Like many works of horror literature, ”The Rats in the Walls” builds tension gradually and keeps readers guessing until its climactic finale. Many horror writers, Lovecraft included, allow time for readers to imagine what the ending of the story might be; the uncertainty of imagination helps build narrative tension and suspense. The story’s final events escalate very quickly, echoing the sudden revelation and intense emotions that the characters experience when they finally gain access to the underground grotto. The truth about the de la Poers is correspondingly extreme so that the slow tension build pays off.

Along with uncertainty, Lovecraft uses ambiguity to increase the tension and horror in his story. He deliberately leaves certain details unclear and certain questions unanswered. For instance, the explorers choose to leave most of the grotto unexplored and never find out with any certainty how long the cannibal cult was in operation. The origins of the underground city are also unclear; Delapore says that the tunnel between the grotto and Exham Priory was carved from the bottom up, a minor detail that raises more questions than it answers.

Another way that Lovecraft increases the intensity of his story’s climax is by

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