If you're wondering whether or not your scary story is terrifying enough then perhaps you need to take a step back and reevaluate. 

Horror is an age-old genre. Yet, a lot of writers still have trouble getting a grasp on how to write down the spooky bits in their stories, when in reality they shouldn't be worried about that aspect as much. What horror writers should be concerned about, along with scaring their readers, is how to get a grip on the elements of horror. 

The best horror stories can be broken down and dissected into different components and although horror is mostly subjective, the best and most memorable horror stories rely on good writing and a clear understanding of the three types of irony. 

Horror is composed of many different things: mystery, suspense, fear, plot twists, and drama. But how do these things correlate with irony? Well, let me break down the three types of irony. 

The first type of irony is verbal irony. Most people have related verbal irony to sarcasm and, although they aren't wrong, they also aren't completely correct. Sarcasm is used to mock or insult, while verbal irony can be broken down into two parts. 

The overstatement - when a person exaggerates the character of something. 

The understatement - when a person undermines the character of something. 

In Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor tells Fortunato that he is concerned for his health. Montresor replies, "The cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough." 

To which Montresor says, "True--true." 

Verbal irony can often foreshadow future events or circumstances, in this case, it is foreshadowed that Fortunato will die, but not of a cough. So we are left in suspense and with a bit of dramatic irony. 

Dramatic irony is my favorite type of irony; it gives the audience all the information, but leaves the character (or characters) clueless as to what is going to unfold. Let's move away from Poe and into the mind of Alfred Hitchcock. 

In Vertigo, we are introduced to Judy after a traumatic event has left the film's protagonist, Scottie, almost catatonic. Moments after Scottie asks Judy on a date, she writes a letter to him explaining the truth of how she was involved in a murder plot that caused Scottie to experience said traumatic event. Nonetheless, she has fallen for him so Judy rips up the letter. We are given spoilers, but not enough to actually spoil the rest of the story. In fact, dramatic irony, if executed properly, can add more questions than answers. 

The audience is made to watch and believe that Scottie is truly spiraling into madness due to his obsession with Judy. Of course, this is where Hitchcock slaps us all across the face and tells us to wake up and he gives us a taste of situational irony. 

Situational irony involves a discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. Situational irony is the twist that leaves a bittersweet taste in our mouths and makes us do a double take, whether it is in literature, film, or television. 

A great example of situational irony is in Netflix's recent adaption of Shirley Jackson's novel The Haunting of Hill House, in which we are introduced to Nell, a young girl who has had constant encounters with a ghost she calls the Bent-Kneck Lady. As the story progresses we watch as she grows up and tries to escape this ghost's clutches, only to find out that she has always been running toward the Bent-Kneck Lady the whole time. Their fates intertwined and the inevitable happens. 

Keep these things in mind, and don't get lost in cheap and shoddy jump scares. Once you fully understand the elements of horror, then you can begin your process without fear of not being scary enough because writing horror isn't just for spooks and scares. At its core, it is still literature and relies on good writing.