horrorcinematiclighting
Seedance 2.0 Horror Prompts That Build Tension (Without Turning to Noise)
Horror works when it is restrained. Use these Seedance 2.0 prompt patterns to build dread: lighting, pacing, soundless cues, and clean shot design.
By Best Seedance Prompts
Horror prompting fails when it becomes a bag of spooky keywords. What actually creates dread is pacing, negative space, and motivated light.
The horror triangle
- Limited visibility (darkness, fog, flashlight)
- Slow camera movement
- One clear "wrong" detail
Template: flashlight corridor
A person walking alone in a long corridor, only a flashlight beam illuminates the path.
SHOT: medium-wide, 28mm, deep shadows.
CAMERA: slow handheld follow, subtle micro-jitter, no sudden cuts.
Lighting: flashlight beam creates moving shadows, darkness swallows the edges of frame.
Atmosphere: faint dust motes in the beam, cold color temperature.
Avoid: jump cuts, random monsters, overly fast motion.
Template: doorway reveal (the "almost nothing happens" beat)
Static shot of a doorway in a quiet room. The door is slightly open.
Camera: locked tripod, no movement for 4 seconds.
Action: the door slowly creaks a few centimeters, then stops.
Lighting: low warm practical in the background, deep shadow in the doorway.
Template: silhouette in fog
Night exterior, thick fog, a single distant streetlight.
A human silhouette stands still, partially obscured by fog.
Camera: slow dolly-in, smooth motion, strong rim light from the streetlight.
Keep it clean
If your horror output turns into mush:
- reduce the number of elements
- choose one lighting source
- keep the camera slow
Want horror-adjacent prompts to remix (noir, thriller, dystopia)? Browse the library: prompt collection.