationships. While Charlie consistently reassures him, Nick finds it challenging to clearly express his true romantic feelings for him. Throughout the series, the audience can sense Nick's internal struggle and his fear about how deep his feelings for Charlie have grown.
Miscommunication
Miscommunication can instil fear in romantic relationships because it can cause misunderstandings, build emotional barriers, and create distance between people. It plays on the characters' insecurities, making them fearful that the love they believe they share might not be reciprocated.
You can add miscommunication to your stories by creating dialogue that is open to misinterpretation. This can cause characters to doubt another character's feelings towards them, thereby introducing fear. Additionally, characters could overanalyse or misunderstand each other's signals. The fear of rejection can arise from these miscommunications, causing characters to second-guess their own feelings.
In one of my favourite films, 13 Going on 30 (2004), Jenna, now a 30-year-old, visits her best friend Matt's house. However, Matt had romantic feelings for her in the past, and they have drifted apart since they were teenagers. As a result, he responds awkwardly and coldly when Jenna tries to talk to him. In her mind, they have always been close, as she has no recollection of what happened after her thirteenth birthday party.
For example, she immediately hugs him, catching him off guard with her actions. He doesn't reciprocate the hug because he is confused by her behaviour. This also shows the distance that has grown between them since they were younger. Jenna's rushed growth, coupled with Matt's insecurities about his past experiences with Jenna, leads to miscommunication between them.
Romantic gestures
Romantic gestures often carry an element of fear, since they reveal a character's most profound feelings. These gestures could also involve an emotional risk, as there is a chance that they won't be reciprocated or could backfire. A grand romantic gesture that forces a character out of their comfort zone could lead to fear of rejection or humiliation. For instance, a big romantic gesture might include holding a large bouquet of roses and publicly declaring your love to someone in a crowded place.
In Mamma Mia! (2008), Sam proposes to Donna in front of her daughter and the other residents of the Greek Island. He also sings a song to her in front of everyone in an attempt to convince her to say yes. Although this scene is somewhat humorous with the musical aspect, Sam is openly sharing his feelings with someone who he previously hurt. This explains Donna's initial reluctance to accept the proposal. She is afraid of getting hurt again by someone she loves. Whereas, Sam could be afraid of being rejected by her.
Romantic gestures don't always have to be extravagant. A small, intimate gesture can also be deeply meaningful, especially if it involves the risk of emotional vulnerability. For instance, a character could write a letter confessing their love and give it to another character. The character could fear that the letter may not have the desired effect, but it still represents their emotional commitment.
Flashbacks
Using flashbacks in your script can help you explore a character's fear of love, especially when it's linked to past trauma or unsuccessful relationships. Flashbacks can illustrate why a character is afraid to open up, allowing the audience to understand the emotional baggage they bring into their current romantic relationship. They can also highlight instances where a character was vulnerable to show how being hurt in the past has impacted their ability to trust a new person.
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) opens with a flashback to Rebecca's childhood where she is shopping with her mother, who insists on buying her practical but unflattering shoes. A group of girls, the same age as Rebecca, make fun of her shoes. This suggests that Rebecca's shopping addiction may stem from a desire to fit in with those who can afford stylish items, driven by her fear of being ridiculed. Furthermore, she overlooks a man who appears interested in her and compares romantic love to shopping.
This flashback reveals the origins of her shopping obsession and how it negatively impacts her romantic relationships. For instance, when her shopping addiction is eventually exposed in front of her love interest, Luke, he becomes upset and questions why she can't be honest with him. Her fear of him discovering her addiction is now revealed, and she's concerned that he might not want to be involved with her anymore. This puts a strain on their developing relationship as Luke is uncertain if he can trust anything else she tells him.
As a result, Rebecca is pushed to make wiser financial decisions, including selling all of her clothes to settle her debts. This reflects Rebecca's growth from the beginning to the end of the film, in which she beings to prioritise her personal relationships over her shopping addiction.
Fear: Bringing Together Horror, Drama, and Romance
Whether your characters are being chased by a supernatural entity, confronting a rival, or dealing with the heart-wrenching vulnerability of unspoken feelings, incorporating fear into horror, drama, or romance can raise the stakes for both characters and viewers. The above techniques can help you create complex and dynamic stories where characters face their internal and external fears. By understanding the role of fear in each genre, you can invite the audience to experience the full spectrum of love, survival, and overcoming challenges.
Check out Part 2: Comedy, Adventure & Fantasy
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