If you're trying to build a spooky atmosphere, setting up a roblox horror note reading script is one of the easiest ways to feed lore to your players without breaking the immersion. There's something inherently creepy about walking into a flickering room, finding a blood-stained scrap of paper, and realizing you're not alone. But if you're new to Studio, getting that note to actually pop up on the screen and stay readable can be a bit of a headache.
Why notes are essential for horror
Before we dive into the actual code, let's talk about why we're even doing this. In a horror game, suspense is everything. You don't want to explain the monster's backstory through a giant wall of text in the menu or a clunky cutscene that stops the gameplay. You want the player to find it.
Notes let players piece the mystery together at their own pace. It rewards exploration. Plus, when a player is standing still reading a note, they're vulnerable. That's the perfect time to play a creepy sound effect or have something move in the corner of their eye. A solid roblox horror note reading script isn't just about displaying text; it's about controlling the player's focus.
Setting up the UI
First things first, you need something for the player to actually look at. In Roblox Studio, head over to the StarterGui and create a new ScreenGui. Let's name it "NoteSystem."
Inside that, you'll want a Frame. This is going to be the background of your note. You can make it look like an old piece of parchment by changing the background color to a light beige or even uploading a custom texture of torn paper. Pro tip: set the AnchorPoint to 0.5, 0.5 and the Position to {0.5, 0}, {0.5, 0} so it stays perfectly centered on any screen size.
Inside the Frame, add a TextLabel for the actual message and a TextButton that acts as an "X" or "Close" button. Make sure the Frame's Visible property is set to false by default. We only want it to appear when the player interacts with a note in the world.
Creating the interactable note
Now we need the physical object in the game world. Create a Part, shape it like a flat piece of paper, and maybe throw a "Decal" on it to make it look like it has writing.
The best way to trigger the note is by using a ProximityPrompt. It's much more modern and user-friendly than the old ClickDetectors. Insert a ProximityPrompt into your Part and change the ObjectText to "Note" and the ActionText to "Read."
Writing the roblox horror note reading script
This is where the magic happens. We need a way for the ProximityPrompt to tell the UI to show up. While you could do this entirely in a Server Script, it's usually smoother to handle UI stuff on the client side.
You'll want to use a RemoteEvent in ReplicatedStorage. Let's call it "ReadNoteEvent."
Now, inside your Part (the note), add a regular Script:
```lua local prompt = script.Parent.ProximityPrompt local event = game.ReplicatedStorage.ReadNoteEvent
prompt.Triggered:Connect(function(player) local noteCt think I'll make it through the night." event:FireClient(player, noteContent) end) ```
Next, you need a LocalScript inside your "NoteSystem" ScreenGui to listen for that event:
```lua local event = game.ReplicatedStorage.ReadNoteEvent local frame = script.Parent.Frame local label = frame.TextLabel local closeButton = frame.TextButton
event.OnClientEvent:Connect(function(content) label.Text = content frame.Visible = true end)
closeButton.MouseButton1Click:Connect(function() frame.Visible = false end) ```
It's a simple setup, but it's the foundation for every roblox horror note reading script out there. It's clean, it works, and it's easy to expand on.
Adding that creepy typewriter effect
If you want to make the note feel more "horror-ish," a typewriter effect goes a long way. Instead of the text just snapping onto the screen, you can make it appear character by character. It adds a bit of tension, as if the player is reading it in real-time.
You can modify your LocalScript like this:
```lua local function typeWrite(object, text) object.Text = "" for i = 1, #text do object.Text = string.sub(text, 1, i) task.wait(0.05) -- Adjust this for speed end end
event.OnClientEvent:Connect(function(content) frame.Visible = true typeWrite(label, content) end) ```
Just like that, you've gone from a basic UI to something that feels polished and intentional.
Customizing the look and feel
Don't stick with the default "SourceSans" font. Roblox has a bunch of "creepy" or "handwritten" fonts like Special Elite, Creepster, or Patrick Hand. Using a font that looks like actual handwriting makes a huge difference.
Also, consider adding a blur effect to the background when the note is open. You can do this by inserting a BlurEffect into Lighting and setting its size to 0. Then, in your LocalScript, just tween that size up to 15 or 20 when the note opens. It forces the player to focus on the text and makes them feel isolated from their surroundings—classic horror move.
Handling multiple notes
You probably don't want every note in your game to say the same thing. To fix this, you can use a StringValue inside the Note part. Name it "NoteText" and type whatever lore you want in the value box.
Update your server script to look at that value:
```lua local prompt = script.Parent.ProximityPrompt local event = game.ReplicatedStorage.ReadNoteEvent local textValue = script.Parent.NoteText
prompt.Triggered:Connect(function(player) event:FireClient(player, textValue.Value) end) ```
Now you can just duplicate the note part all over your map and change the "NoteText" value for each one. Your roblox horror note reading script is now modular and super easy to manage.
Common pitfalls to avoid
One thing that bugs players is when they can still move around or get attacked while a note is covering their entire screen. Depending on your game's style, you might want to freeze the player's character. You can do this by anchoring the HumanoidRootPart or by disabling the player's controls via the PlayerModule.
Also, make sure your UI is "TextWrapped." There's nothing worse than writing a long, terrifying story only for half of it to get cut off because the label wasn't big enough. Set TextWrapped to true and use TextScaled carefully, or better yet, use a UIListLayout if you're planning on having very long entries.
Finishing touches
Sound is 50% of horror. When the note opens, play a "paper rustling" sound. When it closes, play it again. You can trigger this in the same LocalScript that handles the visibility. It's a small detail, but these are the things that make a game feel "high effort."
If you really want to go the extra mile, you could even add images to your notes. Maybe a drawing of the monster or a map of the basement. You'd just need to pass an Image ID through your RemoteEvent and update an ImageLabel alongside the text.
Setting up a roblox horror note reading script doesn't have to be a nightmare. Start simple, get the logic working, and then spend your time on the atmosphere. After all, the scariest part of any horror game is what the player imagines, and a well-placed note is the best way to kickstart that imagination. Happy developing, and try not to scare yourself too much while testing!