Using Chatgpt to Write in the Style of Stephen King
I decided to see what the fuss was about chatgpt and whether it could write a horror story for me. This is the question I asked it:
Write a horror story in the style of Stephen King. The plot involves a teen boy going into a notorious haunted house as a dare and what he finds in the cellar that makes him run for his life.
This is what it came up with:
The sun had set and the moon was high in the sky when 16-year-old Tim and his friends arrived at the old abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town. They had heard the rumors of the house being haunted and had been dared to spend a night inside. Tim, feeling brave and invincible, had accepted the challenge.
As they entered the house, they were greeted with creaking floors and the sound of whispers in the wind. They laughed it off, thinking it was just their imagination playing tricks on them. But as they approached the cellar, the whispers grew louder and more menacing. Tim’s heart was pounding in his chest as he descended the stairs, his friends close behind.
The room was dark and musty, and as they fumbled for a light switch, they suddenly heard a blood-curdling scream. They all froze, unsure of what to do, when Tim spotted a figure huddled in the corner. As he approached, he realized it was a young girl, her clothes torn and her eyes wide with terror.
She was babbling incoherently, but Tim managed to understand the words, “They’re coming, they’re coming.” And before they could do anything, the door to the cellar slammed shut, trapping them inside. The room began to shake and the sound of footsteps grew louder, closer.
Tim and his friends were paralyzed with fear as they saw the figures emerging from the shadows. They were twisted and deformed, with razor-sharp teeth and glowing eyes. Tim realized with a start that they were the ghosts of the previous owners of the house, who had died in a fire many years ago.
As they closed in, Tim and his friends realized that they were in grave danger and began to frantically search for a way out. But it was too late, the ghosts had trapped them in the cellar, and they were never seen or heard from again.
Years later, new owners of the house reported strange noises and whispers coming from the basement, and as they explored, they found the remains of Tim and his friends, their faces twisted in terror, and their bodies forever entombed in the haunted house.
And Now Dr Suess…
Just to see how good it might be, I also asked ChatGPT to write the same sort of story in the style of Dr Suess. Here’s what it came up with in about 30 seconds:
Once upon a time, in a town so quaint,
Lived a house that no one dared to haunt.
It stood tall, with a twisted old frown,
And rumors ran ’round the whole town.
Folks whispered tales of the spooky abode,
Of strange noises that echoed the halls,
Of creaking floorboards and ghostly moans,
And of course, the infamous cellar.
But one day, a group of kids so bold,
Decided they’d explore the old house of old.
With flashlights in hand and hearts full of cheer,
They set off, eager to conquer their fear.
They climbed the steps, and pushed open the door,
And inside, a creepy and cobwebby floor.
But the kids weren’t scared, they had come this far,
So they pressed on, to explore every nook and scar.
And as they crept down to the basement below,
They stumbled upon something they couldn’t quite know.
For there in the corner, stood a strange sight,
A creature with tentacles, and eyes so bright!
The kids screamed and ran, as fast as they could,
Back up the stairs, through the halls and out of the hood.
And as they told their tale, the town shuddered and shook,
For the thing in the cellar was not what it seemed to look.
And so, to this day, the house still stands tall,
With a twisted old frown, and whispers so small.
And the kids who went in, now all grown and bold,
Still shiver and shake when they think of the story told.
So, what do you think? Can we all stop burning the midnight oil and just hand over the story writing to ChatGPT? Answers below.
