Eerie Imagery
“The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth after the vampire’s bite.” This appeals to which sense?
What is gustatory imagery?
Words that imitate natural sounds, like “creak” or “howl,” are called this.
What is onomatopoeia?
This is the overall feeling or atmosphere that a reader experiences in a story.
What is mood?
Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as,” for example: “Her scream was like the wail of a banshee,” is called this.
What is a simile?
This is the order of events in a story; horror writers often use delayed reveals to create suspense.
What is plot?
In “The Raven,” the tapping at the chamber door creates a sense of unease through this technique.
What is repetition?
“The wind whispered wicked warnings” uses repetition of consonant sounds at the start of words, known as this.
What is alliteration?
When a horror story feels dark and foreboding, the author is establishing this using word choice and imagery.
What is tone?
A direct comparison without using “like” or “as,” for example: “The night was a coffin,” is called this.
What is a metaphor?
Breaking up long sentences with short, sharp phrases like “He stopped. Listened. Waited.” is a method used to build this in horror stories.
What is suspense or tension?
“Her fingers brushed against the slimy, cold walls of the dungeon.” This appeals to which sense?
What is tactile imagery?
“The night was silent, save for the tap, tap, tap at the window” is an example of this literary device emphasizing repeated sounds.
What is repetition?
The narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” creates tension and dread using his obsessive thoughts. This is an example of a ______ tone.
What is suspenseful or anxious?
“Death danced in the candlelight” gives human actions to something nonhuman. This is an example of this literary device.
What is personification?
This device gives hints or clues about events that will occur later, increasing fear and tension in horror stories.
What is foreshadowing?
“The full moon glared down like a silver eye, casting long shadows across the graveyard.” This type of imagery appeals mainly to what sense?
What is visual imagery?
This device gives human characteristics to sounds to make them more frightening. For example: “The shadows moaned and sighed.”
What is personification?
Mood and tone can be created through this literary device, which involves exaggeration for emphasis, such as “a scream that could split the night.”
What is hyperbole?
“The shadows slithered across the floor like snakes” is an example of this device, which compares using vivid imagery.
What is a simile?
Authors often build tension by revealing critical information to the reader before the character discovers it. This technique is called ______.
What is dramatic irony?
The air reeked of decay as the coffin was opened.” This appeals to which sense?
What is olfactory imagery?
The phrase “distant drums of doom” combines multiple sound devices—onomatopoeia, alliteration, and this one, which creates a harsh or discordant effect.
What is cacophony?
The feeling of unease produced by something that is both familiar and unfamiliar (like a seemingly normal house with strange shadows) is an example of this.
What is the uncanny or eerie mood?
When a phrase combines contradictory terms to create an unsettling effect, like “silent scream” or “dark brightness,” it is called this.
What is an oxymoron?
In a haunted house story, the character hides in a closet to escape a ghost, but the ghost is already inside. The audience knows this, creating tension. This type of irony is called ______.
What is dramatic irony?