What Makes a Character Frightening?

[Seaby]

Mostly a question concerning horror and character design.

I want to develop characters that appear physically odd and unnatural, but I'm having a hard time designing something that isn't too 'pretty' or too overdone (sharp claws, fangs, horns, the usual generic monster type).

I want to know what I should be focusing on when I design a character that is meant to instill fear with their presence, both in the narrative and in the reader. I'm looking to create something recognizable, but unnerving.

(Obviously, fear is subjective and what might be 'scary' for one person might not be the same for another, but I encourage sharing your personal take on the matter.)

[DasIstWunderblyat]

For me in design-wise it is uncanniness and closeness (trying to achieve "normalcy" or "humanity," but it feels off). Such as a clone of myself with no eye would be more scary to me than a clawed fanged beast, the idea that this thing even try to be me to achieve something is more terrifying.

Although I tend to be more associating creepiness with said character's nature and behaviour. There must be a reason to me for a character to be perceived as creepy, and showing it by how the character behave is good.

[Seaby]

I definitely agree with you on the creepiness of seemingly normal things with that one thing that looks off. I'm looking to utilize that, once I get an idea of how.
Your mention of the characters behavior reminded me that I should be taking that into consideration! I don't want to create a scary character only to ruin it with lackluster actions. Thank you for reminding me!

[MoseyP]

Speaking of uncanny, I would reccomend doing some research on the uncanny valley. There are some great diagrams that show designs which make humans look more off and therefore creepy.

[DiscountedArtist]

I would suggest taking an animal and making it a stuffed toy. Then make the stuffed toy ripped up and give the creature some dangerous or disturbing qualities. For example, human teeth on a ripped up stuffed bear with red eyes. The size doesn't really matter in my opinion.

But, I don't make horror comics so I might not know what I'm talking about.

[MrOwl]

I don't know why, but pale humanoids with "void" eyes are super scary to me, specially if they're dead, like ghosts..

[Seaby]

I don't want to freak myself out, so I'm not going to be doing any searches
I have some understanding of the uncanny valley, but I think that it's difficult to apply that to artwork unless you have a fairly realistic style. I do want to apply the essence of the phenomenon into certain features, such as the mouth or limbs.

@DiscountedArtist Are you suggesting that I begin with a recognizable figure and alter it until I achieve something creepy? I think that's a good idea, especially since it would make it easier for me to get to that base design to work on.

[Seaby]

Void eyes are creepy. But I think it's especially freaky on animals!

[sii]

Depending on your story, you could have a character that's basically a 'faceless NPC' type. Where, they're nothing more than a random background character who doesn't even really have a face or any lines. But they're always there, hidden in a panel, watching the MC. And no matter how hard someone looks at them, their face looks like its been erased and you can see the faint traces of the outline of their face.

And I agree, wrongness is definitely a really good focus when trying to amp up the creepiness of horror. Just take a normal thing and completely twist it until it feels absolute wrong. Like my face example up there lol.

[Inspector_Spinda]

read some junji ito. nuff said

[Seaby]

Definitely! Ito tends to base his designs on common phobias, which would definitely lead into some interesting monsters.
However, I think that the designs are hit or miss in terms of instilling fear. Ito's works remain interesting because of his detailed style, so even if you're not afraid of spiders or holes or the unknown, you can still enjoy the off-putting realism. I am most certainly not skilled enough to achieve that.

[ScarletDemon]

What's cool sometimes is what can make a character frightening is not in their appearance, but mannerisms. In one of my novels, the main character whom the novel is in their point of view is the bad guy and is this pure evil, sadistic, mean and ruthless killer who has no qualms about killing children, old people, animals or anything, but on the outside she looks the same for people of where she's from. A character who looks "normal", but their personality is where the evil shows can be frightening. I found this article helpful, it's a real "Tell, not show" kind of idea.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-an-unforgettable-villain-tips-for-writing-a-great-villain-for-your-novel-or-short-story
On the flip side, working on phobias people have: bugs, clowns, old dolls...taking elements from them always works too.

[Inspector_Spinda]

If you want simple and creepy maybe something from magical girl horror will inspire you. I know there is one series called magical girl site that had a terrible older brother character and there was one drawing of his creepy face that gave me nightmares. Eww

[PaperHearts]

I don't think you necessarily have to have a realistic style to have a character fall into the uncanny valley. There's plenty of stylized artwork that can be creepy unintentionally because they're close to a familiar art style but still off (like this meme: https://i.imgur.com/lbAaIi3_d.webp?maxwidth=728&fidelity=grand)

If your story has "normal" characters, maybe you can try using them as your base to make your 'scary' character uncanny?

[Seaby]

I hadn't realized that image could be considered part of the uncanny valley, but looking at it now I can see why!
I do have something of a base ready, so I'll see how I can alter its features enough so that it starts to look disturbing.

[LadyN]

It’s all in the smile. A smile is suppose to be warm and welcoming but you could easily change it to be crooked and unsettling.

[Kiweevil]

Yep. Smiles are what I plaster onto my usual cute and tiny fluffy animals to make them more menacing at appropriate moments. A smile may mean something positive in humanity, but in the inhuman kingdom, a smile is a menacing thing. Some things just do not look right with a big toothy smile, like dogs or teddy bears.

Alise sketches, for example (not great drawings, but what I have on hand):

Other examples:

[dsptss78]

Id recommend having a mysterious factor to the character. People fear the unknown, that's why shadow like creatures or beings are very unnerving. Slenderman was a mysterious guy with no face that lurked in the forest. It gave people the creeps. I feel like creepy pasta stories can help build ideas for your character appearance.

[DiegoPalacios]

To make sure your character is frightening they must be able to hurt others in strong and meaningful ways. The hype needs a payoff

Body language can make a huge factor on making someone/something scary.
Some cues that can give the creeps:

1-Not blinking
2-No sense of personal space
3-No emotions, or express the emotion in unsettling ways. A smile that is way off can freak out people if done well.

Hope this helps!

[gmaximin]

In the narrative, I’d suggest to make the character coherent, with logical motivations.
Motivations with the same logic as mentioned by @uselessgoddess for the design:

uncanniness and closeness (trying to achieve "normalcy" or "humanity," but it feels off)

Think Tooms in X-Files (but référence might be dated), motivated by survival instinct (a very natural and human motivation), you can’t fight that reasonably, which makes him scary.
Think rapist/serial killers, motivated by uncontrolled natural pulsions, it’s scary because you can’t use reason to decipher...
So a normal motivation everyone can relate to (natural instincts are good for that) but slightly twisted and pushed hundredfold...