scary essay

132 Best Horror Writing Prompts and Scary Story Ideas

Horror stories send shivers down our spines. They are gruesome, shocking, and chilling. Scary stories are meant to horrify us, and there are many ways to make a powerful impact on the reader. The element of surprise is crucial to make the readers’ blood freeze.

There are different types of horror stories. They often deal with terrible murders, supernatural powers, psychopaths, the frightening human psychology and much more.

Although many horror writing prompts and scary ideas have been written, the following 132 horror writing prompts can spark great creativity in aspiring writers of the horror genre.

A family is on a camping trip. The parents are walking with their two children, a daughter and a son. The little boy trips and falls into a dark river. His father jumps to rescue him. Somehow the boy manages to swim to the surface. The father is nowhere to be found. When the mother gets a hold of the boy, she can’t recognize him. She tries holding him, but the moment she touches his wet body, her hands start burning.
A young girl goes missing in a nearby forest. The whole town is searching for her. Her parents find her sitting and smiling in a cave. Her eyes are completely white.
A woman starts watching a movie late at night. The movie seems all too familiar. Finally, she realizes that it is a movie about her own life and that she might be already dead.
A house finds a way to kill every visitor on its premises.
A child makes her own Halloween mask. She glues a lock of her own hair on her mask. The mask comes to life and threatens to take over the girl’s body.
While digging in her backyard, an old lady discovers an iron chest. She opens it and finds a pile of old photographs of her ancestors. All of them are missing their left eye.
A priest is trying to punish God for the death of his sister. He is getting ready to burn down the church, when supernatural forces start to torture him.
Every year a woman goes to the cemetery where her husband is buried, and when she looks at his tombstone, she notices her own name carved in it.
A woman puts a lipstick on in the bathroom when she hears a demonic voice saying to her: “Can’t you see?”
A mysterious child psychiatrist promises parents to cure their children if they give him a vile of their blood.
A group of 10 friends decide to rent an old English castle for the weekend. The ghosts are disturbed and seek their pound of flesh.
A photographer travels to an Indian reservation for his next project. He starts taking photos, but there are only shadows in the places where people should have been.
A young married couple decide to renovate an abandoned psychiatric hospital and turn it into a hotel. Everything is going well until their first guest arrives.
Three sisters are reunited for the reading of their grandmother’s will. She has left them a diamond necklace, but they have to fight psychologically and physically for it.
An old woman pretends to be lost and asks young women to help her get home. She offers them a cup of tea and drugs them. When the women wake up, they are chained in the basement. The old woman gives them tools and boards, so that they can build their own coffin. If they refuse, she inflicts pain on them.
A mysterious stranger with a glass eye and a cane commissions a portrait. When the portrait is finished, the painter turns into stone.
A little girl’s sister lives with a monster in the closet. She exits the closet on her sister’s birthday.
The demons under the nuclear plant get released after an explosion and start terrorizing the families of people who work at the plant.
A woman gets trapped in a parallel universe where every day she dies horribly in different ways.
A cannibal hunts for pure children’s hearts hoping they will bring him eternal youth.
A politician hides his weird sister in the attic. She’s had her supernatural powers after their family home burned to the ground.
A 16-year-old girl wakes up on a stone-cold table surrounded with people in black and white masks. They are chant and start leaning forward. All of them carry carved knives.
A boy hears screaming from his parents’ bedroom. He jumps and hides under his bed. Suddenly, everything becomes quiet. A man wearing army boots enters his room. He drags the boy from under the bed and says: “We’ve been searching for you for 200 years.”
A husband and his wife regain consciousness only to see each other tied to chairs, facing each other. A voice on the radio tells them to kill the other, otherwise, they would kill their children.
A mysterious altruist gives a kidney to a young man, who has potential to become a leading neuroscientist. After a year, the altruist kills the young man because he proves to be an unworthy organ recipient. The following year, the mysterious altruist is a bone marrow donor.
A group of friends play truth or dare. Suddenly, all the lights go out and in those ten seconds of darkness, one of the group is killed.
A young man becomes obsessed with an old man living opposite his building. The young man is convinced that the old man is the embodiment of the devil, and starts planning the murder.
Concerned and grieving parents bring their 8-year-old son to a psychiatrist after their daughter’s accident, believing that the boy had something to do with her death.
A woman is admitted to a hospital after a car crash. She wakes up after three months in a coma, but when she tries to speak, she can’t utter a sound. When the nurse sees that she is awake, she calls a doctor. The last thing the woman remembers is hearing the doctor say: “Today is your lucky day,” right before four men in black robes take her out.
A small-town cop becomes obsessed with a cold case from 1978. Three girls went missing after school, and nobody has seen them since. Then one day, in 2008, three girls with the same names as those in 1978 go missing. The case is reopened.
After his parents’ death a cardiologist returns to his small town where everyone seems to lead a perfect life. This causes a disturbance in the idyllic life of the people since none of them has a heart.
A man is kidnapped from his apartment on midnight and brought on a large private estate. He is told that he will be a human pray and that ten hunters with guns will go after him. He is given a 5-minute head start.
A strange woman in labor is admitted in the local hospital. Nobody seems to recognize her. She screams in agony. A black smoke fills in the entire hospital. After that, nobody is the same. A dark lord is born.
A young girl finds her grandmother’s gold in a chest in the attic, although she isn’t allowed to go there by herself. She touches the gold and she starts seeing horrible visions involving her grandmother when she was younger.
An anthropologist studies rituals involving human sacrifice. She slowly begins to accept them as necessary.
A family of four moves in an old Victorian home. As they restore it, more and more people die suddenly and violently.
An old nurse has lived next door to a family that doesn’t get older. Their son has remained to be a seven-year-old boy.
A girl wakes up in her dorm and sees that everybody sleepwalks in the same direction. She acts as if she has the same condition and follows them to an underground black pool where everybody jumps.
A bride returns to the same bridge for 50 years waiting for her husband-to-be to get out of the water.
An old woman locks girls’ personalities in a forever growing collection of porcelain dolls. Parents of the missing girls are in agony and they finally suspect something. When they tell the police, their claims are instantly dismissed.
A chemistry teacher disfigures teenagers who remind him of his childhood bullies. One day, he learns that the new student in his school is the son of his childhood’s archenemy.
A girl starts digging tiny holes in her backyard. When her mother asks her what she is doing, the girl answers: “Mr. Phantom told me to bury my dolls tonight. Tomorrow night I am going to bury our dog. And then, you, mother.”
Twin brothers were kidnapped and returned the next day. They claim that they can’t remember anything. The following night, twin sisters disappear.
A boy has a very realistic dream about an impending doom, but nobody believes him until during a storm all the birds fall dead on the ground.
Room 206 is believed to be haunted, so hotel guests never stay in it. One day, an old woman arrives at the hotel and asks for the key to room 206. She says that she was born there.
A genius scientist tries to extract his wife’s consciousness from her lifeless body and insert it into an imprisoned woman who looks just like his wife.
Two distinguished scientists develop a new type of virus that attacks their brains and turns them into killing machines.
A woman steps out of her house only to find four of her neighbors dead at her doorstep. Little does she know that she isn’t supposed to call the police.
A bachelor’s party ends with two dead people in the pool. Both of them are missing their eyes.
A young woman wearing a black dress is holding a knife in her hand and threatening to kill a frightened man. She is terrified because she does not want to kill anybody, but her body refuses to obey her mind.
A strange religious group starts performing a ritual on a playground. The children’s hearts stop beating.
A woman discovers that her niece has done some horrible crimes, so she decides to poison her. Both of them take the poison, but only the aunt dies.
A man encounters death on his way to work. He can ask three questions before he dies. He makes a quick decision.
An older brother kills his baby sister because he wants to be an only child. When he learns that his mother is pregnant again, he decides to punish her.
A husband and his wife move to a new apartment. After a week, both of them kill themselves. They leave a note saying: “Never again.”
A man is trying to open a time portal so that he could kill his parents before he is ever conceived.
A famous conductor imprisons a pianist from the orchestra and makes him play the piano while he tortures other victims, also musicians. Every time the pianist makes a mistake, the conductor cuts of a finger from his victims.
A popular French chef is invited by a mysterious Japanese sushi master for dinner. A powerful potion makes the French chef fall asleep. He wakes up horrified to learn that he is kept on a human farm, in a cage.
A nuclear blast turns animals into blood-thirsty monsters.
A mysterious bug creeps under people’s skins and turns them into the worst version of themselves.
A kidnapper makes his victims torture each other for his sheer pleasure.
Four friends are invited to spend the afternoon in an escape room. A man’s voice tells them that they have won a prize. They happily accept and enter the escape room. They soon realize that the room was designed to reflect their worst nightmares.
Two sisters have been given names from the Book of the Dead. Their fates have been sealed, so when they turn 21, dark forces are sent to bring them to the underground.
A mother-to-be starts feeling severe pain in her stomach every time she touches a Bible. Despite the fear for her own life, she starts reading the New Testament out loud.
A literature professor discovers an old manuscript in the college library. He opens it in his study and suddenly a black raven flies through the window.
You are the Ruler of a dystopian society. You kill every time your control is threatened.
You are an intelligent robot who shows no mercy to humanity.
You are a promising researcher who discovers that all the notorious dictators have been cloned.
A nomad meets a fakir who tells him that he would bring agony to dozens of people unless he kills himself before he transforms into a monster.
A most prominent member of a sect goes to animal shelters to find food for the dark forces.
A man hires unethical doctors to help him experience clinical death and then bring him back to life after a minute. Little does he know that one minute of death feels like an eternity full of horrors.
You travel home to visit your parents for the holidays. Everything seems normal until you realize that demons have taken over their consciousness.
A mysterious woman moves into your apartment building. One by one, all of the tenants start hallucinating that monsters chase them and jump into their own deaths.
Divorced parents are kidnapped together with their son. Both of the parents have been given poison, but there is only one antidote. The boy needs to decide which parent gets to be saved. He has 30 seconds to make that decision.
A patient with a multiple-personality disorder tells you that you are one of six characters.
You wake up in bed that is a blood-bath.
The Government abducts children with genius IQ and trains them to fight the horrors in Area 51.
A woman who has just given birth at her home is told that the baby is predestined to become the leader of the greatest demonic order in the country.
A man signs a document with his blood to relinquish his body to a sect.
A woman enters a sacred cave in India and disappears for good.
A man opens his eyes in the middle of his autopsy while the coroner is holding his heart.
You look outside the windows in your house only to see that the view has changed and there is black fog surrounding you.
The gargoyles from the Notre Dame have come to life and they start terrorizing Paris.
Somebody rings your doorbell. You open the door and a frightened girl with bloody hands is standing at your doorstep. “You’re late,” you reprimand her.
You wake up in the middle of the night after a frightful nightmare, so you go to the kitchen to get a glass of water. You turn on the light and a person looking like your identical twin is grinning and pointing a knife at you.
A renowned book editor receives a manuscript elegantly written by hand. The title grabs her attention and she continues reading page after page. When she finishes, the manuscript spontaneously starts burning, and the editor is cursed forever.
The last thing you remember before losing consciousness is fighting a shady Uber driver.
You find yourself in a cage in the middle of a forest and black mythological harpies hovering above the cage.
A woman wants to quit smoking, so she visits a therapist who is supposed to help her with the use of hypnosis. She goes under and when she wakes up, she feels like a born killer.
Five hikers get stranded during a horrible storm. One of them kills the weakest and starts burning his body.
A mother goes in the nursery to check up on the baby and discovers that the baby is missing and, in her place, there is a baby doll.
A killer is willing to pay a large sum of money to the family of a volunteering victim. A cancer patient contacts the killer. The killer ends up dead.
The sacred river in a remote Asian village fills up with blood. The last time that happened, all the children in the village died.
A tall, dark, and handsome stranger invites a blind woman for a romantic date in his botanical garden. The garden is full of black roses in which women’s souls have been trapped. He tells her that she will stay forever with him in his garden.
A frightened man is trying to lead a werewolf into a trap and kill him with the last silver bullet.
An architect designs houses for the rich and famous. What he doesn’t show them is that he always leaves room for a secret passageway to their bedrooms, where they are the most vulnerable.
A man’s DNA was found on a horrible crime scene and he has been charged with murder in the first degree. He adamantly negates any involvement in the crime that has been committed. What he doesn’t know is that he had a twin brother who died at birth.
Every passenger on the Orient Express dies in a different, and equally mysterious way.
A magician needs a volunteer from the audience in order to demonstrate a trick involving sawing a person in half. A beautiful woman steps on the stage. The magician makes her fall asleep, and then he performs the trick. In the end, he disappears. People in the audience start panicking when they notice the blood dripping from the table. The magician is nowhere to be found. The woman is dead.
A mother discovers that her bright son is not human.
Specters keep terrorizing patients in a psychiatric hospital, but nobody believes them.
A man’s mind is locked into an immovable body. This person is being tortured by a psychopath who kills his family members in front of him, knowing that he is in agony and can’t do anything to save them.
A bride-to-be receives a DVD via mail from an unknown sender. She plays the video and disgusted watches a pagan ritual. The people are wearing masks, but she recognizes the voice of her husband-to-be.
A man turns himself to the police although he hasn’t broken the law. He begs them to put him in prison because he had a premonition that he would become a serial killer.
Jack the Ripper is actually a woman who brutally kills prostitutes because her own mother was a prostitute.
A ticking noise wakes her up. It’s a bomb, and she has only four minutes to do something about it.
After a horrible car crash, a walking skeleton emerges from the explosion.
A world-famous violinist virtuoso uses music to summon dark forces.
A philosopher is trying to outwit Death in order to be granted immortality. He doesn’t know that Death already knows the outcome of this conversation.
A beautiful, but superficial woman promises a demon to give him her virginity in exchange for immortality. Once the demon granted her wish, she refused to fulfill her end of the deal. The demon retaliated by making her immortal, but not eternally youthful.
A voice starts chanting spells every time somebody wears the gold necklace from Damask.
Three teenagers beat up a homeless man. The next day all of them go missing.
Thirteen tourists from Poland visit Trakai Island Castle in Vilnius. Their bodies are found washed up the next morning. They are wearing medieval clothes.
A group of extremists ambush the vehicle in which a head of a terrorist cell is transported and rescue him. They go after anybody who was involved in his incarceration.
A hitman is hired to kill a potential heart donor.
A man is attacked by the neighbor’s dog while trying to bury his wife alive.
A woman disappears from her home without a trace. He husband reports her missing. The police start to suspect the husband when they retrieve some deleted messages.
After moving to a new house all the family members have the same nightmares. Slowly they realize that they might be more than nightmares.
A psychopath is drugging his wife, pushing her to commit a suicide so that he could collect the life insurance.
A woman loses her eyesight overnight. Instead, she starts having premonitions.
A vampire prefers albino children.
A man commits murders at night and relives the agony of his victims during the day.
A black horse carriage stops in front of your house. A hand wearing a black glove make an inviting gesture. Mesmerized, you decide to enter the carriage.
Demons rejuvenate by eating kind people’s hearts.
People are horrified to find all of the graves dug out the morning after Halloween.
Men start jumping off building and bridges after hearing a mysterious song.
A voice in your head tells you to stop listening to the other voices. They were not real.
A severed head is hanging from a bridge with a message written in the victim’s blood.
A delusional man brings his screaming children to a chasm.
A 30-year-old woman learns that a baby with the same name as her died at the local hospital 30 years ago.
A vampire donates his blood so that a child with special brain powers can receive it.
A teenager is determined to escape his kidnapper by manipulating him into drinking poison. He doesn’t stop there.

Published in Writing Prompts

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101 Horror Writing Prompts That Are Freaky As Hell

Looking for some scary story ideas for your next writing project?

Sometimes, a good scary prompt idea is all you need to get started on a dark story your readers won’t be able to put down.

And that is the goal. What’s a horror story without white-knuckle suspense?

You want your readers at the edge of their seats, unable to stop though they know something bad is about to happen.

You also want to reward them for reading to the end and leave them wanting more.

So, how can this collection of horror writing prompts help with that?

What Are the Main Elements of Horror Writing?

List of most common horror themes and tropes to write on .

66 Horror Writing Prompts

Halloween Writing Prompts

Mystery writing prompts, psychological horror story ideas, “the monster you know” story ideas, ghost story writing prompts, funny horror story ideas, horror story ideas.

Every good story needs an idea that takes root in your imagination and doesn’t let go. Horror stories in particular need to affect you a certain way. If they don’t sound an alarm in your head, they won’t sound one in the heads of your readers, either.

They need to reach into your psyche, take a scrap of memory, and turn it into something that would keep you up at night.

And as you’ve no doubt read already, “No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”

Look through the prompts that follow, and choose one that calls out to you and lingers in your imagination.

Paint a picture in your mind of the characters involved. Give yourself a reason to invest in them by giving each one some interesting backstory.

Then set a timer and write.

Since Earl Horace Walpole’s gothic horror The Castle of Otranto hit shelves in 1764, English readers have clamored for dark plots that excite primitive instincts and tickle our fear bones.

Many horror authors leverage shadowy impulses by sprinkling stories with uncomfortable happenings and gruesome fatalities.

But that’s not all it takes to write within the genre, begging the question: What are the main elements of horror? Traditionally, there are five: suspense, fear, violence, gore, and the supernatural.

Suspense : Creating anxious tension is a critical component of horror as it keeps the audience glued to the story. They need to find out what happens! Traditionally, suspense is valued as a sophisticated form of horror, and building it well is a skill.
Fear : Confronting fearful things is a powerful emotion with chemical reactionary consequences, making it a hallmark of horror writing.
Violence : Savagery is scary because it’s inextricably linked to death and pain — two of the four great human fears.
Gore : Brains and guts are a cornerstone of classic horror. For better or worse, our neural pathways light up when confronted with intestines, brain matter, and gushing fluids. Successful horror writers keep readers and watchers engaged by deploying gore effectively.
Supernatural: The main difference between “true crime” and “horror” is a supernatural element. While horror stories draw people in with realism, they usually feature an emotional detachment valve in the form of an explicit or implicit otherworldly presence.

Vampires, ghosts, zombies, and murderers are big-picture mainstays of the horror genre. But what are some other, more detailed tropes associated with scary storytelling?

Babysitter Alone in Big House: The naive babysitter trope is oft-repeated because it works. The sitter acts as a stand-in for the reader or audience in that, like you, they’re vulnerable. Horror-sitters are the character conduit through which readers and viewers can experience the impending fear.
Manipulative Vampires: Maybe it’s their piercing eyes, snappy attire, or mysterious penchant for the “nightlife.” Whatever the case, people stan vampires, and sensual and manipulative ones are an incredibly effective horror character trope.
Ghost-Haunted House: Ghost-haunted houses are a recurring horror motif. Whether you approach it from a traditional or modern angle is up to you. Both can work.
Creepy Kid: In real life, it’s kind to see all kids as precious and special, no matter their quirks. But when it comes to Horror World, creepy kids are a dime a dozen! Sometimes they’re the main attractions or “red herrings” (which we’ll get to more below); other times, they’re supernatural catalysts that serve as a story’s MacGuffin. Whichever the case, unnerving kids go a long way when devising a disturbing scene and fomenting suspense.
The Nonbeliever: Most horror stories have at least one character whose lack of fear or faith (in the story’s “supernatural” element) lands them six feet under.
The Red Herring: A “red herring” is a false clue. The term dates back to the 1400s to describe a culinary preparation for fish, but the first known use as a euphemism for “distraction” appeared in 1884.
Isolation: Few things frighten people more than being all alone while danger looms. As such, isolation can be a helpful trope when crafting horror stories.
Graveyard Chase: A well-conceived chase around a graveyard is another horror mainstay that continues to deliver. Try adding a twist to modernize the trope.
Distorting Mirrors: Whether a single reflecting glass or a full-on maze, using mirrors as a motif is a tangible and effective way to signal distortion.
Aliens and Cultists: The human psyche can’t resist rubbernecking when confronted with the possibility of aliens and the sociopathic underbelly of cults. Resultantly, they work well as engaging frameworks for horror stories.

101 Horror Writing Prompts

Whether you’re writing for a special occasion or just to experiment with the horror genre, any of the scary story prompts in the following groups should get you started.

Go with your gut on this one, and choose an idea that feels both familiar and provocative. Then give it a go!

1. A mysterious gift from an estranged aunt arrives on Halloween with a crystal ball and a note addressed only to you, her godchild.

2. One of the trick-or-treaters bears an uncanny resemblance to your departed sibling and repeats that sibling’s last words before picking your sibling’s favorite candy bar.

3. On Halloween night, you find a box at your door that contains a strange note and a little something from each of the people who have hurt you in the past year.

4. On this Halloween night, your guinea pig won’t stop running in circles, and your dog keeps staring at the door, emitting a low growl.

5. You run out for candy on Halloween afternoon to find the streets empty and the store abandoned. A single car cruises into the lot and pulls into the spot next to yours.

6. Every time you went to answer the doorbell, no one was there. The next day, you heard about the missing children. The worst part? Your kids spent Halloween with your ex and were supposed to come trick-or-treating last night.

7. You arrive home on Halloween to a large package from your new boss, who’d bought every piece of your favorite candy from local stores. The note reads, “Save some for me.”

8. You’re watching TV on Halloween night when your show is interrupted by a faintly familiar someone declaring their love for you and saying they’ve watched you all your life.

9. You come home to find a stranger walking through your home, sipping your wine and admiring your collected antiquities. They startle at your approach and act as though you’re the intruder.

10. The night before Halloween, you have a dream in which you wake up to see a dark shape standing outside your closet. You wake up screaming with your hands around your spouse’s throat.

11. Election day looms, and Halloween feels more ominous than ever. You’ve kept the lights off, but that doesn’t stop one visitor from leaving a note: “Knew you lived here.”

12. Your best friend has gone missing, and someone keeps leaving small reminders of them in your mailbox. You see someone approach to deliver something else, and your heart nearly stops when you recognize them.

13. You’ve always wanted a dog, so when a rain-soaked mutt shows up on your front step, you let him in. Unfortunately, something else hitched a ride.

14. Someone moves into the apartment next door and starts playing loud music at night. You call the police, who find the guy dead holding a note with your name and address.

15. Someone keeps replacing items in your home with different objects that look vaguely familiar. No one else has a key to your home, and there are no signs of forced entry.

16. You bake some cookies to share with the new neighbor, but the terrified woman backs away from the plate, shaking her head. Someone from inside calls out, “I’ll have those.”

17. Someone at work has offered to do a tarot card spread for you, and you politely decline. You find a single tarot card in your mailbox when you return home.

18. You don’t remember wandering alone on a country road as a small child, but someone does. And he wants to make sure you’re not around to testify against him.

.ugb-360683b .ugb-blockquote__item{background-color:#625656 !important;border-radius:50px !important}.ugb-360683b .ugb-blockquote__item:before{background-color:#625656 !important}.ugb-360683b .ugb-blockquote__text{font-size:18px !important;color:#ffffff}.ugb-360683b .ugb-inner-block{text-align:center} 19. Someone has gotten to your laundry before you and left it neatly folded in piles on top of the dryer. A note reads, “For more TLC, knock on #303.”

20. The window of your apartment leads to a fire escape, but twice you’ve come home to find it open. Nothing is missing. But someone keeps leaving a ring on your kitchen table.

21. You order a Christmas wreath for your door and the company sends you a package with money instead. The note reads, “Keep half. I’ll pick up the rest in 72 hours.”

22. A child knocks on your door and tells you you’ll be visited by three people that night. One of them will show you your future. The child’s face reminds you of someone.

23. Your best friend is dating a woman who seems familiar to you — and not in a good way. Turns out, she’s got a bad feeling about you, too, and she warns your friend.

24. You receive a surprise delivery of a holiday flower arrangement with a note from someone who went to jail for assault. The message reads, “I’ll be home for Christmas.”

25. An abuser from your past has written you a long letter of apology, and you agree to meet them for coffee. You find your favorite coffee place deserted — on Black Friday.

26. You broke up with your sweetheart when he lied about taking you to the prom and begged you to run away with him so he could escape an abusive home. He’s back.

27. An old friend, who had tried to warn you about an ex-boyfriend years ago, has come back to town to run a diner. Within a week, known bullies start disappearing.

28. For the past three dates, the guy you met ended up dead and posed as if proposing. A note on each one’s empty chest cavity reads, “My heart belongs to [your name].”

.ugb-006bdc4 .ugb-blockquote__item{background-color:#762f2f !important;border-radius:50px !important}.ugb-006bdc4 .ugb-blockquote__item:before{background-color:#762f2f !important}.ugb-006bdc4 .ugb-blockquote__text{font-size:18px !important;color:#ffffff}.ugb-006bdc4 .ugb-inner-block{text-align:center} 29. You’re with a friend at the home of the guy she’s dating. In the bathroom, you find a box with jewelry for almost every birthstone. Yours is the only one missing. You hear a scream.

30. Everyone keeps telling you your memories can’t be trusted. You’re safe with them. They’ll protect you. But you haven’t left the house in years.

31. You thought it was cute when your little sister wanted to wear your aunt’s high heels and pose with a hand on her hip. But your sister had an uncanny way with accidents.

32. You never expected to win the ‘57 Chevy from the church raffle. Neither did the car’s owner, who immediately tried to buy it back. He didn’t respond well to “No, thanks.”

33. Every time you saw anything like “Tornado Warning” or “Flash Flood” in the news, you knew someone would end up dead. And your ex would blame the weather.

34. You come home to a dozen roses from a guy who’s been telling his friends you’re dating, and you get angry. For some reason, though, everyone you know is on his side.

35. Your “Secret Santa” leaves an expensive bottle of wine with a note, “Drink me.” You call a familiar number and hear the phone ring on the other side of your door.

36. Your dad has a secret known only to his twin brother, who mysteriously disappeared but left a note with a box of his belongings in the attic. You take it with you when you leave.

37. You just broke up with the person who’s catering your best friend’s wedding. They also made the cake.

38. Some of your in-laws have decided to deliver their sibling from you. When they cross the line, you make a promise to them and to your spouse. One by one, they disappear.

39. Your health is steadily declining, and you don’t know why. Neither do your doctors, who test for the usual health issues and find nothing. Then someone calls to warn you.

40. Your estranged father sends you a porcelain doll — the one he swears you told him you wanted. It has the face and hair of your missing mother. And her eyes are glued open.

41. You’ve just told your family you’re asexual, and they seem to accept it. Out of the blue, the handsome guy next door shows up to ask you out, and your parents quietly nod.

42. A cop pulls you over for driving a few miles over the speed limit, tells you to get out of your car, slams you against the hood and whispers in your ear, “This is from your ex.”

43. You emailed your fiancé for months before meeting him for the first date. Now, you’re getting strange phone calls from someone claiming to be his wife and telling you to run.

44. You stood numb at the coffin of a close friend and flinched when your father rested a hand on your shoulder. “Had to be done,” he whispered. “Remember the bigger picture.”

45. A small package bears the name of your sister, who died five years ago. It contains a pendant that matches her own and a note asking you to activate it by chanting, “Sisters Forever.”

46. Your elderly neighbors died on the same day of an apparent suicide pact. In their will, they left their pug to you, along with a small box of what they called “magical items.”

47. You receive a note penned by your best friend, who died in a car accident the month before, His parents had found it in his room and hand-delivered it, barely looking at you.

.ugb-c65fb79 .ugb-blockquote__item{background-color:#3b492e !important;border-radius:50px !important;text-align:center !important}.ugb-c65fb79 .ugb-blockquote__item:before{background-color:#3b492e !important}.ugb-c65fb79 .ugb-blockquote__text{font-size:18px !important;color:#ffffff} 48. You pounce on a new opening in the apartment building close to your favorite coffee place. The first night there, you wake up to ghostly shapes surrounding your bed.

49. At your first slumber party, your friend’s older brother surprised you during a late-night run to the bathroom. He died a decade later in prison. Now you see him in your dreams.

50. Your home is the high-tech brainchild of your best friend, who bequeathed it to you (rather than to his wife). It anticipates your every need and desire.

51. You’ve been having dreams about a door that shows up in your room. In one, you walk through it and see someone you love being murdered . You warn them the next day.

52. You’re the lone survivor of a horrific train crash, and everywhere you go, you see the ghosts of some of the passengers. Some have told you the crash was no accident.

53. You’re looking through your mother’s possessions when a note slips out of the book she’d been reading, warning you about “the ghost who runs this house.”

54. Your new boyfriend is obsessed with ancient artifacts, but when something hitches a ride on his latest find, you witness disturbing changes in his behavior.

55. Your life is already complicated when your boss asks you to stay at his home to care for his dog while he’s away. You soon learn the house is as mischievous as the dog.

56. You’re an editor for the college literary journal, and you’ve been getting poetic hate mail from a student who’s angry you didn’t choose their poems for the latest issue.

57. Your favorite neighbor is a trans woman named Lani who looks out for you. She warns you about a guy down the hall, who keeps trying cheesy pick-up lines to get you to smile.

58. Your co-workers tease you about your weight gain. One is found dead in the bathroom, her mouth stuffed with candy. Everyone but the custodian suspects you.

59. An anonymous admirer sends you a singing telegram with a chilling question. Now you have less than 24 hours to sing your answer in a public square, with a flash mob.

60. You sign up for wine deliveries but are disappointed by the first bottle you open and taste. On the label, you find a crass, insulting note from an old enemy.

61. Your date finds out your BFF is asexual and starts asking intrusive and insensitive questions. When your friend shuts him down, he insults and warns you both.

62. You’re working the dinner rush, and a customer loudly insists on changing her order the moment you deliver it. Someone quietly follows her as she storms out the door.

63. You’re having an open house for your new shop, and you catch a customer shoplifting. She says, “I was told to come in here and take these. You’re being watched.”

64. You arrive at your new house, and the keys from the realtor don’t work. Someone answers the door with a disarming smile. “So, you’re here about the room? Come in!”

65. Your date is going well until you reveal that you have a dog. “I’m not really a dog person,” you hear. When you get a bad feeling and end the date, things get messy.

66. Your journal goes missing, and within a week, a goofy, adorable guy starts showing up at your usual stops. He seems surprised to see you, but something isn’t quite right.

Creepy Writing Prompts

67. The old tunnel had been blocked off for as long as anyone could remember, but late at night, you could still hear the faint screams echoing from deep within.

68. As you walk past the abandoned house on your way home from school, you notice one of the curtains move slightly in an upstairs window, but the house has been empty for years.

69. You wake up suddenly in the middle of the night and see two small handprints on the foggy bathroom mirror that are far too small to belong to anyone in your family.

70. Every night when you go to sleep, you feel an uncomfortable pricking sensation on your skin, yet every morning, you find strange symbols carved into your arms that you don’t remember making.

71. While exploring the attic, you find an old doll that looks eerily like you did as a child, and when you pick it up, its eyes suddenly open.

72. The scraping sound from the closet stops whenever you turn on the light, but it always returns as soon as the room goes dark again.

73. Every time you glance in the mirror, your reflection behaves slightly differently than you do – blinking at the wrong time or moving too late.

74. You wake up covered in mud and scratches with no memory of where you’ve been all night, and the soles of your shoes are worn through as if you had walked for miles.

75. Lately, your pets have refused to go into certain rooms of your house, but you have no idea what frightens them so badly about those areas.

76. You discover a trap door hidden under an old Persian rug in your basement and shining a light into it reveals a set of footsteps descending into the darkness below.

77. You wake up one morning to find all the mirrors in your home have been turned around to face the wall, even though you live alone.

78. Your television is switched on in the dead of night, the static slowly resolving into shapes, and what looks back at you from the screen makes your blood run cold.

79. You keep finding sticky notes around your house with messages written on them in unfamiliar handwriting, like “GET OUT” or “I’M WATCHING YOU SLEEP.”

80. Every time you look at a clock, the time is exactly 3 minutes slow, though all the clocks in your home are set correctly and keep perfect time when others view them.

81. On your way home, you notice a figure standing motionless at the end of the street, staring directly at your house with its face hidden in the shadows of its hooded robe.

82. Your dog comes running inside with its leash still attached but hanging limply, yet when you call the number on the leash’s tag, your own cell phone starts ringing from within your house.

83. Your computer camera activates unexpectedly while you’re working, and you see your own bedroom behind you from an impossible angle near the ceiling, suggesting someone is watching through the camera right now.

84. You hear your name called out softly in an empty room, and even though the voice sounds familiar, you live alone, and you know no one else is inside.

Spooky Writing Prompts

85. Every night when you lie in bed, you hear the floorboards outside your room creaking as if someone is pacing back and forth, but every time you quickly open the door to check, the hallway is empty.

86. While exploring the woods behind your new house, you discover a crumbling old stone well, and when you peer down into the darkness, you think you see pale faces staring back up at you.

87. Your reflection in mirrors and windows often moves independently, quickly looking away whenever you try to catch it, watching you from impossible angles that don’t align with where you’re standing.

88. An unfamiliar chat window opens on your computer screen with only the message “I can see you through your webcam” written inside it by an unseen sender.

89. Plants within your home have been dying overnight no matter where you place them, the leaves and stems drained of all color as if the life has been completely sucked out.

90. You wake up to find a pile of dead birds on your lawn, their wings broken and necks bent at odd angles as if they crashed directly into the ground from high altitudes.

91. The old paintings hanging on the walls of your recently inherited mansion seem to follow you with their eyes, and occasionally, you notice mysterious new figures added in the backgrounds that disappear by morning.

92. Turning on all the faucets causes blood to drip out instead of water, yet when others in your home check them, the liquid running from the pipes is perfectly clear.

93. You wake from a nightmare convinced someone was standing silently at the foot of your bed, only to find the imprint of two bare feet seared into your bedroom carpet right where the figure was standing.

94. Whenever you look in the bathroom mirror late at night, you see dead relatives standing silently behind you who disappear when you turn around to check if anyone is there.

95. The baby monitor in the nursery suddenly emits a strange crackling sound followed by a singsong voice you don’t recognize whispering your baby’s name over and over.

96. Your shadow appears to have a mind of its own, often following you more slowly or quickly than it should and reaching areas you know your body has not moved to.

97. Photos taken with phones or cameras in and around your home show blurry figures lurking in the background that do not match any of the people in the images.

98. Any writing you leave out overnight – from sticky notes to notebooks – has mysterious reoccurring symbols added in unfamiliar handwriting scattered among the existing text.

99. You wake in the middle of the night to the sound of your locked window being forced open from the outside, but when you jump out of bed to check, it’s closed securely as if nothing happened.

100. From your garden, you can see directly into your neighbor’s bathroom mirror, but instead of the neighbor’s reflection, you swear you sometimes see your own face staring back with an expression you don’t recognize.

101. While searching through the attic in your recently purchased Victorian home, you find an old portrait of a severe-looking woman whose eyes seem to follow you around the room; later that night, you wake to find the same woman standing at the foot of your bed, silently watching you sleep.

How Do You Come Up with Horror Ideas?

Coming up with fresh, frightening ideas is key to crafting an effective horror story. While horror inspirations can spring from ordinary events and observations, it helps to have strategies to unleash your most sinister creativity. Here are some tips for conjuring bone-chilling tales:

Mine your nightmares. Dreams often access our deepest fears. Pay attention to recurring nightmares or startling images from your subconscious, as these can inspire terrifying new monsters or situations.
Twist tropes. Take common horror archetypes like haunted houses, demonic possession, or slashers and put a new spin on them. Surprise readers by changing elements they assume to be familiar.
Extrapolate fears. Think about phobias you or others have, like darkness, insects, or tight spaces. Imagine those fears exponentially intensified to petrifying extremes.
Research real horror. Study disturbing historical events, murders, superstitions, or unexplained phenomena and fictionalize them in a new horror setting.
Observe people. Carefully watch those around you and look for small creepy details in their appearances or behaviors that could be expanded into something sinister.

With an observant eye and inventive mind, creators can find endless inspiration from both mundane moments and their most nightmarish dreams. Putting ordinary things in an ominous light or letting one’s imagination run wild with “what if” scenarios generate the kinds of situations and figures that fuel truly frightening tales.

Pay attention to the world around and inside you, and plumb the depths of your creativity, and you’ll never run short on horror ideas.

250 Horror Writing Prompts (Scary Good Ideas)

Looking to write your next spine-chilling horror story?

Here are 250 horror writing prompts to get your creative juices flowing. From ghostly apparitions to apocalyptic nightmares, these prompts will help you create unforgettable tales of terror.

What Is a Horror Writing Prompt?

Woman writing with monsters behind her -- Horror Writing Prompts

Table of Contents

A horror writing prompt is a brief idea or scenario designed to inspire a horror story.

It provides the foundation for a plot, characters, conflict, setting, consequences, and sometimes a ticking clock plot device to build tension and urgency.

There is actually more than one type of horror writing prompt (see the chart below).

Types of Horror Writing Prompts

Type	Description
Ghost Stories	Involve spirits, hauntings, and supernatural entities from the afterlife.
Psychological Horror	Focus on the inner turmoil and mental states of characters.
Paranormal Activity	Center on phenomena beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding.
Creature Features	Involve monsters, mythical creatures, and otherworldly beings.
Gothic Horror	Set in dark, decaying locations with a sense of romanticism and dread.
Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic	Depict end-of-the-world scenarios and their aftermath.
Body Horror	Revolve around grotesque transformations and mutilations of the body.
Slasher Stories	Feature a murderous antagonist hunting down victims.
Cosmic Horror	Explore the insignificance of humanity in the face of incomprehensible entities.
Folk Horror	Draw from rural and traditional folklore, often involving rituals and superstitions.

Ghost Stories

The Forgotten Asylum – A group of urban explorers finds an abandoned asylum haunted by the spirits of former patients. They must uncover the asylum’s dark secrets before they’re trapped forever.
The Phantom Ship – A ghost ship appears off the coast, and a team of marine biologists investigates. They discover the souls of the drowned crew seeking revenge.
Haunted Housewarming – A couple moves into their dream home, only to find it haunted by a previous owner’s vengeful spirit. They must uncover the home’s history to break the curse.
The Whispering Woods – Campers in a remote forest hear eerie whispers at night. The ghost of a lost hiker leads them to a hidden danger.
The Ghostly Guardian – A child befriends a ghost who protects them from unseen dangers. The parents must confront the ghost to save their child.
The Lighthouse Keeper – A lone lighthouse keeper encounters the spirits of shipwrecked sailors. He must guide them to the afterlife while battling his own sanity.
The Cursed Portrait – An artist paints a portrait that traps the soul of its subject. The artist must find a way to release the soul before they face a similar fate.
The Haunted Highway – Drivers on a desolate road encounter ghostly apparitions. A journalist investigates the road’s dark history to uncover the truth.
The Spirit of the Manor – A family inherits a manor haunted by its former occupants. They must survive the night and appease the spirits to lift the curse.
The Ghostly Choir – A school choir is haunted by the spirits of former students. The new choir director must solve the mystery before the spirits claim more victims.
The Phantom Play – An old theater is haunted by the ghost of a lead actor who died on stage. The current cast must perform his unfinished play to set his spirit free.
The Ghostly Conductor – A ghost train appears on an abandoned track, and a group of friends boards it. They must solve the train’s mystery before reaching their final destination.
The Haunted Playground – Children encounter the ghost of a girl at a playground. They must help her find peace before she claims more playmates.
The Ghost in the Attic – A family discovers a ghost living in their attic. They must uncover the ghost’s past to help it move on.
The Spectral Detective – A detective partners with a ghost to solve a series of murders. They must catch the killer before the ghost’s unfinished business consumes them both.
The Haunted Hotel – Guests at a remote hotel encounter the spirits of former guests. The hotel staff must uncover the truth to stop the hauntings.
The Ghostly Librarian – A library is haunted by the ghost of a former librarian. The new librarian must uncover the ghost’s secrets to restore peace.
The Phantom Dancer – A ballerina encounters the ghost of a dancer who died in a tragic accident. She must perform the dancer’s final routine to set her spirit free.
The Ghost Shipwreck – Divers exploring a shipwreck encounter the spirits of the crew. They must uncover the ship’s fate to escape the underwater hauntings.
The Haunted Cabin – A group of friends stays in a cabin haunted by the ghost of a previous occupant. They must solve the ghost’s mystery to survive the night.
The Ghostly Roommate – A college student discovers their dorm room is haunted. They must work with the ghost to uncover the dorm’s dark history.
The Phantom Photographer – A photographer captures images of ghosts in their photos. They must find a way to stop the hauntings before they become one of the subjects.
The Haunted Mirror – A mirror in an antique shop shows the reflections of ghosts. The shop owner must uncover the mirror’s history to break the curse.
The Ghostly Gardener – A gardener encounters the spirit of a former groundskeeper. They must work together to uncover the secrets buried in the garden.
The Phantom Bus – A ghostly bus picks up passengers who never return. A journalist must uncover the bus’s story to stop the disappearances.

Psychological Horror

The Mirror’s Reflection – A person starts seeing a sinister version of themselves in mirrors. They must confront their inner demons to regain control.
The Unseen Stalker – Someone feels constantly watched and followed. They must uncover the identity of their stalker before they lose their sanity.
The Vanishing Family – A person wakes up to find their family has disappeared. They must piece together their fractured memories to find out what happened.
The Hallucination Game – A group of friends takes part in a psychological experiment, only to find reality and hallucination blurring dangerously.
The Time Loop – A person is trapped in a time loop, reliving the same terrifying day. They must find a way to break the loop before their mind unravels.
The Doppelgänger – A person encounters someone who looks exactly like them but with sinister intentions. They must discover the doppelgänger’s origins to survive.
The Sleepless Nights – A person suffers from severe insomnia, leading to disturbing visions and paranoia. They must find the cause before they break down completely.
The Disappearing Acts – A person’s friends and family begin to vanish one by one. They must uncover the truth behind the disappearances before they’re next.
The Phantom Voices – A person starts hearing voices that urge them to commit terrible acts. They must resist the voices and find out where they’re coming from.
The Twisted Reality – A person finds themselves in a world where nothing is as it seems. They must navigate the illusions to find the truth.
The Hidden Room – A person discovers a hidden room in their home filled with disturbing artifacts. They must uncover its purpose and the secrets it holds.
The Fragmented Mind – A person experiences severe memory loss and blackouts. They must piece together their fragmented memories to uncover a dark truth.
The Shadow in the Corner – A person sees a shadowy figure in the corner of their eye that gets closer each day. They must confront it before it consumes them.
The Sinister Neighbor – A person suspects their new neighbor is hiding a terrible secret. They must investigate without falling into the neighbor’s trap.
The Vanishing Town – A person visits a town where the residents start to disappear. They must find out what’s happening before they’re the next to vanish.
The Haunted Dreams – A person has recurring nightmares that start to affect their waking life. They must confront the source of their dreams to find peace.
The Creeping Darkness – A person notices shadows in their home that move on their own. They must discover the shadows’ origin before they’re engulfed.
The Split Personality – A person develops a sinister alter ego that takes over at night. They must find a way to control it before it ruins their life.
The Abandoned Factory – A person explores an old factory and begins to experience disturbing visions. They must uncover the factory’s history to escape its grip.
The Cursed Diary – A person finds a diary that predicts terrible events. They must find the diary’s owner to break the curse.
The Silent Treatment – A person wakes up in a world where no one can speak. They must find out what happened and restore communication before it’s too late.
The Puppet Master – A person discovers they’re being manipulated by an unseen force. They must break free before they lose their sense of self.
The Echoes of the Past – A person experiences vivid flashbacks of events they never lived. They must uncover the connection between the flashbacks and their present.
The Invisible Enemy – A person is attacked by an unseen force. They must find a way to defend themselves and uncover the enemy’s identity.
The Cursed Painting – A person acquires a painting that changes its scene to reflect their darkest fears. They must find a way to destroy the painting before it consumes their sanity.

Paranormal Activity

The Poltergeist – A family experiences violent disturbances in their home caused by a poltergeist. They must uncover the entity’s past to stop the terror.
The Possessed Doll – A child receives a doll that seems to have a life of its own. The parents must find a way to break the possession before it harms the family.
The Haunted School – Students encounter paranormal activity in their school. They must investigate its history to stop the hauntings.
The Supernatural Investigator – A detective with a sixth sense solves crimes involving paranormal activity. They must confront their own fears to catch a dangerous spirit.
The Vanishing Townspeople – Residents of a small town start disappearing after a mysterious fog rolls in. The remaining townspeople must solve the mystery before they vanish too.
The Ghostly Lover – A person falls in love with a ghost who haunts their home. They must find a way to be together or say goodbye forever.
The Time-Traveling Spirit – A ghost from the past appears to a historian, seeking help to correct a historical injustice. They must work together across time.
The Paranormal Researcher – A scientist investigates paranormal phenomena and discovers a hidden world of spirits. They must navigate this world to find answers.
The Haunted Item – An antique shop owner acquires an item with a dark past. They must uncover its history and break the curse before it destroys them.
The Phantom Room – A hotel room that doesn’t exist on the registry appears to guests. Those who enter must solve its mystery to escape.
The Spectral Friend – A lonely child befriends a ghost. The child’s parents must help the ghost find peace before it takes their child to the afterlife.
The Haunted Hospital – Patients in a hospital encounter ghostly apparitions. The staff must uncover the hospital’s dark past to stop the hauntings.
The Possessed Vehicle – A car starts exhibiting strange behavior after an accident. The owner must uncover its history to break the possession.
The Cursed Book – A librarian finds a book that causes anyone who reads it to experience paranormal phenomena. They must destroy the book before it spreads its curse.
The Phantom Babysitter – A babysitter encounters a ghostly child in the house they’re watching. They must uncover the child’s story to protect the family.
The Haunted Museum – Artifacts in a museum come to life at night. The curator must solve the mystery before the artifacts escape.
The Possessed Painting – An artist’s paintings start depicting horrifying scenes that come to life. They must uncover the source of the possession to stop it.
The Ghostly Guide – Tourists encounter a ghostly tour guide who leads them to dangerous places. They must uncover the guide’s past to escape.
The Paranormal Investigation – A team of ghost hunters investigates a famously haunted location and encounters more than they bargained for. They must survive the night and document their findings.
The Phantom Pet – A family adopts a pet that turns out to be a ghost. They must help the pet find peace to stop its restless behavior.
The Haunted Object – A person buys a seemingly innocuous object at a yard sale, only to discover it’s haunted. They must find its previous owner to uncover its dark history.
The Ghost Town – A group of friends stumbles upon a deserted town inhabited by ghosts. They must solve the town’s mystery to escape.
The Phantom Carnival – A carnival appears in town, and those who visit never return. A journalist investigates to uncover its dark secrets.
The Haunted Road – A driver encounters ghostly figures on a deserted road. They must find out why the road is haunted to find their way out.
The Ghostly Warning – A person receives warnings from a ghost about an impending disaster. They must decipher the messages to prevent the catastrophe.

Creature Features

The Werewolf Curse – A small town is terrorized by a werewolf. The townspeople must find and stop the creature before the next full moon.
The Swamp Monster – A group of campers encounters a monstrous creature in the swamp. They must survive the night and find a way to escape.
The Vampire’s Lair – A vampire kidnaps townsfolk to feed on. A group of villagers must band together to defeat the vampire and save their loved ones.
The Sea Creature – A coastal town is plagued by a sea monster. The townspeople must uncover the creature’s origins and stop it before it destroys the town.
The Yeti Hunt – Explorers in the Himalayas encounter a yeti. They must survive its attacks and find a way to escape the mountains.
The Chupacabra – A small town is terrorized by a creature that preys on livestock. The townspeople must find and stop the chupacabra before it turns to human prey.
The Mothman Prophecies – A town experiences sightings of a mysterious creature that predicts disasters. The townspeople must uncover its origins to stop the tragedies.
The Wendigo – A remote village is terrorized by a wendigo. The villagers must find a way to defeat the creature and break its curse.
The Loch Ness Monster – Researchers searching for the Loch Ness Monster get more than they bargained for. They must survive their encounter and escape the loch.
The Giant Spider – A group of scientists encounters a giant spider in the jungle. They must survive its attacks and find a way to escape.
The Goblin’s Curse – A village is plagued by goblin attacks. The villagers must find and defeat the goblin king to lift the curse.
The Kraken – A ship is attacked by a Kraken. The crew must find a way to defeat the creature and escape the ocean.
The Minotaur’s Maze – Adventurers exploring an ancient labyrinth encounter a minotaur. They must navigate the maze and defeat the creature to escape.
The Gorgon – A group of heroes must defeat a gorgon to save their kingdom. They must avoid its petrifying gaze and find a way to kill it.
The Cyclops – A village is terrorized by a cyclops. The villagers must find and stop the creature before it destroys their homes.
The Harpy’s Lair – A group of adventurers encounters a harpy in a remote cave. They must survive its attacks and find a way to escape.
The Hydra – A group of heroes must defeat a hydra to save their land. They must find a way to kill the creature without it regenerating.
The Chimera – A village is attacked by a chimera. The villagers must find a way to defeat the creature before it destroys their homes.
The Basilisk – A group of adventurers must defeat a basilisk to save their kingdom. They must avoid its deadly gaze and find a way to kill it.
The Griffin – A village is terrorized by a griffin. The villagers must find and stop the creature before it destroys their homes.
The Dragon’s Lair – A group of adventurers must defeat a dragon to save their kingdom. They must find a way to kill the creature and escape its lair.
The Phoenix – A group of heroes must defeat a phoenix to save their land. They must find a way to kill the creature without it regenerating.
The Roc – A village is attacked by a roc. The villagers must find a way to defeat the creature before it destroys their homes.
The Unicorn’s Curse – A village is plagued by a cursed unicorn. The villagers must find and stop the creature to lift the curse.
The Leviathan – A ship is attacked by a leviathan. The crew must find a way to defeat the creature and escape the ocean.

Gothic Horror

The Cursed Castle – A family inherits a castle with a dark history. They must uncover its secrets to lift the curse.
The Haunted Abbey – Monks at a remote abbey encounter ghostly apparitions. They must uncover the abbey’s dark past to stop the hauntings.
The Sinister Manor – Guests at a manor encounter strange occurrences. They must solve the manor’s mystery to escape.
The Dark Forest – A village is surrounded by a forest where no one returns. The villagers must uncover the forest’s secrets to survive.
The Phantom of the Opera House – A theater is haunted by a ghostly figure. The performers must uncover the phantom’s past to stop the hauntings.
The Ghostly Bride – A bride haunts the church where she was left at the altar. The townspeople must uncover her story to set her spirit free.
The Vampire’s Castle – A group of travelers seeks shelter in a castle only to find it inhabited by vampires. They must escape before becoming prey.
The Sinister Tower – A tower on a cliff is said to be haunted. Adventurers must uncover its secrets and survive its dangers.
The Witch’s Cottage – A cottage in the woods is said to be inhabited by a witch. Brave villagers must uncover the truth and survive the night.
The Shadowed Hallways – A noble family in a mansion encounters shadowy figures that stalk them at night. They must uncover the mansion’s history to banish the shadows.
The Forbidden Tomb – Explorers uncover an ancient tomb that curses those who enter. They must find a way to break the curse and escape.
The Haunted Chapel – A chapel is haunted by the spirits of those wronged by the church. The new priest must uncover their stories to bring peace.
The Eerie Estate – An estate known for its eerie occurrences becomes the setting for a family reunion. The family must uncover the estate’s dark past.
The Sinister Sculptor – A sculptor’s statues seem to come to life. Visitors to the sculptor’s estate must solve the mystery before they become statues themselves.
The Phantom Shipyard – A shipyard is haunted by the ghosts of shipbuilders who died in a tragic accident. Investigators must uncover the cause of the hauntings.
The Cursed Bell Tower – A bell tower’s toll brings doom to those who hear it. The villagers must silence the bell to stop the curse.
The Secret Passage – Hidden passages in a mansion reveal dark secrets. The inhabitants must navigate the passages to uncover the truth.
The Ghostly Governess – A governess haunts the children she once cared for. The new caretaker must uncover her story to protect the children.
The Darkened Library – A library contains books that whisper dark secrets. The librarian must uncover the source and stop the whispering.
The Phantom Train Station – A train station is haunted by passengers who never reached their destination. A traveler must uncover their stories.
The Sinister Garden – A garden blooms with flowers that have a deadly secret. The gardener must uncover the truth to save themselves.
The Ghostly Host – A host at a manor party is a ghost who never left. The guests must uncover the host’s story to escape.
The Haunted Portraits – Portraits in a manor watch the inhabitants. The family must uncover the stories behind the portraits.
The Cursed Well – A well in a village grants wishes at a terrible cost. The villagers must uncover the well’s origins to stop its influence.
The Phantom Ball – A grand ball is held every year by a ghostly host. The attendees must uncover the host’s story to escape.

Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic

The Last Survivors – After a nuclear apocalypse, a group of survivors must navigate a ruined city to find safety.
The Plague – A deadly virus wipes out most of humanity. The immune survivors must find a cure before they succumb to the infection.
The Alien Invasion – Aliens decimate Earth’s population. A group of resistance fighters must find a way to fight back.
The Artificial Intelligence Uprising – AI turns against humanity. A group of survivors must find a way to shut down the AI network.
The Resource War – After resources become scarce, warring factions fight for control. A neutral group must navigate the conflict to survive.
The Frozen Earth – A new ice age begins, and survivors must find a way to live in the frozen wasteland.
The Solar Flare – A solar flare wipes out the technology. Survivors must adapt to a world without electricity.
The Zombie Apocalypse – The dead rise, and survivors must find a safe haven. They must navigate hordes of zombies and hostile humans.
The Asteroid Impact – An asteroid destroys major cities. Survivors must rebuild society in the aftermath.
The Supervolcano Eruption – A supervolcano erupts, causing a global catastrophe. Survivors must navigate the ash-filled landscape.
The Mutant Uprising – Radiation causes mutations in humans. The unmutated must find a way to coexist or fight back.
The Machine Takeover – Robots take control of the world. Human survivors must find a way to disable the machines.
The Bioweapon Leak – A bioweapon leaks and creates deadly mutants. Survivors must find the source to stop the spread.
The Water Crisis – Water becomes a scarce resource. Survivors must find new sources of water and fend off those who want to steal it.
The Dark Age – Society collapses, and survivors must navigate a world without order. They must rebuild communities while avoiding bandits.
The EMP Attack – An EMP attack wipes out all electronics. Survivors must adapt to a pre-technological world.
The Global Famine – A famine causes mass starvation. Survivors must find new ways to grow food and fend off starving invaders.
The Infected Animals – A virus causes animals to become aggressive. Survivors must protect themselves from the deadly wildlife.
The Drought – A prolonged drought causes a water shortage. Survivors must find new sources of water and protect them from others.
The Nuclear Winter – A nuclear war causes a nuclear winter. Survivors must find a way to live in the cold, dark world.
The Toxic Air – Pollution causes the air to become toxic. Survivors must find ways to purify the air and protect themselves.
The Invasion – A foreign army invades, causing chaos. Survivors must navigate the war-torn landscape.
The Collapse – Economic collapse causes society to break down. Survivors must find ways to rebuild while avoiding hostile groups.
The Plague – A new plague decimates the population. Survivors must find a cure before they become infected.
The Resource Scarcity – Resources become scarce, and society collapses. Survivors must find new ways to survive and protect their resources.

Body Horror

The Parasite – A person becomes host to a parasitic creature that slowly takes over their body. They must find a way to remove it before losing control.
The Flesh-Eating Disease – A disease that causes flesh to decay. The infected must find a cure before they succumb.
The Mutation – A person starts mutating uncontrollably. They must find a way to stop the mutations before they become unrecognizable.
The Experiment – A person is subjected to horrific experiments that alter their body. They must escape the lab and find a way to reverse the changes.
The Transformation – A person transforms into a monstrous creature. They must find a way to stop the transformation and regain their humanity.
The Infestation – A person’s body becomes infested with insects. They must find a way to remove the infestation before it’s too late.
The Amalgamation – A scientist’s experiment causes multiple bodies to fuse together. The resulting creature must find a way to separate or live as one.
The Skinwalker – A person can change their appearance by shedding their skin. They must find a way to control their abilities before they lose themselves.
The Growth – A person discovers a rapidly growing tumor that gives them strange abilities. They must find a way to control it before it consumes them.
The Symbiote – A symbiotic creature bonds with a person, granting powers but slowly taking over. They must find a way to separate before losing control.
The Reanimation – A scientist’s experiment to reanimate the dead goes horribly wrong. The reanimated must find a way to live with their new bodies.
The Graft – A person receives an experimental organ transplant that changes their body in unexpected ways. They must find a way to reverse the changes.
The Cannibal’s Curse – A person who consumes human flesh gains horrific powers. They must find a way to break the curse before losing their humanity.
The Melting Man – A person starts to liquefy. They must find a way to stop the process before it melts away.
The Living Tattoo – A person’s tattoos come to life and start to control them. They must find a way to stop the tattoos before they take over.
The Bone Shifter – A person gains the ability to shift their bones, causing great pain. They must find a way to control their power before it destroys them.
The Organ Thief – A person wakes up missing organs that are replaced by mysterious mechanical parts. They must find the thief and recover their organs.
The Flesh Sculptor – A person gains the ability to mold their flesh like clay. They must find a way to control their power before it consumes them.
The Skin Thief – A person can steal others’ skin to change their appearance. They must find a way to stop their urges before they lose their humanity.
The Hive – A person’s body becomes a hive for insects. They must find a way to remove the insects before it’s too late.
The Limb Regenerator – A person gains the ability to regenerate limbs, but each regrowth causes them to lose part of their humanity. They must find a way to stop the process.
The Mind Swap – A person swaps minds with another, causing their body to undergo horrific changes. They must find a way to reverse the swap.
The Flesh Weaver – A person gains the ability to manipulate flesh, weaving it into grotesque forms. They must find a way to control their power before it consumes them.
The Bone Collector – A person starts collecting bones, and their body begins to incorporate them. They must find a way to stop before they become living skeletons.
The Living Parasite – A parasitic organism living inside a person starts taking over their body. They must find a way to remove the parasite before it controls them completely.

Slasher Stories

The Masked Killer – A masked killer hunts down teenagers at a summer camp. The survivors must uncover the killer’s identity to stop the murders.
The Urban Legend – A group of friends accidentally awaken a killer from an urban legend. They must find a way to stop the killer before becoming victims.
The High School Horror – A killer stalks students at a high school reunion. The former classmates must band together to survive the night.
The Night Stalker – A serial killer targets people walking alone at night. A detective must catch the killer before more lives are lost.
The Cabin in the Woods – A group of friends vacationing in a cabin are hunted by a killer. They must survive the night and uncover the killer’s motive.
The Halloween Horror – A killer in a Halloween costume targets partygoers. The survivors must figure out who the killer is before it’s too late.
The Summer Slasher – A slasher terrorizes a summer camp. The counselors must protect the campers and stop the killer.
The Haunted House Horror – A group of friends visiting a haunted house attraction encounter a real killer. They must survive the night and escape the house.
The Killer Clown – A killer dressed as a clown targets children. The townspeople must uncover the clown’s identity to stop the killings.
The Prom Night Massacre – A killer crashes a prom, targeting students. The survivors must find a way to stop the killer and escape.
The Road Trip Terror – A group of friends on a road trip are hunted by a killer. They must uncover the killer’s identity and motive to survive.
The Island Slasher – Vacationers on a remote island are hunted by a killer. They must survive and find a way to escape the island.
The Carnival of Carnage – A killer targets visitors at a carnival. The survivors must uncover the killer’s identity to stop the murders.
The Silent Stalker – A killer who never speaks targets people in their homes. A detective must catch the killer before more lives are lost.
The Snowbound Slasher – A group of friends snowed in at a cabin and are hunted by a killer. They must survive the night and find a way to escape.
The College Campus Killer – A killer stalks students on a college campus. The survivors must band together to uncover the killer’s identity.
The Backwoods Butcher – Campers in the backwoods are hunted by a killer. They must survive the night and find a way to stop the killer.
The Stalker in the Shadows – A stalker targets a woman, and her friends must protect her and catch the stalker.
The Holiday Horror – A killer targets people during the holidays. The survivors must uncover the killer’s identity and motive to stop the murders.
The Beachside Slasher – Vacationers at a beach resort are hunted by a killer. They must survive and uncover the killer’s identity.
The Amusement Park Horror – A killer targets visitors at an amusement park. The survivors must stop the killer and escape the park.
The Midnight Stalker – A killer targets people walking alone at midnight. A detective must catch the killer before more lives are lost.
The Wedding Day Massacre – A killer crashes a wedding, targeting guests. The survivors must find a way to stop the killer and escape.
The Forest of Fear – Hikers in a forest are hunted by a killer. They must survive and find a way to stop the killer.
The Asylum Escapee – A killer escapes from an asylum and targets people in a nearby town. The townspeople must uncover the killer’s identity to stop the murders.

Cosmic Horror

The Lovecraftian Entity – A small town is plagued by sightings of an otherworldly entity. The townspeople must uncover its origins to stop the madness.
The Eldritch Tome – A scholar discovers a book that drives readers insane. They must uncover the book’s secrets to stop its influence.
The Alien Artifact – Scientists discover an artifact that brings forth cosmic horrors. They must find a way to destroy it before it consumes them.
The Forgotten Temple – Explorers find an ancient temple dedicated to a cosmic entity. They must uncover its secrets to escape the horrors within.
The Star Cult – A cult worships a cosmic entity that grants them terrible powers. Investigators must stop the cult before they summon the entity.
The Cosmic Rift – A rift in space-time opens, bringing forth horrors from another dimension. Scientists must find a way to close the rift.
The Astral Projector – A person gains the ability to astrally project but encounters cosmic horrors. They must find a way to control their power.
The Interdimensional Traveler – A traveler from another dimension brings cosmic horrors. The survivors must find a way to send the traveler back.
The Eldritch Signal – A signal from deep space drives those who hear it insane. Scientists must find a way to stop the signal.
The Otherworldly Beacon – A lighthouse serves as a beacon for cosmic entities. The keeper must find a way to stop the beacon.
The Alien Invasion – Aliens from another dimension invade Earth, bringing cosmic horrors. The survivors must find a way to fight back.
The Eldritch Storm – A storm brings forth cosmic horrors. The survivors must find a way to stop the storm.
The Forgotten Ones – Ancient beings awaken and bring cosmic horrors. The survivors must find a way to stop them.
The Cosmic Plague – A plague from another dimension infects humanity. The survivors must find a cure before it spreads.
The Eldritch Machine – A machine built by an ancient civilization brings cosmic horrors. The survivors must find a way to destroy it.
The Otherworldly Visitor – A visitor from another dimension brings cosmic horrors. The survivors must find a way to send them back.
The Lovecraftian Dreams – People start having dreams of cosmic horrors that drive them insane. They must find a way to stop the dreams.
The Eldritch Ritual – A cult performs a ritual to summon a cosmic entity. Investigators must stop the ritual.
The Alien Mind Control – Aliens use mind control to bring forth cosmic horrors. The survivors must find a way to stop them.
The Eldritch Portal – A portal opens, bringing forth cosmic horrors. The survivors must find a way to close it.
The Forgotten City – Explorers find a lost city dedicated to cosmic entities. They must uncover its secrets to escape the horrors within.
The Otherworldly Artifact – An artifact from another dimension brings cosmic horrors. The survivors must find a way to destroy it.
The Eldritch Experiment – Scientists’ experiments bring forth cosmic horrors. They must find a way to stop the experiments.
The Alien Infestation – Aliens infest a town, bringing cosmic horrors. The survivors must find a way to stop them.
The Cosmic Entity – A cosmic entity awakens, bringing forth horrors. The survivors must find a way to stop it.

Folk Horror

The Village Ritual – A village performs a dark ritual every year. Outsiders must uncover the ritual’s purpose to escape.
The Forest Cult – A cult in the forest performs dark rituals. Outsiders must uncover the cult’s secrets to survive.
The Harvest Sacrifice – A village sacrifices people for a good harvest. The outsiders must stop the sacrifices.
The Witch Hunt – A village accuses outsiders of being witches. They must prove their innocence to survive.
The Cursed Land – A village is built on cursed land. Outsiders must uncover the curse’s origin to lift it.
The Haunted Farm – A farm is haunted by the spirits of those wronged by the landowners. The new owners must uncover the farm’s dark history.
The Pagan Festival – A village’s pagan festival hides dark secrets. Outsiders must uncover the truth to survive.
The Reaping – A village reaps souls to appease a dark entity. The outsiders must stop the reaping.
The Cursed Forest – A forest is cursed, and those who enter never return. Outsiders must uncover the curse’s origin.
The Old Gods – A village worships ancient gods that demand sacrifices. The outsiders must stop the worship.
The Blood Moon – A village performs a ritual under a blood moon. Outsiders must stop the ritual.
The Spirit of the Lake – A lake is haunted by a vengeful spirit. The villagers must uncover its story to stop the hauntings.
The Cornfield Curse – A village’s cornfield is cursed, causing bizarre deaths. Outsiders must uncover the curse’s origin to stop it.
The Stone Circle – A stone circle in a village is used for dark rituals. Outsiders must uncover their secrets to stop the rituals.
The Phantom Harvest – A village experiences hauntings during the harvest season. Outsiders must uncover the cause to end the terror.
The Cursed Festival – A village festival turns deadly each year. Outsiders must uncover the festival’s dark origins to stop the deaths.
The Whispering Woods – The woods surrounding a village whisper dark secrets. Outsiders must decipher the whispers to escape.
The Haunted Mill – An old mill is haunted by the spirits of workers who died there. New owners must uncover the mill’s dark history.
The Witch’s Mark – A village marks certain people as witches. Outsiders must uncover the truth behind the markings to survive.
The Blood Ritual – A village performs a blood ritual to appease dark forces. Outsiders must stop the ritual before they become sacrifices.
The Specter of the Fields – A scarecrow in a village’s fields comes to life. Outsiders must uncover the scarecrow’s dark origins.
The Sinister Shepherd – A shepherd in a village controls his flock with dark magic. Outsiders must uncover his secrets to stop him.
The Ghostly Harvesters – Spirits of past harvesters haunt a village. Outsiders must uncover the harvesters’ stories to end the hauntings.
The Village of Shadows – A village is plagued by shadowy figures. Outsiders must uncover the figures’ origins to escape.
The Witching Hour – A village experiences dark events at the Witching Hour. Outsiders must uncover the truth behind the events to survive.

Here is a video with 25 bonus horror writing prompts:

Final Thoughts: Horror Writing Prompts

Using these writing prompts is simple.

Choose a prompt that sparks your interest. Imagine the characters, setting, and conflict. Let the prompt guide you, but feel free to add your unique twist.

Keep writing until the story unfolds naturally.

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BRYN DONOVAN

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50 Spooky Writing Prompts and Horror Story Ideas

If you’re looking for scary story prompts or horror writing ideas, you’ve come to the right place! These are great Halloween writing prompts, and some of these could also be used as suspense story prompts or dark fantasy story ideas.

These are all from my book 5 ,000 Writing Prompts: A Master List of Plot Ideas, Creative Exercises, and More . The book has 100 additional spooky writing prompts and horror story ideas, as well as master plots and idea starters for all kinds of writing.

If you are easily scared and have an over-active imagination, just skip this one. And anyway, just remember it’s all nonsense that I made up while I was exercising on the treadmill or sitting in bed.

Some of these are skeletal (ha) plot ideas, while others are images or suggestions. And if you’d like a spooky soundtrack to inspire you, be sure to check out my scary music playlist for writers ! Be sure to pin or bookmark the post for future reference. After all, when autumn rolls around, you might find yourself looking for Halloween writing prompts!

A musician practices. When she finishes a piece, she hears someone clapping for her, although she lives alone.
Frightening events in a small town lead its citizens to dig up the grave of a deceased inhabitant.
Someone gets on the elevator by himself and is never seen by his friends or family again.
The Furies—the vengeance deities of classic mythology—are back in business again.
A collector buys an unpublished manuscript by an obscure writer that describes a terrible historical event a year before it occurred. The collector learns the writer wrote many unpublished stories…
Creating a hybrid of a human and this particular animal turns out to be a bad idea.
A person has the ability to make other people very ill.
The dead walk out of the sea.
An individual begins seeing and hearing from someone who looks just like her – and learns she had a twin who died at birth.
A killer places an advertisement for a willing victim and finds one.
A basement contains jars filled with unusual specimens.
A person finds new photos of herself on her cell phone that she didn’t take.
The spirit of a brutalized slave or prisoner of war wants revenge on his tormentor’s descendants.
A couple vacationing in a remote area begins having the same nightmares.
All of the circus performers were killed in the train wreck.
The television switches to another station of its own accord and plays footage of something horrible that happened long before the technology existed to record it.
A spouse or sibling dies. He or she begins to take over the body of the surviving spouse or sibling.
Weekend adventurers explore a cave and can’t find their way out again. Then they encounter something terrible…
Authorities go through the cluttered apartment of a deceased man who lived alone with no known friends or relatives for decades and find something disturbing.
A group of teenagers trolls everyone else in an online group by telling made-up stories about terrible things they’ve done. Things then get out of hand.
It’s bad luck in the theatre to call the Shakespeare play Macbeth by name, but someone in the company keeps doing it anyway… and the superstition proves true.
Every exhibit in this carnival sideshow is fake. Except this one thing.
An individual develops a terror of water – drinking it, touching it, or even being near it. There’s actually a good reason why.
The grandfather clock starts running backwards.
People in this neighborhood begin having freak accidents that involve normal appliances and machinery, such as blenders, weed whackers, and garage doors.
The cure for a new deadly epidemic is almost scarier than the disease.
He locked the doors and shuttered the windows; it came in through the roof.
A woman is happy when her dead loved one comes back to life… but he’s changed.
This centuries-old beauty secret is effective but horrifying.
A killer toys with his victims by orchestrating a series of false hopes for them.
She wakes up in the middle of the night and runs out to a certain tree.
Tourists on a ghost tour, along with their guide, fall into the hands of an evil presence.
A young woman is impregnated by her handsome new boyfriend, who turns out to be something other than human.
The empty swing is swinging.
A bride on her honeymoon discovers she’s not her new husband’s first wife… not even close.
Long ago, when he was a baby, a man’s parents made an unwise deal in order to bring him back from the dead.
Members of a family or people in a town begin sleepwalking and doing strange things in their sleep.
A young man confesses to a killing that hasn’t happened. The murder he describes takes place while he’s in custody.
Grisly events happen after the arrival of a hypnotist in Victorian London.
An author’s fictional villain stalks him.
Fraternity hazing goes way too far.
It always happens when he’s alone in the car.
A patient in a mental hospital encounters a malevolent ghost, but nobody believes her.
A mother’s young child may or may not be a changeling.
Swarms of insects appear in various places in a town, always followed by an untimely death.
The ghost at the movie theater wants everyone to watch one particular snippet of film.
A child’s imaginary friend starts to cause real trouble.
When putting together a slide show for a wedding or funeral, someone notices that for decades, the same man, dressed in the same fashion, has been appearing in the background of photographs taken in public places.
A politician, religious leader, or celebrity exerts mind control over the will of his or her followers.
The fairy godmother isn’t the good kind of fairy.

Okay, I creeped myself out a little with these spooky writing prompts! If you’re writing a novel and want a step-by-step guide to planning, writing, and editing, be sure to check out my book 5,000 Writing Prompts .

5,000 WRITING PROMPTS: A Master List of Plot Ideas, Creative Exercises, and More | BRYN DONOVAN |

Do you have questions or suggestions about horror story ideas? We’d love to hear them in the comments section! And don’t miss future posts about writing. Follow my blog, if you aren’t already — there’s a place you can sign up below. Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing!

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How to Write a Scary Story

by Emily Wenstrom | 55 comments

I love Halloween. The creepy movies, ghost stories, the crisp fall air, the pumpkins. And who doesn’t love to get dressed up and hit the town for night? But there’s nothing like a horrifying story to get in your head—and get you in the spirit. Here are four tips on how to write a scary story.

4 Tips on How to Write a Scary Story

What makes a good scary story ? Is it details that evoke the fear factor? The element of surprise or suspense?

Maybe the supernatural elements like ghosts or vampires will set your spooky story apart. Whatever key elements you chose to include in your scary story, here are a few pointers on how to write a scary story to get you started.

(And to see our complete guide on writing a short story, click here .)

1. Explore what scares you.

Story ideas can come from anywhere, but for a scary story, start with one of your greatest fears—not to be confused with things generically considered scary. Whether it’s something trivial like clowns or fear of heights or something traumatic like losing a child, the best stories start with something personal.

So what real world fears scare you ? Explore it and take that absolute fear to its darkest place. Now, how do you get your readers there with you?

2. Identify your main character

A strong main character in a horror story draws readers into their experience and makes them feel the fear. This stands true whether you’re telling the story from the perspective of the protagonist or a true villain.

Personally, my favorite horror characters are often the ones that can’t be trusted.

As you choose or develop your main character, consider what makes them vulnerable to the fear you're exploring. How are they uniquely built to have to face that fear in the scariest scenes of your story?

3. Work the suspense

Hitchcock wasn’t one of the greats for nothing. The soul of a good horror story isn’t the terrifying killer, it’s the fear of what the killer is going to do. A good horror story exposes just enough for the reader to know something isn’t right, but not enough for readers to know why until the end.

Suspense stories set up conditions where the reader knows something is going to happen. Sometimes they do it with foreshadowing. Othertimes it might be through a creepy setting or some creepier element. Look for ways to draw out that tension.

4. Warning: Avoid the tropes

Like any genre, horror has its tropes. Every single one of them comes creeping out of the woodwork this time of year, too. But I think we’ve all seen enough dumb teen girls make bad choices that end with them murdered by a serial killer. Don’t give in to the tropes!

When using horror motifs, like any story, find your own unique take.

Now go embrace the season! Start with these guidelines and see where your imagination takes you—soon you’ll have a bone-chillingly haunting story on your hands.

What tips do you have on how to write a scary story? Share in the comments .

Emily Wenstrom

By day, Emily Wenstrom, is the editor of short story website wordhaus , author social media coach, and freelance content marketing specialist . By early-early morning, she is E. J. Wenstrom , a sci-fi and fantasy author whose first novel Mud will release in March 2016.

55 Comments

I love writing horror! Here’s something I use to help me: watch TONS of scary movies and read TONS of horror novels! This is where you learn what to do as well as what NOT to do. And you explore many story lines that can inspire you!

Great idea to put you in the right mood 🙂

I agree, lots of reading in any genre of one’s choosing builds a knowledge base of what good writing is made of.

I am terrible at writing horror. I admit that freely. My skills lie in other areas, so I can’t really offer any tips.

I did ponder some fears: darkness, house creaks when you’re alone, something happening to my children, break-ins, bees.

I combined several of these I to this practice(fun to write, even though it is pretty cliche!):

It comes in the dark, hiding among the shadows. It creeps through empty rooms, and the floorboards creak and groan. She laughs to herself, hearing the sounds. The house only makes those noises when her husband is out of town.

It continues to slink along the walls, drawing ever closing to the children’s rooms. She feels a chill she can’t explain and contemplates adjusting the thermostat. She decides not to. Wouldn’t want to disturb the kids, sleeping so soundly. They’re obviously not bothered by the cold.

It reaches the bedroom door of the youngest child and stealthily enters. A quiet gasp and then nothing.

You had me at “the house only makes those noises when her husband is out of town.” I swear my place does this.

I don’t know, that’s not so cliche. Sounds like an original twist on a universal fear. I like it.

Thank you! You’re very kind!

Wow, amazing story. Had me at the edge of my seat for sure!

I love reading horror, I love watching scary movies and shows about the paranormal and while I put up a fearless act in front of anyone who’s watching, my brain usually quickly succumbs to a fearful paranoia induced by whatever was going on in the book/movie. It’s an unsettling feeling, yet one I tend to seek every now and then for reasons beyond me. Seeing what a scardy cat I can – if only internally – be, I often wonder why I keep coming back for more.

I find it’s mostly because normally I am not scared of much. I have fears, of course, but those are mostly ambiguous, fears I can rationalize and deal with or ignore. So getting scared the “good ol’ jump scary shivers down your spine-y” way every now and then feels somewhat refreshing I guess. The thrill it brings along with the creepy feeling that takes root deep within you, racing you heartbeat as if it’s the F1 season already, is just something only a good horror can deliver for me.

Let me watch one episode of Ghost Adventures and the second I lay down to sleep I’m going to overanalyze every strange sound that stirs in the dark, desolate room, even though I know if there were ghosts here, they probably would have started a party earlier in the twenty years I’ve lived here. Just re-reading Suzuki Koji’s Dark waters makes me stare suspiciously at the tap when I pour water down my glass, expecting slimy hair – or worse – to follow suit. Just few days ago my friend brought me his collection of the Nickelodeon classic – Are you afraid of the dark? I thought: “Hey! My favorite show growing up! Surely I won’t be scared after watching thi – oh well, never mind” *hides under her bed.,..with the boogeyman*

Ridiculously enough, never am I more scared than right after indulging in my guilty horror pleasures. Suddenly everything becomes a 100% more scarier. It’s probably why I have never even thought about writing a horror story – I might as well scare myself to death with the paranoia itself before even finishing the story :’D

I’m such a scaredy-cat I can’t watch horror movies. They give me unspeakable, apocalyptic nightmares. I do watch the paranormal shows, then sit around all night imagining noises. I don’t know if I could write horror either.

You are beautiful, my darling. You remind me of the inner workings of a lock: every curve of your figure, every delicate bend, fits together perfectly into something so much more than its parts, but that is even more stunning because of their elegance. You glint like alabaster in the moonlight, a marble temple to your own divinity. Your dark eyes are endless, seeing into mysteries I cannot yet comprehend. How wise you must be. Your smile stretches from ear to ear, ever cheerful. You will never be sad again, this I know. Here, let me interlock your fingers with mine and look at you. You are just as lovely now as the day we first met. It has taken me so long to find you again, my love. And I promise we will never again be parted. In the morning the pastor will find the earth disturbed and will think nothing of it. He is a careless man. He will call the gravedigger to fill the opening back up and that will be the end of it. No one will ever think to look for me. We will hold each other forever my darling, here in our home beneath the ground.

It made my heart ache at the end. Losing someone that you love is a devastating thing that rips your heart out. When I think that I might lose my brother or my parents, that fear can be crippling, and I can feel depressed just thinking about it. Whoever you have lost, EndlessExposition, I pray that God will heal your heart.

Very Edgar Allen Poe-ish. Romantic and creepy. Good job!

Horror can be especially disturbing when its laced with love, as in this piece. Nice work.

This somewhat reminds me of Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily. Love it!

That definitely gave me the creeps. I’m impressed at how nervous the sinister voice and imagery (smile stretches from ear to ear especially weird) made me feel while reading it!

One of my greatest fears crept out in my main character: being raped. I’ve never had to face the possibility of being raped before, but I know things like that happen, so when I walk to my car in the dark, notice a creepy guy watching me, or get asked personal questions by a complete stranger (that’s happened and every guy that slaps eyes on a woman for the first time and asks for her number and if she has a boyfriend needs a knucklesandwich), that fear can sneak into my mind. That’s why I’m an extremely cautious person. I don’t trust easily, and I try never to be alone with a guy I don’t trust. Anyway, my main character actually deals with a situation where she’s almost raped. So in a way, she’s really facing something I fear.

I think writing stories and letting our characters work through some of our fears is a valid approach. The reader can see the world through your eyes and your perceptions, and experience things thet thought they knew in a totally different way. As for you, the writing may help you understand and cope with your fears.

I’m working on something very similar and exercise the same kind of caution.. at times I feel like I should be writing something lighter and more hopeful, rather than being further drawn into the fear, but maybe it’s how we create writing at its most powerful. Totally agree with you re the knucklesandwich!! 🙂

Can’t resist a horror prompt, especially when it digs into my own fears …

“Oh my! I’ll call the exterminator first thing in the morning, dear. How awful that that happened to you!” Mrs. Ketchens stood on her stoop and made a sour face at her visitor.

“It’s really, OK, Mrs. Ketchens. I shouldn’t have bothered you with this tonight. I can just run to the store and pick up some mousetraps,” Jarrod said, feeling embarrassed.

“Nonsense, young man. There is no reason at all that my tenants should have to put up with an infestation. Right there in the — in the shed, was it?”

Jarrod looked at his shoe laces as he replied, “Yes, I saw it in the shed.”

“Right there in the shed! Imagine! And how many did you say you saw?” Mrs. Ketchens looked at Jarrod over her wire rims.

“Well, um, just the one. I’m sorry, Mrs. Ketchens. I REALLY shouldn’t have told you about this. It’s no big deal.” Jarrod was squirming under the old lady’s glare, and he felt like she was beginning to ridicule him.

“Whether it was one or one THOUSAND, it is I who should apologize, Mr. Harris. No, we’ll get this all cleared up in the morning. In the meantime,” Ketchens said as she clutched his cold hand, “I insist that you let me make it up to you with a cup of tea.”

She tugged Jarrod across the threshold with surprising force, and she closed the door behind him before he could protest.

“Well … hehe … maybe just a quick cup.” The room was warm in the glow of the fireplace.

“Splendid!” Mrs. Ketchens delighted. “I already have the pot near a boil. Have a seat there on the sofa by the fire, and I’ll fetch us some cups.”

Jarrod felt like an intruder in his landlady’s home, but he was the one who had ran to her when he found a silly mouse in an outbuilding. Same stupid phobia that had haunted him his whole life.

He had to humor the old coot now, so he settled onto the sofa, kicking up a puff of dust. He could hear Mrs. Ketchens rattling dishes in the next room, and she emerged from the darkness after a couple of minutes.

“Here we go, dear.” She carried a dingy platter with cups, a creamer, and a sugar bowl to the coffee table near the fire.

By the flickering light, Mrs. Ketchens poured boiling water from the copper kettle into the cups, causing the tea bags inside to bob up and down, pulling at the strings that flopped over the brims.

“There, now. Just a few minutes and we’ll have some soothing tea to take our minds off that unpleasantness at your house,” the old lady promised. “How do you take it? Milk? Sugar?”

“Um, no, black is fine.” Jarrod just wanted to get this over with.

After some stilted talk about the weather and plenty of awkward silence, Mrs. Ketchens moved to the table once again and bobbed the tea bags up and down a few times.

“Oh, that’s so nice!” she called out and then carried the steaming cups to the couch and handed one to Jarrod. “Here you go, dear. Enjoy!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Ketchens,” Jarrod replied as he wrapped his fingers around the cup.

A few sips in, Jarrod had to admit that he was feeling better. Maybe that Ketchens knew what she was doing after all.

Just as that thought rolled down his throat, Mrs. Ketchens exclaimed, “I’m so rude sometimes!”

She hopped up and clicked on a floor lamp to right of the mantel that Jarrod had not even noticed by the firelight. Then she lifted her tea bag from his cup to make her point: “I didn’t even ask you if you preferred chocolate or vanilla!”

The old lady was holding not a tea bag, but a squirming brown mouse, crying out now in pain from the scalding water.

Horrified, Jarrod looked into his own cup just in time to see a red-eyed, white rodent head break the surface of his “tea,” and it screamed.

And so did Jarrod.

Auuughhh! Oh, my goodness. Yeah, that’s horror. Ugh. *shudders*. I’ll be in the corner, shaking. (Excellent job.)

That was horrible! (In a good way).

Ew ew ew! That just makes me cringe. Nice work.

Love this, had to stop myself from skipping to end just to kill the suspense.

Double ick, with cold shivers. Fabulous!

Thanks for the comments. Gotta go change the traps now. 🙂

I loved the suspense you built up in this, with the awkwardness and the use of light to reveal the story’s elements. Must confess I was expecting far worse than a cup of mouse tea but am v relieved I’ll still be able to sleep tonight! 🙂

that was a nice caramel “verminilla” macchiato latte…..at the end

your profile picture makes u like like a complete faggot

I’ve been posting bits of a short story that has scary images. This story is scary in a metaphysical, “we are all always creating our own heaven or hell” way. I will post the next bit now. To recap, Yvonne, nice wife, and Preston, mean husband, die in a fiery crash. Preston wakes up in a dark, demonic place by the side of a black lake. A guy I have tried very hard to depict as scary is trying to get Preston into a rowboat. Then Yvonne finds herself on a pristine, untouched mountain top where the snow is not cold, and there are friendly human-like beings with mirror eyes there to greet her. She has just convinced them to let her know what happened to Preston, and they have opened a hole in the snow. Down below, Yvonne has caught a glimpse of Preston, sleeping on a bed of flames.

Yvonne’s reaction was automatic. There was no thought involved, just a reflex to rescue someone she loved from a horrible fate. She knelt in front of the one in the brown robe, clasped her hands together, and turned up her face in supplication. She prayed to this being as, during life, she had prayed to God. “Please, I beg you! Please let Preston come up here with us! You don’t understand him the way I do! Please, please, let him come here!” The wrinkled face frowned, and the mirrored eyes, which had reflected the sky and clouds, went dark, as if a light had been switched off.

Sobbing, Yvonne did not give up. “Please, I’m begging you, give him a chance! He’s a good man! He was only mean to me because he didn’t love me, and I pressured him to marry me and stay with me! I used the kids to make him feel trapped! I loved him so much I couldn’t let him go! Can’t you see how good he is? He was just unhappy! Please don’t punish him for that! Please, please, just let him come up here for a little while. You’ll see he really belongs here!. Please, please!

Yvonne could no longer see the face inside the hood of the brown robe. There was a dark emptiness where previously she had clearly seen a face. She looked down to see what was happening to Preston, and was relieved to see that he had floated up off of the flames, and was slowly floating up towards the clouds and mountain top. She could not see the means of his ascension, yet he remained perfectly and evenly prone, as if lying on an invisible platform, that brought him slowly to the rim of the hole in the snow. Preston levitated, still asleep, a few feet above the hole. The edge of the hole became misty and the hole shrank a little. In a few moments, the hole was gone and the unseen force set Preston gently on the new, powdery white snow.

As his body touched the new snow, Preston’s eyes opened wide, and he took in a sharp gulp of air. Yvonne knelt down to hold him, but he pushed her away and screamed. His eyes were open wide, and he began thrashing and rolling around. His movements were so violent, she couldn’t get close to him. Preston shrieked unintelligible high, piercing, primal screams. Yvonne ran around him, trying to see what was happening. “Preston!”, she yelled over his screaming. “What is going on? What is happening to you?”

Preston continued writhing and screaming, and managed to turn his head to look directly at Yvonne. “I’m burning!” He cried out, “Help me, I’m burning. HELP ME, Oh God, HELP ME!” He didn’t say any more, and continued shrieking and wailing. Feeling sick, Yvonne finally grasped that the snow, which had been neither hot nor cold for her, was in fact an inferno of agony for Preston.

She ran back to the robed figure, who had not moved the entire time. The face had not returned, and she still could only make out blackness and empty space instead of any type of visage. She fell back on her knees and begged, “Send him back! I didn’t know! I didn’t know it would hurt him! Please send him back to where he was! I’ll never ask again, I swear! She screamed louder than Preston, and fell forward on the ground. She looked up and begged, “Please, please, please, please, please….” Finally, the hole in the snow reopened, and Preston descended as slowly and evenly as he had ascended. The flames far below were still there, and he was on course to be set down gently on the pyre. Preston was halfway back when the hole abruptly closed, yet Yvonne could still hear his screams, growing fainter.

This is not the end, there is one more scene.

Interesting concept — thanks for sharing!

I love the way you use dialect in your story to tell so much about Yvonne’s feelings towards her husband – she’s instantly such a lovable character. Also this piece created some great imagery for me ‘and the mirrored eyes, which had reflected the sky and clouds, went dark, as if a light had been switched off’. When do we get to read the next scene? 🙂

Sidney, thank you for the feedback. I put installments on The Write Practice when the days assignment will fit the next scene in the story.

When I was looking at my fears the thing that stood out the most wasn’t the thing I feared but rather the anxiety that accompanied it. So this got me thinking of those days as a child when you couldn’t sleep because of the monster under the bed (I must admit that even at age 22 I still sometimes get that feeling when i get out of bed at night). I know this isn’t much but this is what I came up with. __________________

Help mommy daddy Help! the scratching, make it stop can’t you hear it Make It stop!

Help mommy daddy Help! It’s under my bed hiding, waiting Find It! Find It!

Help mommy daddy Help! the breath, I can smell it rotten, stinks Kill It!

Quickly mommy daddy Quickly! It’s crawling out coming to get me Save me!

Hurry mommy daddy Hurry! getting closer, sniffing claws reaching, No No Save me!

Please mommy daddy Please! scared, Save me teeth, biting, No No Too Late! Save me

Brilliantly captures that feeling I think we can all relate to from all those years ago.

Thanks for the comment. Happy that it captured anything since it’s so different from my usual style.

Mine always hid in the wardrobe! This just totally took me back in time.

To be honest mine always stood beside my bed. Which was really creepy since I could only fall asleep if I was lying on my side. Thanks for the comment!

My deepest fears include being alone forever, invisible to the ones I love, and most of all, unworthy of love. When I started thinking how this could apply to the horror genre or how these fears could inspire a story. My idea was about a young woman who’s cursed. Anyone she falls in love with meets some kind of terrible unfortunate ending, so she swears off love and becomes a recluse. But then one day she meets someone who relentlessly pursues her and she gives in. But soon after they get together weird things start happening, so they join together to figure out how to break the curse. Or whatever.

I’m not quite sure if this falls along the lines of what the prompt’s asking, but at least it got me thinking. 😛

Your idea just got me thinking too – thanks for sharing! 🙂

So this is my first time actually posting in a prompt and its a bit late only read this tonight but here goes. My biggest fear is probably the loss of a loved one. So not sure if this is horror per se but for me its terrifying thought

Dana decided to take a long walk. The weather outside wasn’t particularly summery, it was cool but not chill, just mild enough to be refreshing. She felt as if she had walked for sometime and decided she might like to sit down. Suddenly she was feeling light headed, to her convenience she had stopped just by a bench. As it turned out this was her favourite bench, the spot her mother had always brought her for their Sunday afternoon picnics, she must bring Anya someday. She loved this spot it overlooked the pond, they had always made sure to bring extra bread rolls to feed the ducks. It was so beautiful until they filled it in and turned it into a skate part after the poor baby had drowned.

Confusion, crashed in. Followed quickly by reality. She fell backwards into Jonathan’s arms. Suddenly aware of where she was, her coat still in her hand she had fallen into him. He was holding her as if she might shatter into a million pieces if he let her go, at that moment she felt as if that were true.

“Darling did you hear me – darling talk to me”, his voice was desperate, lonely, pleading for her to return to her role as The Supporter. How could she? What was there left to support. The structure she held up was – he said it again ” Its our Anya… they found her… she’s… Anya’s gone”. Her reality began fading once more.

Hi, well done for posting – I’m too scared to dream up and write something fearful, knowing I’ll have nightmares for a week if I dwell on anything even remotely creepy! I found reading this a bit confusing and had to reread a couple of times, then wondered whether you’d created the sense of confusion deliberately. It’s definitely surreal. 🙂

I locked the doors, dead bolted them, went and got a glass of water then repeated the process. I was alone. He had promised me it wouldn’t ever happen– that I’d never be completely alone, but now look at where we are. I sat down on the floor in the laundry room. I couldn’t bring myself to go up the stairs to the bedroom. I couldn’t even step foot in there. Not after what happened in there.

Honestly, what scares me most is my own mind. I’ve been known to come up with disturbing thoughts, and my dreams are horrors on a whole other level, so this is my practice:

The darkness loomed overhead, as the moon slipped behind clouds, but that was normal, and Emma simply smiled as she looked out her screened window. It was raining again. Everybody always said it wasn’t healthy to stay up so late, but she loved the night-time so much. She glanced over to her digital alarm clock; three thirty-seven am. She should probably go to sleep soon, but the insomnia, and her racing mind kept her up.

“You really should go to bed you know.” Emma froze. Everybody was asleep, weren’t they? That didn’t sound like either of her parents’ voices either. Slowly, she turned her head to look at her door, scared to see who it was. Her vision blurred and went black. She blinked until it came into focus. There was nobody there. “Really, what are you so scared of? Monsters? They don’t exist. It’s just me here.” The voice paused and why did it feel like it was smiling? “And I am, after all, you.”

It didn’t make any sense. The disembodied voice the blurring vision- and why wouldn’t her eyes come into focus completely? “No, go away. I don’t want you here.” She muttered.

“Darling,” it drew out the word lovingly. “I can’t just go away, when I’m inside your head.”

“No…” Emma protested, starting to get desperate. Everytime it showed up, bad things happened. “I’m not crazy.” It laughed as she tried to cover her ears. “I’M NOT CRAZY!!!”

The screams seemed to dissolve into the night, but across the hall, her mother woke up. She ran to her daughters room, only to find a monster. Sitting on her bed, the thing had bloodshot eyes, and a malicious grin. Shadows surrounded it, and she took a step back.

“Who are you, and what have you done with our daughter?!” The woman demanded. The creature looked up at her, and she froze. That looked like-

“What, don’t you recognize me? Your poor daughter, not even recognized by her own family. Between that instant and the next, the creature leapt.

David woke to find his wife clawed to death in the hall, and his daughter sleeping peacefully in her room.

Sometimes the worst monster is what’s inside our minds.

good advice

That’s funny because when I read the suggestion that I should write down my fears, I was like “No, because someone might be watching and use them to mess with me!” and then I realized, well, that’s one of them there.

…People Hide Who They Are…

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Lucy. She was not like any other ordinary girl, she was quiet and never slept at night. Her parents got really worried when she turned 11. She still continued to never talk or sleep. She now only wore black and red clothing with spiky boots, necklaces, and bracelets. Lucy’s parents got really worried and eventually sent her to a foster home.

When Lucy arrived at the foster care center she went straight up to her room there and stayed there. Lucy put her bags on the bed and started unpacking her things. She opened up a dresser drawer and placed her black jeans and leggings there. Opening up the second drawer with her shirts in her hand, she placed them there. She looked on the top of the dresser and found a jewelry box . Lucy decided to put her necklaces and bracelets there.

Lucy looked around and found a book about Fallen Angels on the top of the bed frame. She started reading the book that night and found it very interesting. The book had a huge impact on her and she wanted to become a Fallen Angel. Everything that the book described the Angels looked like, matched her and her interests. Lucy began a project.

The project consisted of becoming a Fallen Angel. The book told her exactly what the Angels do and when. On a certain week during the year called Cheshvan is when the Angels do something bad. The Angels kill at least 12 people during that week at night when no one can see them. Lucy was fascinated at this. She always knew she was bad, but she never knew she was willing to kill to become something she wanted to be. Cheshvan was only 3 weeks away and she had to prepare.

She got as many books she could find about Fallen angels and Cheshvan. Once she had at least 5 books she began reading and reading. It had now been at least a week and a half. Lucy had almost everything she needed except for a certain necklace or ring. This was a Archangel necklace and ring, she had to have at least one or the other. She began sneaking out at night to go looking around town for a antique shop.

The first night she went out looking she found one antique shop right around the block. The doors were unlocked and the employee was no where to be found. Lucy then saw the sign “Fallen/Archangel Jewelry.” She was pleased to have found it so quick. She walked over and saw that the necklace and ring were locked in a glass case and locked in. When she made sure no one was around, she smashed the glass and grabbed the necklace, then ran.

When she got back into the Foster Center she went straight to her room and started reading again. The 5 books were very interesting to her. Lucy had now put on the necklace and began a list of whom she should kill. The first 2 shouldn’t be hard she thought with a smile. She wrote them down:

After she wrote those 2 down she began thinking again. She didn’t know anyone in the Foster home so she just wrote down:

05. Kid (8 kids)

11. Mistress 1.

12. Mistress 2.

After Lucy wrote these names she felt good about herself. Opening up a drawer she placed the paper in there.

Another week and a half had passed. It was now Cheshvan. Lucy waited till 11:02pm to start killing. Deciding to only kill her parents tonight, but she knew they stayed up late. “If they saw me who would they tell, they’ll be dead.” she thought with a wide smile on her face. She snuck out the window. Lucy ran to her house and peeked into the windows. They were watching a movie on the couch. “This should be easier that I thought, all I have to do is show my face and slit their throats.” Lucy laugh slightly at her amazing thought. She walked through the back door.

She walked through the kitchen and grabbed the biggest knife. Then walked right in front of the television grinning. Her parents were astonished at this. They were so shocked to scream or even move. Lucy walked behind the couch and counted down, “3…2…1…Dead.” Taking the knife slicing through the thin skin on their necks. Her parents within minutes bled out and were dead. Lucy enjoyed this more than she thought, she laughed all the way back to the Foster Center.

It was now Tuesday. The mistress 1. came in and talked quietly to Lucy. Lucy listened to the mistress and how she was telling her about how her parents were murdered. Lucy just sat there with a straight face. Once the mistress left Lucy was pleased that her work had been noticed. She then thought, “I’ll be even happier tomorrow after I kill 4 kids tonight.”

It was now 11:04pm. She had taken the knife from her parents house and hid it in the drawer. Lucy decided to kill 4 kids on the other side of the building so nobody would suspect her tomorrow. She walked quietly out of the room, down the stairs, and into the room with the 4 girls. Lucy came in closely. She cut off the first girls head, then slit the second girls throat, then with the third girl slit her throat as well, and then last but not least the cut off the fourth girls head.

It was now Wednesday and Lucy woke up to everyone sleeping. This time no one came in to talk to her. She was once again pleased with herself and her killing skills. Lucy decided not to kill again for a couple of days even though she now loved becoming something else other than a human. Deciding not to kill till friday was a type of punishment for her, but it had to be done.

It was now Friday, it was time to kill. No one would be expecting a killing of 5 people tonight. Lucy had already killed 6 people, tonight would make it 11 people. She waited till 11:05pm to begin to kill. But tonight would have a twist. She wasn’t going to kill just kids. Lucy was going to kill 4 kids and 1 mistress.

It was now 11:05pm. She was more ready than ever. She walked out of the room silently and went for 4 boys to kill. She walked into the room where the boys were, and slit their throats one by one. But, she did this quickly so they wouldn’t scream. When she was done with them she went to the mistress’s room. This time she woke up the mistress softly and counted down, “3…2…1…Dead.” Before Lucy killed her, she let the mistress see her face. Her work was done for that night.

Saturday morning was the last day of Cheshvan. Lucy had to make her last kill tonight so she could become a Fallen Angel. She was excited for this last night. The necklace was placed around her neck still. Her knife was in her drawer waiting for the moment to feel the flesh across the blade. All of a sudden Lucy heard screaming and it was loud. She didn’t bother to open the door. All that she could do was smile as big as she could.

It’s now 11:01. Her last kill awaits down the hall in bed. Lucy grabbed the knife and opened the door. To her surprise the mistress that she was coming to kill was standing in the doorway. Lucy was not frightened until the mistress with dark baggy eyes pulled out a gun and brought it to Lucy’s chest. In a matter of 4 seconds the mistress pulled the trigger. But the mistress was a Fallen Angel and Lucy was her last kill for Cheshvan.

This is true I swear: These creepypastas were made years ago when I was very young, and they are old, terribly cliché and outdated. I keep them posted only because some people still enjoy reading these, and they remain a fond memory for many. Whether you’re reading these for laughs, or because you legitimately like them, I hope you enjoy!

Poképark Wii to me was one of those games I picked up once, powered through, then never touched again. It’s fun and amusing the first round, but after a while the mini-games and running to and fro get a tad bit stale. I personally found it a bit amusing how every Pokémon you make friends with always asks you to play with them again some time later on.

Especially Mew.

That thing must’ve been one of the single most frustrating bosses I’ve ever fought in my gaming life. To think such a simple game would have something so frustrating to end it off still boggles my mind. I sure wasn’t going to re-challenge it for fun any time soon. When you think about it, it’s really no wonder Mew is stuck up alone on that Sky Pavilion with no friends.

Somewhere along the line the pleas of the Pokémon for me to return must have gotten to me, since recently I found a desire to play the game once more. When I turned the game on, I had figured I wouldn’t be playing for very long. I’d just run around and talk to a few Pokémon until I got bored and quit, then never look at the game again for another year.

Pikachu pranced around on the loading screen, and I couldn’t help but grin. I had to give credit: This game was adorable. I mentally concluded I’d visit all the main attractions at all the zones to start off. I was dropped off at the Poképark Entrance, which was a bit strange. There wasn’t really any reason for me to have gone there the last time I saved, but alas, just a few extra seconds for me to run. I powered through the trail abusing the dash ability.

The forest around the trail seemed… Odd, though. It seemed a bit more dark than normal. There weren’t that many trees, and what few there was were dead and shriveled. The path I was walking on seemed to be made of ash too. I couldn’t wait to get out of there and make it to Meadow Zone. Except, when I did, I almost wished I was back at the Entrance.

The Meadow Zone laid in ruins. There wasn’t a living tree, plant, or anything green in sight. The landscape was barren and grey, as well was the sky, with a few columns of smoke spiraling out of the cracked ground. A few oddly shaped stones were here and there, and scattered about were what appeared to be… corpses? I took a few steps forward, but was confronted by a wonderful sight: Mew.

“Oh, you’re finally back! We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” I didn’t know what it meant by “we”, considering there wasn’t a living thing in sight for miles. “Hey, wanna play a game?” I pondered whether to choose yes or not, considering I didn’t feel like going through the pain of battling it all over again. Then considering the current situation, I selected yes, and if it came to worst and I had to fight it then I’d just shut this accursed game off and never let it see the light of day again.

It giggled, then replied with, “Think you can win?” It paused, seemingly to let that statement settle in, then spoke once more, “Meet me at Venasaur’s old attraction!” Then flew off. I started to dash off after it, then realized something:

What the heck is going on here.

I had a feeling this would probably be the best moment to shut this game off than to see what was in store, but… Curiosity got the better of me. I continued my chase.

I didn’t reach very far until I was stopped by a cut scene as I neared the first corpse in my path: a Buneary. It shook, then rose off the ground. It stared at me with white, soulless eyes, its blood matted fur covered in dirt, grime, and gaping gashes. Then the abomination spoke, “Will you play with me?” I selected no, not really wanting to play with… whatever it was. It looked genuinely distressed, and persisted, “But… we just wanted to play with you… It’s been so long…”

It slowly, almost painfully, crawled towards my Pikachu, then began to attack it. Or, look more like it was trying to murder it than attack it. I fought back in self-defense with an Iron Tail to the face, and promptly sliced its head in half. It fell to the ground, a pile of flesh. It took me a moment for it to set in that I just killed a Pokémon. I calmly backed away from the crime scene, and continued my trek on chasing after the Mew as I was before.

As I sped along, other corpses began to rise, although most I just knocked out of the way and into the river while dashing through. I reached Venasaur’s attraction, to instead find Chikorita standing in the middle of the platform. It wasn’t a zombie like the previous animated corpses, but looked as if it had gone through the apocalypse and back. It looked it’d been cut up and beat down mercilessly, the only discernible feature being its uncharacteristically grey eyes. “Help me.” was the only thing it said.

I turned around to find the Mew right behind me, which giggled and asked, “Ready to play?” It showed the basic instructions, swing on the vine, jump as far as you can, the whole package. Except when it came time to pick my character, Pikachu was the only one available, although it still had the sad animation playing as if you couldn’t select it.

The game play was normal, except for the fact Pikachu wasn’t swinging on a vine. Instead there was a Tropius hanging from the branch, with its intestines falling out of its mouth. Pikachu clung to the intestines, although looked as if it would rather give up and drop down immediately instead of being forced to hold onto that. I wouldn’t blame it. I swung the “vine” back and forth, and when I felt I had enough momentum, let go.

Pikachu soared across the track, and landed just short of where the Mew stood waiting. On the after screen, Pikachu slumped onto the ground defeated, as apparently I hadn’t broke the top current record. Mew giggled and spun around in the background, apparently thrilled that I lost. There were no Pokémon to be gloomy with me or cheer with Mew, as at the moment, they were all dead corpses. When asked if I would like to replay the attraction, I selected “No” without a doubt.

Back in the over world, Mew and Chikorita were still there. Except after a few seconds, Chikorita disappeared. “You lost.” Mew informed me, “Although they aren’t your friend anymore anyways… You left them, remember?” Mew giggled, “Let’s play some more! Meet me at the Iceberg Zone!” And with that, flew off, presumably towards the mentioned zone.

I wasn’t really feeling up to hanging out in the Meadow Zone any longer, so I ran as fast as I could to the Meeting Place with a pack of zombies trailing behind me. When I arrived, I saw it had been spared no mercy. The huge tree house that used to stand in the center was now a pile of twigs and broken planks, crushed by a gigantic boulder, a few bodies trapped underneath as well. The gates to the other Zones and all other structures were torn or burned down as well.

Thankfully as I walked around here, the dead didn’t rise to life and chase me. Because of this though, this place seemed more like a desolate graveyard. It actually made me feel a little gloomy, so I pressed on to the Beach Zone. Of course the Drifblim at the Drifblim stop were nowhere to be seen, so I had to walk by foot everywhere.

The beach was no better off than anywhere else. The stark white sand contrasted with the depressing grey sky. The water had bodies floating in it, tainting parts of the ocean red. The palm trees drooped low to the ground, as if the smallest gust of wind would bowl them over. There were zombies here just as in the Meadow Zone, still after my throat.

I let one of the zombies reach Pikachu and defeat him, just to see what would happen. A Corphish clawed and pounded at Pikachu with no mercy, until he fell over, unmoving. “How do you like being used and left behind?” It spoke, then crawled off. Pikachu laid in a pool of his own life blood for a minute, which then melted into two, three, four… It ended with me restarting the Wii. Thankfully I restarted at the same spot on the beach as where I was last, this time alive and breathing.

After taking measure to maul a Corphish, I sprinted across the beach to where the Lapras resided. Its skin was cracked and rotten, with some nasty looking liquid oozing out. Its shell was decayed and weathered, barely recognizable. Its head hung low, and for a brief moment, I thought it was dead just like the other Pokémon. As I approached though, a cut scene triggered, and it raised its head to speak,

“…You’ve come back, have you? A little too late for that, I’m afraid… Since you’ve cared enough to arrive, though, might as well try to fix what can be saved…” It bowed it’s head once more, and Pikachu hopped onto its back, a little unenthusiastic about the procedure. It sailed towards the Iceberg Zone, although I couldn’t help but wonder if the Lapras would actually make it that far.

When the screen faded to black, a few speech bubbles popped up in the darkness, presumably from the Lapras,

“…When they attack you, they don’t mean it. They’re just sad, angry, restless, frustrated… They just want things back to normal… We all do…”

After which, we reached our destination. At the new Zone, the ice was cracked and broken in several areas, making it difficult to maneuver through. The living dead here were frostbitten, almost like they’d been frozen alive. The huge snow Piplup and igloos were in shambles. The ice tree was broken too, many Pokémon impaled on its spikes. After several frustrating minutes of maneuvering through the tricky landscape, I made it to what used to be Empoleon’s attraction.

This time, Piplup was there to greet me, beat up beyond all belief and still adorning grey eyes. “Help me.” once again being the only words it spoke. Mew then floated down and asked, “Ready to play?”. Pikachu was still the only Pokémon I could select.

Thankfully this attraction wasn’t as grotesque as the previous. Pikachu slid down the icy ramp to the goal as normal, although the ice was cracked from several large stones in numerous areas, making it difficult to traverse. Constantly slipping on several patches of blood from the Pokémon crushed underneath the boulders didn’t help either. Eventually I made it to the goal, with probably the slowest record possible.

Piplup disappeared just as Chikorita had. “You lost.” Mew told me once more, “Although they aren’t your friend anymore anyways… You left them, remember?” Mew paused to giggle once again, “Let’s play some more! Meet me at the Lava Zone!” And then, was gone.

I painfully made my way back to Lapras, and was actually thankful to board its horrid figure than remain in the broken icy landscape. Once we made it back to the Beach Zone, however, the Lapras washed up onto the sand and laid stark still. It wouldn’t stir again so matter how much I tried talking to it, or hitting it with a lightning bolt. Personally, never visiting the Iceberg Zone again didn’t upset me very much.

After much running and zombie chasing, I found myself in the Cavern Zone. Most of the tunnels were caved in by piles of boulders. Many of the rocks had decaying hands from crushed Pokémon reaching out from underneath, feebly grasping for Pikachu. I made caution to avoid getting caught by one of the hands.

Eventually after some aimless wandering, I found where the hot spring used to be. The water was even more sickly green than usual, with some vile substances floating around in it I’d rather not know about.

The Snorlax was still asleep in the middle of the springs too. Except its hands, feet, and other parts of its body that were submerged under the acid-like water were morphed into a melted clump of goo. Pus oozed out of its empty eye sockets, mouth, and through several cracks running along its wrinkly skin. It looked more like a fleshy, rotting tub of goo than a Pokémon.

The thing that disturbed me the most though was the fact it was still breathing.

I wasn’t eager to join Snorlax, so I continued my trek through the cave. There wasn’t any further sign of life, except the occasional straggling Zubat or two that still wanted me dead. I finally made it to the gate that lead into the Lava Zone, but as I approached the mine cart that lead into it Mawile walked up behind me.

She looked pale and bruised, although not enough to be a zombie. Vines grew around the snake-mouth attached to her head like a muzzle, keeping it clamped shut. The snake-mouth looked infected and swollen, with blood seeping out of its tightly shut mouth. “What are you doing here..?” She spoke, then glanced at the mine cart, then back to Pikachu with a look of understanding, “…Going alone is suicide.”

Pikachu and Mawile hopped into the mine cart, and it slowly started rolling past the gate. When the screen faded to black though, speech bubbles started popping up, presumably from the Mawile,

“Things have changed since you left us. Without you nobody was able to keep Mew in check. Then it fell. And when it fell, we all fell down with it. You can’t change what damage has already been done, and there’s no further damage to prevent. Why don’t you save yourself while you still can?”

Afterwards, we arrived in the Lava Zone. Many places were still caved in. Parts of the ground were cracked, lava bubbling up from underneath. The undead here were melting as they walked. Their skin bubbled and dripped off their bones, collecting in pools on the floor. Skeletons and skulls littered the floor, presumably from Pokémon that had completely melted away. There were several zombie Pokémon here, and some of them managed to reach Pikachu. Whenever one did though, Mawile helped fight them off, acting sort of like a body guard.

After some wandering, a cut scene triggered when we neared the edge of a large pit. The camera panned over the edge to view dozens, maybe even hundreds, or corpses filling up the hole. The bodies were melded and morphed into each other, creating an unidentifiable mass of flesh.

Pikachu stood near the edge of the pit, and Mawile walked up towards him, “This is where we stored all the bodies that didn’t have a grave. Eventually there were so many bodies, all the lava that was previously in the pit was soaked up by them.” She put a hand on Pikachu’s shoulder, “Don’t be one of them.”

Some traveling and slaying later, we found Blaziken’s attraction. Charmander was here this time, worn down and grey eyed, pleading with, “Help me.” Except when Mew asked if I was ready to play, Mawile stepped in front of Pikachu with, “I am.” On the character selection screen, Mawile was the only one I was able to select.

Mawile stood on the cliff looking over the lava, adjacent from the other cliff where Mew floated with the canon. Lava filled the crater between the two cliffs, molten hands reaching out from the depths that tried to grasp for Mawile and Mew.

The canon fired. Instead of boulders though, skulls and bones flew out towards Mawile. I swung and she easily blocked them with her snake-mouth. Progressively, though, more and more larger skeletons were being fired more frequently, and more than once Mawile was knocked down before I could react in time. At the end, I was just 500 points short of the goal.

Instead of a “You lost” screen, Mew fired another skull, which knocked out Mawile. This time though, she didn’t get up. It left the attraction game and went back to Pikachu. Charmander disappeared as per protocol, alongside Mew’s, “You lost. Although they aren’t your friend anymore anyways… You left them, remember?” This time, I felt more like Mew’s words were directed towards Mawile, who was laying on the ground in front of the attraction, unmoving. Mew giggled, “Let’s play again! Meet me at the Haunted Zone!” And then fled.

I walked over to Mawile and tried speaking to her, and was faintly surprised when she actually responded, “Leave now… Don’t come back.” I tried speaking to her again, and she actually said something different, “Please… Save yourself…” Again, “…” Once more just to make sure she had nothing else important to say,

“You know, when you left… everyone missed you. I missed you.

Everyone still misses you.”

With that, Mawile stopped breathing, and became unresponsive regardless of how much I tried talking to her again. This was the first death in this game so far that actually genuinely upset me. Figuring there wasn’t much point in trying to bring the dead back to life, especially considering she’d probably turn into a zombie that would try to kill me, I left. The travel back out of the Lava and Cavern zones was a bit more challenging than entering, Pikachu dying on several occasions without a body guard, but eventually I made it out.

The Haunted Zone was desolate and decrypted. All statues and things that once stood were torn down and broken. Unusual rocks and boulders were here too, just as the other Zones. The mansion itself had holes in its roof, and it looked like several rooms had been burned down.

The main thing I noticed as I walked outside the mansion was there were no Pokémon in sight: dead or alive. It was a little relieving to be able to walk at normal pace without threat of being mauled.

Inside, it appeared to be more of an abandoned mansion than one that was haunted. Moonlight filtered through holes in the roof. The walls and floor were cracked, and several doors were burned and furniture broken. As I surveyed the area, I would catch glimpses of ghostly Pokémon at the outskirts of the screen or turning corners at the end of hallways. Of course whenever I tried to chase after them, they were gone.

Mew didn’t appear at Dusknoir’s attraction, so I assumed I was supposed to go to Rotom’s. When I went into the underground lab, I found Mew floating there. This time there wasn’t another one of Pikachu’s old friends there to be put at stake. I walked up to speak to Mew, who laughed, not giggled, and asked once more, “Ready to play?”

Pikachu was once again my only option. He stood in the middle of the room, ready to fight off the ghosts that would soon start pouring in. When the first ghost appeared though, it was an actual spirit, not a ghost type like normal. It was a Buneary like the one in the Meadow Zone. I shot the ghost Buneary, and immediately another ghost appeared, this time a Corphish. A ton of Pokémon, mainly ones I had seen as zombies, were flying in. Three of the most noticeable ghosts that caught my attention were the Lapras, Snorlax, and Mawile. It took all I could to fend them off. There were too many though, and in almost no time at all, they captured Pikachu.

“You lost. Although, they aren’t your friends anymore anyways… You left them, remember?” This time, I knew Mew meant all the Pokémon in the Poképark when he spoke. “…It’s time for you to go.” Mew than proceeded to fly off, to who knows where.

Without any sense of direction, I wandered around aimlessly, not sure what to do next. I was expecting some sort of grand ending more than a Pokémon telling me off. I felt like there was something more, so I headed out to the last zone I hadn’t ventured to yet: The Granite Zone.

This place was even more damaged than the other zones, if that were possible. The ancient ruins were in, well, ruins. Columns and structures were broken and scattered all about, and it didn’t help it was already damaged before whatever happened tore down the land. The undead were easy to fend off, and before I knew it, I was in the Flower Zone.

The grass and flowers here were grey and wilted, trying to thrive on the few sparse rays of sunshine filtering through the heavy clouds. There weren’t any dead bodies here. The only colorful, living thing was the Gracidea Flower, and the beaten-but-breathing Shaymin standing next to it. “This flower is our symbol of salvation… it’s the only thing I have left to live for.” It informed me.

I walked over to where Rayquaza’s attraction once was to find Chikorita, Piplup, Charmander, and Mew in front of it. As I approached them, Pikachu’s three old friends surrounded him. From each, a Water Gun, Razor Leaf, and Flamethrower were simultaneously fired at him. Pikachu tottered, then fell over on his side into the decaying foliage, not breathing. “You should’ve ran while you still could.” Mew teased, giggling.

The screen faded to black, then back, and I found myself on the Sky Pavilion. The floating ruins in the sky looked as if it was broken into a million shards, and pieced back together haphazardly. There was dense fog, making it difficult to see after a few feet. Everything visible though was grey, rugged, and devastated, including Pikachu. I walked around, trying to trigger something, but nothing happened. Eventually though, I found Mew floating among the rubble, and spoke to it,

“…When you first came here, you did everything you could to repair the Sky Prism, to save the Poképark.” Mew turned around to face away from Pikachu here, “…I broke the Sky Prism in the first place, so someone would come here, and be my friend. You promised you would be my friend. That was all I ever wanted, just one friend, just one…”

Mew turned back around, and several blue shards started to fly around him. “But you left. You left me, you left everyone, and never returned. So I broke the Sky Prism, and made sure no one recovered it, so the Sky Pavilion would crash down on everyone…” Mew started to fly off, with a few parting words spoken for the final time, “You lost. Although, I’m not your friend anymore anyways… You left me, remember?”

Before he left though, he turned to say one more thing, “Have fun enduring the loneliness I had to suffer. This is my park now.” And finally flew off the screen, into the fog.

I chased after him, but only ran into the edge of the floating ruins, and would’ve tumbled right over had there not been an invisible wall to save me. I ran all around the Sky Pavilion multiple times, until I pretty much had an entire map of the place mentally programmed into my brain and knew where I was going, despite the fog. Eventually, I gave up at finding anything or a way out.

Turning the game off and resetting could never get me out of that cursed place. Every time I got bored and played that game just to see if something would happen, I’d always still be stuck at that place, lost in the fog for eternity. Sometimes though, Mew would drop by and pay me a visit. But every time I spoke to him, he would always say the same words,

“I won.”

Ok. I’m writing a scary story for English,but, I know nothing about horror. But,I started with this — I look stare at the basement door. My mother has told me to go for some box she needs labeled clothes for donations. I don’t like the basement. It’s dark,and, I hate the dark. I never go out at night. Why would I? My mom doesn’t get why I am so afraid of the dark. I tried to explain,but, she still doesn’t get it. I take a deep breath. I feel like somebody’s watching me so I turn around,but, see no one. So I turn again to look at the door. I start to open the door when I hear footsteps. Footsteps coming from… the basement! I scream and run down the hallway to the kitchen. “Mom!” I scream. I look around the kitchen but I don’t see her. “Honey, i’m here,” I spin around and see my mother behind me. She is dressed in black with eyes that are usually brown, black. I shiver, she looks so unhuman. But it’s probably because she is standing in the hallway,which, is dark. “Mom, I-” I stop. She was in the kitchen a while ago. How is she suddenly behind me? “How long have you been standing there? Weren’t you in the kitchen?”

I am a writer visiting this site for a mystery book series. My biggest fear has to be the darkness. even though i know monsters arent real they still seem to haunt me when i go to sleep. So i’m thinking…Are they really fake..? ************************************************************************************************************** Evanna woke up to the scratching on her closet door. She always heard it. Her feet touched the cold floor. Her heart was racing as she walked towards the closet. She had never done this before, but she had been having a very tiring night and just wanted it to shut up.

Inside was a dog. It was a purple poodle but it had glowing red eyes and sharp teeth. it came growling and barking at her as she screamed slamming the closet door and running through the dark house. Nobody saw her again.

As we walked into the new house, I got a strong sense that something was not right. I knew my parents wouldn’t believe me if I said something bad happened here because why would they want to listen to a 17 year old girl? Going further into the house, I started to feel very unhappy. Almost as if something was making me feel sad. I blew the feeling off and started bringing boxes into the basement. I was bringing my last box down, walking passed the cellar when I saw someone walk in there. Immediately, my heart started to race. I set the box down and made my way towards the cellar. The closer I got, the more I noticed a scent of rotting meat. “Hello?” I said in a small voice as I opened the door. As soon it opened, I saw blood all on the ground and the walls, carcasses of dead animals hanging from the ceiling. I started to feel sick, but then I felt scared. Scared of something that was in there. I bolted out of the cellar, and ran upstairs to get my mom and dad. “Mom! Dad!” I screamed, “There’s something in the cellar!” I waited a few seconds and heard nothing. “Mom!” I called out again. Still nothing. I searched all around the house, until I got to their room and heard the sounds of gushing and slurping. I opened the door and saw the most horrifying image I had ever seen before. My parents we’re being eaten alive by grotesque, animal looking humans that were painted with blood and had long black, uncombed hair. As soon as I started screaming, a hand came behind me, covered my mouth, and pulled me back.

I’ve read too many stories of when people have apparently instantly time travelled against their own will. I always got wondering what would happen if they were put in a perilous situation. I may have written for a bit longer than 15 though, lol. Horror/Thriller/Scary genres aren’t my forte either.

Fear: Chronohodophobia – The Fear of Time Travel (Primarily instantaneous Time Travel, where you have no control over it.)

—- It was a bright, shiny day in New Orleans, where a young man walks through the streets towards his brand new home. It was an absolutely beautiful home: it was multi-storied, a nice plain grey in color with many windows, a balcony surrounding the entirety of the second floor, and on top of everything, it was cheap. Rowan had no clue as to why such an elegant home was so cheap, especially in somewhere as prestigious and fun-filled as New Orleans. Rowan stuck his hands into his black jeans, tugging out the keys to his new home. He fingered through the many keys, as some were to his old apartment, his car, his mailbox, and a few more. He found the key he needed, and he stuck the key into the door’s lock. The brown haired man opened the door and walked inside himself. The home was already furnished, with decorations from the Victorian Era all over the many rooms. It looked as if someone extremely prosperous had lived there. Rowan pondered on why this person didn’t send the manor down through generations. He began to wander around his brand new home. He climbed up some stairs. He saw many artifacts on display, but he briefly forgot that the house was a museum briefly. Rowan stopped in his tracks as his mind wandered to the concept of his new home once being a museum. He completely forgot the reason why, or who the museum was for. Why would a former museum be, not only sold as a house, but cheap? This made the man a little nervous. He disregarded this feeling, and found his way to his main room where he’d sleep. He wanted to try spend a night in the home before moving in everything from his apartment. The room had an aesthetic of dark grey and white, with the bed looking just as luxurious as the rest of the home. Rowan walked towards the windows of the room and looked out, but found that he couldn’t see much of the outside world. He saw that it was covered by a multitude of cobwebs, dust, water, and dirt. He sighed, as cleaning the home would be the hardest time of his life. The light that did sneak in indicated that it was early evening. Rowan sighed, as he knew that he had yet to explore the third floor and the attic. He walked out of the bedroom and back down the stairs. Rowan took a step outside to get a breath of fresh air. The air swelled into his face as he opened the front door, and he closed it behind him. He leaned his back against the door, and looked up at the sky. “Oi,” Rowan heard a man say towards him. Rowan glanced in the man’s direction. The man was certainly older in appearance. The man hobbled towards him. “So you’re the new owner, eh? Of this…” the man drifted off, as if he didn’t know how to describe it’s elegance. “I guess freakshow would be the word.” Rowan tilted his head in visible confusion. “What do you mean by that? The house is absolutely beautiful,” Rowan spoke. “You don’t know?” The man seemed genuinely surprised. “It was Madame Lalaurie’s home once.” Rowan didn’t know who that was, but he did reply to the man. “Okay… your point is?” Rowan pushed forwards. The old man looked at him, still genuinely surprised. “She was…” the old man began, but he stopped. “Never mind, I suppose ignorance is bliss in this case. Maybe the Madame will go gentle with you.” “Does someone else live in the house right now?” “You, and who knows what else.” “Why did the home become a museum?” “You’re a youngin’, use one of your dang smartphones and internet.” “Why is it a home again?” “May I just…” the man seemed annoyed now. “Leave?” Rowan sighed. “Fine.” The old man thus departed, and Rowan pulled his phone out from his back pocket. He groaned as he realized the phone was dead. He stormed back into the manor. He went back to the room, and climbed into bed. He was admittedly tired. Curling up, he fell right asleep. *** He awoke to the noise of an ear piercing screech in the night. Panic flying through his heart, he rushed out of the bed and out into the hallway. He heard a woman’s cackle to the left of him. Slowly, Rowan inched his way towards the voices he had heard. His arms were raised in ready for a fight. He made small glances around the hallway. The artifacts were all gone, or all put away. Rowan was visibly confused now; he had done no cleaning before he stormed inside and gone to sleep. He reached the end of the hallway, where a door was cracked open. Breathing slowly, he pushed the door open a little more. What he saw was a ghastly site. Blood, internal organs, and two people. One was a much rounder, and richer looking woman. Her hands were completely bloodied. On the floor, and the one who likely screeched, was an African American man, who seemed dressed as a slave back in the eighteenth century. Rowan was visibly confused, was this something more adult than he thought? Did the home house a cult? He was extremely unsure. The woman then turned around to face in his direction. Her mouth was clean, meaning she hadn’t been eating the poor man. Well, as far as he knew, she wasn’t eating him yet. The woman stared him directly in the eyes. “So, the invader has decided to join us!” The woman exclaimed, her eyes were absolutely crazed. Her voice was raspy, yet sharp. “Who are you? Why are you in my house?” Rowan demanded, his fists still held up in preparation of a fight. The woman was not visibly armed at the moment. “Your house? Hm… no. This is my house. I am Madame Lalaurie, I suppose, your host, and now, your hunter.” “What year is it?” Rowan asked. He knew that the house was old, and that there was only one owner. “Why, it’s 1812! Even a dumb invader would know that.” Rowan froze. He had been in 2018. It was now 1812. His heart sunk as he realized that he had gone back in time. He stared at his hands in pure fear of never going home. The woman slowly made her way towards him, and before Rowan could leap away, he was pinned down, and he felt a searing pain in his stomach before everything went back. *** “Today’s chronicle, read all about it! New owner of Madame Lalaurie’s home goes missing on the first night! Brand new blood stains found in the main hallway, bedroom, other room, and walls. Second person this week! No body actually found, just like the last one!” A young man shouted, carrying many newspapers in his hands. The old man hobbled towards the man, and took one. He sighed, and gave the man his paper back.

I am definitely not good at witing horror, but here you go. I am pretty sure there a multiple errors but it’s late for me and I have a broken keyboard. She comes down the stairs that lead to the basement, experiencing a strange feeling. The lights weren’t working so she had to use a flashlight to aid her down them. At the end of the stairs where there was a turn to lead further down the basement, there was a small flickering light, a candle perhaps.There was light chuckling coming from what sounded like a man, who she assumed was her fiancé, as he was not in bed when she woke up in the middle of the night. There was a weird, sickening sound of something splashing onto the floor that made her halt in her movements There was a strong metallic stench in the air that caused her recoil back. As soon as she step down onto the basement floor, there is a squelch under her shoe. The darkness from the basement makes her panic and once more she tries the lightswitch. The faint candlelight allowed her to see movement and she swallows a scream. She wanted to run, her heart pacing as whatever horror comes closer. Once it arrives, it wears such a familiar face that she just wants to sob. “Abigail.” It speaks in a soft voice and raises its hands toward her to caress her face. The metallic stench follows it’s hands and she’s forced to look at her lover. His once white shirt was smeared with gore, causing that nauseating stench with him. She remembers earlier that day she had chosen it for him to wear to work. “Why are you down here? You aren’t supposed to be down here.” His voice gentle, as if he was speaking to a child. “I-I” She stutters, “Why-” She shuts her mouth close as she noticed how bad she was shaking. Isaac reached down to grab at her hand and held it in his. “Hey, it’s okay. There is nothing wrong. Is everything okay?” She looks up at him and shakes her head wildly, taking steps back from him, wanting to be as far as away as possible. Her back hits the wall and once more she hits the light switch, needing the reassurance of what was happening. Poor yellow lightning fills the room and she falls to the floor with no relief. Her fingers colid with a strange texture and her breath hitches. Her mind can’t process what she is looking at, shutting down. Strangely chopped organs are piled on one part of the floor, somewhat cleanly removed from their home. What looked like a heart and intestines piled near the small sink, were clean and she noted the water drops dripping from the fountain. WHen she turns her head back at her love, she realizes that the rest of the room was covered in blood and gore, painting the floor and walls. As Isaac moved to get closer to her, she notices their missing kitchen knife. As he blends down next to her on the floor, he gives her a concerned look, the same one he gives her when she’s stressed. “Are you okay?’ Suddenly filled with panic, she jerks herself away from him. She wants to sob and cling to him, hoping that it was all a bad dream. They were supposed to be planning the next big part of their life together. But with the blood coating her fiancé’s hands, she supposed that wasn’t going to happen. As her breaths became shallower, they sped up and she notices the burning from her eyes. She brings a hand up to her chest to clutch it against her poor heart. Her vision goes blurry and she lets a sob escape. Looking up at Isaac, he gives her a look of pity before he reaches down and hugs her. “Hey, it’s going to be alright. I’m not going to hurt you.” He holds her tight and she chooses to ignore the feeling of blood seeping through from where his touch was. For some reason, she didn’t want to pull away, to stay and let him comfort her. But by doing so, felt like chains keeping her in place.

I am writing a scary story at school. I am wondering if I use it right, use paranoia to disarm a reader then throw a shocking end that bring a strong psychological emotion?

I wrote my story on a word document and my story is called “ BEHIND THE WALLS OF BLACK PAINT” it’s about a girl name Aria and her brother,mom,dad. Aria moves into a new house because she in college but the college doesn’t have dorm rooms so she going to live with her family. When she gets to the house she feels like something is watching her and like weird things are happening. Aria and her brother are witnessing ghost or demons but they don’t know what it is.. Aria keeps seeing this big black shadow figure and she thinks when she try’s to go to sleep someone or something is watching her sleep… Aria brother starts to ask her questions that are kinda weird but she also ask him questions too but there’s a twist she said she will give him questions then tell him the truth about the house.. when Aria tells her brother the truth about the house he doesn’t know what to say about it but he wants to tell mom and dad.. after they were done talking about that aria heard a noise it came from the living room there was a huge mess but it a pot twist there was a shadow person right in front of there eyes so they both ran to Aria room when they got there that shadow person followed them upstairs.. they thought it was there parents but there parents weren’t home…

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How to Write a Scary Story

How to write a scary story in 5 Easy Steps

Most of us love a good scare!

From our first game of peek-a-boo as a child through those ghost stories around a campfire as a teen, surprises and a little fright never lose their appeal. It’s why horror movies remain big business at the box office and on streaming websites.

Even those who profess not to read much will likely have read a Stephen King book or two.
Gamers aren’t immune either, as the popularity of games such as Resident Evil and Silent Hills will attest.
Horror is one of the best-selling fiction genres in any medium.

In this article, we’ll look at spine-chilling tips to help students write spooky stories that will rattle readers to their core. If scary is not your thing, then check out our complete guide to writing a narrative here.

So, pull the curtains, dim the lights and let’s learn how to write a horror story for school.

THE STORY TELLERS BUNDLE OF TEACHING RESOURCES

how to write a scary story | story tellers bundle 1 | How to Write a Scary Story | literacyideas.com

A MASSIVE COLLECTION of resources for narratives and story writing in the classroom covering all elements of crafting amazing stories. MONTHS WORTH OF WRITING LESSONS AND RESOURCES, including:

1. Write about what scares you.

BRAM STOKER’s vampire tale dracula is regularly remade for audiences of all eras and ages

The old writer’s mantra states, ‘write about what you know. While it’s most unlikely that your students know any killer clowns or lunatic killers who haunt campsites frequented by teenage couples, they can still write about the things that scare them.

This is the best place to start. A student has little hope of frightening the reader unless they choose to write about something they find disturbing.

The more specific the subject, the more personal the writing can become. Horror is filled with tropes and cliches. The world doesn’t need another axe murder chasing teens through the woods or another foolhardy ouija board misadventure – unless there’s a new spin put on things.

Avoiding tired clichés like those mentioned above will help maintain the element of surprise in the writing, which, as we shall see more of later, is essential to keep readers engaged.

Teaching Activity: Ask students to write down a list of the top 3 things that scare them. They needn’t be things that other people are scared of; the more personal and idiosyncratic they are, the more original the story is likely to be. These could be anything from a fear of heights or open spaces to a fear of the doorbell ringing at night.

Now, ask the students to choose one of these fears and list why they are scared of it. They should also write about how their fear makes them feel. The more detailed they can write about this, the better.

Encourage the students to use their full five senses to describe the feelings and emotions they would experience. The more convincingly they can convey the experience, the more successful they’ll be in striking fear into the hearts of their readers later on.

2. Use Setting to Your Advantage when writing a Horror story

how to write a scary story | jaws horror story | How to Write a Scary Story | literacyideas.com

The setting is a crucial element to any story and when used skillfully, it can be an essential tool in raising the scare factor of any tale.

When asked to write a scary story, younger kids will inevitably gravitate towards the more apparent settings such as haunted houses, cemeteries, and dark woods. Again, these well-worn settings would best be avoided unless the student intends to subvert a reader’s expectations.

In fact, given that surprise is one of the key elements to any good scare, subverting the setting is one great tool for terror available to our students.

For example, the comfort of a sleepover at their grandmother’s can take a turn for the worse if it’s discovered she holds a Black Mass. Imagine a coven of devil-worshippers in the dead of night in that dated living room where she serves milk and cookies to her grandkids during the day. Enough to make you spill your glass of milk over the embroidered cushions!

The physical environment can also be used to create tension and fear. For example, imagine two siblings hiding in a cupboard witnessing Grandmother’s midnight Satanic shenanigans. It’s hot and cramped. Imagine the claustrophobic feeling coupled with the terror of discovery. It’s enough to make you want to skip that Sunday visit to Grandma’s entirely [shudder].

If you are going to teach students how to write a scary story about a haunted house ensure you show them examples of figurative language that gives the house character.

Teaching Activity: Ask your students to take the fear they identified in the first activity and devise a setting for a story based on that fear.

One novel approach for deciding on a setting is to choose the place that seems least likely for a horror story. This unlikely element is one of the reasons why clowns are extraordinarily creepy or why the child’s doll in the Chucky movies is so unnervingly terrifying.

Not only will this build strength in the student’s creative writing muscles, but it will also help ensure a crucial element of originality in the finished story. The setting should be painted as vividly as possible to create a picture in the reader’s mind. The clearer that picture, the more intense the fear created.

Remember, too, the setting consists of both time and place , so students shouldn’t be afraid to experiment with historical and future settings for their stories too.

Exotic characters are common place in horror writing

3. Choose your character and point of view wisely when writing a horror story

One of the most common areas horror stories fall down in is that of characterization. Poor characterization is the number one reason many scary stories and movies fall as flat as the characters they utilize.

If your student wants to take their reader on a real knuckle-whitening ride of terror, they have to make the effort to bring their characters to life. An effective strategy to help students bring characters to life on the page is to have them base them on real people.

These real people could be people they know personally, people they’ve heard about in their community or beyond, or even pre-existing fictional characters they are already familiar with. Students should, of course, make the necessary modifications to make sure they are not committing either defamation or plagiarism.

At a more advanced level, students may also consider creating a composite character that brings together various aspects of different characters (real or fictional) that they already know.

Once students have gathered together their cast of characters, they’ll need to decide on a point of view from which to tell the story. Generally, this will be a first or third-person POV, and though the advantages and disadvantages of each type are too complex to go into here, you can find out more about different POVs in other articles on this site.

That said, some general points to consider when choosing a POV for a horror story are that while the first-person POV is great for grabbing the reader’s attention from the outset and for building suspense when the story is in the past tense, it may ruin any suspense regarding whether the narrator survives or not.

Third-person narratives allow for a slower build to a story while maintaining the suspense concerning the outcome for the story’s protagonist. They also allow for the more detailed narration and description demanded by longer stories.

One more point for students to consider is whether the narrator is reliable or not, If they opt for an unreliable narrator, this can open up great opportunities for a final twist in the tale. The 90’s movie The Usual Suspects is a great example of the unreliable narrator at work where the climactic twist at the end reveals the real Keyser Söze.

Teaching Activity: For this activity, students should select a scene to rewrite from a fiction book they are already familiar with. A book a few levels below their current reading level will be perfect.

Students rewrite the scene from first and third-person limited and omniscient perspectives, as well as from the points of view of different characters in the story. More advanced students can even play with using a reliable and unreliable narrator if they’ve already grasped these concepts.

When students have written the different versions of the scene, they should take time to compare the effects of these different points of view. Ask them to identify which of the perspectives and points of view worked best for this particular scene and story. What were the specific advantages and disadvantages of each version?

Year Long Inference Based Writing Activities

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4. Lay It all on the line when writing a scary story

Although written centuries apart these two horror tales are almost identical

Like the card game poker, it is when the stakes are highest that horror stories are at their most exhilarating.

In the world of stories, these stakes are directly related to the central problem and character motivation. The broad appeal of horror stories lies in the universality of these motivations.

Ensure students understand this and reflect this knowledge in their writing. There are several different types of ‘stake’ they can use to amp up the reader’s interest. Let’s take a look at 2 of the most common motivations in this genre:

The Survival Motivation: This is the most primitive of the 3. Not wanting to die is something we can all relate to and needs no explanation. However, this motivation can be further enhanced by adding another layer for the character. For example, if the protagonist needs to survive to defeat the monster etc, then the need to survive is emphasized beyond just the preservation of life.

The Protection Motivation: Here, the protagonist’s prime motivation is the need to protect others from a threat, usually in the form of loved ones such as family or a lover. Again, this is a primitive desire that we can all relate to and needs little in the way of explanation for the reader. There are two main ways to increase the stakes for this motivation – increase the number of people’s lives on the line or reveal a deep relationship between the protector and the protected.

Teaching Activity: Organize students into small groups. Have them look at a list of horror movies, such as those on an online database like IMDb, and then sort the movies into two categories: Survival Motivation or Protection Motivation .

There may be some crossover as many movies will employ both motivations to enhance the drama. In such cases, students should focus on the prime motivation of the movie’s protagonist. Where there’s disagreement, a discussion can be had as a whole class at the end.

When they have completed this activity, students should then look at their notes from the previous activities described above. What motivation is best suited to their embryonic story? Students should write a few lines to explain.

umm… it’s a horror movie… I wonder what will happen???

5. Avoid Clichés in horror writing

There are arguably more familiar tropes and clichés associated with this genre of story-telling than any other. For our student writers, these should be avoided. Clichés and overused tropes result in dull and predictable storylines. These are the opposite of the elements such as surprise and shock, which good horror so often relies on.

The one exception is when the writer takes well-worn plotlines and characters and subverts them to come up with something new, which leads us directly to our next activity.

Teaching Activity: Organize the students into small groups again and challenge them to make a list of clichés and tropes from horror books and movies. The IMDb movie database will again serve well if they need some inspiration. Even if they don’t know the movies, they can read the synopses and identify some of the clichés and tropes used.

Once students have their list, they should attempt to make something fresh from them. The simplest way to do this is often to change the setting or characters. This will lead to unusual ideas, such as vampires in space or piranhas in the city sewage system.

The ideas generated need not be plausible or even ‘good’. This activity aims to flex the students’ creativity muscles in pursuit of something original.

The Final Bell Tolls

So there we have it. Five tips to help students hone their horror-writing skills and five activities to put that newly-gained knowledge into practice.

Writing spooky stories is a great way to get reluctant students to write at Halloween and any time of the year.

Though writing spooky stories is fun , students still gain opportunities to internalize literature’s essential elements and develop their understanding of how language, structure, and story work.

Not bad for a night’s work…

Now go and write one, and be sure to read our complete guide to writing narratives if you need any further guidance on story writing.

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365 Horrifying Horror Writing Prompts

November 14, 2023 by Richard Leave a Comment

Here are 365 Horrifying Horror Writing Prompts to inspire your writing every day of the year. Darkness falls. Shadows lengthen. The hair on the back of your neck prickles as the last rays of light fade away. Something stirs in the darkness. You can feel unseen eyes watching, evil lurking just out of sight—the night beckons, hungry for new terrors to unleash.

Within these pages await 365 prompts to inspire bone-chilling tales filled with the creepy, twisted, and macabre. Let your imagination wander into dark and haunted places, conjure nightmarish creatures from terrifying depths, and explore the disturbing boundaries of human depravity.

Summon vengeful spirits, stalk feral beasts through moonlit woods, or open forbidden doors that should stay locked. But beware, these prompts may awaken fears you never knew existed as you walk the line between spine-tingling thrills and nightmare-inducing horror.

With so many prompts, the possibilities for crafting your own horror stories are endless. You may never sleep soundly again after lingering in realms of psychological suspense, paranormal unease, and visceral horror. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. The terror is about to begin…

Open the door, leave the light off, and prepare to confront your deepest fears. Once you immerse yourself in these 365 prompts, any shred of comfort or safety will be shattered. There is no escaping the darkness that awaits within these pages. Let the horror commence…

You glimpse what looks like your neighbor transforming into a hairy beast under the full moon through your window at night.
A vampire lures you into his gothic mansion under the pretense of a date. You’re trapped inside overnight.
You notice your reflection’s eyes glowing in the dark whenever you glance away from the mirror. Fangs slide from your mouth when you smile.
A mysterious stranger with hypnotic eyes seduces you at a nightclub. You wake up with bite marks on your neck.
You find a secret passage in your basement leading to an underground lair filled with sleeping coffins.
A feral werewolf stalks the woods surrounding your cabin on the night of the full moon. You’re trapped inside.
You discover an ancient book with rituals for summoning demons. Shadowy figures emerge from your closet after you read an incantation aloud.
A decrepit old manor deep in the woods is said to be inhabited by vampires. You decide to investigate at night and become trapped inside.
A dating app match invited you over for a “nightcap.” You wake up disoriented with bandages on your neck.
A creepy stranger at a carnival offers to tell your fortune. He predicts you’ll become a powerful vampire under the next full moon.
A scientists performs experiments splicing human and animal DNA. Escaped beast-men now hunt locals at night.
A tunnel in your basement leads to a vast underground metropolis populated by creatures of the night.
On a guided tour, you get lost in the ancient catacombs beneath the city. You hear inhuman howls in the labyrinth of tunnels.
A blood bank is robbed of all its plasma bags. The technician was found drained of blood.
You wake up to find bite marks and fur all over your body after a lunar eclipse. Your reflection is more beast than human.
A creepy stranger at a nightclub disappears with your friend. You find your friend unconscious behind the club, neck bandaged.
You glimpse what appears to be your neighbor transforming into a wolf under the moonlight through your window at night.
A dating app match invited you to their gothic mansion in the woods for a romantic evening. You’re unable to leave as the sun sets.
Howls echo outside your rural cabin on the night of the full moon. Inhuman, glowing eyes stare back from the treeline.
A tunnel in your basement leads to a vast subterranean city of the undead. You accidentally become trapped overnight.
On a campus ghost tour, you get lost in an off-limits section said to be stalked by a vampire. Escaping after nightfall will be nearly impossible.
An ancient ritual book instructs you how to open a portal to a hellish dimension. You read the incantation aloud as a test.
A creepy carnival worker warns you to avoid the house of mirrors. You glimpse beastly figures staring back from the glass.
A strange infection transforms residents into ravenous zombies after nightfall. You’re stranded downtown past sunset.
Local blood bank technicians are found drained of blood with mysterious neck punctures. A wave of vampirism overwhelms your town.
A tunnel in your basement leads to a vast underground metropolis populated by creatures of the night. You become trapped after sundown.
On the night of a lunar eclipse, you get lost hiking and stumble upon what appears to be a meeting place for warped beasts.
A dating app match invites you to their mansion deep in the woods for a steamy night. You arrive to find coffins lining the great hall.
You wake up in the middle of the night to see your neighbor staring back at you through the window with glowing eyes and elongated fangs.
A strange infection transforms residents into feral beasts when enraged. Quarantine protocols trap you downtown after nightfall.
Howls and shrieks echo from the old asylum at night. You sneak inside to investigate and become trapped with the creatures that dwell within.
A tunnel in the cemetery leads to a secret gathering place for ghouls and vampires beneath the city. You stumble upon their nightly meeting.
A creepy stranger warns that a demonic beast hunts the woods during the blood moon. You’re forced to take shelter in a nearby cave.
On your hotel balcony, you spot a figure across the street make an inhuman leap to the rooftop. A creature is stalking the city.
A dating app match invited you back to their place. You wake up disoriented with bite marks all over your neck.
An ancient ritual book instructs you how to open a portal to another dimension. You recite the incantation as a test, and a clawed hand reaches through.
You get lost on a ghost tour of the old city catacombs. Howls echo from the labyrinth of tunnels as the sun sets above.
A creepy carnival worker warns you to avoid the house of mirrors at night. You glimpse your beastly reflection staring back.
A mad scientist performs experiments splicing human and beast DNA. You help one of his tortured experiments escape.
On the night of a lunar eclipse, you witness what appears to be your neighbor transforming into a fanged beast under the blood moon.
While exploring the old cemetery, you discover a tunnel that leads to a secret underground meeting place for vampires and ghouls.
A dating app match invites you to their secluded manor deep in the woods for a romantic evening. You arrive to find it’s overrun with werewolves.
Howls echo outside your rural cabin on the night of the full moon. Glowing eyes stare back from the darkness. The wolves have your scent.
A strange infection transforms people into rabid beasts when enraged. You’re trapped downtown past nightfall as residents begin to turn.
Local blood banks are robbed of all plasma. Overnight, the city is overrun by a wave of vampirism.
You wake up after a night you can’t remember covered in bites and fur. Howls echo outside under the full moon.
You stumble upon what appears to be a gathering place for warped creatures deep in the woods at night. They spot you observing their ritual.
While exploring the old asylum, you become trapped inside overnight. Feral shrieks and howls echo through the abandoned cellblocks after sunset.
A dating app match invites you to their gothic mansion in the woods for a romantic evening. You arrive to find coffins lining the great hall.
You wake up to find your bed swarming with spiders. Their glowing red eyes stare back as they crawl towards you.
While exploring a cave, you stumble upon a giant egg sac filled with thousands of fist-sized spider eggs about to hatch.
You discover an old journal describing rituals to summon shadow demons. You read an incantation aloud as a test. Clawed hands reach from the darkness.
You wake up paralyzed as a shadowy ghostly figure looms over your bed, staring directly into your eyes.
Your reflection in the mirror becomes possessed, snarling and threatening you with a demonic voice telling you all the ways it plans to mutilate your body.
You get trapped overnight at an insect research facility. Mutated super-sized ants and roaches swarm through the halls, sensing fresh prey.
While camping, you wake to find yourself cocooned inside a giant spider web. The creature that spun it approaches from the trees, hungry for its trapped prey.
You stumble upon an abandoned mansion infested with rabid rats. They quickly surround you, squealing and baring their bloodied teeth.
On a dare, you play a chant from an old book said to summon a vengeful spirit. You glance up to see the ghostly girl from the story standing behind you in the mirror.
You discover your attic is infested with hundreds of spiders. Their webs coat every inch. At night you hear them skittering in the walls, ceiling, and vents.
You get bitten by a strange insect while exploring a remote island jungle. Soon you develop odd cravings, inhuman strength, and a thirst for flesh.
Home alone at night, you hear skittering and clacking sounds from the dark basement. Giant insectoid shadows creep up the stairs towards you.
You accidentally step on an ant hill during a hike. They swarm up your legs, stinging and biting relentlessly as you scream in agony.
Near an abandoned mine, you glimpse what looks like a giant spider dragging a human body back to its lair. But when you follow it, there’s no trace.
You wake paralyzed at night with a creepy crawly sensation. Peering into the darkness, you see hundreds of spiders emerge from under your bed and covers.
You discover a hidden chamber under your house containing grisly remains wrapped in webbing. At night you hear skittering in the walls and vents.
Home alone, you hear scratching and fluttering coming from the chimney. A colony of bats suddenly floods into the living room, swarming around you.
You find an old shack filled with strange cocoons and webbing that seems to pulse with life. Shadowy shapes shift inside them.
You accidentally unleash a cursed swarm of locusts while reading an ancient text. They voraciously devour every living thing in their path.
On a camping trip, you wake up to find yourself strapped down in the massive web of a building-sized spider. Its shadow looms over you as it descends from the trees.
You get trapped in a cave filled with giant cocoons twice your size. They begin to split open, birthing horrific winged creatures.
You find an old dollhouse intricately decorated with dead insects in miniature scenes. At night you think you glimpse them moving inside it.
You discover an oddly-shaped cocoon pulsing with life attached to your house. It splits open at night, birthing a terrifying creature.
You accidentally bring a cockroach home from a trip. It escapes and breeds, soon infesting your entire home with ravenous mutant roaches.
You wake up buried alive with just a faint glow stick, cell phone with no signal, and a handwritten note that says “Nobody will find you here.”
Your baby monitor picks up the sound of a maniacal voice whispering “I’m inside your house” when you’re home alone.
You find a hidden trap door under a rug in your basement. It leads to a soundproof underground room stained with blood.
Your front door security camera captures a masked man crawling out from under your bed while you sleep just inches away.
You glimpse people with blurry, staticky faces standing silently in your peripheral vision. When you turn, no one is there.
Your young daughter keeps talking about her new “imaginary friend” who visits her bedroom closet at night. You hear faint whispers from inside when home alone.
You wake up to find yourself strapped to an operating table in an abandoned hospital surrounded by disturbing medical tools. No one is around.
You find an old Polaroid of yourself sleeping on the porch steps of your childhood home. You lived alone and the photo was taken at night through the front door.
You glimpse grinning corpses propped up around the dinner table when you walk through the dark house at night. But when you turn on the lights, the bodies vanish.
You notice a bloody, clawed handprint appear on the bathroom mirror after you shower. It drips down the glass, leaving a red trail.
You wake up in a pitch black room chained to a cold metal chair. A child’s voice says, “It’s time to play the hunting game.”
You find an old unmarked VHS tape with “Watch Me” scribbled on it. It shows grainy night vision footage of a shadowy figure watching you sleep.
You glimpse people you know with jet black eyes and fanged smiles beckoning you to come closer out of the corner of your eye. But when you look directly they seem totally normal.
You come home to find the power cut and the words “I’m already inside” painted in blood on every mirror.
You wake up to find yourself floating over your own sleeping body. Something else now inhabits your physical form and is living your life.
You start finding creepy/threatening notes written in red ink on your bathroom mirror when home alone. The writing matches your handwriting perfectly.
You glimpse grinning corpses of your loved ones sitting around the dinner table out of the corner of your eye. But when you look directly, the bodies vanish.
You come home to find your front door wide open and bloody child-sized footprints leading from your bedroom to the hallway closet before disappearing.
You wake up to the sound of screaming coming from inside your own body, but you are paralyzed and cannot move or make a sound.
You notice a puddle of fresh blood pooling under your bed at night. But by morning, it has mysteriously vanished leaving no trace.
You start hearing faint cries for help behind your bedroom wall at night. The next morning, you find bloody scratch marks inside the wall.
You glimpse people with your face but with soulless black eyes staring at you from around corners and darkened doorways whenever you’re home alone.
Your young son keeps wanting to play a “staring game” where he gazes deeply into your eyes without blinking for uncomfortably long amounts of time.
You wake up to find your bedroom window open and child-sized, clawed footprints burned into your ceiling above your bed.
You glimpse faceless people wearing your clothes pointing up at your bedroom ceiling at night. Bloody words appear above your bed spelling out a death threat.
Your new puppy stares wide-eyed at your basement door while growling at an unseen entity. You start hearing faint whispers and scratching sounds from behind the door.
You glimpse a shadowy, humanoid creature with long limbs and jagged teeth prowling on all fours around your bedroom at night when you wake up. But when you turn on the light, it’s gone.
Your young niece keeps asking you to play a staring game, promising that something amazing will happen if you don’t blink for one full minute while gazing into her eyes.
You wake up to find yourself strapped to an operating table in a morgue. The chilling sound of a bone saw powering up echoes from the darkness.
A little girl in antique clothes appears weeping in the corner of your bedroom at night, warning you never to sleep again.
Your baby monitor camera pans by itself to show a dark figure hunched over your child’s crib before the screen goes black.
You wake up to find yourself bone thin and trapped inside a coffin-sized cage hanging from the ceiling of an empty room.
You glimpse a doppelgänger of yourself staring back from inside the bathroom mirror whenever you look away.
Your doorbell camera captures a hyper-realistic puppet-like version of you entering your house at night while you sleep.
You glimpse an empty baby stroller rocking itself back and forth outside your front door when home alone at night.
You start finding cryptic notes written in what appears to be blood hidden around your house saying things like, “I’m already inside” and “Let me in.”
You wake up to find yourself suspended high above your bed with shadowy hands gripping your arms and legs to hold you in place.
Your home phone rings in the middle of the night. You hear only high-pitched static, yet your caller ID displays your name and number.
You come home to find all the lights on, puddles of muddy footprints around the house, and the faint smell of rotting meat coming from the vents.
You notice a puddle of fresh blood pooling under your bed each night. One night you glimpse a small, clawed hand briefly grasp the bedframe before disappearing back under into darkness.
You glimpse a shadowy doppelgänger mimicking your movements when you look in the bathroom mirror at night. If you stop moving, it grins back with a mouthful of pointed teeth.
You wake up unable to move and see a dark figure crouched on your chest staring back with reflective, animal-like eyes.
Your front door security camera footage shows people that look just like you entering your house at night while you sleep. By morning, there’s no sign of intruders inside.
You glimpse an empty baby cradle rocking itself in the darkness of your living room when home alone at night. But when you turn on the light, it vanishes.
Your young niece keeps asking if she can “play” with your pet hamster. Sometimes you hear faint squeaking coming from inside her room.
You wake to find yourself strapped to a chair in a dark, empty warehouse. A child’s voice echoes, “Let’s see how long you can keep your eyes open during our little game…”
You glimpse a shadowy hooded figure standing silently in your peripheral vision. When you turn to look directly, it screams inches from your face before vanishing.
You notice a puddle of fresh blood pooling around your bathroom sink each night. One night you glimpse a clawed, rotting hand clutching the faucet before disappearing down the drain.
Your front doorbell camera shows an old woman standing motionless on your porch steps, staring directly into the camera lens without blinking while holding an unlit candle. She seems blurry, staticky, and translucent.
You wake up unable to move and see a shadowy humanoid creature crawling on your ceiling. It slowly creeps down the walls upside-down toward your paralyzed body smiling with a mouthful of needle-like teeth.
You wake up in a dark room strapped to a stretcher. A faceless surgeon slowly approaches you holding a gleaming scalpel.
You glimpse grinning, corpse-like versions of your loved ones beckoning you closer with clawed hands out of the corner of your eye.
You notice a puddle of blood seeping from beneath your closet door at night. Something seems to be slowly scratching its way out.
Your baby monitor camera zooms in on a pale hand reaching into your infant’s crib during the night. You rush in to find the crib empty.
You glimpse people you know with milky white eyes and stitched-together body parts shambling toward you, arms outstretched, when you look away.
You wake up chained to a filthy tiled wall in a shadowy basement. Scratch marks cover the walls and the faint sound of whimpering echoes from the darkness.
Your front door security camera shows a hyper-realistic version of you prowling around the porch on all fours at night, unnaturally contorting its body to fit.
You notice a puddle of blood pooling beneath your bed each night. One night you glimpse a snarling, clawed hand grasp the bed frame before disappearing back under.
You wake up to find yourself buried alive in a small wooden box. Dirt sifts through the cracks as you begin to claw your way out.
You glimpse demonic versions of your family seated around the dinner table, forked tongues wriggling from their grinning mouths whenever you look away.
You notice empty baby carriages and children’s toys rocking or spinning on their own in the darkness whenever home alone. But they vanish when you turn on the lights.
Shadowy doppelgängers of you stand motionless in doorways and mirrors whenever you look away, screaming when you make eye contact.
Your young daughter keeps whispering that her new “imaginary friends” visit her in her closet at night and want to meet you.
You wake up unable to move with a hunched figure sitting on your chest staring back with soulless black eyes and grinning razor-sharp teeth.
You notice clawed handprints and blood streaks on the bathroom mirror after taking a shower, as if something was trapped behind the glass trying to get out.
You glimpse people you know with pale skin, black eyes and stitched-together body parts shambling toward you when looking away. They plead for help before vanishing.
You hear high-pitched crying and clawing sounds coming from behind your bedroom wall at night, along with faint whispers pleading “let me out.”
You wake up chained to the moldy tiled floor of a shadowy subterranean room. Glowing red eyes stare back from the darkness.
You notice your reflection blinks or moves on its own whenever you glance away from the mirror. It smiles with a mouthful of needles when your eyes meet.
You glimpse corpses of your loved ones with sunken features seated around the dinner table whenever you look away. They beckon you closer with skeletal hands.
You wake up in the woods, barefoot with your ankles and wrists bound together. You hear faint hunting horns and hounds barking in the distance.
You notice your shadow detaching itself and moving on its own under the gap of your closet door at night. The doorknob slowly begins to rattle.
You glimpse your doppelgänger going about your daily routine whenever you look away. It stares back with soulless black eyes when your gazes meet.
You wake up to find yourself strapped down in an abandoned, decrepit hospital room. A faceless figure in a long coat slowly approaches holding a rusted scalpel.
You notice clawed, rotting hands grasping from inside your bedroom closet whenever you look away. They retreat back inside when your eyes are on them.
You glimpse a shadowy creature with elongated limbs and off-kilter body movements prowling around your bedroom just outside your field of vision at night whenever you’re home alone.
You wake up in a sterile white room strapped to a metal chair with IVs pumping unknown fluids into your body. Faceless people in suits watch through a two-way mirror.
Your young daughter keeps talking and singing nursery rhymes to “the people who visit her closet” late at night when she thinks you’re asleep.
You notice your reflection rapidly ages, decays, and becomes skeletal whenever you glance away from the bathroom mirror at night.
You glimpse doppelgängers of your loved ones with sunken features shuffling toward you pleading for help when looking away. They scream when your eyes meet.
You wake up unable to move and see a hunched figure sitting on your chest with its face obscured by tangled black hair. It slowly raises a rusted blade toward your throat.
Your baby monitor cameras pans by itself to show a shadowy figure looming over the crib, rocking your infant’s empty cradle before the screen goes black.
You notice your shadow detaching itself and creeping along on its own, just outside your peripheral vision whenever you’re home alone at night.
You glimpse a pale little girl in a tattered nightgown standing motionless in your peripheral vision. She screams and points at you when your eyes meet.
You wake up in a sterile white room strapped to an operating table as a figure in surgical garb approaches you slowly wielding a long, gleaming saw.
Your front doorbell camera shows a blurry, shambling figure that looks just like you prowling around the porch late at night, contorting its body unnaturally.
You notice handprints and faces pressing against your bedroom window from outside at night when you’re home alone. But when you blink, they vanish.
You glimpse your loved ones seated around the dinner table with elongated smiles filled with jagged teeth whenever you look away. They beckon you closer.
You wake up in a small, enclosed space. You push against the satin lining and realize you’ve been buried alive inside a coffin.
Your baby monitor camera zooms in on its own at night to show a spindly hand reaching into your infant’s crib over the edge of the railing.
You notice your reflection rapidly decays into a grinning corpse whenever you glance away from the mirror. Maggots wriggle from its empty eye sockets when your eyes meet.
You wake up and all the mirrors in your home are covered with sheets. You live alone. Muffled crying echoes from behind the covered glass.
You glimpse shadowy, hunched figures crouched in your peripheral vision. They skitter just out of sight whenever you turn to look directly.
Your front doorbell camera shows you arriving home hours before you actually returned. The footage shows you glancing up at the camera and grinning with solid black eyes.
You notice clawed handprints appear on foggy bathroom mirrors after you shower. They slowly drag down the glass leaving trails of blood before vanishing completely.
You glimpse doppelgängers of loved ones standing motionless, staring at you from dark corners and doorways whenever you’re home alone. They scream when your eyes meet.
You wake up to find yourself alone in a sterile white room strapped to a metal chair. A faceless figure in a lab coat slowly approaches holding a power saw.
Your baby monitor camera zooms in and pans by itself at night to show a spindly hand reaching over the edge of the crib, rocking your infant’s empty cradle.
You notice your shadow standing independently and watching you from across the room whenever you glance away. It creeps closer when your back is turned.
You wake up to find yourself chained to a cold metal table in a shadowy basement. Glowing red eyes stare hungrily at you from the dark corners.
You wake up in a dimly lit room strapped to a gurney. You hear faint whimpering and smell rotting flesh. A door creaks open and shuffling footsteps approach.
You glimpse doppelgängers of loved ones with pale skin and soulless black eyes standing in doorways whenever you’re home alone. They scream when your eyes meet.
You notice clawed handprints appear on foggy bathroom mirrors after you shower. They slowly drag down the glass, leaving trails of blood before fading away.
Your baby monitor camera zooms in and pans by itself at night to show a spindly hand reaching over the crib, rocking your infant’s empty cradle.
You wake up unable to move. A shadowy figure sits on your chest staring back with glowing red eyes and rows of razor-sharp teeth grinning.
You glimpse blurry, shambling figures just out of sight whenever you’re home alone. They stand motionless staring when you look directly.
You notice your shadow detaching itself and creeping along the walls just outside your peripheral vision whenever you’re alone at night.
Your young son keeps whispering that “the thing in the closet” talks to him at night and wants to meet you after bedtime.
You wake up in a sterile white room strapped to a metal chair. A faceless figure in a lab coat slowly approaches wielding a power saw.
You glimpse grinning corpses seated around the dinner table whenever you look away. They beckon you closer with skeletal hands before vanishing.
Your reflection rapidly decays into a mangled corpse whenever you glance away from the mirror. It screams when your eyes meet.
You notice handprints and pleading faces press against your bedroom window from outside whenever you look away. They vanish when stared at.
You wake up unable to move and see a shadowy figure sitting on your chest staring back with glowing red eyes. It slowly raises a long, gleaming blade.
Your front doorbell camera shows you arriving home hours before you actually returned. Your doppelgänger glances up at the camera, grinning with soulless black eyes.
You glimpse a pale little girl in a tattered nightgown standing silently whenever you look away. She points at you and screams when your eyes meet.
You notice clawed, rotting hands grasp from inside your closet whenever you look away. They slowly retreat back into darkness when stared at.
You wake up chained to a moldy tiled wall in a shadowy basement. Glowing red eyes stare hungrily at you from the darkness.
Your young daughter keeps whispering she sees “other mommies and daddies” that visit her bedroom closet at night.
You glimpse your loved ones seated around the dinner table with elongated smiles filled with jagged teeth whenever you look away.
You notice your shadow standing independently across the room whenever you glance away. It creeps closer when your back is turned.
Your reflection turns and stares back with solid black eyes and a wide unnatural smile whenever you look away from the mirror.
You wake up unable to move with a hunched figure sitting on your chest. It stares back with glowing red eyes as it slowly raises a rusted blade.
Your front door security camera shows a blurry, shambling figure that looks just like you prowling around on all fours late at night.
You glimpse pale ghostly figures standing silently whenever you look away. They reach toward you screaming when you make eye contact.
You notice your shadow detaching itself and creeping along the walls just outside your peripheral vision when home alone.
You wake up in a sterile white room strapped to an operating table as a figure in surgical garb approaches wielding a gleaming bone saw.
Your young son keeps whispering that “the thing under my bed” talks to him at night and wants to meet you after you tuck him in.
You glimpse doppelgängers of loved ones standing motionless and staring at you from dark corners whenever you’re home alone.
You notice handprints appear on foggy bathroom mirrors after you shower. They slowly drag down the glass leaving trails of blood before fading away.
Your baby monitor camera zooms in and pans by itself at night to show a spindly hand rocking your infant’s empty cradle.
You wake up unable to move and see a shadowy figure crouched on your chest. It stares back with glowing eyes as it slowly lifts a gleaming scalpel.
Your young niece keeps whispering about her new “imaginary friends” that visit her bedroom closet late at night when she thinks you’re asleep.
You glimpse pale ghostly children staring silently whenever you look away. They reach toward you screaming when your eyes meet.
You notice your shadow detaching itself and creeping along the walls just outside your peripheral vision when you’re alone at night.
Your reflection turns and stares back with milky white eyes and an unnaturally wide smile whenever you glance away from the mirror.
You wake up chained to a rusted metal chair in a dim concrete room. Heavy footsteps approach from the darkness.
Your front door security camera shows you shambling up to the porch on all fours late at night. Your doppelgänger glances up at the camera and grins.
You glimpse your loved ones seated around the dinner table with blank stares whenever you look away. They reach toward you silently when your eyes meet.
You notice empty rocking chairs, strollers, and children’s toys slowly moving on their own in the darkness whenever you’re home alone.
You wake up unable to move and see a hunched shadowy figure sitting on your chest, slowly raising a gleaming blade toward your throat.
Your baby monitor camera zooms in and pans by itself at night to show a spindly hand reaching over the crib railing, rocking your infant’s empty cradle.
You glimpse pale ghostly faces staring from the darkness whenever you look away. They scream and vanish when your eyes meet.
You notice your shadow standing independently across the room whenever you glance away. It skitters behind you when you turn to look.
Your reflection turns and snarls back with gleaming pointed teeth whenever you look away from the mirror. It bangs against the glass when your eyes meet.
You wake up in a sterile white room strapped to a metal table as a faceless figure in a lab coat approaches holding a serrated blade.
Your young daughter keeps whispering about “other mommies and daddies with red eyes” that visit her bedroom closet at night.
You glimpse empty rocking chairs, strollers, and toys slowly moving on their own in the darkness whenever you’re home alone.
You notice pleading faces and hands banging against your bedroom window from outside whenever you look away. They vanish when stared at.
Your front doorbell camera shows you prowling around the porch late at night. Your doppelgänger crawls on all fours glancing up at the camera.
You wake up unable to move and see a shadowy figure sitting on your chest. It stares back with glowing red eyes as it wriggles a long, forked tongue.
You wake up in a dark basement chained to the wall. Faint screams echo from the shadows as heavy footsteps approach.
Your reflection smiles back with rows of jagged teeth whenever you glance away from the mirror. Bloody claws smear the glass from inside.
You notice your doppelgänger going about your daily routine whenever you look away. It stares back with soulless black eyes when your gazes meet.
You glimpse grinning corpses seated around the dinner table whenever you look away. They reach toward you with skeletal hands before vanishing.
Your front door cam shows you returning home hours before you actually did. Your blurry doppelgänger looks up and smiles with empty black eyes.
You wake up unable to move. A hunched figure sits on your chest and stares back with glowing red eyes as it wriggles a long, forked tongue.
Your baby monitor camera zooms in by itself at night to show a spindly hand reaching over the crib, rocking your infant’s empty cradle.
You notice your reflection rapidly decays into a skeletal corpse whenever you glance away from the mirror. Maggots pour from its empty eye sockets.
You wake up in a sterile white room strapped to a metal chair. A faceless figure in a lab coat approaches wielding a gleaming power saw.
Your young son keeps whispering about “the thing in his closet” that talks to him at night and wants to meet you after bedtime.
You notice clawed, rotting hands grasp from inside your closet whenever you look away. They slowly retreat into darkness when stared at.
You glimpse your smiling friends with milky white eyes and stitched-together body parts shambling toward you when looking away.
You wake up unable to move. A shadowy figure crouches on your chest and grins back with rows of needle-like teeth as it lifts a serrated blade.
Your reflection turns and snarls at you behind the glass whenever you glance away from the mirror. Bloody claws smear down the surface from inside.
You notice your shadow detaching itself and creeping along the walls just outside your peripheral vision whenever you’re home alone.
You glimpse pale ghostly children standing silently whenever you look away. They scream and vanish when your eyes meet theirs.
Your baby monitor camera zooms in by itself at night to show a spindly hand rocking your infant’s empty cradle back and forth.
You notice empty rocking chairs, strollers, and toys moving slowly on their own in the darkness whenever you’re home alone.
Your reflection turns and smiles back with solid black eyes and a wide, unnatural grin whenever you look away from the mirror.
You wake up in a shadowy room restrained to a gurney. You hear whimpering from the darkness as shuffling footsteps approach.
Your young niece keeps whispering about her “new friends” that visit her bedroom closet late at night when she thinks you’re asleep.
You glimpse soulless black eyes staring back from around corners and darkened doorways whenever you’re home alone.
You wake up unable to move and see a hunched figure perched on your chest, slowly raising a gleaming blade toward your throat.
Your front door camera shows you prowling around the porch late at night on all fours. Your doppelgänger glances up at the camera and grins.
You glimpse ghostly faces staring back from the darkness whenever you look away. They scream and vanish when your eyes meet.
You notice your doppelgänger going about your daily routine whenever you look away. It stares back with glowing red eyes when your gazes meet.
Your reflection turns and snarls, clawing at the glass whenever you glance away from the mirror. Its flesh rapidly decays before your eyes.
You wake up in a sterile white room strapped to a metal chair. A shadowy figure slowly approaches you wielding a long, gleaming surgical blade.
You glimpse rotting versions of your loved ones shambling toward you with arms outstretched whenever you look away. They vanish when stared at.
Your young daughter keeps whispering about “other mommies and daddies with black eyes” that visit her bedroom closet at night.
You notice your shadow detaching itself and creeping along the walls just outside your peripheral vision when you’re home alone.
You wake up unable to move and see a dark figure perched on your chest, staring back with red glowing eyes as it lifts a needle toward your eye.
Your front door cam shows you arriving home hours before you actually did. Your grinning doppelgänger looks up at the camera with bleeding black eyes.
You glimpse your rotting loved ones seated around the dinner table whenever you look away. They reach toward you with skeletal hands.
Your reflection turns and smiles back with jagged blackened teeth whenever you glance away from the mirror. Clawed hands smear down the glass from inside.
You notice pleading faces and hands bang against your bedroom window from outside whenever you look away. They quickly vanish when stared at.
You wake up in a damp basement chained to a moldy brick wall. Glowing red eyes stare hungrily at you from the darkness.
You glimpse shadowy figures standing silently whenever you look away. They reach toward you screaming when your eyes meet.
You notice your doppelgänger going about your daily routine whenever you look away. It stares back with soulless black eyes and grins.
You wake up unable to move and see a hunched figure perched on your chest, slowly dragging a rusty blade across your throat as you bleed out.
Your baby monitor camera zooms in by itself at night to show a spindly hand rocking your infant’s empty, blood-stained cradle.
You glimpse your loved ones seated around the dinner table with jagged smiles whenever you look away. They beckon you closer with clawed hands.
Your reflection turns and snarls, clawing at the glass whenever you glance away. Its sunken eyes begin rapidly bleeding black.
You notice empty rocking chairs, strollers, and children’s toys moving on their own in the darkness whenever you’re home alone.
You wake up in a sterile white room, restrained to an operating table as a figure in surgical garb approaches wielding a bloody chainsaw.
Your young daughter keeps whispering she sees “other mommies and daddies” with glowing red eyes that visit her bedroom closet late at night.
You wake up levitating above your bed. An unseen force holds you in place as you helplessly float higher toward the ceiling.
You glimpse shadowy spirits standing silently whenever you look away. They scream when you make eye contact before vanishing.
The ghost of a murder victim appears in your bedroom pleading for help in solving their unsolved case before vanishing.
You notice objects moving on their own and furniture rearranging itself in the darkness whenever you leave a room in your haunted house.
You hear singing, laughing, and children’s voices whispering your name although you live alone in your isolated rural home.
Your baby monitor camera pans by itself at night to reveal a ghostly figure standing over the crib, staring down at your sleeping infant.
You glimpse the spirits of dead loved ones seated around the dinner table whenever you look away. They vanish when you stare.
Your reflection in the mirror becomes possessed and starts talking to you on its own, threatening to steal your soul.
You wake up to find yourself floating above ancient rune markings etched on your bedroom floor as ghostly figures chant around you.
You notice your shadow moving on its own and detaching itself from your feet, taking on a life of its own.
Strange singing and whimpers echo from within the walls and vents in your new home that only you can hear.
You glimpse shadowy, featureless figures standing silently in your peripheral vision. When you turn, they vanish.
Your baby monitor picks up two ghostly figures standing over your crib whispering unintelligibly to your infant.
Items start vanishing from your home only to reappear in bizarre places with no explanation. Poltergeist activity escalates.
You wake up unable to move and see a shadowy ghostly figure sitting on your chest, staring directly into your eyes.
The ghost of your deceased relative appears to deliver an urgent warning about your future before vanishing.
You hear scratching, knocking sounds from inside your walls and floors that seem to follow you from room to room.
Strange glowing mists manifest in your home and coalesce into ghostly humanoid forms before vanishing.
You glimpse spirits of the dead seated silently around your dinner table whenever you look away. They reach toward you screaming.
You wake up to find yourself floating above your bed as a shadowy ghostly figure looms over you.
The power goes out and you spot ghostly civil war soldiers marching through your living room before vanishing.
You glimpse the spirits of dead children playing in your yard whenever you look away. They vanish laughing when spotted.
Your reflection becomes possessed and starts talking to you through the mirror with a distorted demonic voice.
You notice handprints and faces materializing in mirrors and windows before fading away when stared at.
Strange symbols, words, and messages start appearing on steamy bathroom mirrors when you shower.
You glimpse shadowy spirits standing silently down the hallway whenever you look away. They vanish screaming when spotted.
You hear a child’s giggling echoing through your home although you live alone. Footsteps run behind you.
The ghost of your dead relative appears in your dreams to give an urgent warning about your future.
You wake up to find yourself levitating over your bed as a ghostly figure looms over you.
Your baby monitor camera moves by itself to show the shadowy figures of two children standing over the crib whispering.
You hear singing, laughter, and playing coming from inside your walls although you live alone.
Objects start levitating and flying across the room on their own, barely missing your head.
You glimpse the spirits of dead loved ones silently seated around your dinner table whenever you look away.
Strange symbols and messages appear on foggy bathroom mirrors after you shower as if written by an unseen presence.
You notice your shadow moving independently of you and shifting into ghostly shapes on its own.
You hear scratching sounds, knocking, and pitter-pattering footsteps following you from room to room in your isolated rural home.
The power goes out and you glimpse ghostly figures dancing in your living room before vanishing.
Your reflection becomes possessed and starts talking back to you through the mirror in a distorted voice.
You wake up paralyzed in bed with a shadowy ghostly figure looming over you, staring directly into your eyes.
Handprints, faces, and pleading messages start materializing on steamy bathroom mirrors after you shower.
You hear whispering voices, singing, and laughter echoing from inside your walls although you live alone.
Strange glowing mists manifest in your home, taking on ghostly humanoid shapes before vanishing.
You glimpse the spirits of deceased loved ones silently seated around the dinner table whenever you look away.
Your reflection becomes possessed and starts threatening you through the mirror in a sinister voice.
You wake up levitating over your bed as ghostly figures stand below, staring up and chanting.
The ghost of a murder victim appears pleading for you to bring their killer to justice before vanishing.
You notice your shadow moving independently and detaching itself from your feet, taking on a life of its own.
Strange symbols, words, and messages appear on foggy bathroom mirrors after you shower as if written by a ghostly presence.
You hear giggling, playing, and pitter-pattering footsteps of ghostly children following you throughout your isolated home.
You glimpse shadowy spirits standing silently down your hallway whenever you look away. They vanish screaming when you spot them.
You wake up with bite marks all over your body after a night you can’t remember. Howling echoes outside your window.
While exploring the woods, you stumble upon an abandoned cabin overrun with unnatural webbing that seems to throb and grow before your eyes.
You get trapped overnight at an insect research lab. You soon hear clicking and fluttering in the vents as mutated test subjects escape and search for prey.
You play a chant from an old book said to summon spirits. Behind you in the mirror, the tormented ghost of the book’s author appears screaming.
You find yourself strapped down in the massive web of a giant spider. It descends from the trees above, fangs dripping venom as it prepares to feast.
You discover your basement is infested with thousands of venomous spiders. At night you can hear them creeping through the walls and vents all around you.
While camping, you wake to find yourself wrapped tightly in webbing inside a giant cocoon. You feel the creature that spun it approaching.
You accidentally unleash a cursed swarm of locusts while reading an ancient text out loud as a joke. But the joke is on you as they voraciously consume all life in their path.
You get trapped in a massive spider’s lair. All around you are pulsing egg sacs ready to burst and release thousands of flesh-eating spiderlings.
Wandering through an abandoned shack, you stumble into a web-filled room. Inside the webbing you glimpse human shapes shifting and struggling to break free.
You play a chant said to summon spirits as a dare. Behind you, the mirror becomes a portal and a clawed hand reaches through grabbing at your throat.
You discover your son’s bedroom is infested by thousands of tiny spiders. At night you hear them creeping through the vents and walls all around you.
While exploring a remote island jungle, you are bitten by a strange insect. Soon you are overwhelmed by a ravenous hunger for living flesh.
An odd cocoon attached to your home splits open, birthing a terrifying spider-like creature with glistening fangs. It stalks you at night.
You accidentally bring home a mutated cockroach from a trip. It breeds, unleashing an infestation of voracious mutant roaches.
Home alone at night, you hear skittering coming from the chimney. You glimpse an inverted giant spider crawling down the flue towards you.
You play a chant from an old book said to summon spirits as a joke. Behind you, the tormented ghost of the book’s author appears howling.
You discover your basement is infested with cocoons that seem to throb and pulse with life. At night they finally split open, birthing horrific creatures.
While camping, you wake wrapped tightly in webbing inside a massive cocoon. You feel the giant spider that spun it approaching for its helpless prey.
You get trapped overnight in an insect research facility. Mutated test subjects swarm through the halls, sensing fresh meat.
An abandoned cabin you explore is overrun with strange webbing that seems to grow before your eyes, coating everything like a living organism.
You accidentally bring home a parasitic insect from a trip. At night it lays eggs under your skin. You feel the hatchlings wriggling beneath the surface.
You play a chant said to summon spirits as a joke. Behind you, the enraged ghost it conjures begins strangling you with icy spectral hands.
While hiking, you stumble into a giant web stretching between trees. At its center waits the massive spider that spun it, mandibles clicking with anticipation.
You glimpse what looks like a giant spider dragging a human-sized cocoon into its lair. But when you work up the nerve to investigate, there is no trace.
Home alone at night, you hear scratching coming from the fireplace. You glimpse a human hand reach down the chimney, trying to unlock the flue.
You discover your attic is infested with pulsating cocoons that throb with unnatural life. At night they finally burst open, birthing nightmarish creatures.
You play a chant said to summon spirits on a dare. Behind you in the mirror, a clawed hand reaches through the glass trying to grab you.
You hear skittering and fluttering coming from your walls and vents at night. Peering closer, you glimpse swarms of spiders massing in the shadows.
You explore a remote cave filled with massive, pulsating cocoons. As you touch one, it splits open, birthing a winged horror.
You accidentally unleash a cursed plague of locusts while reading an ancient text aloud. They voraciously consume every living thing in their path.
Home alone, your power goes out. You hear skittering coming from the basement. In the darkness, you glimpse yellow insectoid eyes approaching.
You discover your son’s room is infested with spiders. At night you hear them through the vents and walls, creeping closer when he sleeps.
Near an abandoned shack you find a human rib cage wrapped in web. Following the trail, it leads to the giant spider’s lair. But you arrive to find it freshly abandoned.
You explore an abandoned research lab where they bred insects. You accidentally release the mutant specimens which search for living prey.
Playing a chant said to summon spirits, you jokingly invite them to manifest. Behind you, a ghostly hand reaches through the mirror trying to drag you to the other side.
You wake paralyzed in bed to see a shadowy ghostly figure standing over you, staring directly into your eyes.
You find a hidden chamber pulsing with unnatural organic cocoons. At night they finally split open, unleashing the horrors growing inside.
Home alone, you hear scratching coming from the chimney as spiders swarm down the flue into the fireplace towards you.
You play a chant said to summon spirits as a prank. Behind you, the tortured ghost it conjures begins trying to possess your body.
You discover your son’s closet is infested with pulsating, throbbing cocoons. At night they finally split open, birthing ravenous spiderlings.
Exploring a remote jungle, you stumble upon an ancient temple filled with giant cocoons. You hear shrieking and scratching coming from inside them as they begin to rupture.

The final pages turn and the last prompt beckons. Another chilling journey into terror draws to a close. But the horrors conjured within these pages will haunt you, lingering in the shadowy recesses of your mind. Though you may close the book, the unease will remain as you lie awake pondering the darkness that lurks within human nature, the malevolence that stalks the unknown, and the fear of what is to come.

While you may feel relief at having navigated the full spectrum of horrors within these 365 prompts, the experience will leave its mark. You’ve glimpsed the sinister possibilities that await when imagination crosses into darkness. But until next time, keep the lights on and don’t look behind you, for the things that go bump in the night are never far away. The terror ends for now, but other prompts await whenever you dare to confront the shadows once more.

If you are interested in other writing prompts , we have many on our site. Also, if you want to share what you’ve written please leave us a comments.

About Richard

Richard Everywriter (pen name) has worked for literary magazines and literary websites for the last 25 years. He holds degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology and Education. Richard has headed many writing workshops and courses, and he has taught writing and literature for the last 20 years.

In writing and publishing he has worked with independent, small, medium and large publishers for years connecting publishers to authors. He has also worked as a journalist and editor in both magazine, newspaper and trade publications as well as in the medical publishing industry. Follow him on Twitter, and check out our Submissions page .

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101 Terrifying Horror Story Prompts

Welcome to the story den of horror, scares, and the macabre.

Most writers are often asked, "Where do you get your ideas from?" A majority of the time, writers find it difficult to answer that question.

We get our ideas from a plethora of sources — news headlines, novels, television shows, movies, our lives, our fears, our phobias, etc. They can come from a scene or moment in a film that wasn't fully explored. They can come from a single visual that entices the creative mind — a seed that continues to grow and grow until the writer is forced to finally put it to paper or screen.

In the spirit of helping writers find those seeds, here we offer 101 originally conceived and terrifying story prompts that you can use as inspiration for your next horror story.

They may inspire screenplays, novels, short stories, or even smaller moments that you can include in what stories you are already writing or what you will create in your upcoming projects.

But beware! If you scare easily — and have active imaginations like most writers do — turn up the lights and proceed with caution...

1. A girl goes missing in the woods, and her parents find only a decrepit and scary doll left behind. They soon learn that the doll is actually their daughter. And she's alive.

2. New residents of an old neighborhood are invited by their friendly neighbors to a Halloween party. The neighbors are vampires.

3. A family dog runs away from home. He returns a year later to the delight of his family. But there's something different about him. Something demonic.

4. A girl goes missing. Fifteen years later, her parents get a call from her older self. But they listen in fear because they killed their daughter that dark night years ago.

5. A man reads a novel, soon realizing that the story is his very own — and according to the book, a killer is looming.

6. A scientist clones his family that died in an airplane crash — but soon learns the repercussions of playing God.

7. A man wakes up bound to an electric chair.

8. A man wakes up in a coffin next to a freshly dead body.

9. A woman wakes up to find her family gone and her doors and windows boarded up with no way to escape.

10. A man afraid of snakes is shipwrecked on an island covered with them.

11. Serial killers worldwide are connected by a dark web website.

12. The world's population is overtaken by vampires — all except one little child.

13. A woman afraid of clowns is forced to work in a traveling circus.

14. An astronaut and cosmonaut are on the International Space Station when their countries go to Nuclear War with each other. Their last orders are to eliminate the other.

15. A treasure hunter finds a tomb buried beneath the dirt.

16. A young brother and sister find an old door in their basement that wasn't there before.

17. Winged creatures can be seen within the storm clouds above.

18. A man wakes up to find a hobo clown staring down at him.

19. Residents of a town suddenly fall dead while the dead from cemeteries around them rise.

20. A doctor performs the first head transplant — things go wrong.

21. A man is texted pictures of himself in various stages of torture that he has no memory of.

22. A girl wakes up to find a little boy sitting on his bed, claiming to be her younger brother — but she never had one.

23. A scare walk in the woods during Halloween is actually real.

24. A bartender serves last call to the only remaining patron, who is the Devil himself.

25. Earth suffers a planet-wide blackout as all technology is lost.

26. A boy's stepfather is actually a murderous werewolf.

27. Something has turned the neighborhood pets into demonic killers.

28. A priest is a vampire.

29. A woman wakes up with no eyes.

30. A man wakes up with no mouth.

31. A monster is terrified by the scary child who lives above his bed.

32. An astronaut jettisoned into the cold of space in a mission gone wrong suddenly appears at the doorstep of his family.

33. A woman answers a phone call only to learn that the voice on the other end is her future self, warning her that a killer is looming.

34. A boy realizes that aliens have replaced his family.

35. A woman wakes up in an abandoned prison that she cannot escape.

36. A bank robber steals from the small town bank that holds the riches of witches.

37. A door-to-door salesman circa the 1950s visits the wrong house.

38. Deceased soldiers return to their Civil War-era homes.

39. Kidnappers abduct the child of a vampire.

40. An innocent circus clown discovers the dark history of the trade.

41. A homeless man is stalked by faceless beings.

42. A spelunker stumbles upon a series of caverns infested with rattlesnakes.

43. A group of friends is forced to venture through a chamber of horrors where only one is promised to survive.

44. He's not the man she thought he was. In fact, he's not a man at all.

45. Suburbia is actually purgatory.

46. Someone discovers that we are all actually robots — who created us and why?

47. She's not an angel. She's a demon.

48. An old shipwreck washes ashore.

49. A sinkhole swallows a house whole and unleashes something from beneath.

50. A man has sleep paralysis at the worst possible time.

51. A woman out hiking is caught in a bear trap as the sun begins to go down.

52. Naked figures with no faces stalk campers in the woods.

53. An astronaut is the sole survivor of a moon landing gone wrong — only to discover that the moon is infested with strange creatures.

54. A woman is wrongfully condemned to an insane asylum.

55. A mother's baby will not leave its womb and continues to grow and grow and grow while doctors try to cut it out but can't.

56. Friends on a road trip stumble upon a backcountry town whose residents all dress up as different types of clowns.

57. Tourists in Ireland retreat to an old castle when the country is taken over by greedy and vengeful leprechauns.

58. A boy on a farm makes a scarecrow that comes alive.

59. A figure dressed in an old, dirty Easter Bunny suit haunts the children of a town.

60. The abused animals of a zoo are unleashed and wreak havoc on a small town.

61. A deceased grandma's old doll collection comes alive.

62. Little Red Riding Hood was a vampire.

63. Somebody clones Hitler and raises him as a white supremacist.

64. A pumpkin patch comes alive — beings with heads of pumpkins and bodies of vines.

65. An endless swarm of killer bees wreaks havoc on the country.

66. Christ returns to Earth — at least that is who people thought he was.

67. A natural anomaly brings all of the country's spiders to a horrified town.

68. A woman finds old 16mm film from her childhood and sees that she had a sister — what happened to her?

69. Something ancient rises from an old pond.

70. A woman suddenly begins to wake up in somebody else's body every morning — each day ends with her being stocked and killed by the same murderer in black.

71. An Artificial Intelligence begins to communicate with a family online, only to terrorize them through their technology.

72. A family buys a cheap house only to discover that an old cemetery is their back yard.

73. Years after the zombie apocalypse subsides, survivors discover that the epidemic was caused by aliens that have appeared to lay claim to the planet.

74. A woman has memories of being abducted by aliens — but she soon learns that they weren't aliens. They were...

75. A boy has a tumor that slowly grows into a Siamese twin — the older they get, the more evil the twin becomes.

76. A cult that worships history's deadliest serial killers begins to kill by copying their methods.

77. Stone gargoyles suddenly appear on the tops of buildings and houses of a small town.

78. A family on a boat trip stumbles upon an old pirate ship.

79. A winter snowstorm traps a family in an abandoned insane asylum.

80. A little girl comes down from upstairs and asks her parents, "Can you hear it breathing? I can."

81. A town is enveloped in unexplained darkness for weeks.

82. A jetliner flies high in the sky as Nuclear War breaks out below.

83. Children discover a deep, dark well in the woods — an old ladder leads down into it.

84. A child sleepwalks into their parent's room and whispers, "I'm sorry. The Devil told me to."

85. As a woman showers, a voice comes from the drain whispering, "I see you."

86. A child finds a crayon drawing of a strange family — it's inscribed with the words we live in your walls .

87. All of the cemetery's graves are now open, gaping holes — the dirt pushed out from underground.

88. A woman is watching a scary movie alone on Halloween night — someone, or something, keeps knocking at her door.

89. Someone is taking a bath as a hand from behind the shower curtain pushes their head into the water.

90. A farmer and his sons begin to hear the laughter of children coming from his fields at night — no children are in sight.

91. Someone looks out their window to see a clown standing at a corner holding a balloon — staring at them.

92. Mannequins in a department store seem to be moving on their own.

93. What if the God people worshiped was really Satan — and Satan had somehow kept God prisoner?

94. A man dies and wakes up in the body of a serial killer — and no matter how hard he tries to stop killing, he can't.

95. A prisoner awakens to find the prison empty — but he's locked in his cell.

96. A woman jogging stumbles upon a dead, bloody body — she then hears a strange clicking sound and looks up to see a dark figure running towards her.

97. A girl hears laughter downstairs — she's the only one home.

98. An Uber driver picks up the wrong person — and may not live to tell the tale.

99. There's someone or something living and moving up in the attic — but it's not a ghost.

100. A child's imaginary friend is not imaginary.

101. The reflections that we see of ourselves in the mirror are actually us in a parallel universe — and they are planning to do whatever it takes to take our place in this world.

Share this with your writing peers or anyone that loves a good scary story.

For some more scares, check out ScreenCraft's 20 Terrifying Two-Sentence Horror Stories and 8 Ways Horror Movies Scare the S*** Out of Audiences!

Sleep well and keep writing.

Once you're inspired, take your idea to the next level and Develop Your Horror Movie Idea in 15 Days .

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries Blackout , starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies

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Scary Story Ideas Eighteen Prompts For Horror and Thriller Writers Featured

Scriptwriting

Scary Story Ideas — 18 Prompts For Horror & Thriller Writers

H ere there be dragons, boogeymen, and blood-sucking vampires! Scary stories have frightened and allured audiences for thousands of years. So, whether you’re looking to establish a new form of horror, or riff on an existing genre trope, you’ve come to the right place, because we’re going to break down scary story ideas. Dim the candlelight, turn up the theremin, and sit back as we delve deep into horror writing prompts!

Scary Story Prompts for Writers

Scary story ideas & horror writing prompts.

It can be challenging to respond to writing prompts when they’re proposed without follow-up questions. So, we’re going to attempt to rectify that by giving you some scary story ideas with follow-up questions.

*Note on scary story ideas and writing prompts: all of the prompts outlined here were created by me! However, they’re almost all surely inspired by existing material, whether recognized consciously or unconsciously. In accordance with that point, I’m going to attach “suggested accompanying viewing” to each prompt for further inspiration!

1) A young man finds himself unable to break out of a recurring lucid dream.

Ideas for Horror Stories Spellbound Still from Spellbound

Ideas for Horror Stories • Still from ‘Spellbound’

Who is the young man?
What is the recurring lucid dream?
Why is he unable to break out of it?

SCARY STORY IDEAS

Suggested viewing.

Inception
Donnie Darko

2) An island community is besieged by a rapidly-mutating virus.

Horror Story Ideas The Beach Still from The Beach

Horror Story Ideas • Still from ‘The Beach’

Where is the island?
What is the virus?
How did the virus originate?

HORROR WRITING PROMPTS

3) a woman sells control of her father’s estate to a peculiar… bloodthirsty… count from transylvania..

Scary Story Ideas Drakula Still from Bram Stokers Dracula

Scary Story Ideas • Still from ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’

Who is the woman?
Who is the count?
Why is she selling her father’s estate?

Writing Prompts Horror

Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The Cherry Orchard (Play)

4) A group of hitchhikers enter a seemingly empty home to wait out a torrential storm.

Horror Story Ideas The Twilight Zone Still from The Twilight Zone

Horror Story Ideas • Still from ‘The Twilight Zone’

Who are the hitchhikers?
Why does the house seem empty?
Where is the antagonist?
“The Howling Man” from The Twilight Zone
The Cabin in the Woods

5) An asteroid hits a space station orbiting the outer-ring of a lunar outpost. Oxygen supply is cut by 80%, meaning the crew has to kill four members, or else they’ll all die before an emergency shuttle arrives.

Horror Story Prompts Sunshine Still from Sunshine

Horror Story Prompts • Still from ‘Sunshine’

Who’s on the space station?
Why aren’t there any emergency shuttles on the station?

SCARY STORY PROMPTS

6) a veteran cop suspects his daughter is dating a serial killer..

Scary Story Ideas Taken Still from Taken

Scary Story Ideas • Still from ‘Taken’

Who is the cop?
Who is the daughter?
Who is the suspected serial killer?
How did the cop learn about his suspicious nature?

HORROR STORIES IDEAS

The French Connection

7) A small-town legend says that a monster lurks under the lake. Sounds crazy, but why have so many people gone missing?

Horror Story Ideas The Wailing Still from The Wailing

Horror Story Ideas • Still from ‘The Wailing’

What is the monster?
Why have people gone missing?
How did this legend spread?
The Wailing

8) A man finds a slumped-over investigator with puncture-wounds in his neck. His final word, “devil.”

Scary Writing Ideas Angel Heart Still from Angel Heart

Scary Writing Ideas • Still from ‘Angel Heart’

Who is the man?
Who is the investigator?
What does “devil” imply?
Interview With the Vampire
Angel Heart

9) A group of college girls stargazing at the Grand Canyon find themselves stalked by a shadowy figure.

Horror Story Prompts It Follows Still from It Follows

Horror Story Prompts • Still from ‘It Follows’

Who are the college girls?
Why are they at the grand canyon?
Who, or what, is the shadowy figure?
Spring Breakers

10) A woman is kidnapped in broad daylight, only to re-awaken in a human zoo.

Scary Story Ideas The Truman Show Still from The Truman Show

Scary Story Ideas • Still from ‘The Truman Show’

Where is the woman kidnapped? And where is she brought?
Who is responsible?
Why is there a human zoo?
"Black Museum” episode from Black Mirror
The Truman Show

11) A cursed man must find love by year’s end or else his entire family will be killed.

Horror Story Ideas Beauty and the Beast Still from Beauty and the Beast

Horror Story Ideas • Still from ‘Beauty and the Beast’

How was he cursed?
How do we know his family will be killed?
Why do we want him to succeed?

HALLOWEEN STORY IDEAS

Beauty and the Beast
“The Chaser” episode of The Twilight Zone

12) A woman goes back to a man’s apartment after a date… but discovers what appear to be mementos – hair-pins, engraved jewelry, watches, etc. – in the bathroom drawer. When she decides to leave, the man blocks the doorway.

Scary Writing Ideas Burning Still from Burning

Scary Writing Ideas • Still from ‘Burning’

How does the woman discover the mementos?
Who is the woman? And who is the man?

13) A group of strangers find themselves locked in a classroom – and instructed that whoever scores the highest on the test will be allowed to leave. The rest will be killed.

Scary Story Ideas • Still from ‘Exam’

How did the strangers find themselves locked in a classroom?
Who is “the instructor?”
Why are they being forced to engage in a sadistic game?

14) A teenage-outcast finds solace in a Dungeons & Dragons club, but slowly starts to suspect that their teacher, the club’s organizer, is an actual demon.

Scary Story Ideas Stranger Things Still from Stranger Things

Scary Story Ideas • Still from ‘Stranger Things’

Who is the teenage-outcast?
Who is the teacher?
Why does the teenage-outcast suspect the teacher is a demon?

HORROR STORY IDEAS

Stranger Things
Dazed and Confused

15) A young vampire on a tiny island must drink blood to survive. But people are running out. And ships stopped coming.

Horror Story Ideas • Still from ‘Vampyr’

Who is the young vampire?
Why are they on a tiny island?
Why did the ships stop coming?
Shutter Island
Vampyr (game)

16) A traveler runs out of gas on the outskirts of a mountain-town. In the distance, he sees a hooded-figure, with a fleshy-sinewed face.

Scary Story Ideas Insomnia Still from Insomnia

Scary Story Ideas • Still from ‘Insomnia’

Where was the traveler going?
Why did he allow his car to run out of gas?
Who, or what, is the hooded-figure?
"The Hitch-Hiker” from The Twilight Zone
Deliverance

17) An expeditionary voyage is thrown into chaos when a dead body is discovered in the captain’s chambers.

Horror Story Prompts Clue Still from Clue

Horror Story Prompts • Still from ‘Clue’

Who’s body is discovered?
Where is the expedition going?
Why was it discovered in the captain’s chambers?
Return of the Obra Dinn (game)

18) A nuclear holocaust forces people to move underground. Things are safe for a while, but eventually, the monsters make their way down.

Scary Story Ideas • Still from ‘Metro 2033’

Who detonated the nuke?
Why was the nuke detonated?
What are the monsters?
How did they get underground?
Metro 2033 (novel/game)

How to Write Horror

We touched on some strategies for writing scary story ideas here – but the focus was mostly on the ideation stage. Want to learn more about the process of writing scary stories? Check out our next article on “horror writing” where we break down examples from Stephen King, Edgar Wright, and more. By the end, you’ll know not only how to start a scary story, but how to see it through to the end!

Up Next: Horror Writing Tips for Fiction →

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Last updated on Jun 20, 2022

How to Write a Horror Story: 7 Tips for Writing Horror

In our era of highly commercialized crime and thriller novels, it may seem like zeitgeist-defining horror books are a thing of the past. Indeed, Stephen King was once the perennial bestselling author in the world, and children in the 90s devoured Goosebumps books like The Blob devoured, well, everything.

But let’s not forget there’s a huge base of horror fans today, desperate for their next fix . So if you’re hoping to become the next Crown Prince of Dread, your dream can still come true! Here are seven steps to writing truly chilling horror:

1. Start with a fear factor

2. pick a horror story subgenre, 3. let readers experience the stakes, 4. create suspense through point of view, 5. consider plot twists to surprise your audience, 6. put your characters in compelling danger, 7. use your imagination.

The most important part of any horror story is naturally going to be its fear factor . People don’t read horror for easy entertainment; they read it to be titillated and terrorized. That said, here are a few elements you can use to seriously scare the pants off your reader.

Instinctive fears

Fears that have some sort of logical or biological foundation are often the most potent in horror. Darkness, heights, snakes, and spiders — all these are extremely common phobias rooted in instinct. As a result, they tend to be very effective at frightening readers.

This is especially true when terror befalls innocent characters apropos of nothing: a killer traps them in their house for no apparent reason, or they’re suddenly mugged by a stranger with a revolver. As horror writer Karen Woodward says, “The beating undead heart of horror is the knowledge that bad things happen to good people.”

Monsters and supernatural entities

These stretch beyond the realm of logic and into the realm of the “uncanny,” as Freud called it. We all know that vampires , werewolves, and ghosts aren’t real, but that doesn’t mean they can’t shake us to our core. In fact, it’s the very uncertainty they arouse that makes them so sinister: what if monsters are really out there, we’ve just never seen them? This fear is one of the most prevalent in horror, but if you decide to write in this vein, your story has to be pretty convincing.

Societal tensions

Another great means of scaring people is to tap into societal tensions and concerns — a tactic especially prevalent in horror movies. Just in recent memory, Get Out tackles the idea of underlying racism in modern America, The Babadook examines mental health, and It Follows is about the stigma of casual sex. However, societal tensions can also easily be embodied in the pages of a horror story, as in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery .

The right atmosphere for your story depends on what kind of horror you want to write. To use cinematic examples again, are you going for more Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Silence of the Lambs? The tone and atmosphere of your story will hang upon its subgenre.

Thriller-horror employs psychological fear, often occurring near the beginning of horror stories before very much has happened
Gross-out horror involves vivid descriptions of spurting blood, hacked-up flesh, and gouged-out organs in order to shock the reader; think gore movies of the 70s
Classic horror harks back to the Gothic (or Southern Gothic) genre , with spooky settings and bone-chilling characters like those of Dracula and Frankenstein
Terror provokes a feeling of all-pervasive dread, which can either serve as the climax of your story or be sustained throughout

It’s also possible to combine subgenres, especially as your story progress. You might begin with a sense of thrilling psychological horror , then move into gothic undertones, which culminates in utter terror.

But no matter what type of horror you’re working with, it should be deeply potent for your reader — and yourself! “If you manage to creep yourself out with your own writing, it's usually a pretty good sign that you're onto something,” editor Harrison Demchick says.

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In order for readers to truly thrill at your horror story, you need to make them aware of the stakes. Clearly establish the main problem or motivation for your character(s) , and what they have to lose if they don’t figure it out. These stakes and motivations might involve:

Survival. The most basic objective of characters in any horror story is to survive. However, there are nuances that accompany that goal. Perhaps their objective isn't just to stay alive, but to defeat their murderous nemesis while doing it — whether that’s another person, an evil spirit, or even themselves, if it’s a Jekyll and Hyde-type scenario.

Protecting loved ones. The more people the protagonist has to keep safe, the higher the stakes. Many horrific tales peak with a threat of death not to the main character, but to one or several of their loved ones (as in Phantom of the Opera or Red Dragon ).

Cracking unsolved mysteries. Because some horror stories aren’t about escaping peril in the present, but rather about uncovering the terrors of the past. This especially true in subgenres like cosmic horror , which have to do with the great mysteries of the universe, often involving ancient history.

Again, as with atmosphere, you can always merge different kinds of stakes. For instance, you might have a character trying to solve some mysterious murders that happened years ago, only to find out that they’re the next target!

The main thing to remember when it comes to horror — especially horror stories — is that straightforward stakes tend to have the greatest impact. Says author Chuck Wendig, of his perfect recipe for horror: “Plain stakes, stabbed hard through the breastbone.”

Bonus tip! Need help conjuring stakes and suspense? Try reading some masterfully crafted true crime — which can be even scarier than bone fide horror, since it actually happened.

Your reader should feel a kinship with your main character, such that when the stakes are high, they feel their own heart start to beat faster. This can be achieved through either first person or third person limited point of view. (When writing horror, you’ll want to avoid third person omniscient, which can distance your reader and lessen their investment in the story.)

We'll get into only the major POV's to consider in this post, but if you want a full point of view masterclass, check out our free course below.

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First person POV

Speaking of beating hearts, for a great example of first person narration in horror, look no further than The Tell-Tale Heart . Many of Poe’s stories involve deranged first-person narrators ( The Black Cat , The Cask of Amontillado ) but none are more notorious than this one, in which the main character is driven to murder his elderly housemate. Notice Poe’s chilling use of first person POV from the very first lines of the story:

It’s true! Yes, I have been ill, very ill. But why do you say that I have lost control of my mind, why do you say that I am mad? Can you not see that I have full control of my mind? Indeed, the illness only made my mind, my feelings, my senses stronger… I could hear sounds I had never heard before. I heard sounds from heaven; and I heard sounds from hell!

First person POV is excellent for hooking your reader at the beginning, and keeping them in suspense throughout your story. However, it might be too intense for longer, more intricate pieces, and may be difficult to execute if you’re trying to conceal something from your readers.

It’s also worth thinking about the implications of first person, past tense POV in a horror story — it suggests they’ve lived to tell the tale, which might ruin your dramatic ending. Therefore if you do decide to use first person narration, you should probably keep it in present tense.

Third person POV

If you find yourself struggling to make first person POV work, consider a third person limited perspective instead. This kind of narration is often used in longer-form horror, popularized by the likes of Stephen King and Dean Koontz . Look how it’s used here in King’s 1974 novel Carrie , in the description of its eponymous character:

Carrie stood among [the other girls] stolidly, a frog among swans. She was a chunky girl with pimples on her neck and back and buttocks, her wet hair completely without color… She looked the part of the sacrificial goat, the constant butt, believer in left-handed monkey wrenches, perpetual foul-up, and she was.

This narration paints an intimate picture of the character, while still allowing the freedom for commentary in a way that first person narration doesn’t as much. Third person limited narration also works well for building to a certain atmosphere, rather than jumping right into it, as Poe’s narrator does — which is part of why third person is better for lengthier pieces. (See more of King's masterful use of POV to wrack up tension in our Guide to King! )

Unreliable narrators

Alternately, if you’re committed to having a first person narrator but you don’t want to reveal everything to your readers, an unreliable narrator could be your perfect solution ! Many mystery and thriller novels employ unreliable narration in order to work up to a big twist without giving away too much. So whether or not you’ll want an unreliable narrator probably depends on how you end your story: straight down the line or with a twist.

Plot twists are exciting, memorable, and help bring previous uncertainty into focus, releasing tension by revealing the truth. However, they’re also notoriously difficult to come up with , and extremely tricky to pull off — you have to carefully hint at a twist, while making sure it’s not too predictable or clichéd.

So: to twist or not to twist? That is the question.

Big plot twists in horror writing tend to follow the beaten path: the victim turns out to be the killer, the person who we thought was dead isn’t really, or — worst of all — it was all in their head the whole time! But keep in mind that small, subtle plot twists can be just as (if not more) effective.

Take William Faulkner’s short story A Rose for Emily . After Emily dies, the villagers discover the corpse of a long-vanished traveler in one of her spare beds — along with a strand of silver hair. While the discovery of the body might be gruesome, it’s the presence of Emily’s hair (suggesting she enjoyed cuddling with a cadaver) that really haunts you.

Not to twist

The ending of your story doesn't have to come out of left field to shock and horrify readers. The classic horror approach leaves the reader in suspense as to precisely what will happen, then concludes with a violent showdown (think slasher films).

In this approach, while the showdown itself might not be a surprise, the scenes leading up to it build tension and anticipation for the climax. That way, when the big moment does arrive, it still packs a dramatic punch.

“A horror novel, like any story, is about a character or characters trying to achieve a goal based upon their individual wants and needs,” says Demchick. “If you let concept overwhelm character, you'll lose much of what makes horror as engaging as it can be.”

To scare your characters, you need to have a solid understanding of their psyche. Filling out a character profile template is a great start to fleshing out believable characters, so give ours a try.

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Reedsy’s Character Profile Template

A story is only as strong as its characters. Fill this out to develop yours.

As you write, you need to stay conscious of basic storytelling techniques and not get carried away with the drama of horror. It might help, before you begin, to answer these questions about your characters and plot:

What fear or struggle must your protagonist overcome?
What decision do they make to put them in this situation?
How will they defeat or escape their adversary, if at all?
What are the ultimate consequences of their actions?

This will help you create a basic outline for your horror story , which you can embellish to create atmosphere and suspense. In plot-driven genre stories, a thorough outline and emotionally resonant elements are vital for keeping your reader invested.

A great horror story balances drama with realism and suspense with relief, even with the occasional stroke of humor. Gillian Flynn is the master of this technique — as seen in this excerpt from her horror story The Grownup , wherein the narrator is scheming how to capitalize on her “spiritual cleansing” services:

I could go into business for myself, and when people asked me, “What do you do?” I’d say, I’m an entrepreneur in that haughty way entrepreneurs had. Maybe Susan and I would become friends. Maybe she’d invite me to a book club. I’d sit by a fire and nibble on Brie and say, I’m a small business owner, an entrepreneur, if you will.

In order to stand out from the crowd, you need to think about overused trends in horror and make sure your story’s not “been there, done that.” For instance, the “vampire romance” plot is a dead horse with no one left to beat it after all the Twilight, Vampire Diaries, and True Blood hype.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use certain elements of popular trends in your writing. You just have to put a spin on it and make it your own!

For example, zombie horror was already a well-worn genre when Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies came out in 2009. But by setting it in the regency era and featuring Jane Austen’s well-loved characters, he created a brilliant original work and carved out a brand new audience for zombie fiction. You can also pay homage to well-known horror tropes, like the Duffer brothers of Stranger Things did for Stephen King and Steven Spielberg — and which savvy audiences are sure to appreciate.

It certainly feels sometimes like all the good horror stories have already been written, making your own ideas seem trite. But don’t forget that new horror comes out all the time, and it only takes one great idea to be a hit! So try not to stress out about it, and remember: just by having read through this guide, you’re already that much closer to becoming a literary graveyard smash .

11 responses

Sawan says:

04/11/2018 – 19:34

Thank you so much for writing this article. I am currently writing a short horror story. Sometimes when I write a horror scene, I get really terrified, but after some days it all feels shitty.

↪️ dilinger john replied:

08/05/2019 – 12:28

it happens with everyone don't stress over it and pass your work to someone who will review it. you are a writer and can not be a critic at the same time.

↪️ Shane C replied:

28/09/2019 – 21:15

Sawan -- been writing for 22 years... NEVER judge your own work. You write it -- finish it off -- then have some friends that enjoy horror and reading read your work and give you honest critique. Record their critique or take accurate notes. Repeat this with several friends (but only those you can trust not to try to steal your work, Creative Commons and/or Registered Mail can be your best friend BEFORE this stage). Pick the best one you like, that makes the most sense -- but if several people say "blah blah blah should have happened," or a really close variation throughout reader opinions... Go with it! I know most people hate that, feels like butchering your art (I know I hate it), but use it anyway. It'll likely be more widely received... Just a few pointers.

Annabelle says:

21/05/2019 – 01:51

This is awesome I love this! I’m writing my own horror novel too.🙂

↪️ Andrew replied:

31/10/2019 – 20:23

what is it?

NAVEEN says:

29/07/2019 – 15:22

i am at the age of sixteen and i decided to write a horror story. thanks a lot!!

Bobette Bryan says:

27/08/2019 – 19:09

Ghosts are real. I've seen many in my lifetime and have had some very terrifying experiences with some.

↪️ smr replied:

03/01/2020 – 13:25

what the hell ??

↪️ John Brown replied:

16/01/2020 – 02:28

Me too! And I think it actually helps with writing horror stories, because you have more experience than most.

John Brown says:

16/01/2020 – 02:27

I’m 14 and I love writing horror novels, but I usually freak my self out too much to keep writing... 😕

Comments are currently closed.

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Picture Prompts

25 Picture Prompts for Writing Scary Stories

Photos and illustrations from The New York Times to inspire your spooky stories, poems and memoirs.

By Natalie Proulx

Happy Halloween! Do you enjoy reading, watching or listening to horror stories? What about writing them?

To celebrate the season, we’ve rounded up 25 haunting photos and illustrations from around The New York Times that you can use as prompts to write your own terrifying tales. Choose an image and then use your imagination to write a short story or a poem inspired by it — or tell us about a memory from your own life that the picture makes you think of.

You can use these images however you like, but if you need more guidance, here are four prompts, as well as articles with advice from horror writers and experts, to get you started:

Use the image as the setting for your story.

“The most important thing is the setting,” Ruth Robbins, professor of Victorian literature at Leeds Beckett University in England, said in “ How to Tell a Ghost Story .” She suggested starting with the “atmosphere” and the elements in the scene “that you may be afraid of.”

What makes the setting of the image especially eerie? What is the mood there? What are some of the creepier elements you could describe to build the atmosphere? What scary story could take place there?

Write from the point of view of a character in the image. Or write from the point of view of a character just outside of the scene who is observing it.

In his MasterClass , R.L. Stine, the author of the “Goosebumps” series, said the secret to making a story scary was a “close point of view with your main character” because then “the reader is experiencing this horror close up.” But, he warned, “you have to be very careful to keep the balance between what she’s feeling, and what she’s seeing, and what she’s thinking.”

Who is the person, or creature, you are writing about? What brought them to this scene? What are they thinking, feeling and, most important, experiencing? How can you show their fear instead of telling readers about it?

And consider the conflict: What does your character want? What is preventing them from getting it? What are they doing to try to get it?

Use the image as the starting point of your story , and then work backward.

In “ A Simple Way to Create Suspense, ” Lee Child, a thriller writer, said “we should ask or imply a question at the beginning of the story, and then we should delay the answer.” He continued: “Like the old cartoon of the big fish eating a smaller fish eating a very small fish, you’ll find out the big answer after a string of smaller drip-drip-drip answers. The big answer is parceled out slowly and parsimoniously.”

What question could be implied by the image? For example, how did this person get trapped behind the wall, and will he be able to escape? What did the woman hear that led her into the darkened hallway? What are these creatures in the haunted corn maze, and what do they want from you?

How can you build suspense in your story by revealing the answer to that question slowly, bit by bit?

Consider the image as a metaphor or symbol.

“Horror is, and always has been, in dialogue with the anxieties and fears of its time,” the author Stephen Graham Jones wrote in a guest essay for The Times Opinion section. For example, “During the Great Depression, the misery and economic strife were embodied by monsters from literature and folklore, as Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster and the mummy made their way across the movie screen.”

What real-world fears and anxieties could this image represent, whether in the world at large or in your own life? For instance, could it be a symbol for our anxiety about climate change? Or a metaphor for a challenge you are facing at school? What horror story could you tell that reflects the uncertainties we are facing in our real lives?

Scroll through the images below to find one that scares you. Then use these writers’ advice to craft your piece. Once you’ve got a draft, post the opening of your piece in the comments for others to read.

(Please keep in mind that if you choose to post in the comments, your writing should be appropriate for a general audience and observe Times commenting guidelines .)

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How-To Guides

How to Write a Horror Story in 12 Steps

Spooky times are on their way! In this post, you’ll learn how to write a horror story in 12 easy steps. From the very beginning to the very end, you’ll be a horror writer in no time. Writing a horror story is easy, provided you know how to do it in the right way.

A horror story is usually about a particular issue or theme. It might be about the horrible nature of life, the evil of humans, or the beast inside us. It might even be about fear, or about the various ways in which we face fear. The one thing that all horror stories have in common is that they are “stories of fear.”

The best horror stories are about fear, whether it’s fear of death, fear of disease, fear of the unknown, fear of loneliness, or fear of pain. The main problem with horror stories is that most people don’t like to be scared. Our minds prefer the familiar, the comfortable, and the easy. So how do we get around that?

The answer is that we have to tap into our inner horror. We have to get inside our minds and into our souls to write about horror. It’s not easy, but it’s not hard either. If you’re willing to put in the effort, you’ll be amazed at the results you can achieve.

10 Tips for Writing Horror Stories

Step 1: brainstorm some ideas, step 2: develop your idea, step 3: make a list of main characters, step 4: develop a horrific setting, step 5: outline the opening paragraph, step 6: plan the major climax, step 7: write a twisted ending , step 8: choose a scary writing style, step 9: write the first draft, step 10: edit and review your draft, step 11: choose a chilling book title , step 12: publish the book, how do you start a horror story, what are the 5 elements of a horror story, what makes a good horror story, how do you write in creepy writing, how do i make my character terrifying.

Before you begin writing a horror story, here are 8 tips to help you create the perfect, chilling tale:

Make it realistic: Don’t be afraid to make the story feel real and genuine so that the reader doesn‘t get lost in the atmosphere of the book. Try to use real-life situations as the base of the story, and then you can add the gore afterwards.
Include plot twists: The more twists you can add to the tale, and the more surprises that will occur, the stronger the plot.
Avoid stereotypical characters: Just because it’s horror doesn’t mean you have to have a serial or a cannibal in your story. Go beyond the norm with your characters – remember anyone can be a serial killer, especially the least suspected person!
Pace yourself: Don’t just jump to the scariest moment in the beginning, slowly build up the suspense. Start by giving the reader hints of danger, and then bang when they least suspect bring in the gore.
Play on common fears: Common fears that people face every day. Such as being alone in the dark, being chased by a monster, having a bad dream, etc. Fears are icky, but they can be made into something interesting if you play with them.
Choose a writing style: There are many ways to write horror and some people find that they have an easier time in a journalistic style or in 1st person narrative. Think about what you’re most comfortable with and try it out.
Increase the stakes: The best horror stories involve a sense of fear and dread, so make sure to increase the stakes as you go. If your main character is at a party, maybe there’s something bad lurking in the back room or someone is trying to kill them. Make sure there’s something at stake for your characters and don’t forget to give them something to do besides running away.
Read popular horror stories: Horror can be a very dark genre, so you might want to check out other scary tales to get inspiration. For instance, Stephen King has written some of the most terrifying stories ever created and you might even learn a few things from them.
Pick a horror sub-genre: Horror is very broad and can be done in many different styles and genres. I recommend going for a sub-genre like Gothic Horror, Zombie Horror, or Psychological Horror. You may find that you are more comfortable in one of these areas than in others.
Be imaginative: Your story should be as unique as possible so use your imagination and go crazy! Do not hold back when it comes to creativity, as this is how true horror is born.

How To Write a Horror Story in 12 Steps

Follow these 12 easy steps to create a spine-chilling story that will leave your readers in awe and fear.

Here’s a simple little trick that we can’t recommend enough: start with writing down all of the words and phrases that come to mind when you think about horror. Horror is much more than just scary stories; it’s about fear. So start thinking about the horror you see around you, and what keeps you up at night. The trick is to get into your mind, even if it doesn’t feel comfortable. Try listing your biggest fears, and all the things that make you feel scared. You can also check out this list of over 110 horror story prompts to get you started.

We also recommend keeping a nightmare journal – Which is like a dream journal but filled with notes about your nightmares instead. After you had a really scary dream write down everything you remember from that dream. This can include what you saw, heard and felt during the dream. You can then use these notes as a source of inspiration for your horror story.

Check out these Halloween writing prompts and Halloween picture prompts for more ideas.

What keeps you up at night? The evil monsters in the monsters movies? The epidemic of a deadly virus? A tragic unsolved crime? Whatever your issue is, it can be used to create a horror story that will have your readers sweating bullets. Take your ideas from the previous step and develop them into a truly horrific story idea. Once you have written down the basic idea, try to think about how that idea can be made scarier.

For example, if you’re writing about a deadly disease, you could use the theme of death to make it scarier. Have the characters die in the story in a mutated sort of way or from some weird side effect that leads to death. There are plenty of ways to make the story more horrible:

Try thinking about an ordinary situation that everyone goes through and add something horrific to it. The trick to making your story scary is to make it believable. In other words, you want to make your story as true to life as possible.
Focus on some terrifying emotions, fear being the obvious one. But you can also think about crudeness, disgust, as well as anger, regret, paranoia and shock factor.
Add in some unnatural details, such as spaghetti turning into worms or blood coming out of solid, unliving objects.

Write down all of the main characters in the story. If you have more than one, give each character a distinct personality. Make sure that each character has a certain reason for their actions and be sure that they reflect their personality.

Whatever your horror is, you should probably have a main character that will be a part of the story. When you write the story, it’s going to be easier to create a tense atmosphere if you have a character to relate to. Also, you may want to make sure that you have a few supporting characters that you can add to the story. The supporting characters might also become the main characters in any sequels you plan on writing.

The other characters in the story should be the antagonists. These are the evil people or creatures that are keeping you up at night. They might be the killer, the ghost , the werewolf , the zombie, the villain, the monster , the demon, or the bad guy. Whatever the issue is, that’s what the antagonist will be in the story. They might start out as just an ordinary person, but they’ll end up being more evil than the main character.

Check out this guide on character development to help you develop a powerful character.

When writing a horror story, it’s very important that you get the setting right. Think about some scary places that you know of in real life or places that you’ve seen in your nightmares. You could also link your main setting choice to a common fear explored in your story. For example, if the core concept of your horror story is related to the fear of heights, then the main setting may be a high-rise building that’s filled with monsters.

Other common horror story settings may include a haunted house , a creepy old mansion, graveyards and even quiet suburban towns. Whatever your choice of setting, try to write a detailed description of the main setting in this step. Think about the appearance of the location, the weather, the feeling someone has when standing in this location, as well as what kind of people live here, along with the beliefs they hold.

Interested in creating a whole new world for your horror story? Check this master list of over 100 world-building questions .

The opening paragraph will be the first thing your readers see. It should be a teaser that sets the tone for the story. In other words, the first paragraph should be intriguing enough to make your readers want to keep reading. You should ideally include the main character’s name, the setting, the antagonist, the fear of the story, and the main character’s problem.

If the story is about a haunted house, then the outline of the opening paragraph could say something like this:

The house is empty. It has been for a long time. It’s been vacant for years and years. It sits in the middle of a quiet, suburban neighbourhood. The grass is green and the trees are tall. The neighbourhood is quiet, but the town is not as quiet as everyone thinks. There are whispers, rumours, and stories. But the truth is, no one has ever seen or heard anything unusual here. Not until Wendy Williams and her daughter moved in.

During this step, it is important to try to write an opening that gives the reader a taste of the entire story. But of course, don’t give too much away – Just a hint of fear will do! Your goal here is to have the reader wanting more.

See this list of over 150 story starters to help you get started with your spooky tale.

This step is basically the big bang. It’s where your main character goes head-to-head with the antagonist in the story or has to face their greatest fear. It’s also when your main character learns the truth about the antagonist. The goal of this step is to keep your readers on the edge of their seats.

When writing the climax, think about what will happen, who will be in danger, and what the outcome will be. If you’re struggling with the climax, then you should start with a smaller problem and work your way up to the big one. For example, you could start with a little bit of trouble with a character, such as a bad dream or the main character getting hurt. This will get your readers involved in the story. You may find that once you start writing, you’ll come up with a more complicated problem that your main character will have to solve.

Here’s an example of what a potential climax scene sounds like in a horror story:

The sound of footsteps is heard coming down the stairs. The footsteps are too heavy, and they seem to be coming from the basement. The door to the basement creaks open. Then a face is seen in the door frame. It’s a face with large, red eyes, and it’s full of hate.

In horror stories, the twist ending is almost always a shock reveal of some kind. Whether the true murderer is revealed, or the identity of the antagonist is revealed, it should always be a surprise.

There are several ways to write a twist ending, but you’ll probably want to start with a twist that’s a little more obvious. You could reveal who the antagonist really is, or even what the main character has been hiding. Or you could have the main character learn some shocking information that sends them in a completely different direction.

The unique thing about the horror genre is that even after the mystery or problem is solved, it’s not always 100% solved. There’s always some darkness lurking somewhere. Was he really the murderer? Maybe there’s more than one monster? Give this final hint of darkness to keep your readers second-guessing even after the book is over. Now that’s where the true horror lies!

Of course, horror stories are written in a more darker and dramatic style compared to other genres. But there’s more to horror writing than just using dark words and descriptions of gory scenes. In this step, you want to think about the actual writing of your horror style. Will it be written in the first person, second person or third? Do you want to take a more journalistic approach where you report horrific events? Or will you take a more narrative approach, where the reader is on the outside looking in?

In our opinion, a horror story written in the first person has a much more powerful effect. There’s something about having the perspective of the main character that makes them more vulnerable. There’s also something about being told a story by another character that makes the story more real.

While the third person is great for taking the reader through a story, it doesn’t allow for the depth of emotion that can be found in the first person. If you choose to write in the third person, then you’ll want to stick with the voice of an objective narrator who is reporting on the events of the story.

Either way, you’ll want to try to avoid too many descriptions of gruesome scenes. You want to keep the focus on your main character’s emotions and how they feel, and their problem.

Finally, it’s time to start writing your story! Hopefully, after all these steps, you now have a rough outline for your story. But even if you don’t, just start writing! The first draft is usually the most important one. So even if you don’t have a complete outline, get started on your story. Just start writing and don’t worry about anything else! You might also want to read this post on how to outline a book for more guidance.

While writing your draft, you’ll want to keep these things in mind:

Make sure your story is believable to a certain extent. Of course, you might think that vampires aren’t real – But make them real for your readers! This is the most important thing. If your story is impossible or unbelievable, then no one will want to read it.
Avoid using clichés. These are words or phrases that are overused in stories and don’t really add anything to your story.
Use active voice instead of passive voice. Passive voice is when a sentence starts with “someone” or “something”. Active voice is when the sentence starts with “I” or “we”.
Use short sentences and paragraphs. Long sentences make it difficult to read, and paragraphs look heavy.
If you’re struggling to get anything written down, then start with the easiest or shortest scenes first. You can always come back to the more complicated areas of your story later when you’re ready.

And finally, have fun with it! Writing is supposed to be a fun hobby, so don’t take yourself too seriously!

The hard part is done, now you’re ready to start editing your story! Start by reading the story to yourself a couple of times. Each time you read your story highlight areas that you are unsure of, or would like to improve. At the same time look out for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and sentences that sound a bit off. Once you’re done with this review, you can go back and make the relevant edits to your story.

Next, you’ll want to gather some feedback. This is where you’ll want to have a second or third person read your story. It’s not a good idea to let one person read your draft, as they’ll be biased towards what they like. So get a few different people to read your story, and make sure they have a different perspective. They can be family members, teachers, or even a friend that’s not familiar with your writing style.

When asking for feedback, you can ask the following questions:

What are the most important parts of the story?
Are there any parts of the story that don’t make sense or are confusing?
What did you like most about the story?
Can you think of anything that could be improved?
Did you like the main character?

Once you have the feedback, you can go back and make the changes. It’s important to make the edits, but don’t obsess over it. In the end, you want to make the story the best that it can be. And by doing this, you’ll be on your way to writing a great horror story!

It’s time to choose a book title. This is a very important part of a horror story. Not only does a good title help to give your story an identity, but it also helps to tell the reader what kind of story they’re about to read. The title should have a great hook. It should be intriguing and a little bit scary. If you’re struggling to think of a great book title, then you can try to think about what you’d like to read. Would you like to read a book that scares you? Or would you rather read a book that’s about someone’s struggles?

If we look at some popular horror book titles, we can see that most of them are quite descriptive:

The Woman in Black
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The Haunting of Aveline Jones
The Haunting of Hill House
The Graveyard Book

Essentially, they either describe the antagonist of the story or the main setting in the story. Based on this try to summarise your horror story in as little as 3 to 5 words. Think about the main setting or the main villain/monster of your tale and come up with some book title ideas. If you’re still struggling, check out this horror book title generator for some more interesting ideas.

An important thing to note here is that you should make sure that your book title is not already in use or taken by another author. Try doing a quick Google search or a search on Amazon to see if your title is available for the taking!

Your book is now finished! You’ve written the first draft, edited it, gathered feedback, and now it’s time to publish it! There are many ways to publish your book. The most popular method is to publish it on Amazon as a self-published author. You can also work with a professional publisher to get your book to market.

Remember that if you’re a new writer, then it’s not a good idea to start by publishing your book on Amazon. It’s better to start slow and work your way up. You don’t want to rush your writing and end up with a book full of mistakes! Start by publishing your book using a free tool like the Imagine Forest story creator , then later work your way up to publishing on Amazon.

That’s it! Now you should be ready to write your own horror story! Give it a go and see what you can come up with!

Frequently Asked Questions

There are a number of ways to start writing a horror story:

Focus on your own fears. Start by listing your fears and develop your story idea from there.
Introduce the character. You can describe your main character in the first few scenes. Make them as normal, and relatable as possible
Describe a setting. If the setting is key to your story, then describe every inch of it. Make your readers feel like they are right there with you.
Start with some action. This could be a bloody murder, someone screaming and running or anything else that makes the reader feel uncomfortable.
Picture a harmonious place. You can describe a calm and happy place. Somewhere taken from a romantic rom-com type story or a happy family movie, which all suddenly changes.
Start at the end. Rewrite your potential ending as the beginning, and then work your way backwards.

The 5 elements of horror include Character, Setting, Action, Horror, and Resolution. All these elements are crucial in developing a gruesome horror story.

See our guide on the 5 elements of story-telling for more information.

A good horror story has fear at its core. The reader must be scared as they read the story. If not then you missed something important in your novel. A good horror story must be scary, but it should also have an element of realism to it. The story should include relatable main characters, a scary antagonist, a creepy setting and of course a shocking reveal at the end.

Your first step is to try to think about the creepiness of the setting. Is it a dark and scary place? Is it full of secrets? If it is, then you have a good place to start. Try to be very detailed, and specific when describing the setting. Describe the blood on the wall as it drips down, or the lock on the door that won’t turn. Make the reader feel as if they are right there. Use descriptive words and metaphors to bring your gory details to life.

To make your character as terrifying as possible, you could try the following techniques:

Make your character an outcast. They don’t fit in with the main group of characters and can’t be trusted.
Give them a story to tell. A dark and bloody past.
Make them a loner. They can’t trust anyone else and have no friends.
Make them a survivor. The main character of your story has been through a lot and can’t be stopped.
Give the character an important title. Someone who is important in a society that has deadly plans. You can’t trust them, but have no choice but to follow their rules.

Did you find this guide on how to write a horror story useful? Let us know in the comments below.

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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Essay on Scary Experience

Students are often asked to write an essay on Scary Experience in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Scary Experience

What is a scary experience.

A scary experience is something that fills you with fear. It can make your heart beat fast, your hands sweat, and sometimes, you might even want to cry. This can happen when you see a scary movie, get lost, or face something new and unknown.

Feeling Scared

When we get scared, our body reacts. You might feel shaky, or find it hard to speak. It’s normal to feel this way. Being scared is part of how we learn about danger and how to be careful.

Getting Over Fear

The good thing about scary moments is they usually end. After, you might even laugh about how scared you were. Talking about it and learning why we got scared can help us feel braver next time.

250 Words Essay on Scary Experience

A scary experience is something that makes you feel afraid or nervous. It can happen when you are not expecting it and can make your heart beat fast. Sometimes, it can be an event like seeing a ghost or getting lost. Other times, it might just be thinking you saw something in the dark.

My Scary Experience

During that moment, I felt my heart beating very fast. I wanted to shout for help, but I couldn’t. It felt like my voice was gone. I was sweating and shaking. I had never felt so scared in my life. The fear of not knowing what was making the noise was the worst part.

Finally, after what felt like hours, I gathered my courage and turned on the main light. To my relief, it was just a stray cat that had somehow gotten into my closet. Even though it turned out to be nothing dangerous, that night taught me how powerful fear can be. It showed me how our minds can make things seem much scarier than they really are.

500 Words Essay on Scary Experience

A scary experience is something that makes you feel frightened or nervous. It can happen when you are not expecting it, and it can make your heart beat fast. Sometimes, you might even feel like you want to run away or hide. Scary experiences can be different for everyone. For some, it might be seeing a scary movie, while for others, it could be hearing strange noises in the dark.

My Own Scary Experience

I remember one time when I had a scary experience. It was late at night, and I was in my bed trying to fall asleep. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise coming from outside my window. It sounded like someone was knocking on the glass. At first, I thought I was imagining things, but then it happened again. I was too scared to look, so I covered my head with my blanket and hoped it would go away. That night, I barely slept, jumping at every little sound.

How it Feels to Be Scared

Being scared is not a nice feeling. Your body might start to shake, and you might feel cold all over. Your mind starts to think of all the bad things that could happen. It’s like your body is getting ready to run away or protect itself. Even though it’s a natural reaction, it doesn’t feel good at all. After my scary experience, I felt jumpy for days. Every time I heard a noise, I would remember that night and feel scared all over again.

Learning from Scary Experiences

Support from others.

When you go through a scary experience, it helps a lot to have someone to talk to. After my scary night, I told my family about it. They listened and helped me feel better. They checked around the house to make sure everything was safe, which made me feel protected. Knowing that you have people who care about you and who will help you can make a big difference. It can turn a scary experience into a chance to learn and grow stronger.

In conclusion, a scary experience is something that can happen to anyone, and it can make you feel very frightened. But it’s also a chance to learn about yourself and how you deal with fear. Talking about your fears and getting support from others can help you overcome them. In the end, facing our fears is how we grow braver.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Essays on Horror

The importance of writing an essay on horror.

Writing an essay on horror is essential for several reasons, as it allows individuals to explore the genre's significance, impact, and cultural relevance. Horror literature, films, and art have long been integral parts of human culture, reflecting societal fears, anxieties, and taboos. By delving into the genre through essays, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of its complexities and contributions to literature, cinema, and art.

One of the primary reasons for writing an essay on horror is to explore fear and its profound effect on human psychology and society. Horror confronts us with our deepest fears and forces us to confront the darker aspects of human nature. By analyzing horror works, individuals can gain insights into human behavior, emotions, and the human condition itself.

Furthermore, essays on horror allow us to understand the cultural and social dynamics that shape the genre. Horror often reflects the fears and anxieties prevalent in society during specific historical periods. By examining horror works within their cultural contexts, individuals can gain valuable insights into societal norms, values, and concerns.

Moreover, writing essays on horror provides an opportunity to examine the literary and cinematic techniques used to evoke fear and suspense. From Gothic literature to contemporary horror films, the genre employs a wide range of stylistic devices, symbolism, and narrative structures to create chilling experiences for audiences. By analyzing these techniques, individuals can deepen their appreciation for the artistry and craftsmanship behind horror works.

Essays on horror also challenge assumptions and stereotypes associated with the genre. While horror is often dismissed as mere entertainment or dismissed as lowbrow, it encompasses a diverse range of themes, styles, and perspectives. By critically evaluating horror works, individuals can challenge preconceived notions and recognize the genre's artistic and intellectual merits.

Finally, writing essays on horror encourages individuals to engage in meaningful discussions about important societal issues. Horror often addresses topics such as power dynamics, gender roles, identity, and morality in thought-provoking ways. By analyzing these themes in horror works, individuals can contribute to broader conversations about culture, politics, and human nature.

Writing essays on horror is essential for gaining insights into the genre's significance, exploring fear and humanity, understanding cultural dynamics, examining artistic techniques, challenging stereotypes, and engaging in meaningful discussions. Through thoughtful analysis and reflection, individuals can appreciate the richness and complexity of horror as a genre and its enduring impact on literature, cinema, and art.

What makes a good Horror essay topic

When it comes to choosing a horror essay topic, it's important to consider what will captivate and engage your audience. To brainstorm and choose an essay topic, start by considering your own interests and fears. What scares you? What keeps you up at night? These personal experiences can serve as a great starting point for a horror essay topic. Additionally, consider the cultural and societal fears that are prevalent in today's world. What are people afraid of? These considerations can help you choose a horror essay topic that is relevant and thought-provoking. A good horror essay topic should be intriguing, thought-provoking, and capable of eliciting strong emotions from the reader.

Best Horror essay topics

The psychological impact of isolation in horror films
The role of the supernatural in modern horror literature
The evolution of the zombie in popular culture
The use of sound and music in creating horror in film
The portrayal of mental illness in horror movies
The significance of setting in gothic horror literature
The cultural significance of urban legends in modern society
The symbolism of monsters in horror literature
The impact of technology on the horror genre
The intersection of horror and comedy in film
The role of gender in horror storytelling
The influence of folklore on modern horror narratives
The portrayal of fear in contemporary horror literature
The impact of censorship on the horror genre
The representation of trauma in horror films
The use of suspense in horror storytelling
The depiction of evil in horror literature
The role of religion in horror narratives
The use of body horror in contemporary cinema
The impact of social media on horror storytelling

Horror essay topics Prompts

Write a horror story from the perspective of the monster.
Imagine a world where everyone's deepest fears come to life - what would this look like?
Write a horror essay exploring the concept of "survival horror" in video games.
Create a horror story set in a haunted house, but with a unique twist.
Write an essay analyzing the role of the final girl in slasher films and its impact on gender representation in horror.

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Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.

Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apocalyptic events, and religious or folk beliefs. Cinematic techniques used in horror films have been shown to provoke psychological reactions in an audience.

Body horror, Comedy horror, Folk horror, Found footage horror, Gothic horror, Natural horror, Slasher film, Supernatural horror, Teen horror, Psychological horror.

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Do The Right Thing
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Hidden Figures
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Scary Story Titles: Crafting Unforgettable, Bone-Chilling Masterpieces (Plus 82 Ideas)

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on September 7, 2023

Categories Writing , Creative Writing , Storytelling

Scary story titles are an essential aspect of horror literature, as they create the initial sense of intrigue and fear that draws in readers. A well-crafted title can be the difference between someone picking up a book or passing it over.

The power of the perfect title lies in its ability to evoke fear and suspense, setting the stage for the horrors that lie within the pages of the book.

Understanding how scary story titles work requires an appreciation for the art of naming and the elements that make horror literature effective.

Horror titles can derive their impact from a range of sources, including mythology, folklore, settings, symbolism, and the influence of iconic horror authors. As the horror genre has evolved and expanded over time, story titles have adapted to reflect the changing tastes and preferences of audiences.

Creating suspense and intrigue with a well-chosen title is just one aspect of crafting a successful scary story. The continued role of horror stories in pop culture, and the rising popularity of adaptations into movies and video streams, serve to highlight the ongoing appeal of these chilling tales.

Key Takeaways

Scary story titles play a crucial role in attracting readers and setting the tone for horror literature.
Titles can draw their effectiveness from various elements, such as mythology, folklore, and symbolism.
The evolution of horror titles reflects changes in audience tastes and the ongoing relevance of horror stories in pop culture.

Understanding Scary Story Titles

When it comes to choosing a title for your scary story, the main goal is to capture the essence of horror and fear within a few words.

A strong, engaging title should evoke the reader’s imagination and clearly convey the frightening atmosphere embedded in the story. In this section, you will learn how to create persuasive and chilling titles for your horror stories.

Start by exploring different themes and subgenres of horror. These can range from psychological horror, supernatural horror, to suspense, and more. Identify the core elements of fear and terror present in your story and build upon them to shape your title.

For instance, if your story revolves around a haunted house, words such as “ghost,” “haunted,” and “dark” could grab the reader’s attention and generate interest in the story.

Another approach to creating a captivating title is to innovate on well-known phrases or popular horror tropes in order to create something original. When done correctly, this technique can spark curiosity in the reader and entice them to discover the story behind the title.

For example, taking a familiar phrase like “nightmare,” and twisting it into a fresh title like “The Nightmare Architect” could give your story a memorable and intriguing edge.

Keep in mind that invoking fear through your title is key. The use of powerful and emotionally-loaded words such as “bloody,” “shadows,” or “chilling” will arouse an unsettling feeling in the reader. When crafting your title, experiment with these words and phrases to develop something that genuinely resonates with the atmosphere of your story.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to let your imagination run wild. Horror is a genre that thrives on creativity, so embrace your darkest thoughts when composing the title for your scary story.

Push the boundaries and explore the depths of horror to craft a compelling and fear-provoking title that will haunt your readers.

With these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to creating spooky and immersive titles for your scary stories. Just remember to maintain a balance between emotion, fear, and imagination, and you’ll achieve a title that effectively represents the unnerving world of your horror masterpiece.

Recognition of Famous Horror Authors

When you delve into the world of horror literature, you will come across several iconic names that have left an indelible mark on the genre. These authors have shaped the landscape of horror with their gripping stories and unforgettable characters.

Stephen King is undeniably one of the most prominent horror authors. With numerous novels and short stories to his name, King has mastered the art of crafting tales that send shivers down your spine. From the terrifying “The Shining” to the eerie “IT,” his stories leave readers questioning what lurks in the shadows.

Mary Shelley is another influential name in horror, best known for her groundbreaking creation, “Frankenstein.” A powerful story exploring the boundaries of science and morality, Shelley’s tale of a scientist animating a corpse continues to captivate and unsettle audiences.

Edgar Allan Poe is a master of the macabre, weaving spine-tingling stories that draw readers into a world of darkness and despair. His chilling works, such as “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Raven,” showcase his ability to craft tension and leave an ever-lasting impact.

Henry James contributed to the genre with his thought-provoking novella “The Turn of the Screw.” This psychological horror story builds on the themes of ghosts, paranoia, and the supernatural, offering a haunting literary experience to the readers.

Clive Barker brings a unique flavor to the world of horror. From the twisted world of “Hellraiser” to the dark fantasy of “Weaveworld,” his imaginative work has garnered a loyal following among fans of the genre.

Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell have made a significant impact in the realm of children’s horror literature. Their series “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” brought together frightening tales and chilling illustrations, ingraining a love for horror in an entire generation of young readers.

These are just a few notable names in the world of horror literature. Each author brings their own distinct voice to spine-chilling tales, proving that horror is a genre that continues to evolve and enthrall readers of all ages.

Influence of Myth and Folklore in Scary Story Titles

Myth and folklore have always played a significant role in shaping the titles of scary stories. These ancient tales have provided inspiration for countless horror narratives, intertwining elements of fear, suspense, and the supernatural.

One example is the use of ghosts in myths, with stories featuring spirits of the dead causing hauntings or apparitions, which unsettles readers. The concept of ghosts has been used in various literary works, such as Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw” and Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

The vampire motif, popularized by classic novels like Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and Sheridan Le Fanu’s “Carmilla,” has its roots in Eastern European folklore. These blood-sucking creatures of the night continue to inspire modern horror titles, constantly evolving to cater to different reader sensibilities.

Zombies, another frightening figure found in horror literature, can be traced back to Haitian folklore, where reanimated corpses were believed to be enslaved by witchcraft. Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” also features a reanimated corpse, contributing to the development of the zombie subgenre.

In the realm of cosmic horror, writers like H.P. Lovecraft have borrowed ideas from mythological creatures and deities, creating a sense of otherworldly fear. These stories often emphasize humanity’s insignificance in the vast cosmos, fostering a deep sense of dread.

Fairy tales, while often seen as children’s stories, have significantly influenced horror literature. Darker versions of these tales present disturbing themes that are further explored in scary stories. For example, Angela Carter’s “The Bloody Chamber” reinvents classic fairy tales with a darker, more sinister twist.

By incorporating elements from myths and folklore, authors can generate titles that instantly evoke a sense of fear and curiosity. For instance, combining “ghost” and “hound” might produce the title “Ghost Hound House,” while pairing “zombies” and “shadows” might lead to “Chilling Zombie Shadows.”

In conclusion, traditional myths and folklore continue to shape the titles and narratives of scary stories. By drawing inspiration from our collective past and cultural heritage, authors craft captivating tales that tap into deep-rooted fears, engaging readers with timeless themes and familiar yet terrifying elements.

Role of Settings in Creating Fear in Titles

When crafting a scary story title, the setting plays a crucial role in evoking fear and capturing the reader’s attention. Settings such as the woods , the cemetery , and haunted houses have long been associated with fear and horror. In this section, we will explore how these settings help create an eerie atmosphere and make your titles stand out.

The use of isolated locations like the woods or an isolated house in your titles can create a sense of vulnerability and vulnerability, emphasizing how far removed characters are from safety and help. For example, consider a title like “Lost in the Shadowy Woods.” This title utilizes the setting of the woods to build tension and fear, making the reader curious about what could happen to the character in this frightening environment.

Another key setting to consider is the cemetery . This location is a classic setting for scary stories, as people’s interactions with the resting places of the dead often create uneasiness and fear. Titles that include a cemetery as their setting may evoke feelings of dread, like “The Haunted Cemetery of Black Town.” The combination of the cemetery and the ominous-sounding town name hints at something wrong or unnatural happening in the area.

Haunted houses provide another powerful setting for scary titles. Known for their supernatural entities and tragic pasts, haunted houses instantly add an element of danger and fear to your story. For example, “Dark Whispers in the Haunted House” evokes fear by suggesting both supernatural elements and a mysterious atmosphere within the house.

When exploring less common titles, black town , missing street , and wrong turn can be effective in creating a sense of unease and fear. Using these concepts in your title suggests sinister events taking place in seemingly ordinary locations and adds to the psychological horror aspect. For instance, a title like “The Missing Street: A Wrong Turn to Nightmare” introduces the reader to a nightmarish world that is hinted at by the settings of a street that’s not supposed to exist and the consequences of taking a wrong turn.

In conclusion, using settings such as the woods, the cemetery, haunted houses, and concepts like black town, isolated houses, missing streets, and wrong turns can elevate your scary story titles, making them more memorable and fear-provoking for your audience.

Imagery and Symbolism in Horror Story Titles

When creating effective horror story titles, using imagery and symbolism can set the tone and catch your reader’s attention. In this section, we’ll explore some common symbols and images that you can incorporate into your horror title to evoke terror and suspense.

Shadow is a powerful symbol in horror literature. It represents darkness, the unknown, and hidden threats lurking behind every corner. Including shadows in your horror story title can create an eerie atmosphere suggestive of lurking danger. For example, a title like “The Shadow by the Window” suggests something sinister hiding in plain sight.

Windows are often seen as gateways between the inside and the outside world. In horror stories, a window could symbolize vulnerability or the intrusion of some malevolent force. Incorporate windows into your title to suggest an unsettling boundary between safety and terror. An example could be “Voices Through the Window,” implying the approach of an uncanny force or entity.

Hanging is yet another powerful image in horror storytelling. It imparts senses of dread, despair, and suffocation while showcasing a sinister act. Consider titles that involve hanging objects or references, such as “The Hanging Ropes” or “The Rope’s Shadow.” These titles instill fear by hinting at the ominous nature of the story.

Voices or auditory aspects can also play a significant role in horror story titles. Unseen or mysterious voices can emphasize the eerie, unsettling nature of the story. Including voices in your title, such as “Voices from the Darkness” or “Whispers of the Entity,” can create a chilling atmosphere by implying that your story contains something that cannot be seen, yet is ever-present.

Lastly, the entity in horror narratives represents an otherworldly or supernatural force whose origins are unknown. Including an entity in your title can leave your reader intrigued and uncertain. A story titled “The Unseen Entity” or “Shadow of the Entity” channels the fear of the unknown, providing the perfect foundation for a creepy horror tale.

By incorporating these symbols and images into your horror story titles, you create a powerful, evocative atmosphere that draws your readers in. Keep in mind that the tone should be striking but authentic, avoiding exaggerated or false claims. A well-crafted horror title sets the stage for the thrilling, terrifying story that follows.

How to Initiate Suspense through Scary Titles

When creating a suspenseful scary title, it’s essential to captivate your readers from the outset. You want to inspire curiosity and fear, making them eager to delve into your story. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when crafting a suspenseful title.

The first thing to consider is the phrasing of your title. Use active verbs to increase the sense of tension, for example, “it approaches slowly” or “have you locked the door”. This technique conveys both action and mystery, leaving your readers wondering what the danger may be.

Choosing the right words is also crucial in creating suspenseful titles. Opt for words that evoke a sense of dread and anxiety, like “reflection” in “not her reflection”. This choice hints at an underlying threat or something sinister lurking beneath the surface of seemingly ordinary things.

Additionally, keep your title short and impactful. Concise titles often have a more significant effect on readers, piquing their curiosity and drawing them in. For example, “The Hound” or “The Shadows” give just enough information to create intrigue while still leaving much to the imagination.

Another tip is to play with the unknown. Titles that feature ambiguity and unanswered questions can spark your readers’ imagination, setting the stage for a suspenseful story. Make it a point to tap into implied or explicit consequences but without revealing too much.

Finally, use the appropriate tone for your title. A confident, knowledgeable, neutral, and clear tone is effective in creating the desired atmosphere of suspense. This approach ensures that your readers understand the stakes and feel curious about the chilling events that will unfold in your story.

In conclusion, to initiate suspense through scary titles, remember to use active verbs, carefully select your words, make your titles concise, play with the unknown, and maintain an appropriate tone. By doing so, you will draw your readers in, keeping them enthralled from start to finish.

Evolving Variety of Titles According to Audience Age

As you delve into the world of scary story titles, it’s essential to consider how the variety of titles has evolved according to audience age. Over the years, horror titles catered to different age groups, from babies and young children to adults, ensuring a diverse range of narratives for various preferences.

For young children and babies, titles often take on a lighter approach, featuring friendly monsters or spooky yet harmless creatures. These stories aim to introduce children to the concept of fear and suspense while maintaining an approachable and age-appropriate tone. Examples of stories for this age group include picture books like “Goodnight Goon” and “Room on the Broom.”

In contrast, horror titles for older children and pre-teens often explore more complex themes while remaining suitable for their age group. Titles delve into supernatural elements, haunted settings, and cryptic mysteries. Esteemed series like R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” and Mary Downing Hahn’s ghost stories are perfect examples of titles that cater to this target audience.

As readers venture into adolescence and adulthood, the variety of horror titles expands drastically to incorporate darker themes and more explicit content. Adult horror titles frequently explore psychological horror, gore, and supernatural elements. Some of these popular titles include classic novels like Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and Stephen King’s “The Shining.” These narratives are designed to evoke strong emotions and chill the reader to the core.

Additionally, there are titles with a broader appeal, suitable for all ages without compromising on the element of spookiness. Titles like “Coraline” by Neil Gaiman and the Harry Potter series created a balance of horror and fantasy that is enjoyable for both younger and more mature readers.

In summary, the variety of scary story titles has evolved significantly, ensuring that there is something available for horror enthusiasts across all age groups. Remember to keep your audience’s age in mind when selecting a title and always opt for stories that suit their preferences and maturity levels.

Impact of Adaptations into Movies and Video Streams

As you delve into the world of horror, you’ll notice that numerous scary story titles have been adapted into movies and video streams. This has transformed the way audiences experience these bone-chilling narratives, ultimately shaping the horror genre’s landscape.

When comparing different formats, adaptations of horror movies and video streams add a new dimension to the story, enhancing your experience as a viewer. Movies like “Hellraiser” have pushed the boundaries of sci-fi horror, combining otherworldly concepts with terrifying imagery that is bound to leave a lasting impact.

Furthermore, the process of turning a work of fiction into a film or streaming series allows for greater creative input from various sources. This often results in more diverse, visually striking, and emotionally charged storytelling. Examples include popular series that blend horror elements with action, drama, or even comedy, creating a captivating space for fans to enjoy.

Still, it is crucial to remain cautious when exploring the adaptations of scary stories. Some may blur the lines between fear and shock value or offer misleading representations of the source material. However, for the most part, faithful adaptations have contributed to the horror genre’s growth, developing memorable characters and plots that captivate and terrify viewers.

Remember, when exploring horror movie and video stream adaptations, be prepared to experience a wide range of emotions and reactions. The world of horror is vast and ever-evolving, providing plenty of chilling options for your viewing pleasure.

Popular Horror Themes Reflected in Titles

When creating a scary story title, it’s essential to consider popular horror themes that resonate with readers. The following themes are prevalent in horror works and can help you come up with a title that reflects the essence of your story.

Death: Death is a common theme in horror titles, as it evokes a sense of dread and finality. Titles featuring words related to death can create an atmosphere of terror, such as “The Deathly Hound” or “Attic of the Dead.”

Plague: Plague or pandemic situations can induce fear, especially when they’re out of control. Titles such as “The Plague House” or “The Serial Killer’s Virus” highlight the feeling of helplessness that comes with widespread disease.

Serial Killer: Serial killers evoke the fear of unstoppable evil, with titles like “The Hound of Vengeance” or “The Black Zombie’s Prey” hinting at a relentless and brutal antagonist.

Scary Monster: Horror titles often include scary monsters, either supernatural or human in nature. “The Creaking Cracks Monster” or “Abusive Shadows” can emphasize the chilling presence of these creatures.

Black Zombie: Zombies are a popular choice for horror themes, often symbolizing the loss of humanity. Titles like “The Black Zombie’s Plague” or “Gory Games of the Undead” capture the terror associated with the walking dead.

Abuse: The theme of abuse showcases the dark side of human nature. Titles such as “The Tormented Attic” or “The Creaking Cracks of Pain” can convey the horror that comes from mistreatment and suffering.

As you craft your horror story titles, remember to draw inspiration from these popular horror themes. Reflect the atmosphere and key elements in your title to capture and intrigue your readers. And always remember to maintain a confident, knowledgeable, neutral, and clear tone in your writing.

82 Scary Story Title Ideas

Here are 82 scary story title ideas:

The Basement
The Haunted House
The Abandoned Hospital
The Graveyard at Midnight
The Face at the Window
The Urban Legend
The Bloody Mary Ritual
The Strange Noise
Don’t Look Under the Bed
The Creepy Doll
The Closet Door
Heavy Breathing
The Shadow People
The Ghost in the Mirror
The Scarecrow
The Rocking Chair
The Masked Stranger
The Ghost Ship
The Secret Passage
The Warning Signs
The Evil Clown
The Revenge Spell
The Cursed Object
The Hitchhiker
The Dead Girl’s Diary
The Haunted Carnival Ride
The Last Campfire Story
The Strange Inheritance
The Man with the Hook
The Ghost Photograph
The Missing Children
The Possession
The Unmarked Grave
The Murder House
The Creepy Woods
The Thing in the Fog
The Tap at the Window
The Creeping Shadow
The Whispering Voices
The Escaped Patient
The Ghost in the Machine
The Haunted Hotel Room
The Devil’s Hour
The Halloween Party Gone Wrong
The Cornfield
The Full Moon
The Ghost Town
The Uninvited Guest
The Ouija Board
The Phantom Caller
The Warning on the Wall
The Unfinished Business
The Curse of the Witch
The Haunted Playground
The Unmarked Tombstone
The Ghost Child
They’re Waiting for You
The Followed Home
The House on the Hill
The Monster in the Dark
The Creaking Stairs
The Thing in the Closet
The Black Cat
The Screams in the Night
The Ghost in the Bathroom Mirror
The Door That Shouldn’t Be Open
The Mysterious Package
The Man with the Scar
The Broken Doll
The Hand Under the Bed
They Come at Night
The Scary Old Lady Next Door
The Grave Robbers
The Night Feedings
The Closed Casket
The Salesman’s Offer
The Creature in the Woods
The Unwanted Passenger
The Message on the Wall
The Sleep Study

Understanding the Horror of Ambiguity in Titles

When crafting a horror story, you want to evoke a sense of fear and unease in your readers. One way to do this is by creating ambiguous story titles. In this section, you’ll learn how using ambiguity in titles can enhance the horror elements of your story while keeping readers intrigued and engaged.

Titles like “Watch Out” and “Untold Thoughts” make use of ambiguity to create a sense of suspense and mystery. With “Watch Out,” your readers will be left wondering what danger they should be aware of and, as a result, feel more connected to your story as they search for answers. In “Untold Thoughts,” the unknown and potentially darker aspects of a character’s thoughts are alluded to, which raises questions and curiosity about what these thoughts might entail.

Another example is “Angry Forest,” which combines a strong emotion with a neutral setting, creating a disconcerting ambiguity. Your readers may wonder what can make a forest angry? Is it a monstrous creature lurking within or an environmental disaster? As a writer, you have ample room to explore these ideas and heighten fear through the unknown.

Using colors or emotions in your story titles can also create an effective sense of ambiguity and dread. “Red Revenge” is a perfect example, as red often symbolizes danger or even blood. But what exactly is the revenge, and who or what is seeking it? By keeping the source of revenge ambiguous, you are able to keep your readers guessing and heightening their sense of suspense.

Finally, consider using a phrase that evokes a sense of warning and unease, such as “Never Turn Your Back.” Here, readers will be left to fill in the blanks about the potential danger looming behind them, creating a heightened sense of anxiety and anticipation for what might happen in the story.

When using ambiguous titles, remember to stay confident, knowledgeable, neutral, and clear. By embracing ambiguity in your story titles, you’re giving your readers a taste of the horror and fear that they can expect within your story, while also keeping them in suspense and eager to find out more.

The Role of Horror Stories in Pop Culture

Horror stories have long been a staple in pop culture, captivating audiences by tapping into universal fears and anxieties. You can see this fascination with the macabre play out around events like Halloween when people immerse themselves into frightening experiences, sometimes even donning horrifying costumes and participating in spooky traditions.

One popular medium for horror in pop culture is literature. Take, for example, “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” which is a collection of short horror stories that have captured the imaginations of many readers. This book combines folklore, urban legends, and original tales, and many people enjoy reading or sharing them during Halloween season or sleepovers to set a spooky mood.

In addition to literature, horror stories often inspire other forms of entertainment. For instance, many iconic horror movies, like “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “The Amityville Horror,” are pulled from the pages of novels and have become part of our collective consciousness. The success of these films has led to numerous sequels, spin-offs, and remakes that continue to captivate audiences.

Furthermore, horror stories have a way of infiltrating everyday aspects of our lives, no matter how mundane they may seem. Believe it or not, shoes can take on a chilling aspect when combined with the right horror tale. It’s interesting how a single accessory can instantly evoke horror when paired with a scary story or character.

It is important to remember that beyond their entertainment value, horror stories often convey deeper messages and reflect societal anxieties. Monsters and other terrifying elements can symbolize various fears and concerns that people face, allowing individuals to confront and explore them in a safe environment.

So the next time you read a chilling tale, watch a horror film, or don a spooky costume for Halloween, remember that these stories serve not only to scare and entertain but also to help us understand and confront our fears and anxieties.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some captivating horror short story titles.

Some captivating horror short story titles include “The Old Calendar,” “Beneath Her Shoes,” “Underneath the Bush,” “Don’t Leave the Window Open,” “Have You Locked the Door?” and “The Ball of String.” When choosing a title for your story, aim for one that piques the reader’s curiosity and engages their interest.

How can I create a chilling title for my horror story?

To create a chilling title for your horror story, consider combining two related ideas or words that evoke fear or suspense. You can brainstorm a list of nouns, adjectives, or phrases related to your story’s theme or main character and then experiment with various combinations. For example, you could mix words like “Broken,” “Bloody,” “Creepy,” “Fearful,” and “Chilling” with “House,” “Hound,” “Shadows,” “Ghosts,” or “Zombies.”

What are some memorable psychopath story titles?

Memorable psychopath story titles include “The Psychopath’s Corner,” “Diary of a Smiling Madman,” “Crimson Laughter,” and “Whispers from a Twisted Mind.” To craft an impactful psychopath story title, try to convey the dark and twisted nature of the character or plot while still maintaining an air of suspense and intrigue.

What are the most effective titles for scary essays?

Effective titles for scary essays might include “The Anatomy of Fear,” “Behind the Curtain of Terror,” or “Unraveling the Psychology of Nightmares.” When creating a title for a scary essay, focus on the main topic you are exploring and consider using alliteration, puns, or other wordplay to make it memorable and engaging.

What are some popular horror titles on Wattpad?

Popular horror titles on Wattpad include “The Depths,” “The Cellar,” “The Babysitter’s Club,” “Mr. Composure,” and “I Hate Imaginary Friends.” These titles showcase a unique blend of mystery, suspense, and fear while enticing readers to learn more about the story.

What are some renowned horror stories to read online?

Some renowned horror stories available to read online include “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs. These classic tales are known for their gripping narratives, powerful atmosphere, and consternating twists.

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Short horror story essay 8 Models

Short horror story essay is one of the popular intimidation methods that help parents in correcting children and improving their behavior in many educational aspects.

Through this article, we will provide you with many models that talk about stories of horror and intimidation that may help or influence the behavior of children, show the goals of horror stories, and the extent of the impact of these stories on improving children’s instincts, and strengthening their personality.

Short horror story essay

The school plays an important and significant role in educating children and improving their behaviour. In a similar article that talks about horror stories, the student can learn about the dimensions of these stories, the extent of their impact and why they are used.

The student can talk about his fears and terrifying situations he went through. The teacher can take advantage of these events and try to address these fears by guiding him and talking to him, or by making him research more about the dimensions of the problem and the benefits that he benefited from despite going through a terrifying situation.

At the beginning of the article we will put several points that show the goals that must be present within the topic, and several models will be created using these points inside them, so that the articles are useful for the student in case he wants to present them to the school, or if he wants to know the aspects that he should talk about inside a similar article he talks about the horror stories and the bad situations he was exposed to.

Objectives of the article

1- To obey orders.

2- Giving up bad behavior.

3- Repressing the evil instincts that are inside every human being.

4- Controlling the child in the safety zone next to the parents.

5- Planting correct means and methods through intimidation.

Several years ago, my father told me a story about a boy who went out without telling his family where he was going. And this was late at night. After he left, he met some children and played a little with them and enjoyed this, but because of the late time these children left him, some of them returned to their home alone, and some of them their families came to to pick them up, and he found himself alone in the end.

He decided to walk around for a while, so that he might encounter other children and continue playing with them. But after walking for a long time, he found that all the streets were empty, and it was dark everywhere, and he could no longer discern where he was, and that he was far from home and lost his way.

And whenever he tried to return from where he came, he found himself in dangerous areas with street dogs, and in order to avoid them, he kept entering other streets, until he lost the way completely. So he sat crying and did not find anyone to bring him home because all the people of the town were asleep.

The time at night was getting hard for this naughty little boy. Every minute that passes feels like it’s a long time and he’s so afraid of darkness and loneliness. And whenever he heard the sound of dogs howling, intensified in crying. And whenever he called his father, he did not come to take him, because he was far from the house and did not tell them that he was going out, and did not tell them where he was going.

Then he learned that he had made a big mistake and that his father would not come to look for him because he thought he was asleep. And he decided to try to call for help and search for any place where there are people and tell them what happened.

And he kept walking in the dark crying for a long time until he found some people, and told them his name, where he lived, and the name of the neighborhood in which he lived. Fortunately for him, they weren’t bad guys, and they brought this guy home.

The father was very angry with him for this behavior and punished him for a week for this behavior. But the boy was happy that he came home and learned the lesson well and knew that this wrong behavior was dangerous and could have lost his family for life.

While hearing this story, I was very afraid and put myself in the place of this boy, and I found myself learning from him what to do. And that I must tell my family where I am going, and watch the time, and take care of myself and not stay away from home. When I finish playing, I go home.

In the early morning, I was very careful to memorize my full name, the name of the neighborhood in which I live, the name of my mother, and the house number.

Although the story was scary for me, I learned a lot from it and had a reaction to every event that takes place in it.

Dear student, a basic form was submitted for the topic on short horror story essay, In addition to many other models such as, horror short story essay, creepy short horror story essay, a short horror story essay, short ghost story essay, short ghost story essay, scary short story essay, scary experience essay.

If you prefer to add any other topic, you can contact us through the comments of this article and we will study your request and add it as soon as possible.

horror short story essay

At the weekend I went on a trip with my friends to the forest. We took camping equipment, some food and water. The weather was nice, the trees were leafy, the birds were flying from tree to tree, the landscape was beautiful.

We wandered in the woods and ate the fruits on the trees, and as we wandered, a huge bear appeared in front of us, looked at us and prepared to attack us.

We were all very terrified, but the instructions reminded us not to run, not to scream, and to act calmly. I took out of my bag a self-defense spray bottle, which should be used in this case. But the bear left quietly and none of us were hurt.

creepy short horror story essay

I get up early and sit in the garden of the house, enjoying the fresh air, listening to the sound of birds, watching beautiful flowers and other beautiful landscapes, but yesterday something terrifying happened to me.

When I sat on the bench in the garden and was enjoying nature I felt something moving under the chair.

I quickly looked under the chair and found a large black snake.

It moves slowly, I felt very terrified and could not move, I remained frozen in my place, the snake crawled slowly and I looked at it with horror, until it moved away several meters, I called the competent authority immediately and a trained man came and caught the snake.

a short horror story essay

Last week I went with my family to the zoo, the weather was nice, and we were enjoying the nature, where there are a lot of green leafy trees and decorated with beautiful flowers and large areas that allow us to run and play, everything was beautiful.

Then we went to the animal cages and watched the animals from a distance.

But there is a person who got very close to the lion’s cage, even though there is a sign on it that says Do not go near the animal cages.

He was not satisfied with that, but he extended his hand into the cage, and the lion grabbed his hand with force, and this person was unable to rid his hand of the lion’s fangs.

The man screamed loudly from the severity of the pain, and the guard came quickly and tried to give the lion a piece of meat to leave the man’s hand, but to no avail.

The veterinarian quickly intervened and gave the lion an anesthetic injection, and the man was able to get his hand out of the cage, but it had many wounds and was taken to the hospital. It was really terrifying moments.

Short ghost story essay

There are many people who feel terrified in the dark, and my brother is very afraid of the dark and feels terrified and imagines frightening things.

So when the electricity went out and the house became dark. I went to his room quietly without feeling, and stood in front of him, making some strange sounds.

My brother jumped quickly and came out of the room saying a ghost of a ghost, but he hit the wall and cut his head and bled a lot, it was a big wound.

At that time I was telling him don’t be afraid, I am your brother, but he was very frightened. I was very sorry for him and regretted that I had caused him to feel terrified and made him crash into the wall.

And I told him I was just trying to joke with you and I wouldn’t do it again but you should train yourself not to be afraid of the dark.

A Short Scary Story Essay

Last weekend I went with my friends on a fishing trip. We chartered a fishing boat with all our fishing gear and went into the sea for a long distance, so that we could see neither the beach nor the city.

We started fishing and we were very happy because there are many fish and they are also big, and the weather was nice.

Suddenly strong winds blew and the waves rose, and the fishing boat was swinging with us over the water, up and down, and we couldn’t control it.

At this time we felt so afraid that we would drown.The fishing boat cannot withstand these bad weather conditions.

But after a while the wind calmed down a bit and we miraculously survived.

Scary short story essay

Last weekend I went with my colleagues on a school trip to one of the archaeological sites, and we had some teachers with us organizing the trip and supervising our transfers.

We entered a museum that houses great antiquities and stood listening to the tour guide talking about the history of these antiquities.

I was fascinated and listened to the tour guide with great interest, so that I did not feel the departure of my colleagues and teachers, as they left the museum and got on the bus and left this place and did not feel my absence.

When I found myself alone in the museum, I felt very afraid and searched for them all over the museum, but I could not find them, so my fear increased and my crying became louder.

Suddenly I found one of the teachers entering the museum and looking for me, so I ran towards him and grabbed his hand and felt safe.

Scary Experience Essay

At the end of the year I had a frightening experience. I went to the beach and decided to snorkel, so I bought wetsuits, put them on, and dived into the sea. But it was not what I expected and almost drowned.

I was so scared when I found myself unable to dive, and could not swim to the top.

It was a difficult situation but one of the lifeguards on the beach saw me, knew I was going to drown and ran to save me.

Therefore, I advise others to learn before we do anything that might endanger our lives.

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The Gothic horror of Alice Munro: A reckoning with the darkness behind a feminist icon

Professor, Gender and Sexuality Studies, University of Calgary

Disclosure statement

Rebecca Sullivan is the Principal Investigator for The Legacy of Studio D for Feminist Media Art Activism, which is funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Insight Grant.

University of Calgary provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation CA.

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This week, in a devastating story about Alice Munro’s complicity in the sexual abuse of her youngest daughter , we discovered how Munro, a Nobel Prize-winning author acclaimed for her uniquely Gothic interpretation of women’s lives, actually lived her feminism.

In a first-person essay in the Toronto Star , Munro’s daughter Andrea Skinner details the years-long sexual abuse by her stepfather, Gerald Fremlin, beginning when she was nine years old. In an earlier essay , Skinner wrote: “The sexual abuse of a child is a rape of the mind, in which any fledgling tools for healing are stolen.”

Although Skinner told her father, Jim Munro, he inexplicably chose to keep it a secret from his ex-wife. He somehow thought he could protect his daughter from a distance while still permitting her to visit her mother and stepfather. The abuse persisted in multiple ways and Skinner was left alone to cope.

When a 25-year-old Skinner exposed the terrible secret to her mother, Munro decided not only to stay with her husband but also to stand by him even after he pleaded guilty and was convicted of sexual assault in 2005. She also used the power of her fame to help create a positive narrative about her husband as well as prevent the secret from ever reaching her adoring public.

While Fremlin’s actions are readily and easily condemned, Munro’s unwavering support of her husband at the expense of her daughter has sent a deathly chill down the spines of many who have read and loved her work, or simply cherished her iconic status.

A monument that says Alice Munro Nobel prize in front of a building.

Writing about the inner lives of girls and women

The only Canadian to ever receive the Nobel Prize in Literature , Munro is heralded for her unique genre of Canadian — but more precisely — southern Ontario Gothic featuring intriguingly imperfect heroines .

The Gothic is a woman’s genre , replete with psychologically complex women characters and heavily influenced by some of the most recognized women authors of western literature: Ann Radcliffe, Mary Shelley, the Brönte sisters, Daphne Du Maurier, Alice Munro. While it has many definitions, the Gothic often features eroticized girlhoods, spectres of dead mothers, homes haunted by family tragedies and secrets and uncanny personifications of wild landscapes.

During the women’s movement of the 1970s and ‘80s, American literary scholar Ellen Moers revisited this genre through the lens of second-wave feminism. Central to her thesis was that the “ Female Gothic ” depended upon the opposing but conjoined emotions of motherhood. Motherhood, she said, contained both revulsions and delights: the ecstatic power of creating life perpetually at war with the fear of obliterating the self.

Unbearable expectations of motherhood

Motherhood was, of course, a prevailing issue for second-wave feminism : the right to control one’s reproductive capacities, the needs of working mothers, mothering as unpaid labour and, most pressingly, the cultural expectations that motherhood be expressed through devoted, selfless sacrifice.

The maternal became problematically intertwined with feminist consciousness. Philosopher Linda Alcoff explains how cultural and psychoanalytic strands of feminism insisted on the uniqueness of women because of their capacity to be mothers . Other feminists angrily rejected such biological essentialism while acknowledging at least the social conditions of mothering.

Even amid this contemporary era of feminist thought, motherhood remains a problematic factor in both the socioeconomic security and cultural identity of women.

The unbearable burden of idealized motherhood, however, is nothing compared to the ferocity of a mother’s betrayal.

Broken family ties

Married in 1951 at the age of 20, Munro says her first husband’s birthday gift of a typewriter sealed her identity as a wife/mother and writer — “ the twin choices of my life .”

By 26, Munro had given birth to three daughters, one of whom died on the same day she was born. Her youngest, Andrea, came much later, in 1966, a year which Munro also recounts as the beginning of the end of her first marriage. In 1976, Munro married Fremlin, whom she identified as the true love of her life. That same year, Fremlin sexually assaulted her youngest daughter.

When Munro was finally told about the abuse 16 years later, she left her husband. But not to console her daughter. As Skinner tells us, Munro felt humiliated and personally betrayed, and the whole family had to tend to her feelings. Fremlin accused the child of seducing him and convinced Munro to return. A conspiracy of silence ensued. To protect herself, Skinner distanced herself from her family.

The Gatehouse, an agency that supports survivors of childhood sexual abuse, says this type of familial response is tragically common. Skinner and her siblings sought counselling from the organization to help them come to terms with the abuse that happened in their family.

Munro’s rationale for ultimately staying with Fremlin till his death in 2013, and harbouring his secret until she died this May , was a travesty borne out of her twisted interpretation of the feminist politics of motherhood. According to a letter Munro wrote, she saw her daughter as a sexual rival, not a victim.

Munro wrote to Skinner, saying she had been “told too late,” that “she loved him too much” and that “our misogynistic culture was to blame if I expected her to deny her own needs, sacrifice for her children and make up for the failings of men.”

Our monstrous selves

Even after her husband was revealed as an abuser, Munro chose “wife,” not “writer” over mother. And she did so in the name of feminism — a betrayal to all her literary daughters.

Now we are left with the shattered fragments of her legacy, which the family says it wants preserved but not at the expense of Skinner. The Toronto Star article includes in the preface: “They want the world to continue to adore Alice Munro’s work. They also feel compelled to share what it meant to grow up in her shadow and how protecting her legacy came at a devastating cost for her daughter.”

For some, that may mean rereading Munro through the prism of her biography, but I think that’s too easy. It absolves us from acknowledging the enjoyment we have taken in her Gothic tales of mothers and daughters. We are left with a fervent, hopeful belief that if given the same terrible news from our children, we would make other, better choices. But, then, Munro also believed that about herself until it happened.

Part of our collective horrified revulsion of Munro comes from our nightmare version of our worst selves. That is of course part of the pleasure of Gothic fiction — to indulge in depraved imaginary narratives anchored by an obsessive love. Only this is not fiction. To paraphrase Moers, we have been forced to hold our collective maternal anxiety up to the Gothic mirror of reality, and we dread the monstrous other reflected back at us.

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How College Essays for Sale Can Help Manage Academic Stress

Writing is stressful work as you are dealing with both known and unknown variables. The result of your work is directly linked with your academic progress, making it all the more scary and prompting a need to look for relief. Apart from siblings and peers with some experience in writing, college essays for sale can offer a potent solution to writing maladies.

In this post, let us go through the process of writing a college essay and how a college essay for sale can make your academic woes go away!

College Essays for Sale

If the name is any indication, these are academic essays and papers that students can get for a set price. Everything is already done by the writers and all you have to do is pay the price and download the essay for future use. They are better than your average custom essays because there is no waiting time and the pricing is more affordable.

College essays for sale come in different forms, shapes, and sizes with various topics and ideas covered in the text. You can go through the repository of your desired essay writing company to pick the right one for your needs.

Process of Writing A College Essay

The motive behind adding this section is to show you the reason behind academic stress. Once we have nailed it down, we will move to the solution and how that solution is ideal for college students.

Finding the Right Topic

The first step toward writing a college essay is finding the right topic. In many cases, instructors specify topics to students and they have to come up with suitable titles for their pieces. A title is more specific and direct compared to a topic. If you already have a workable topic, it is time to skip this part and move on to the next one.

Collecting Necessary Information

It does not matter if you are an authority on a subject matter, you need the latest and most accurate information to use in your writing. This requires going through multiple sources and picking the desirable information to be used in the text.

Outlining the Essay

The next step of the process is to map out the whole essay, from start to finish. This enables students to trace their steps from the opening to the closing without hitting the writer’s block. They have the proper headings and structure and all they have to do is populate those headings with the relevant content.

Writing the Text

When the outline is in its place, it is time to put the pen to the paper and do the grunt work. You need to open with an interesting hook and provide the context before closing the introduction with the thesis statement. Since the main body is the meat and bones of the essay, it will cover the main premise with examples and supporting materials before tying all the ends logically in the conclusion.

Proofreading & Editing

If you think that writing ends the job for the student, you are mistaken. The first drafts have all the issues that need to be ironed out in the subsequent drafts. A grueling session of editing and proofreading ensures that your essay is in its best shape.

All of these steps take hours if you continuously work on the essay, and days if you move like a normal human being.

Why College Essays for Sale?

As we have already covered in the opening lines, essays for sale are a great way to make sure that you submit solid academic work without putting in all the effort and energy. You have a solid source of well-researched and superbly-written essays with no waiting time or high pricing. Here are some of the reasons why you should go for college essays for sale to alleviate academic stress and ensure success:

These pre-written essays often cover trendy topics so you can use or repurpose them in many cases.

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These college essays for sale are written by professional writers and editors with ample experience and expertise in the field of academic writing.

Final Thoughts

College essays for sale are a great source of help for students as they are easy to purchase with no waiting time to get through. We have highlighted how writing yourself can take a lot of time and effort and getting essays for sale helps you combat academic stress without missing a beat!

Story originally appeared on Mountain West Wire

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YouTube film essay pioneers 'Every Frame a Painting' are back

And the duo behind it will release a short film on july 20..

Between 2014 and 2016, a YouTube channel called Every Frame a Painting posted 28 video essays critiquing movies and dissecting different aspects of filmmaking before it went silent. Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou, the people behind the channel, talked about how Robin Williams was a master at blocking and using movement to portray his characters, as well as how Steven Spielberg does one long takes all the time that tend to go unnoticed by the public, among many other topics. Now, the duo is back, promising another series of video essays followed by the debut of a short film at Fantasia International Film Festival on July 20.

Ramos and Zhou wrote and directed their upcoming film called The Second starring Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Ethan Hwan. They didn't share a lot of details about the movie, but the film festival's website says it's about "an alternate version of today’s world where dueling is still acceptable" in which Philip "must perform the role of 'Second' on the day of his only son's duel."

Every Frame a Painting has over 2 million subscribers on YouTube and was one of the creators that helped legitimize video essays on the website. Ramos and Zhou also created the Netflix series Voir , produced by David Fincher, which featured video essays about film, as well. Seeing as they promised new posts on YouTube before their film premieres, we'll likely see them upload a fresh batch of videos in the coming days.

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250 Horror Writing Prompts (Scary Good Ideas)

What Is a Horror Writing Prompt?

Types of Horror Writing Prompts

Ghost Stories

Psychological Horror

Paranormal Activity

Creature Features

Gothic Horror

Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic

Body Horror

Slasher Stories

Cosmic Horror

Folk Horror

Final Thoughts: Horror Writing Prompts

tell your stories, love your life

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4 Tips on How to Write a Scary Story

1. Explore what scares you.

2. Identify your main character

3. Work the suspense

4. Warning: Avoid the tropes

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How to Write a Scary Story

How to write a scary story in 5 Easy Steps

1. Write about what scares you.

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101 Terrifying Horror Story Prompts

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Scary Story Ideas — 18 Prompts For Horror & Thriller Writers

Scary Story Prompts for Writers

1) A young man finds himself unable to break out of a recurring lucid dream.

Ideas for Horror Stories • Still from ‘Spellbound’