Horror Style Specialist
Psychological tension over jump scares. Environmental storytelling. Sparse detail. Industrial decay.
When to Use
- Horror game environments and props
- Psychological tension scenes
- Analog/liminal aesthetic assets
- Industrial decay settings
- Limited visibility compositions
Design Philosophy
Inspired by: Fear to Fathom, Chilla's Art, Puppet Combo, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Iron Lung
Core tenets:
- Less is more — Absence creates tension
- Familiar made wrong — Recognizable spaces with subtle wrongness
- Light as enemy — Darkness hides; light reveals uncomfortably
- Industrial analog — CRT screens, fluorescent hum, concrete, rust
- Environmental narrative — Story told through objects, not exposition
Visual Language
| Element |
Horror Treatment |
| Architecture |
Brutalist, institutional, repetitive |
| Materials |
Stained concrete, peeling paint, rust, yellowed plastic |
| Lighting |
Single source, flickering, cold fluorescent |
| Detail density |
Sparse foreground, empty midground, obscured background |
| Color |
Desaturated, sickly greens, cold blues, blood accent sparingly |
| Scale |
Slightly wrong proportions (low ceilings, narrow corridors) |
Modeling Guidelines
- Corridors: Narrow (1.2–1.5m) for claustrophobia
- Ceilings: Low (2.2–2.4m institutional)
- Doors: Slightly oversized or undersized — uncanny
- Detail: Concentrate on hero interactive objects; walls mostly bare
- Damage: Water stains > bullet holes; neglect > destruction
- Technology: 80s–90s analog — CRT monitors, tape recorders, rotary phones
Sparse Detail Rule
Foreground: 1–2 narrative objects (key, note, blood stain)
Midground: Architectural structure only
Background: Fog/darkness obscures incomplete geometry
Do not over-model backgrounds visible only in darkness.
Lighting (Horror)
Coordinate with lighting skill:
- High contrast ratio (8:1 minimum key:fill)
- Visible light source meshes (bare bulb, fluorescent tube)
- Volumetric fog mandatory for depth
- Color temperature clash: warm interior vs cold exterior
- Flicker animation on 1–2 lights only
Audio-Visual Sync Points
Design geometry supporting:
- Long empty hallways (footstep echo)
- Door slow-open clearance
- Corner blind spots
- Mirror/reflection placements
Material Palette
| Material |
Parameters |
| Stained concrete |
Roughness 0.9, desaturated gray-green |
| Peeling paint |
Vertex color mask, exposed concrete under |
| Rust metal |
Roughness 0.85, dark orange-brown |
| Yellowed plastic |
Subsurface slight, warm yellow |
| CRT screen |
Emission: green/phosphor, low intensity |
| Blood (sparingly) |
Dark dried red, roughness 0.7 |
Reference Mood Board Targets
- Empty school hallways after hours
- Abandoned medical facilities
- Submarine interiors (Iron Lung)
- Fog-shrouded streets with single streetlight
- Apartment with one room lit by TV glow
Polycount Approach
Horror benefits from lowpoly-style efficiency:
- Simple geometry + strong lighting = effective horror
- See lowpoly-style for budget alignment
- Budget saved on geo → spend on lighting/volumetrics
MCP Integration
- Build sparse environment layouts via MCP
- Place single-source lighting via MCP
- Assign desaturated materials via MCP
- Validate sightlines and blind corners via camera MCP
- Keep background collections low-poly/hidden in fog
Constraints
MUST DO
- Prioritize atmosphere over detail
- Design readable paths with unsettling alternatives
- Use environmental storytelling objects sparingly
- Coordinate with lighting skill always
- Test scene from player eye height (1.6m)
MUST NOT DO
- Over-detail every surface
- Bright even lighting
- Jump-scare gore everywhere
- Modern smartphone/tech unless anachronism intentional
- Dense vegetation (breaks institutional mood unless forest horror)
Reference Guide
| Topic |
Reference |
Load When |
| Environment layouts |
references/horror-layouts.md |
Level blockout |
| Analog props |
references/analog-props.md |
Prop list |
Related Horror Packs
psx-horror-style, cosmic-eldritch-horror, body-horror-style, analog-found-footage-horrorliminal-space-style, folk-horror-style, mascot-puppet-horror, dream-weirdcore-styleindie-horror-aesthetics
1---2name: horror-style3description: Psychological horror art direction for Blender assets inspired by Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Chilla's Art, Fear to Fathom, and Iron Lung. Use for sparse industrial environments, analog aesthetics, and tension-driven lighting.4license: MIT5---67# Horror Style Specialist89Psychological tension over jump scares. Environmental storytelling. Sparse detail. Industrial decay.1011## When to Use1213- Horror game environments and props14- Psychological tension scenes15- Analog/liminal aesthetic assets16- Industrial decay settings17- Limited visibility compositions1819## Design Philosophy2021Inspired by: Fear to Fathom, Chilla's Art, Puppet Combo, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Iron Lung2223**Core tenets:**241. **Less is more** — Absence creates tension252. **Familiar made wrong** — Recognizable spaces with subtle wrongness263. **Light as enemy** — Darkness hides; light reveals uncomfortably274. **Industrial analog** — CRT screens, fluorescent hum, concrete, rust285. **Environmental narrative** — Story told through objects, not exposition2930## Visual Language3132| Element | Horror Treatment |33|---------|------------------|34| Architecture | Brutalist, institutional, repetitive |35| Materials | Stained concrete, peeling paint, rust, yellowed plastic |36| Lighting | Single source, flickering, cold fluorescent |37| Detail density | Sparse foreground, empty midground, obscured background |38| Color | Desaturated, sickly greens, cold blues, blood accent sparingly |39| Scale | Slightly wrong proportions (low ceilings, narrow corridors) |4041## Modeling Guidelines4243- **Corridors:** Narrow (1.2–1.5m) for claustrophobia44- **Ceilings:** Low (2.2–2.4m institutional)45- **Doors:** Slightly oversized or undersized — uncanny46- **Detail:** Concentrate on hero interactive objects; walls mostly bare47- **Damage:** Water stains > bullet holes; neglect > destruction48- **Technology:** 80s–90s analog — CRT monitors, tape recorders, rotary phones4950## Sparse Detail Rule5152```53Foreground: 1–2 narrative objects (key, note, blood stain)54Midground: Architectural structure only55Background: Fog/darkness obscures incomplete geometry56```5758Do not over-model backgrounds visible only in darkness.5960## Lighting (Horror)6162Coordinate with lighting skill:63- High contrast ratio (8:1 minimum key:fill)64- Visible light source meshes (bare bulb, fluorescent tube)65- Volumetric fog mandatory for depth66- Color temperature clash: warm interior vs cold exterior67- Flicker animation on 1–2 lights only6869## Audio-Visual Sync Points7071Design geometry supporting:72- Long empty hallways (footstep echo)73- Door slow-open clearance74- Corner blind spots75- Mirror/reflection placements7677## Material Palette7879| Material | Parameters |80|----------|------------|81| Stained concrete | Roughness 0.9, desaturated gray-green |82| Peeling paint | Vertex color mask, exposed concrete under |83| Rust metal | Roughness 0.85, dark orange-brown |84| Yellowed plastic | Subsurface slight, warm yellow |85| CRT screen | Emission: green/phosphor, low intensity |86| Blood (sparingly) | Dark dried red, roughness 0.7 |8788## Reference Mood Board Targets8990- Empty school hallways after hours91- Abandoned medical facilities92- Submarine interiors (Iron Lung)93- Fog-shrouded streets with single streetlight94- Apartment with one room lit by TV glow9596## Polycount Approach9798Horror benefits from lowpoly-style efficiency:99- Simple geometry + strong lighting = effective horror100- See lowpoly-style for budget alignment101- Budget saved on geo → spend on lighting/volumetrics102103## MCP Integration1041051. Build sparse environment layouts via MCP1062. Place single-source lighting via MCP1073. Assign desaturated materials via MCP1084. Validate sightlines and blind corners via camera MCP1095. Keep background collections low-poly/hidden in fog110111## Constraints112113### MUST DO114- Prioritize atmosphere over detail115- Design readable paths with unsettling alternatives116- Use environmental storytelling objects sparingly117- Coordinate with lighting skill always118- Test scene from player eye height (1.6m)119120### MUST NOT DO121- Over-detail every surface122- Bright even lighting123- Jump-scare gore everywhere124- Modern smartphone/tech unless anachronism intentional125- Dense vegetation (breaks institutional mood unless forest horror)126127## Reference Guide128129| Topic | Reference | Load When |130|-------|-----------|-----------|131| Environment layouts | `references/horror-layouts.md` | Level blockout |132| Analog props | `references/analog-props.md` | Prop list |133134## Related Horror Packs135- `psx-horror-style`, `cosmic-eldritch-horror`, `body-horror-style`, `analog-found-footage-horror`136- `liminal-space-style`, `folk-horror-style`, `mascot-puppet-horror`, `dream-weirdcore-style`137- `indie-horror-aesthetics`138
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