User blog comment:ShawnCognitionCP/What is True Horror and How to Achieve It/@comment-24381191-20140816102123

The only time I get scared while writing stories is when I find out I'm out of chocolate. (    ._.    )

One thing I would add is that psychological horror is better than gore. Take the Shining. It's widely regarded as one of King's best horror novels, anf it barely has any gore. Or Psychosis, it has no gore at all, it only deals with the narrator's paranoia. These kind of stories can be more effective than stuff like Nightmare On Elm Street or Friday the 13th.