A Formula Behind The Fright

This season, television series are chock-full of creepy, crawly bugs, ghosts with some serious revenge issues, disturbingly creative serial attackers and aliens that do not come in peace.

"I don't think this is new," said Robert Singer, executive producer of "Supernatural" on WB. "I think people have been going to scary movies for as long as filmed entertainment has been on. And even before that with stage plays. It goes back to people telling ghost stories around a campfire."

Shaun Cassidy, executive producer and creator of "Invasion" on ABC, agreed. "Fairy tales help kids process their demons. Scary stories exist for adults for the same reason."

The stories that are unfolding on TV this season can be divided into three categories -- alien shows, paranormal programs and crime dramas (see story below). These and other scare-inducing shows follow some simple rules for success, including:

Using Comedy: Hurley on "Lost" is the epitome of this technique. On "CSI," Grissom is always dropping one-liners before investigating a crime, and the brothers on "Supernatural" make a sport of the fake names they throw around: "Star Wars" and the band Metallica were recent inspirations.

"Humor saves the day," Cassidy said. "Even in their darkest hour, people are funny."

But pacing is important when introducing a light note to dark situations. Singer likes to disarm his audience with humor and then hit them with a dose of horror.

"The only rule we have when our guys are faced with whatever the threat of the week is, [is that] we don't play the humor in the middle of those scenes," he said.

Providing Answers: The brains behind shows based in mystery know that eventually there has to be a payoff for the audience or a series can get tangled in its own mythology (see the final seasons of "The X Files").

"Lost," for example, kicked off this season by letting viewers know exactly what was in that blasted hatch. And on "Invasion," Cassidy promises that many of the questions posed in the pilot episode will be answered soon.

Greer Shephard, executive producer of FX's "Nip/Tuck" and TNT's "The Closer," pledged that the identity of the Carver -- the serial attacker in this season's "Nip/Tuck" -- will be revealed by the season's final episode.

AVOIDING OBVIOUS PLOTS: Playing with people's expectations and not succumbing to the cliches of the genre are part of the plan for many shows. "I think if we do subscribe to a convention of the genre, it's that we try to lull the audience into a sense of comfort and then spring [something horrific such as] the Carver on them," Shephard said.