Run better horror: Why the ghost should know their name
Today we’re talking about how personalizing horror makes it unforgettable and is about why personal horror is one of the most effective horror you can run.
If you like horror this is for you. And like, not everyone does and that’s totally fine but if you and you’re like me - this is for when you want players to feel scared in-character but still safe at the table. That moment where someone goes wide-eyed or facepalms and says “Are you KIDDING me?” because now you’ve taken it from just scary to scary to them specifically. Call of Chthulu articulates this really well with individual sanity checks - but I love it so much that I use it all the time and really lean into it with my Call of Chthulu game - which is an AP I’m on, which is linked below. Anyway, let’s get into it:
Generic Monsters Are Scary; Personal Ones Are Devastating
If you want to scare players beyond a surface level, the horror needs to matter to the characters. A monster you can barely see in the dark is scary. A monster you can barely see in the dark that calls your name in your dead grandmother’s voice? Fucking terrifying.
A shadow that seems to move autonomously? Creepy. A shadow that moves autonomously and says their mother’s name.? Now they’re stopping in their tracks.
You don’t have to change the monster’s stats or abilities. Don’t rewrite the encounter. Just reframe the moment.
Instead of “You hear whispering,” say:
“You hear whispering. And after a second, you realize it’s your childhood nickname. The one only your mom ever used.”
Same dice. Different impact. Now they’re not just reacting to a monster - they’re reacting to a monster AND memory. That’s what sticks.
Let the Past Be the Monster
Backstories are fertile ground for horror. Every unresolved guilt, every person they couldn’t save - hell yes. Has a PC died? Perfect. Use their ghost. Bonus, that player will feel kind of cool and happy. And the rest of your table will be like ‘oh fuck’
So instead of inventing something scary, ask: what haunts this character already? Then bring that to life. Literally. Frankenstein monster a lumbering golem that speaks like the dead PC. It’s surprising, sure, but it’s also consequence and failure.
Make the Familiar Weird
Horror lives in contrast so when you are trying to run personal horror, take something the PCs know - something that feels safe and comforting - and twist it just enough that it becomes unsettling. Not jump-scare shocking. Just… off.
A lullaby they sang to their kid, and their voice is coming through a broken speaker with distortion.
A character’s training gear, now soaked in blood and folded on their bed.
You’re trying to create friction between what they know and what they thought they knew. That’s what makes people pause. The uncanny lives in small shifts. Take something routine they trust - and show them they shouldn’t.
For bonus points on all this, make each of the PCs have a different experience. Either they see nothing or they see the monster for what it is or they have their own personal take because the best horror doesn’t just jump-scare. It’s unsettling, its nerve-wracking and It lingers.
