PSA: Thought of using a haunted house as a writing prompt but got mixed feedback

I pitched a story set in an abandoned asylum near my town where the main character has to survive 3 nights for a bet, but some people say it's too cliche while others think the location gives it fresh angles. Which side do you lean on if you've done a haunted setting before?

2 comments

2 Comments

janac591mo ago

Have you thought about flipping the cliche on its head? Like, instead of running from ghosts, make the main character a skeptic who's only there to prove it's fake, but the real horror comes from the people running the bet? Give them a rival trying to mess with them, maybe a past incident in the asylum that's more about human cruelty than spooky spirits. You can still keep the eerie atmosphere and jump scares but ground it in something that feels fresh, like a broken history or a secret room that changes everything. That way you're using the familiar setting but twisting the motive, making the reader question what's actually dangerous. What kind of backstory for the asylum are you thinking about?

noahjenkins1mo ago

Wait, @janac59, you might be onto something. I used to roll my eyes at asylum stories but this actually sounds fresh.