A creepy character may not have the importance the protagonist, love interest or villain has – but there are more than essential in most stories.These can appear in any form – a stalker, someone simply off-putting, a villain, or even the staple entities from the horror stories. They give the story an edge –luring the readers into the narrative even more. But their role helps more in furthering the plotline, though it may be more subtle.
For instance, if it’s a stalker in a romance book, they just give more incentive to bring the protagonist and their love interest closer. And if it’s a creepy entity in a horror narrative – well, everyone knows their importance.
Since the creepy quality can have vastly different indicators, there is no fixed mould to put these characters into. This is where many writers get confused and simply fail to induce the creepy feeling in the readers through the characters. In this case, the stalker doesn’t seem disagreeable enough, and the attempt to make the villain sinister is somewhat laughable.
To help the writers out of this little pickle, you must understand a particular thing – the essence of creepiness.
The essence of Creepiness
You can make a character creepy by giving them a weird habit, a seriously unappealing persona, or even disturbing mannerisms, including violent tendencies and no regard for personal space. But these qualities do not define the essence; they are its multiple facets.
Creepiness is all about unpredictability.
An unpredictable personalready comes across as a potential threat simply because there is no way one can tell what they will do. And if you can’t predict them, our subconscious refuses to trust these people. This is where you note, “Their vibes are hella weird”. It is often your subconscious’s way of telling you that they seem unpredictable – and hence, creepy.
This is the quality the writers must imbibe to the character if they want to portray them creepily. Your character has to be unpredictable – and then you can layer them in those weird, defining facets to make them the perfect personification of creepiness.
The markers of portraying Creepiness
A creepy character can encompass so many nuances that it may be hard to keep track. There are just so many possibilities! However, to narrow it down, there are some recurring patterns in every creepy character ever written. The common link between these markers? That’s the unpredictability, the non-conforming behaviour.
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Inappropriate behaviour
This can include every behaviour people deem as non-conforming. Weird expressions, repeated actions, no eye contact (classic guilty move) or staring at someone or something for uncomfortably long, being emotionless or too emotional, having the most unusual hobbies and so on.
For instance, Patrick Bateman, the protagonist of Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho (the title is telling enough), has the weirdest grooming routine. Bateman follows a step-by-step care routine every morning that would shame even the most grooming-obsessed people. It may seem a little extravagant at first – but it becomes straight-up weird when you realize he is a sadistic serial killer with way too many crimes under his belt.
Inappropriate behaviour also covers the dangerous side of obsession. However, it surely deserves its point if we’re talking about creepiness.
- Obsessive tendencies over something or someone:
An unhealthy obsession over anything is always weird and doesn’t take time to turn creepy. There’s a reason why teenage girls obsessing over celebrities is severely frowned upon, after all. In fiction, this obsession can translate to a stalker being obsessed with a person, a consuming habit deemed unconventional, or even actively researching something highly taboo. (Unless that’s your area of academic research). Didn’t Gollum’s ring obsession give you the creeps?
These characters may be weirdly eerie, but their obsession is what makes them rather memorable. There is no way you would remember Dolores Umbridge if she wasn’t so obsessed with power, social status… and, well, cats.
- Sloppy appearance
A sloppy appearance – greasy hair, long dirty nails, ragged clothes, funky smells – can keep other people away from you in seconds. Again, Gollum is the perfect example here. Wispy strands, big eyes, rotten teeth, dark slimy skin – this character induces that creepiness beautifully. As you can see, these details are more suited for depicting ghostly entities in horror or supernatural fiction.
But while writing creepy characters, you can’t limit the description of their appearance to these elements. Things like lifeless eyes, off-putting grins and expressions, especially for any situation, can also make your character weird. These are more applicableto show villains, stalkers or obsessive side characters.
How to actually write a creepy character?
Though the creepy factor of any character largely depends on their individual quirks and personality, there are some elements a writer can universally manipulate. These are related to the accompanying atmosphere, the way you write the scenes and the reactions of the people near these characters.
- Show, don’t tell:
This is one of the golden rules of writing – and even more applicable for writing creepy characters. You’re not supposed to tell the readers that the character, the scene or the vibes are actually bizarre; show it with the elements disposed to your feet. That means you don’t tell the readers that ‘the scene is creepy’ – instead, you paint a picture like Stephen King paints in his novel, IT:
“Smells of dirt and wet and long-gone vegetables would merge into one unmistakable ineluctable smell, the smell of the monster, the apotheosis of all monsters. It was the smell of something for which he had no name: the smell of It, crouched and lurking and ready to spring. A creature which would eat anything but which was especially hungry for boymeat.”
The author doesn’t simply say the creature is smelly. Instead, he shows it by weaving together a creepy scenario. Using this little trick will definitely make your character seem weirder!
- Use aggressive alternatives to describe the scenes:
Acting as a corollary to the above tip, A great way to write scenes with your creepy character is to changehow you describe it. Soft, polite words have to go here – replace them with their aggressive alternatives. For example –
Instead of writing – He stared at her creepily.
Write this – He held her eyes in a cold, unflinching stare.
The first sentence seems bland. It does the trick; it informs the readers that his stare is weird, and consequently, he is too. But there is no sense of building terror, thanks to the mellow wording. As opposed to this is the second sentence, where readers can quickly get the feel of the action. They can promptly imagine the uncomfortable intensity of the stare and, in turn, the scene. And it sure does make that ‘he’ look creepier.
- Find that balance between creepiness and humanization:
Like any other good character, a creepy character’s entire focus isn’t on just being bizarre. They have their lives, friends, loved ones and even hobbies that can make the readers coo over them. There should be a proper balance between the creepy factor and their humane side to get that full effect of the story.
But remember – a creep that can induce sympathy among the readers may not be a good characterization. Because that sympathy can lead to everyone thinking that character deserves a second chance. That only negates the essence of your character and their story. For instance, Tom Watson from Paula Hawkins’Girl on the Train seems suspicious from the start – but he is portrayed as deceptively normal, victimized even. Hawkins just gives the readers enough to be alert about this guy – just the right amount of creepy and humane!
Conclusion
There is a fine line between making your character dangerously creepy or just calling them weird because they’re different. Whatever we believe as weird habits may actually be symptoms of mental health issues in reality – so you have to be very careful while drafting up your creep.
Once you’ve understood that point, absolutely nothing is stopping you from writing the best creepy character ever.Shell out every disgusting thing that best suits your character, narrative and writing style.Dive into the unknown – that’s where the creepiness festers!
