Spooky Daba 9 is a very bold, narrow, medium contrast, upright, normal x-height font visually similar to 'Laqonic 4F' by 4th february, 'Cru' and 'Midnight Sans' by Colophon Foundry, 'Skate' by DearType, and 'Calps' by Typesketchbook (names referenced only for comparison).
Keywords: horror titles, halloween, posters, game ui, album art, eerie, grunge, menacing, campy, hand-cut, shock value, handmade texture, atmosphere, retro horror, ragged, jagged, distressed, rough-hewn, blotchy.
A compact, heavy display face with irregular, torn-looking contours and chiseled interior counters. Strokes are chunky and mostly monolinear in feel, but the edges fluctuate with nicks, notches, and small bite-like cut-ins that create a broken silhouette. Terminals are blunt and uneven, and curves (like O, C, S) read as faceted and hand-shaped rather than smoothly drawn. Spacing feels tight and the overall rhythm is bouncy due to inconsistent sidebearings and width variations across glyphs.
Best suited to headlines and short phrases where the distressed silhouette can read clearly: horror or Halloween promotions, event posters, spooky packaging, game menus, and album/cover art. It can work for brief, large-size subheads, but the rough edges and tight rhythm make it less ideal for long-form reading at small sizes.
The texture reads as ominous and theatrical, like letters cut from worn paper or carved into soft material. Its rough edges and slightly unstable rhythm give it a haunted, pulp-horror tone that feels more playful-spooky than purely brutal. The bold massing keeps it loud and poster-forward while the distressing adds suspense and grit.
The design appears intended to deliver an immediate spooky impact through bold, compact forms and deliberately damaged edges. Its consistent chipping and faceting suggest a crafted, hand-made texture aimed at creating atmosphere rather than typographic neutrality.
Uppercase and lowercase share the same distressed logic, helping lines of text maintain a consistent “ripped” texture. Numerals match the letterforms with similarly chipped outlines, making the set feel cohesive for titling and short bursts of copy.