How to create a scary atmosphere

[Kman]

Basically what Andy said. Don't force any of these kinds of things either. For example, if you make an object fall off a shelf, don't make the player look at it, don't try to make it stand out in any sort of way. Yes, there is a good chance that the player will miss it, but if they catch it and you don't try to force it it will be waaaay more effective. If you force them to see it or you play an event soundtrack right then or stuff like that, I've found it tends to kill the immersion more than anything. It's like screaming "HEY, HEY PLAYER, LOOK AT THIS SPOOKY SHIT THAT'S SUPPOSED TO MAKE YOU SCARED", but when they notice it out of the corner of their eye or happen to glance by the event just as it's happening it can do wonders, since then it actually feels like it's part of the environment and you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's... kind of a hard concept to explain, but I hope you got the basic idea behind what I'm saying.