horror movies essay prompts

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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Check Out These 75 Horror Writing Prompts

Get your scary ideas onto the page with a little help from us..

'The Conjuring'

Are you a fan of horror movies or a writer looking to delve into the depths of terror and suspense? Look no further.

In this post, we bring to you an exclusive collection of 75 horror movie writing prompts, designed to spark your imagination and set your nerves tingling.

Let's dive in.

75 Writing Prompts for Horror Movies

'M3GAN'

An ancient book that unleashes a curse when read.
A haunted doll that terrorizes a family.
A small town plagued by mysterious disappearances.
A group of friends trapped in a haunted house.
An evil spirit that possesses its victims.
A serial killer who targets campers in the woods.
A ghost seeking revenge from beyond the grave.
A family moves into a house built on an ancient burial ground.
A mysterious virus that turns people into zombies.
A scientist who creates a monster in his laboratory.
A possessed painting that influences its viewers.
A mirror that shows more than just reflections.
A cabin in the woods with a sinister secret.
A hotel where guests check in but never check out.
A creepy carnival with a mind of its own.
A group of teenagers playing with a Ouija board.
A town where nightmares become reality.
A creature that lurks in the shadows.
An abandoned asylum with a dark past.
A lighthouse that guides ships to their doom.
A babysitter facing unknown terrors in a strange house.
A mysterious fog that brings death.
An ancient evil awakened in a small village.
A cursed video tape that predicts death.
A secret society with a deadly initiation ritual.
A ghost ship adrift at sea.
An urban legend that turns out to be true.
A photographer who captures more than just pictures.
A demonic cult in a quiet suburb.
An old theater where the shows are too real.
A time traveler who brings back a terrible entity.
A cursed gemstone that brings misfortune.
An alien invasion in a rural town.
A witch's curse that spans generations.
A reality show where the dangers are all too real.
An ancient pyramid with a deadly secret.
A game where the stakes are life and death.
A haunted music box with a sinister tune.
A cursed object that brings death to its owner.
A ghostly bride searching for her groom.
A monster that feeds on fear.
A secret room that holds a terrifying secret.
A witch hunt in a modern town.
A family cursed by a vengeful spirit.
A soul collector who preys on the living.
A stranded spaceship with an unknown threat.
A possessed child with terrifying powers.
A haunted hospital with a gruesome history.
A town cursed by a witch's spell.
A psychic who sees more than she wants to.
An experiment that goes horribly wrong.
A haunted train that carries more than just passengers.
A dark web game that traps its players.
A demonic possession in a religious community.
A haunted painting that changes its appearance.
A cursed graveyard where the dead don't rest.
A vengeful spirit that haunts a school.
A mysterious island with a dark secret.
An ancient deity demanding sacrifice.
A paranormal investigator facing true terror.
A cult leader with a diabolical plan.
A supernatural storm that brings horrors.
A man who can see how people will die.
A cursed play that brings tragedy to its actors.
A monster hiding in plain sight.
A haunted castle with a bloody history.
A town where the sun never rises.
A serial killer inspired by a horror novel.
A reality bending nightmare.
A haunted maze with no escape.
A creature from folklore comes to life.
An apocalyptic scenario with a supernatural twist.
A virtual reality game that becomes too real.
A haunted road trip with unexpected detours.
A family heirloom that holds a deadly secret.

These prompts can be the starting point for a wide variety of horror stories, each with its own unique twist and terror.

Whether you're crafting a screenplay, a short story, or simply enjoying a moment of macabre fascination, let these prompts guide you into the shadows.

Now, go get back to writing.

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Celebrate Your Silly Comedy Shorts With Show&Tell's 10th Anniversary

We chat with show&tell co-founder sethward about their backyard comedy spectacular..

Looking for the hippest place in town to premier your comedy short film, pilot, sketch, etcetera, etcetera? Well, oh boy, do we have a place for you in a special magical backyard.

The festival in question vaguely mentioned in that last sentence you just read is called Show&Tell: Screening Spectacular. Started by comic actors Sethward and Kyle Helf, Show&Tell is a comedy filmmakers haven to premier their comedy projects to a community of other comedy filmmakers and fans alike. The spirit of Show&Tell—a monthly outing—is extremely filmmaker friendly, encouraging artists to showcase their silliest, weirdest stuff. It's always a great time, and, considering it's celebrating it's 10th B-day today, extremely successful.

The main talent behind the fest is Sethward—an extremely funny, talented filmmaker most widely known for his absurdist animal auditions on America's Got Talent (very much worth your time if you aren't familiar). He was kind enough to chat with us about the history of Show&Tell, as well as comedy and filmmaker-forward ethos.

Check out our chat below, and check out their Instagram to stay up-to-date on their screenings if you want to submit or just come hang and watch some amazing comedy. You might even get to meet their super cool mascot Shodent the Rodent...

P.S. if you're free Saturday, August 24, stop by the Show&Tell 10th anniversary awards ceremony. Details below!

Also, if you can't make the screenings, we're happy to announce we'll be sharing shorts from Show&Tell shows starting Tuesday. Buckle up!

Editor's note: the following quotes from Sethward are edited for length and clarity.

So what is Show&Tell, Huh?

"Show&Tell [Screening Spectacular] started in 2014 where [Kyle Helf] were discussing this concept of showing your art and your films to people, but not having a place that we felt like it was open for us to put up whatever. There were a couple of screenings in LA at that time that were incredibly popular for indie filmmakers and creatives. We do comedy shorts, so that's a very specific type of filmmaker.

As comedy filmmakers, we make sketches, short films, commercials—we make every kind of video. We sometimes screen specs, things that never get picked up. It's a very wide range of media, but then also very small because the genre is consistently comedy.

It was hard to find a screening option for straight comedy filmmaking. There was Channel 101, but that was very specifically pilots. I didn't always want to make a five minute pilot. There were other screenings [that would always ask], "what's a sketches?" There wasn't really good place to screen sketches. Film festivals don't want you to put up your internet videos. There wasn't really a place that we felt like we could gather people and show [comedy videos] in that community and fellowship—what are you up to? What are we up to? Kyle and I missed that from college.

We had essentially taken a show that was on the TV channel that the school was in charge of called TV 32. It was like a broadcast-cable thing. We picked up, there's a show called the Ram Gum Show, and we were playing with that concept. When we finished an episode that we really liked there was no input. There's no congratulations, there's no constructive criticism. There was nothing.

So when we were at school we started having these release parties and we would try to gather a lot of people. By the time it was our senior year, we'd pack out the auditorium and we would screen all of our sketches. It was a huge to-do, and it was so fun, and we were like, how do we do that in the real world? It's low stakes because it's just your friends, it's your crew. We want to have these little premier parties for your smaller projects. And some of them are bigger projects you've spent years working on, but you have nowhere to release.

So we started doing Show&Tell and it felt there was a larger community of people. There's something more that we can celebrate from finishing a project and sharing it. Now for the past 10 years we've been gathering together. You've finished that project that you said it was going to be so hard to finish and you did it. I can't believe you finished it. It's amazing. And I love it. It's one of my favorite things to do every month."

How to Submit to Show&Tell

Lively audience at Show&Tell (including Santa Claus)

Courtesy of Sethward

"Literally anyone can submit. We have a form on our website where it's just a simple Google Doc where you send in an unlisted link. We had to set up a parameter for Show&Tell that's what are you up to now? What have you just finished recently? And it is comedy. So our three rules are that you have to be there to present your video.

So we don't screen anything that has the creators living in another country or another town, and it's got to be comedy and it can't be published yet. So it's this environment that I just finished this, I'm about to release it into the world. What are your thoughts? What do you guys think? And it gives you the opportunity to maybe analyze the audience response, change a few things, or leave it the same or add some things. It's an amazing place for people to get input afterwards. We hang out and talk about each other's stuff, what we've been going on.

The curation process has gotten much more difficult over the years because of more people knowing about it. And friends, I mean, when we were in the backyard in the beginning it was like, I'm begging people, please don't put it online yet. Put it on Show&Tell first.

At this point, we're having to be a bit more selective in what we put in."

Show&Tell logo

"I'm a big deadline guy, so if I don't have a hard deadline, then I don't do nothing—not finishing it. Show&Tell was this hard deadline that I better have something to show these people in my backyard in a few days. It forced me to make a video every single month, at least. Some of those Show&Tells—when it was so new and we were excited—I was putting up three to four videos every month.

It's gotten to the point where I haven't made any larger projects. I've never made a feature film, and I kind of blame it on Show&Tell a little bit because by the time I finish a project for Show&Tell, I have to start making a new project for the next month since it's every single month. I don't have this larger arc accomplished.

But I'm figuring that. We play a lot of different stuff. So I could technically cut up every scene of this feature in parts of an episodic journey and play it once a month."

The Art of Collaboration in Absurdist Costuming

Sethward as a Pumpkin man at Show&Tell

"I get into trouble with a lot of my work where I'm covered in slime, or I'm in a costume that's currently trying to kill me, and then I'm in the middle of filming and being like, oh yeah, I need to direct this so that it's what I want, or I need to make sure that the DP is getting the right shots, but I can't move.

Literally yesterday, I'm filming a video that we're going to put up a Show&Tell, but I'm covered in snot, right? I'm a snot genie, and I couldn't move because it was so slippery that if I were to walk over to Nate, who's shooting the film, I would've covered his camera in slime. Secondly, I would've put him in danger by getting slime over the place. So I couldn't really see the monitor. I have to trust.

I call it editor brain where I have been editing for days or I'm stuck on a computer, I'm writing emails and stuff, and then I get out and I have to perform. And you really do have to readjust. You need to center yourself because you get too technical. And so I trust the people that I work with. I try to get people to work with that I trust to help co-direct.

So every project I've ever done is a community effort. There's not at any point in my life where somebody will give a note on set and I'll be like, "excuse you. Stay in your lane. I'm the director here." I would never in a million years. I understand the concept of too many cooks in the kitchen, but I need it. I need more cooks for what I'm making and cooking. Sometimes I literally just need appendages. I'm in a worm costume or something. I literally can't touch stuff.

I've also had amazing help through the years with real costume designers. Every once in a while I'll be blessed by the real costume angels and people come in and give me a hand. But for the most part, all the things that you see falling off of my body because it was poorly made, it's because I did it. And it was usually because I did it right before the camera was rolling."

Sethwards Advice for Comedy Filmmakers

"Specifically, for filmmakers that do comedy, you can't get tied up. And by the way, I'm no person to give advice. I have no status as professional comedy filmmaker. But from my years of doing comedy filmmaking, the biggest lesson that I've ever learned is that you have to put the comedy first.

Specifically when I say comedy, I say the fun and the silliness. And if you can't have fun, at least force the silly because then you will then have fun. And because that's the only thing that matters in comedy, specifically comedy filmmaking, your film can look amazing. It can sound great. You can have an awesome set or a beautiful costume, whatever it is to help support the joke, that's fine. But truly it doesn't matter if it's not obvious to the viewer that you are having the funnest time making it, you're having the silliest moment with your friends.

In my opinion, that's the absolute only thing that matters when you're making a comedy video. That being said, make sure that it comes first. I've failed at this many times where I'm like, I want it to look this way, I want the aesthetic and it needs to be a genre bending, blah, blah, blah.

The point of it is that you're making and creating something with your friends and your community, and I think Show&Tell is a great way to prove that, because it doesn't cost money to submit. It doesn't cost money to come to it. It's very low stakes. We're in a backyard. It's an outdoor screening. The reason why we're getting together is to laugh at the moment that we remembered you having so much fun and getting to relive that vicariously through other people, and being able to relive that by watching that video in a community. That's the whole point of what we're doing,—to share that stupid moment that we have together.

Anyway, I'm a huge advocate for being silly. If you're not being silly or you don't have time to be silly, frankly, I don't have time for you. I'm sorry I don't have time for you."

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132 Best Horror Writing Prompts and Scary Story Ideas

Generate Full-Length AI Horror Novel Instantly

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, frightening human psychology, and much more.

Horror Writing Prompts List

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 into 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 decides 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 a young woman 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 it 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 by people in black and white masks. They 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 the 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 went missing. The case is reopened.

Scary story ideas for a psychological horror

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 at midnight and brought to a large private estate. He is told that he will be a human prey 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 to 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 into 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 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, the twin sisters disappear.
A boy has a very realistic dream about 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 developed 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.

Free Small decorative ghost in white cape hanging on tree sprig on blurred background in autumn park during holiday celebration in daylight Stock Photo

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 can 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 as 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 skin 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 will 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 are chasing them and jump to 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 bloodbath.

Free Man Wearing Black Mask And Hoodie Jacket Stock Photo

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 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 to the nursery to check up on the baby and discovers that the baby is missing and, in her place, there is a baby doll.

Horror story ideas about a serial killer

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.

Scary story ideas and horror story writing prompts

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 the 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 suicide so that he can 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 makes 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 buildings 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.

Final Words

Write a good horror story with scary story ideas

The 132 scary story ideas will help you take a deep dive into the human psyche. These horror story prompts will make you a seasoned writer and help you captivate readers. So, get ready to write a good horror story with unique writing prompts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s take a look at the following questions and answers:

What is a good way to start horror writing prompts?

To grab readers’ attention, craft the beginning of your horror story around an active scene featuring characters in the thick of an action. Introduce the central conflict and sprinkle tantalizing hints of danger or the unknown, such as clues about an accident or murder, to create an air of suspense and intrigue.

What are some good scary story ideas?

Effective horror story ideas delve into innate human fears and weaknesses. These fears can manifest as physical threats like monsters or ghosts or as psychological anxieties such as uncertainty or the unraveling of reality.

How can I start writing unique horror stories?

To craft a spine-tingling horror story, delve into the emotions that haunt your audience. Fear thrives in the unknown and the unforeseen, so weave these aspects seamlessly into your narrative. Craft a haunting atmosphere or chilling plot through vivid descriptions that linger in the reader’s mind. Gradually intensify the tension to keep them captivated and quivering on the brink of terror.

Is it easy to write on scary story prompts?

If you’re a horror enthusiast, you likely have some scary story ideas for your own screenplay. However, crafting effective horror stories isn’t straightforward. To truly scare your audience, your scary story must connect with their most primal fears.

What are cliches to avoid while writing scary story ideas?

To create effective horror stories, don’t rely solely on common tropes like haunted houses or creepy children. Instead, find unique angles or reinterpretations to keep your readers engaged in your scary story. Avoid overused scary story ideas unless you can add a novel twist. Remember that the goal of a horror story is to surprise and disturb the audience, making it crucial to avoid predictability and create an unsettling experience for your readers.

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110+ Horror Writing Prompts (With A Twist)

Give yourself the chills with this list of over 110 horror writing prompts. From scary ghost stories to creepy stories about animals and monsters. Now is the time to write your own horror story , just like Goosebumps or The Haunting of Aveline Jones.

From the gory to the scary, from the monstrous to the supernatural, from the humorous to the wacky, we have it all! Use this horror writing prompts generator to get a random horror writing idea to write about:

Keep on reading for a list of horror story prompts.

Most horror stories are based on one thing, fear. And it’s always a good idea to have a bit of that in your own life. Fear makes us all think differently, it makes us do things we wouldn’t normally do. And it’s the same thing that makes horror stories so scary. It’s a good idea to think of something that scares you, and then write about it. As a starting point, we have provided you with this list of horror prompts. For some of these gory ideas, we have included a twist, while for others it’s up to you how the story goes! Feel free to use any of these prompts in your writing, and to expand on any of the ideas.

List of Horror Writing Prompts

This list of horror writing prompts will you give you the well-needed inspiration for a good horror story:

The Haunting Hospital: A small girl named Julie is walking down a country road when she finds a cemetery and realises it is her home town. She goes to her house and finds that it has been turned into a hospital. She finds her father and her mother there. Her father tells her that she is now a part of the hospital and that she must work to be paid. Julie and her mother go to work as nurses.
Chasing Shadows: A girl named Becky is walking in her neighbourhood when she sees a little boy playing in the street. Becky runs over to him and asks him what he is doing. He tells her that he is a little monster and that he will kill her if she does not leave him alone. Becky takes off running and the little monster chases her.
Park of Peril: A little girl named Melissa is walking through the park when she finds a little boy who tells her that he will eat her if she does not take him home. Melissa takes off running and the little boy chases her.
Claws of the Night: This one involves a kid named Angela. One night she goes to sleep and when she wakes up the next morning her hands have turned into the claws of a cat.
The Poisoned Harvest: A boy named Billy is walking down the street one day when he sees a homeless man. He notices some fruit by the man. When the homeless man is not looking, Billy steals the fruit. Later on, he goes home and eats this piece of fruit. The fruit is poisoned, and Billy goes blind.
Carnivorous Confrontation: A story of a kid who loves to eat the flesh of dead animals, but one day a man appears and tells him not to eat them.
Invisible Menace: Write a story about a young boy who is terrorized by an invisible monster.
Nightmare Room: The invisible monster is eating kids and it is in their room all the time.
Enchanted Chaos: A handsome prince on a quest to learn magic wants to marry the beautiful princess, but the kingdom is being attacked by demons, ghosts, and…his dad.
Insanity’s Feast: The whole little town goes insane. They start killing people with their mouths. They kill them in the most gruesome way.
Shuttered Nightmares: A serial killer is taking photos of their victims. He is telling them how he is going to kill them. And then he starts his killing.
Witch’s Chains: Two kids named ‘Bud’ and ‘Chip’ got separated from their parents. They live next door to a witch and are unable to leave the house. One day, the witch makes their parents get into a container, and leaves them in the backyard, chained to a tree.
Enchanted Camp: A summer camp where a powerful wizard casts a spell on the children to make them do his bidding.
The Weeping Specter: A ghost that follows you around and cries on your shoulder and if you get sad it gets angry and turns into a ghostly voice that spooks people.
Haunted Truths: The lead character is haunted by a ghost who knows the truth about their past.
Distrustful Shadows: A girl named Dana, who works at a daycare centre, doesn’t trust anybody. This causes her to make sure she does everything she can to stop any other person from ever entering her place.
Realm of Nightmares: One day, the princess wakes up in a terrible nightmare. She is being chased by something, she cannot see what it is. And then she hears the voice of her mother, telling her to run away. She goes to her room and sees that the covers on her bed are in a shape that reminds her of the monster she just saw. She knows she cannot sleep in this place. She goes to the other side of her room and sees a window. She goes to the window and finds that it is an opening to a new world…
Witch’s Wrath: A girl named Misty lives with her parents and their next-door neighbour who is an evil witch. One day her father and the witch get into a fight and the witch accidentally kills him.
Brief Awakening: A boy named Sam is suffering from a terrible disease and he only has days to live. He’s in a coma, and he’s not responding to any medical treatments. Until one night he starts to experience some new changes…
Vengeful Wishes: A little girl named Mina finds a genie. The genie grants her 3 wishes. Because Mina has been a victim of bullying, she uses all her wishes to punish her bullies with ghoulish consequences.
Jar of Horrors: One day, a boy named Marcus went out to take a walk, and he found a jar that he thought was full of gold. Marcus had also found a bag that was heavier than he could lift, but he drags it home anyway. When he opens to bag he discovers something disgusting…
Game Over: A creepy character named Nemesis is trying to kill Luke, who plays video games and lives in his basement. At night, Luke hears voices telling him to hide. He goes to the basement and a creature knocks him out. He ends up as a character in his gruesome game.
Bracelet of Resurrection: A boy named Josh loses his best friend to a freak accident. He finds the other half of a bracelet he gave his friend that day. He hangs on to it until one night the bracelet brings his best friend back to life.
The Ghost Writer: Write a story titled, The Ghost Writer. Write about the ghost of someone who haunts you.
Eternal Specter: Write a scary ghost story about a man who is cursed to spend eternity as a ghost.
Hidden World: A boy named Brody is having problems adjusting to life in his new home after his parents divorced. He tries to see his dad, but they don’t want him around. One day he discovers a secret passage to a hidden underground world where his father now lives.
Stuttering Shadows: A story about a young man named Kenny, who works as a garbage man. He also has a terrible stuttering problem that he has to deal with. One day he discovers that his stuttering is getting worse and worse and he becomes scared to death because of it. He thinks that the talking squirrel next to him is a demon.
Haunted Corner: Write a story about an object in your room that becomes haunted.
Ghostly Deception: A boy named Bryce has been hiding out from his abusive father. One day his father is gone and his dad’s new girlfriend walks into the house. He thinks it’s the ghost of his dead mother. The ghost shows him that his dad’s new girlfriend has been lying to him about how his birth mother died.
Trapped in Terror: A young boy named Spencer and his sister Sarah, are on a camping trip when they find a box of mysterious objects. When they open it, one of the items shoots at them, striking Sarah and trapping her in a pod inside a tree. While locked inside the tree, Sarah meets an evil doll named Alice.
Possessed Playtime: A young girl named Cassandra is babysitting her neighbour’s two kids. One day the kids eat some forbidden foods and a demon spirit possesses one of the kids and turns him into an evil creature who haunts the neighbourhood.
Eyes of the Bunny: A little girl named Hayley discovers a secret house that no one in the neighbourhood knows about, and is welcomed inside by a red-eyed white bunny. One day when Hayley goes to a party, her newfound friend kidnaps her and traps her inside this mysterious house.
Eternal Echo: Write a horror story about a horrible accident or a nightmare that has haunted you your whole life.
Drowning Destiny: A boy named Joshua falls into a river and is about to drown when he gets rescued by a beautiful mermaid. She tells him that he will die the next day because that is his destiny.
Keys of Madness: A young boy named Alex finds a set of glowing door keys and uses them to enter a huge abandoned mansion. When he explores the mansion, he is visited by a dark spirit who attacks him and drives him insane.
Alien Abduction: A boy named Sam wakes up one day to find that his parents have been missing for over a year. The day he discovers them, they tell him that he was kidnapped by aliens, and they built an experimental human brainwashing machine.
Dreams of Stella: A young boy named Toby starts having strange dreams of a girl named Stella. One day, he sees Stella when he’s on a roller coaster, but it turns out to be a ghost who is trying to take over his mind.
Eye of the Leaf: A little boy named Ben is playing outside one day when he finds a strange leaf. When he picks it up, it turns into a leaf with a red eye and starts to follow him.
Vengeful Spirit: Write a horror story about a ghost who just wants to kill the person who called him a monster when he was alive.
Nightmare Adoption: A young girl named Annabelle is adopted by a family that lives in a very old house. One day when is playing outside, she is kidnapped by a scary man named the Nightman.
Stuffed Shadows: A young boy named Jack gets lost in the woods and finds an old abandoned house. He enters the house and finds a huge stuffed animal. When he touches it, it wakes up and attacks him.
Depths of Fear: Imagine your worst fear and write a scary story about it.
A Rude Awakening: Write a horror story titled, A Rude Awakening. What would you do if you woke up in a place that you weren’t familiar with?
The Mysterious Case: What happens when someone goes missing and no one knows where they’ve gone?
Dreamstalker : Write about a monster that might be stalking you in your dreams.
Write a story titled, When The Wind Blows. This story could be about a sudden change in weather that comes with a new problem.
Mirror Demon: Continue the following story: Suddenly, the demon in the mirror reappeared and she began to scream.
Doctor’s Dread: When the doctor gave her the news, she screamed out loud and ran in circles.
Safekeeping Shadows: In her final hours, she told me to be thankful that I had done my best to keep her safe. That I had made sure no evil would ever hurt her again.
Camping Secrets: Continue the following horror story: As I was growing up, every year our family went camping in the woods. My grandfather passed away a few years ago. He was a rich man, and I wanted to visit his grave at the cemetery.
Forest of Shadows: While walking around the forest, I came across a monstrous-looking creature. I was scared and ran back home. The next day, I decided to go back and see what the monster was doing.
Echoes of Dread: Write down your biggest fear. And then write a story based on this fear.
Silent Stalker: When I looked in her file I saw that she had gotten five serious stab wounds. But, I could not see any sign of her attacker. Her wounds were all over her body and all over her arms.
Arachnid Terror: After discovering that a spider was sleeping in her bed, a young girl named Amy screams and runs away, locking herself in the bathroom.
Electric Fury: A scientific team is doing research on electricity. They find a very strong cell that could create many things when it is exposed to electricity. Suddenly the electricity static comes alive. It gets angry and attacks the scientists.
Imaginary Friend: A little girl named Amber loves to play with her new imaginary friend. She calls him “Giant” and she makes up stories about him. She believes that he is her friend for real.
Melting Nightmare: Continue the following story: As it continued attacking, it even caused my teeth to start to melt off of my jaw. My skin would start to burn, and my hair would become brown.
Friday Night Terrors: It’s Friday. The TV is on, and you are wide awake. As you lie there listening, you begin to feel tired. And just as your eyes begin to close, you hear a creak of the floorboards. Your eyes snap open. What you see scares the living hell out of you.
Blood Dawn: You wake up one morning to find your entire body covered in blood. What do you do?
Room of Despair: How would you react if you were locked in a room and told you could never leave?
Haunting Memoirs: What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you? Can you explain this in great detail?
Chilling Chronicles: Make a top ten list of the creepiest books or stories you have ever read.
The Gruesome Creation: Describe the most gruesome and disgusting creature you can imagine.
Zoo’s Menace: Write a horror story where there is a threat of animals getting out of the zoo.
Red-Eyed Pursuit: Continue the following starter: A red-eyed man of tall and dark build looms over a bus stop on a lonely, deserted country road, staring at me intently. I run like hell to get to the other side of the street, but it’s too late…
Homebound Horror: A strange animal has been following you through your home. Have you been doing anything strange or dangerous that has made it freak out?
Midnight Messages: Someone is leaving you messages in the dead of night. What’s the creepiest message you’ve received?
Ghostly Watcher: Create a ghost story about a creature that watches and waits in the corners of dark, abandoned places.
Jack and Jill’s Nightmare: Jack and Jill went up the hill, but they never came back down. Will they ever make it to the bottom? Write a horror story based on this idea.
Dark Secrets: The history of your town has a long dark secret that nobody wants to talk about. What is it?
Mutated Reality: Reality show participants get kidnapped and sent on a dangerous mission, where they must learn how to blend with mutated creatures.
Beastly Intrusion: In a small community in Japan, a supernatural force enters the community through a sewer. To beat it, the village must learn to work as a team and think like a beast.
School of Shadows: School kids don’t believe in ghosts until they’re suddenly being terrorised in their school at night.
Vampiric Genesis: Someone is using a contaminated strain of bat DNA to create vampires in real life. And it’s up to a group of scientists to put an end to it.
Promised Souls: The dead walk, and all they want to do is get what they were promised. Will you figure it out?
Spellbound Silence: An aspiring rapper, who always dreamed of singing in front of an adoring crowd, becomes the target of a spell that makes him unable to sing, his most cherished talent. Will he survive the consequences of his initial desire to be a star?
Mirror Man: Continue this story: You look into the mirror and see a man in black standing in the corner…
Cryptic Chronicles: Imagine that you stumble upon a really creepy story in your local library and it leads you on a very strange and frightening journey.
Lost in a Strange World: When night falls, people get teleported to an area far away, in a very different world! The only way to return home is by combining body parts with the different elements of the land.
Wicked Takeover: A small town gets taken over by a wicked witch, who’s on a mission to suck the souls of all the inhabitants.
Soul Seeker: When someone posts an ad online about finding a soul and bringing it home for a price, things get really interesting.
Human and Beast: What would happen if human DNA was spliced with that of a deadly monster?
Unknown Beyond: A guy receives an advance warning from his friends in the afterlife to get ready for the afterlife, or something worse may happen…
Death’s Present: A girl gets a letter that someone wants to give her a present before they die, but the present comes with a very specific clause. What happens when she follows the instructions?
Dark Diary: As a local woman is trying to recover from the death of her husband, she discovers an old diary, in which she discovers something that happened in her past that has led to events that followed.
Christmas Carnage: It’s beginning to look like Christmas! But there’s more to Christmas than Santa and presents. A deadly secret is hidden away in a child’s bedroom. And with a massive killer about to make an appearance, it’s a race against time to track him down.
Empire of Evil: A ship sets sail for the distant colony of the Empire, but its mission becomes a mission to find the source of evil.
Hell Town: Using a sinister new machine, a small-town mayor is convinced to turn his town into a hell-like world.
Wild Dogs: A group of four friends are lured into an abandoned house by a pack of wild dogs.
I Went To A Party: Complete the following sentence in three different spooky ways: I went to a party and…
Sea’s Claw: The captain was anxious to get home, but the sea was so rough that his ship could not make it. Suddenly, from the fog, a giant black claw appeared. The giant black claw grabbed the ship and then brought the ship to the bottom of the ocean.
Dybylu’s Awakening: A monster named Dybylu wakes up one morning, alone in her room. She can feel it in the air; her pet cat is afraid. She goes to look in the mirror and see’s a human staring back at her.
Murdered Spirit: A little boy is asked to help a spirit of a man who was murdered, but as he hears the story, it sounds weird and a bit confusing, and he begins to wonder if the story is even true.
Playground Horrors: In a playground near an orphanage, there are many playgrounds where kids play. The best playground is found next to an abandoned asylum.
Barn Cat’s Secret: A drifter named Mick goes to a farm with his friend Sam, and the owner of the farm is a creepy scientist. Mick climbs a barn ladder and sees a strange cat in there…
Cape Creature: A sweet girl named Annie and her sister, Charley, are having an adventure in their neighbourhood. Suddenly, Annie spots a strange black cape creature lurking in the distance. It was the most feared and horrible creature Annie has ever seen.
Island of Souls: The main character goes to an island that no one has visited before. He is enjoying his vacation, but one night he finds out that his home is being invaded by creatures who want to steal his soul.
Spookie’s Nightmares: A witch known as ‘Spookie’ causes horrible hallucinations to victims of her nightmares. Her victims can’t scream or cry or run. All they can do is panic.
Stick’s Mischief: A girl named Paige finds a stick that attracts a mysterious creature that will play a sick joke on her.
Black Blood: One day, a girl named Robin started having problems in school. Her parents, who are very smart and caring, see something is very wrong with Robin so they take her to the doctor. The doctor makes her go through a lot of tests, and everything is okay except for one last thing. Robin has black blood running through her veins.
Mirror’s Curse: A teenage girl named Sarah who is obsessed with her appearance starts turning into an old, ugly witch every time she looks into a mirror.
Bee Killer: When bees start dying suddenly out of nowhere, the lead detective in a bee colony must find the culprit.
Demon’s Puzzle: A strange jigsaw puzzle holds a horrific secret… In it, a grinning demon holds a girl’s head in its giant mouth.
Forbidden Drawing: A little boy sees a drawing of him in a forbidden book he had found. He is then transported to a never-ending forest, lost forever…
When the Past Comes Back: An adult is being haunted by their younger self.
Beast of the Woods: A reporter goes into the woods where there was a fierce animal attack. In this attack, five women and a little boy were killed. He decides to search for evidence on who this killer creature might be…
Letters of London: A man lives by himself in a flat in London. A mysterious person starts sending him letters which talk about how scary things will happen if he doesn’t leave his flat.
The Ghost in Her Friend’s Mother: A 7 year old girl is having a sleepover at her friend’s house. Her friend’s mom leaves them alone, but they soon find out that she was poisoned, and that a ghost has taken over her body.
Creepy Crawlies in Your Kitchen: The first animal the kids see is a snake that eats people’s brains. It sneaks around in people’s kitchens.
Revolving Nightmares: The story starts off with a character telling the readers about the night he and his parents got stuck in a revolving door. The night would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Tommy’s Window: A long time ago there was a man named Tommy, who was lost in a forest. Tommy thought he heard a ghost calling him. Tommy went in the direction of the noise and found a scary-looking house that has windows that never opened. Tommy finds out that the house belongs to a witch and that if he opens the windows, the witch will turn Tommy into a puppet.
Tommy the Dog: This is a story about a little boy and his dog. The little boy goes to a big park, and he sees a dog that is alone. He walks over to the dog, but it just barks and then runs away. The next day Tommy starts turning into a human-sized dog.

Fear no more! Just use this list of horror writing prompts to start writing your own fantastic horror story! Use any of these scary prompt ideas to take the story from your mind to your computer screen.

Looking for more creepy horror prompts? Check out this list of Halloween writing prompts , as well as this scary Halloween picture prompts .

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the 5 elements of a horror story.

Every good horror story contains the following five elements: Character, Setting, Action, Horror and Resolution. You can’t write a good horror without these elements.

How do you write in creepy writing?

To write in creepy writing, you need to immerse yourself in the world of horror. You think to think exactly like your main character or antagonist. Imagine yourself as a ghost, a demon, a monster, or a murderer. You can be a ghost who haunts people in their dreams or a monster who stalks them in the real world. Use extreme details to describe scenes of horror with gory and disgusting elements.

How do you get inspiration for horror?

Most horror stories are based on fear. Think about the things that scare you or haunt you in your nightmares. You can also get inspiration from watching scary movies or reading about scary stories. Finally, horror stories can also be inspired by real-life situations. For example, a girl who is bullied decides to take revenge on her bullies in a gruesome way. Of course, you can also use this list of horror writing prompts to inspire you too!

What are common horror themes?

Horror themes can be based on personal experiences, fears, or nightmares. Here are some common horror themes to explore:

Stalker: Someone who stalks you in your dreams or in the real world.
Monsters: Someone or something who appears to be human, but isn’t.
Revenge: Someone who is still haunted by a past event, and needs to seek revenge to overcome it.
Secrets: A deadly secret that could shake the lives of anyone involved.
Psychopaths: People who just kill or hurt others for the fun of it.

Did you find this list of over 110 horror writing prompts 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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The best horror writing prompts

A locked door, a creaking house, a shadow under the bed — horror can come from anywhere. It’s all about being able to tap into your own fear. But you know what’s even more scary to writers than screams, blood and gore? The terror of a blank page. That’s where our horror writing prompts come in.

Our prompts are here to give you inspiration, whatever type of horror story you’re writing. Whether your looming threats are demons, ghosts, monsters, witches, zombies, or simply something unknown lurking in the darkness, we’ve got the right ideas to spark your imagination and fuel your nightmares.

With that in mind, here are our top ten horror writing prompts:

Start your story with a character looking out of a window in the middle of the night.
An apparent coincidence occurs. Write a story about a character who suspects paranormal, spiritual, or criminal causes.
Write a story set in a city where the power suddenly goes out, leaving everyone in darkness.
Write a story that involves a reflection in a mirror.
Start your story with the arrival of a strange visitor in a small town.
The phone won't stop ringing, but it's not plugged into the wall.
You hear the crash of plates and a bloodcurdling scream coming from the kitchen.
It’s 3 am and you don’t know where your children are.

Looking for more help to get your horror writing started? We've got you covered. Check out some of our free resources, handpicked to help you write a story that goes bump in the night.

How to Master the 'Show, Don't Tell' Rule (free course) — To write a story full of suspense and mystery, you need to get the atmosphere right. Use our Show, Don't Tell course to master immersive storytelling, and make your readers feel like they're right there.
Character profile template (free resource) — Whether your protagonist is a scaredy cat or misguidedly bold (do they not realize this is a horror story?), you'll want to know exactly what makes them tick. That's how you scare them! Use our character profile to create three dimensional characters, whether they're man, woman, child, or ghoul.
How to Write a Horror Story: 7 Tips for Writing Horror (blog post ) — Our horror writing bible. No matter what kind of story you're working on, you'll find the answers here.

Want more help learning how to write a short horror story? Check out How to Write a Short Story That Gets Published — a free, ten day course guiding you through the process of short story writing by Laura Mae Isaacman, a full-time editor who runs a book editing company in Brooklyn.

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Novel writing ,

150 horror prompts, settings and characters.

By Thea Pelletier

Whether you’re looking to scare, horrify, or make your readers jump, we are here with all the inspiration you need! We’ve created a horrific list of 50 horror writing prompts to give your writing that hair-raising, back-of-the-neck eerie touch.

Why Use Horror Prompts?

Horror books (as well as movies and TV shows) exist because human fear exists. And all readers love to feel something with each genre! Classic horror fiction books aim to frighten, and over time authors have found a myriad of ways to do that. Common themes include ghosts, ghouls, monsters , vampires, werewolves, demons, zombies, murderers, serial killers, paranormal forces, witchcraft, apocalypses, psychological fear, and gore.

So if you’re feeling uninspired, you think all the good ideas have already been taken (they haven’t), or you simply want to kick-start your imagination – take a look at our horror prompts list. We have included 50 specific examples of horror story ideas organised under sub-genres. We hope some of them send a tingle down your spine and inspire you to write your own creepy novel!

50 Horror Story Prompts

Word of warning: in keeping with the nature of the genre, most of these prompts contain violent or upsetting themes.

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Comedic Horror Prompts

You survive the apocalypse purely due to a series of happy accidents. It turns out, an alien race orchestrated the doomsday events on Earth to see if humans were ready to ascend. As lone survivor, you’re selected to be the sole representative of humanity in the new world order.
Unpopular new arrivals in a town that treasures natural beauty, Michaela takes pity on her plastic surgeon father and goes to bed one night wishing that all of her classmates’ worst fears of their physical insecurities would come true.
You work at a Zombie Rehabilitation Centre in LA. It was your dream job until you realise you’re stuck teaching ‘Bite Inhibition’ classes.
Flattered to be one of the few freshmen listed on the most popular sorority’s website “Fresh Meat”, you turn up to a party in your honour at the Kappa Kappa house. At the end of the night, you discover a secret book containing a step-by-step plan of ‘How to eat the class of 2022’.
Former beauty pageant queen transforms into a hungry werewolf on the most important full moon of the year, on the prowl for the ‘next pretty young thing’. This year’s pageant hopefuls are armed to the teethed and willing to fight for the crown.
You’re a vain, ancient witch adapting to the 21st century by getting a job at the Apple Store so that you can enchant teenagers’ smartphones and sap their youth through their devices.

Demonic Possession Horror Prompts

Stacey’s perfect family life begins to unravel one day when a malicious spirit moves in and inflicts itself upon its host, jumping around between her, her husband, and her two daughters.
You terrify your family when you wake up floating two metres above your bed. An exorcist tells them he’s cured you, but the demon doesn’t actually leave your body. It’s learned to come out only when you are alone.
Taking part in a prison experiment for extra credit, 11 university students are unable to explain the violence that overcame them, and the brutal death of the 12 th student, citing demons over any psychological element.
You’re trying to put your house on the market. You’ve lived there all your life, and you’re the last surviving member of your family. Every estate agent you bring in to the house dies in a tragic accident days later.

Gore Horror Prompts

Uni student Jamie was looking for some extra cash when he signed away two weeks of his summer vacation to take part in a simple clinical trial. But when he realises patients are having their organs harvested against their will, his experience turns into a brutal, bloody nightmare.
Someone in your neighbourhood has been committing grisly acts of violence on people at night. You set up a camera to investigate and catch an exact replica of yourself in the act.
A well-intentioned break-in turns nasty for a group of friends who become trapped in a ‘chalet of death’ as the stunning vacation home turns into a gruesome automated killing machine at night.
You take a summer job at an amusement park. When covering for a coworker on the rollercoaster booth one night, body parts start flying off the ride. You stop the train and find that all the passengers are long-dead corpses.

Monster Horror Prompts

Night-time brings terror for caring but agoraphobic cat lady as her six beloved pets transform into flesh-hungry demons as soon as it’s dark out.
You’ve seen The Quiet Place and Birdbox , but what if the monstrous entity who invaded Earth destroyed humanity through touch? Each ‘spore’ is as big as a city, growing bigger each time it absorbs a victim. A pack of survivors must spread out if they want to make it through an ever-narrowing world in order to find, and destroy, the epicentre.
Susie is a wedding photographer whose camera starts to reveal monsters unseen to the eye that prey on the love of newlyweds. When Susie’s clients start to disappear from their honeymoons, she is the only person who knows what’s really happening to them.
You’re a teacher chaperoning swimming lessons at your school. You inspected the pool yourself, but when the kids get in you see an enormous, invisible creature come to life. The first drowning is ruled as accidental, and to your horror, the lessons continue.

Paranormal Horror Prompts

College student Josh is tapped as a pledge for an ultra-secret society via coded messages, which are unbeknownst to him left by the ghosts of past members who each met gruesome ends. The final test forces him into an abandoned storage facility where he must carry out increasingly punishing tasks on other pledges.
A close relative who died before you were born is standing in the upstairs window of the house across the street. You have no doubt it’s them. When you work up the courage to break in to the neighbour’s house and confront them, you turn to see the person you came to find now visible in the window of your own house.
The local sheriff’s night turns hellish when the man he locked up uses his telekinesis to lethally booby trap the station.
A mother of three does all she can to protect her family from imminent doom when she begins having visions of their collective deaths.
You’re out walking the dog one afternoon when you find yourself caught in a physical endless loop in the woods. You feel yourself losing time but you can’t find a way out.

Post-Apocalyptic Horror Prompts

Humanity took to the sea to survive the rising sea levels caused by climate change, but now their ocean rigs are massively overcrowded, resource-poor, and steeped in disease. A deadly class struggle breaks out on one of the stations.
A wayward AI has slowly infected all computers and devices, subtly turning humans against each other. Now living in a culture of suspicion and distrust running on the currency of violence, nomadic young Kit refuses to kill to survive.
You’ve grown up as the next generation of the most wealthy and successful humans who survived the end of the world. Your world unravels when you realise that those raising you have in fact been the robot overlords who destroyed humanity. They copied the skins of those they found locked in an emergency bunker and started to artificially grow humans as pets and slaves.
Trapped inside a small cabin by her phobia of the rain, one of the last surviving human women on earth tries to survive the night when a horde of those infected with the plague (that wiped out most of the human race) track her down hungry for blood.

Psychological Horror Prompts

After a tragic accident on his 21 st birthday, Peter gets back in touch with his estranged father via email. He flies 6000 miles to stay with him, but when he arrives he’s pulled into a deadly catfishing game carried out by a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
You wake up in your childhood bed, look down at yourself, and find that you’re 12 again. You can’t see yourself in the mirror, or in photos, but everyone else can see you. You’re convinced you’re going to disappear altogether.
Suspecting his wife of infidelity, Ben hires a private investigator to catch her in the act. When she disappears without her lover, Ben begins to suspect the man he hired had something to do with it.
You work the graveyard shift at a 24 hour on-campus library. While snooping around you come across a handwritten book that was started three decades ago. It contains a record of all the accidents and atrocities that have happened at the school since then. A week later, a girl falls off the roof and dies. During your next shift, you see a beloved professor writing in the book. You start to doubt everything when the death is ruled an accident.

Religious/Folk Beliefs Horror Prompts

Summer is excited to be spending her semester abroad, until she witnesses some locals performing a horrifying ritual on her fellow traveller.
Your parents reveal a horrid secret to you on your 18th birthday. Your idyllic lifestyle in a small, isolated community will come to an end if you don’t start participating in the cult’s obscene rituals. If you refuse, you’ll be sacrificed against your will for the cause.
Born into a futuristic fringe community that abhors physical contact, a young woman’s attempts to break free are met with the harshest repercussions.

Slasher Horror Prompts

Callie is delighted to be driving to college in her graduation gift – a brand new electric Mercedes – when an EMP attack leaves her stranded by the side of the road. There’s nothing but forest around for miles, until a lumberjack with a dark past pulls up beside her.
Ten years after you said goodbye to your imaginary friend, you see their face on the evening news next to the headline ‘The Redfield Ripper’s Recent Attacks’.
An insane chef renting a cabin in the woods sharpens up their knife skills on whoever is unlucky enough to disturb them.

Vampire Horror Prompts

Cal is a postman resigned to a boring new route in a rural valley when he comes across three beautiful sisters living alone in a big house. He finds himself there almost every day hauling curious packages. A bout of bad weather knocks a tree down on the only road in, and a few days later, Cal is greeted with a terrifying scenario at the front door.
For months, your dog keeps waking you up at the same time every night. He barks at the window. When you look out onto the street, you see the same stranger watching you. The stranger can’t be recorded, and nobody believes you when you tell them. One night, thinking yourself delirious, you invite him in.
Told from the POV of the youngest sibling of an ancient coven of vampires, Clara and her family are ‘monsters’ living their lives in fear of a powerful new hunter who has trapped them in a small town and is threatening to pick them off one by one.

Witchcraft Horror Prompts

Down on her luck librarian Eliza idolises famous American movie star Marsha Green. When she comes across an ancient tome under some rotten floorboards and begins to meddle with unknown forces, she sets events in motion which alter Marsha’s life forever.
You win the lottery. But every time you spend some of the money, no matter what you use it for, bad things happen. You go back to where you found the lucky ticket, pinned to a tree, and it’s now covered in unfamiliar symbols.
A revolutionary new computer game downloads itself onto the laptops of a group of 11-year-olds. After playing all night, they return to school to find their in-game actions inflicted on their classmates. Suspecting their strict teacher to be behind it, the kids must figure out how to undo her spell and reverse the damage they have done.
You’re an overbearing mother who wishes she could give her daughter the perfect life. You do more harm than good with your cosmetic spells and emotional enchantments, nearly destroying the life of your sixteen year old, who eventually exacts her revenge in equal measure.
Working late one night, an exec finds himself unable to leave his bewitched office chair as a scorned investor instructs him to perform humiliating acts in front of his webcam as penance.

Zombie Horror Prompts

A teenage girl goes to an illicit gathering in the woods one night and meets a boy. Their encounter ends badly. She wakes up to find teeth and nail marks, and realises she is a little less alive than she was the day before.
You dreamt of the zombie pandemic as a child. You dedicated your life to preparing an antidote, waiting for the outbreak so you could develop a cure. You are shunned from the scientific community for your ‘fringe beliefs’. At the first signs of sickness in your loved ones, you kidnap them and take them to an underground research facility where you push yourself to your limits and make dire choices in anticipation of saving the human race.
Years after her best friend is murdered, detective Alana’s latest case leads her to a mansion overrun by a horde of zombies led by a hauntingly familiar face.
You’ve never questioned your landlord’s odd behaviour, desperate as you were for cheap rent. But when the fuse blows and no one is around to fix it, you uncover a nasty truth in the basement’s freezer. It’s overflowing with brains!
You’re a doctor volunteering in the latest wave of deadly outbreaks across Europe. When you’re morally unable to kill patient zero in the early stages of a new unknown strain, you must live with unleashing the zombie virus across the world’s population.

50 Places To Find Inspiration For Your Horror Story

The setting of a horror story is everything – but not all scary novels have to take place in a scary place (in fact, sometimes the most mundane of places can be given a horrifying twist by adding a bit of the unknown). When looking for inspiration, it really helps to physically go to a place, or research old relics, to help kick-start your imagination. Take a look at our 50 places that may inspire your next creepy tale. In fact, see if you can think of a horror book or movie set in some of these places (we certainly can!).

An empty school
A graveyard
Look at old paintings
Go through old photo albums
An empty house
The basement
A toy store after closing time
Visit an old library
An old lady’s house that hasn’t changed in decades
A scrapyard
The dessert
The ocean (the deeper, the scarier)
A secluded island
The forrest on a misty day
A snowy tundra
A corn field
A shopping mall
An abandoned…well…anything
A locked room
A log cabin
A swelteringly hot day
Suburbia…but different
A run-down urban street
A room full of puppets
Backstage of the theatre
Empty corridors leading nowhere
A rubbish dump
An empty road in the rain
The top of a mountain
Ancient ruins
The inside of a church
A fairground after closing hours
Beneath the streets of a big city
A metro station/the tube
The kitchens of a hotel or restaurant
An old stone quarry
Overgrown railway line

50 Horror Story Characters To Inspire you

Sometimes, the most simplest of storylines with the most mundane of setting, can be utterly horrifying of you add one very complicated character. Of course you can use monsters and fantastical characters you have created, but often the best effect is mixing an everyday character with a setting where they belong; for instance a clown hiding inside a car at an empty scrapyard, or a little old lady, bony and bent double, in the middle of the jungle. And remember – these characters can be the good gifs, the bad guys, or maybe a mix of both!

Little old lady
Troubled teenager
A person with no eyes
Police officer
Woman with dramatically applied make-up
Sex worker or pimp
Someone with blades for fingers
Baby in a crib
Toddler that doesn’t speak
Girl in bedclothes with hair that covers her face
A character that belongs in another time
Animal that can talk
Person with wings for arms
A very normal looking mother. A bit too normal.
Someone who is meant to be dead
A goody-two-shoes child
Airline pilot
Captain of a ship
Firefighter
Scientist (everyone loves a mad scientist)
A single dad
A mother with more kids than she can handle
Sewage worker
Builder working on an new house
Archeologist
Security guard
Traffic warden/meter maid
Someone with wheels for feet
Prison warden
Door to door salesperson
Shy secretary
Nun or priest

Writing Horror Doesn’t Have To Be Hard

We hope our list of writing prompts for horror , along with settings and characters, has sparked your imagination! If not, here’s how to take our horror ideas to the next level:

Found a horror story prompt you like but unsure of where to take it next? Let’s take #8 from the top list, for example, and add a few interesting characters from our list and choose a setting or two. Then start to build an information bank on your protagonist from there. At this point focus on the character , not the plot – because often one thing can lead to another. The Prompt: You’re a troubled teen who terrifies your family when you wake up floating two metres above your bed. You just moved into an old house in a quiet, creepy suburban street. An exorcist tells your family he has cured you, but the demon doesn’t actually leave your body, and learns to come out only when you are alone.

You’re still a teenager, living at home. Your name is Jackson, but you go by Jax. You’re a second generation immigrant and you speak Greek at home with your family. Your father named you after his favourite American baseball player. You have dark hair, dark eyes, and when you would steal your grandmother’s baklavas off the kitchen counter she would say she could see the devil in your face. You spend the weekends riding the coastal roads on motorbikes with your friends, doing your best to stay out the way of your spoiled little sister and your overworked father. You’re closest to your YaYa but too afraid to tell her where you spend most of your time. Moving house unsettled you and took away everything you ever loved.

Or, why not map out a rough plot first? The inciting incident for this prompt could be: You’ve snuck back into your room after a long night out with your friends. You left the window open. Four hours after you collapsed onto your bed in your clothes, you wake with a start to find yourself hovering inexplicably in the air. Your body is locked into position. You spend a panicked hour trying to wriggle free of its grip, but you can feel another presence inside your own body, forcing you down. You’re going to be late for your new school, your sister is turning the doorknob and your father is yelling for you. Your feet frame the pure terror in the three faces at the door as your eyes strain to see them. Your grandmother recovers the quickest, stuffing her komboskini into your frozen fist and running out of the room to phone her priest. Whether you start your horror story with just a vibe, a small seed of an idea, a great setting, character , or a full plot – it doesn’t matter. A great story can start anywhere, you just have to make sure that (like any scary monster) you keep feeding it and watch it grow bigger and more horrifying every day!

About the author

Thea is part of the Writer Support T eam here at Jericho Writers. She has a degree in German and English Literature from The University of Edinburgh and enjoys spending time with her dogs and working on her first novel in her spare time.

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115 Horror Writing Prompts To Inspire Your Spookiest Stories.

As with any genre, writing horror can be challenging. Readers expect a certain kind of frisson when they crack open a horror book, so coming up with ideas that are chilling and fresh can be tricky. This article contains 115 spooky and sinister writing prompts that you can use to inspire your next piece of horror fiction . They’re mostly left-field and weird, because the best way to come up with scary ideas is to think in an unconventional way.

These prompts are split into three sections: general, monster, and traditional. The general section will offer prompts related to the human condition in general and not any one specific trope or theme from horror fiction. The monster section will offer prompts related specifically to monsters as a whole rather than one type of monster like vampires or werewolves. Lastly, the traditional prompt will offer prompts related specifically to conventions from the traditional canon of horror literature .

A fortune teller reveals that you are evil.

A group of friends takes on the zombie apocalypse.

A scary doll comes to life.

A scene from a nightmare comes true the next day.

All the cats in a small town vanish in the middle of the night….and all that remains is a set of big, scary teeth smashed into a car door.

Days go by, and your parents don’t come home.

Every time you wake up, you’re a different person.

Everyone knows the new neighbors are vampires, and the kids invite you over for a sleepover.

Someone follows you home, and it’s your exact double.

Someone is living in your mirror.

Strange things start happening after the grandfather clock starts to speak.

The teacher is a monster, but no one will believe you.

When a local police officer goes to investigate the haunted house down the street, he finds a young girl who died decades ago.

While reading a scary book, you realize that you’re a character in it.

You feel yourself slowly becoming a monster.

You finally meet your child’s imaginary friend. Who turns out to be a serial killer.

You find a diary that tells the future.

You have no reflection in the mirror.

You hypnotize your brother, and you can’t snap him out of it.

You know someone is watching you day and night from the house across the street.

You realize you are shrinking.

You’re inhabited by a ghost that controls you and makes you do crazy things.

You’re lost in the woods, and you don’t know how you got there.

Your friends start to disappear, and no one else notices.

Your parents explain that you are actually an alien from another planet.

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 30-year-old woman learns that a baby with the same name as her died at the local hospital 30 years ago.

A bachelor’s party ends with two dead people in the pool. Both of them are missing their eyes.

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 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.

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.

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 bride returns to the same bridge for 50 years waiting for her husband-to-be to get out of the water.

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 cannibal hunts for pure children’s hearts hoping they will bring him eternal youth.

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 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.

A delusional man brings his screaming children to a chasm.

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 family of four moves in an old Victorian home. As they restore it, more and more people die suddenly and violently.

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 frightened man is trying to lead a werewolf into a trap and kill him with the last silver bullet.

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.

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.”

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 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 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 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 hitman is hired to kill a potential heart donor.

A house finds a way to kill every visitor on its premises.

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 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 kidnapper makes his victims torture each other for his sheer pleasure.

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.

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.

A little girl’s sister lives with a monster in the closet. She exits the closet on her sister's birthday.

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 man commits murders at night and relives the agony of his victims during the day.

A man encounters death on his way to work. He can ask three questions before he dies. He makes a quick decision.

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.

A man is attacked by the neighbor’s dog while trying to bury his wife alive.

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 man is trying to open a time portal so that he could kill his parents before he is ever conceived.

A man opens his eyes in the middle of his autopsy while the coroner is holding his heart.

A man signs a document with his blood to relinquish his body to a sect.

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.

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.

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 most prominent member of a sect goes to animal shelters to find food for the dark forces.

A mother discovers that her bright son is not human.

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 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 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 mysterious bug creeps under people’s skins and turns them into the worst version of themselves.

A mysterious child psychiatrist promises parents to cure their children if they give him a vile of their blood.

A mysterious stranger with a glass eye and a cane commissions a portrait. When the portrait is finished, the painter turns into stone.

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.

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 nuclear blast turns animals into blood-thirsty monsters.

A patient with a multiple-personality disorder tells you that you are one of six characters.

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 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 politician hides his weird sister in the attic. She’s had her supernatural powers after their family home burned to the ground.

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 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.

A psychopath is drugging his wife, pushing her to commit a suicide so that he could collect the life insurance.

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.

A severed head is hanging from a bridge with a message written in the victim’s blood.

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.

A strange religious group starts performing a ritual on a playground. The children’s hearts stop beating.

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 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 teenager is determined to escape his kidnapper by manipulating him into drinking poison. He doesn’t stop there.

A ticking noise wakes her up. It’s a bomb, and she has only four minutes to do something about it.

A vampire donates his blood so that a child with special brain powers can receive it.

A vampire prefers albino children.

A voice in your head tells you to stop listening to the other voices. They were not real.

A voice starts chanting spells every time somebody wears the gold necklace from Damask.

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.

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 woman enters a sacred cave in India and disappears for good.

A woman gets trapped in a parallel universe where every day she dies horribly in different ways.

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 woman loses her eyesight overnight. Instead, she starts having premonitions.

A woman puts a lipstick on in the bathroom when she hears a demonic voice saying to her: “Can’t you see?”

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 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 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.

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 world-famous violinist virtuoso uses music to summon dark forces.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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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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101 "What If..." Story Prompts To Inspire Your Writing

Do you need some help conjuring compelling ideas? Sometimes reading simple story prompts is the easiest way to find them.

Why Use Story Prompts?

Building story prompts into your writing routine can make you a better writer. Not only will they get the creative juices flowing, but story prompts can also help warm-up your brain for a productive writing session and help you develop a wider writing skill-set.

If you want to explore new writing styles, storylines, and characters in a small, safe test environment, story prompts can definitely take you into unfamiliar territory. They can also push you to be more creative as you concentrate at a high level on a relatively short writing task.

Drawing Inspiration from Story Prompts

Most writers are often asked, “Where do you get your ideas from?” Or “Do you have any favorite story prompts that inspire you?” 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.

One of the best ways to find compelling and engaging story concepts is to come up with intriguing "What if..." story prompts. Some of the greatest cinematic stories have come from the answers to some of those questions.

Story Prompts in Action

Story Prompt: What if a nuclear submarine was ordered to launch their nuclear arsenal onto the world? Movie: Crimson Tide

Story Prompt: What if a little boy could see dead people when nobody else could? Movie: The Sixth Sense

Story Prompt: What if the world we live in is actually a computer simulation? Movie: The Matrix

Story Prompt: What if the males in a family could travel back in time to right their own wrongs, have greater success, or visit with lost loved ones? Movie: About Time

The answers to story prompts that you conjure 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.

We've previously offered terrifying horror story prompts that writers could use.

Read ScreenCraft's 101 Terrifying Horror Story Prompts !

Now we open the story prompts possibilities up to all genres. You can use these seeds and apply them to any genre of your choosing. Here we offer 101 "What if..." story prompts to get those creative juices flowing.

Note: Because we're all connected to the same pop culture, news headlines, and inspirations, any similarity to any past, present, or future screenplays, novels, short stories, television pilots, television series, plays, or any other creative works is purely coincidence. These story prompts were conceived on the fly without any research or Google search for inspiration.

1. What if the past and present timelines began to merge?

2. What if the Greek Gods truly did use to walk the earth?

3. What if your stepfather or stepmother is actually your future self?

4. What if the sun began to die?

5. What if the universe as we know it is actually someone's imagination?

6. What if the Big Bang was actually nothing more than someone coming up with the idea of our solar system?

7. What if an alien invasion was actually meant to stop humans from destroying themselves?

8. What if a young boy or young girl could hear everyone's inner thoughts?

9. What if a newly elected President came to power because they could hear everyone's inner thoughts?

10. What if technology was a test given to us by aliens to see what we'd do with it?

11. What if a portal opened to another world during a child's sleepover?

12. What if the human mind suddenly went through an extreme form of evolution?

13. What if robots were actually here first?

14. What if we are actually the descendants of another planet, brought here long ago?

15. What if an executioner was suddenly granted the ability to bring people back from the dead?

16. What if the dream world is the actual world?

17. What if World War I never happened?

18. What if World War II never happened?

19. What if the space program never stopped going to the moon?

20. What if there are still people in bunkers from the buildup to the Y2K scare?

21. What if a worldwide EMP destroyed all electronics?

22. What if a woman was elected President?

23. What if the oceans began to dry up?

24. What if dinosaurs are still alive somewhere?

25. What if vampires are real?

26. What if ghosts were the ones that were alive... not us?

27. What if some scientist has been successfully cloning humans for years?

28. What if you had the powers of God for one day?

29. What if you could relive your childhood in exchange for your life?

30. What if the Creator has been in a coma?

31. What if Christ has been among us for 32 years?

32. What if someone could possess anyone's body for 24 hours?

33. What if God came down as a human to explore his or her creation?

34. What if Bruce Lee never died?

35. What if someone came out to the press claiming to be Andy Kaufman?

36. What if Hitler survived World War II?

37. What if Hitler was discovered living in an American suburb in the 1950s?

38. What if someone unlocked the secret to immortality?

39. What if Christ was an alien... and he returned?

40. What if the remaining superpowers decided to invade America?

41. What if a humanoid underwater civilization was discovered in the ocean depths?

42. What if magicians were actually part of a secret society that could use real magic?

43. What if every human being had the same dream at the same time?

44. What if the world suddenly became a musical and people could only communicate in song?

45. What if dogs and humans switched bodies?

46. What if cats and dogs ruled the earth?

47. What if there was a scientifical explanation to ghosts?

48. What if a wormhole opened up just outside of Earth's atmosphere?

49. What if the moon was once Earth's equivalent?

50. What if Mars is already populated by a species living underground?

51. What if you could stop time at will?

52. What if someone had the ability to morph into anyone, anytime?

53. What if a comatose patient could communicate with their loved ones through their dreams?

54. What if a comatose patient started to haunt the dreams of their nurse?

55. What if Mark Twain was brought into the present from the past to experience how life has changed?

56. What if time travel was real?

57. What if time travel was discovered long ago by the elite New Order?

58. What if all conspiracy theories are actually true?

59. What if President Kennedy had never died?

60. What if a small town in the middle of nowhere was actually a human zoo on an alien world?

61. What if someone from Oz was left in Kansas after a tornado?

62. What if the cure for cancer was found, but the government doesn't want us to know?

63. What if every male in the world dropped dead because of some chromosome-related disease?

64. What if Area 51 hides a wormhole to alien worlds?

65. What if Area 51 is a cover site?

66. What if a reporter discovered that an unknown astronaut went missing in space during the Gemini and Apollo missions?

67. What if angels lived among us?

68. What if children were now angels born into man?

69. What if a police officer discovered that his whole precinct was actually aliens in disguise?

70. What if humans are all organic robots that killed off their makers long ago?

71. What if the memories of every living human on Earth were erased?

72. What if all of the adults disappeared, leaving only children to fend for themselves?

73. What if there are monsters living under our beds?

74. What if a poor man or woman discovered an actual money tree that only they could see?

75. What if someone woke up to discover that they were living in their parent's bodies during their own childhood?

76. What if video game consoles could control real soldiers?

77. What if a boy or girl realizes that their family has been replaced by aliens?

78. What if rooms in a huge mansion were portals to people's nightmares?

79. What if a serial killer found out that they had a long lost child?

80. What if someone woke up in a remote forest with no recollection of how they got there?

81. What if a brother and sister, fighting over who gets to play Fortnite, were sucked into the game?

82. What if someone discovered that they could email their past self?

83. What if hackers erased everyone's debt?

84. What if an earthquake unleashed a series of underground monsters?

85. What if a professional thief was blackmailed into stealing a haunted artifact from King Tut's tomb?

86. What if a newly elected President of the United States tried to find out the truth about the Kennedy Assassination?

87. What if a newly elected President of the United States tried to find out the truth about Roswell?

88. What if humans began to age backward?

89. What if Star Wars was not a figment of George Lucas's imagination?

90. What if the Titanic suddenly appeared... with no people onboard?

91. What if the Titanic suddenly appeared... with all of the original passengers and crew members onboard?

92. What if someone woke up in a strange spaceship with no recollection of how they got there?

93. What if someone kept waking up from dream after dream with no end and no way to determine what was real and what was a dream?

94. What if the late night layover in a deserted airport was actually the gateway to heaven or hell?

95. What if an island suddenly appeared off of the coast of New York?

96. What if you suddenly woke up in the process of getting an MRI with no recollection of who you are and how you got there?

97. What if you started to take on the characteristics and personality of your organ donor?

98. What if the medical field performed the first brain transplant... with drastic results?

99. What if a writer's words came to life?

100. What if filmmakers could produce a film by merely imagining it in their heads?

101. What if you are actually the character that someone conjured after reading these story writing prompts?

Share this with your writing peers or anyone that loves a good story. Have some prompts of your own? Share them through comments on Facebook posts or Twitter retweets!

Keep writing.

For more writing resources, sign up for the ScreenCraft's Screenwriting Newsletter Here !

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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Home / Book Writing / Horror Writing Prompts: 50+ Ideas to Get You Started

Horror Writing Prompts: 50+ Ideas to Get You Started

Horror writers get their ideas from a number of sources. Whether it be from a seemingly innocent interaction at the grocery store or a terrifying nightmare that just won't go away, there's no shortage of horror story ideas. But sometimes, you just need a little nudge to get the terror flowing. And that's just what you'll get in this article with these horror writing prompts.

Ingredients for a good horror story.
Horror story writing prompts.
Vetting your horror story idea.

How to Write a Good Horror Story
Serial Killer Writing Prompts
Ghost Story Horror Prompts
Monster Horror Writing Prompts
Psychological Horror Story Prompts
Halloween Writing Prompts
Science Fiction Horror Story Prompts
Mystery Writing Prompts
Test Your Horror Idea

Like most umbrella terms for major genres, “horror” covers a whole range of different styles, tropes, and subject matter. Psychological horror and slasher horror are two examples that lie near opposite ends of the spectrum. That said, there are certain things that horror readers expect from stories, no matter what subgenre.

As you can probably guess, these expectations aren't about feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Horror readers want to be scared . Some of them want to be grossed out and scared. They want to deal with fear from the safety of their couch or bed. They want to feel the hairs on the back of their neck prickle as the hulking monster stalks the unwitting character or the malevolent spirit stands next to the sleeping woman.

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But to do this effectively, the reader has to care about the character . Like all stories, horror tales are about humans. Most often, they’re about good people who find themselves in bad situations. So make sure to include a character arc and a good number of round characters .

Additionally, horror readers like to be surprised . While not every horror story needs a plot twist, you'll find that many of them have one (or more).

Keep these factors in mind as we go through this article and explore the prompts that can help you write a great horror story. And if you're suffering from writer's block , the following prompts can certainly help.

Horror Story Prompts

Horror stories don't necessarily have to fit into a subgenre. Any of the following ideas will make for a scary story.

1. A woman is convinced demonic possession is real, and only she can tell who is possessed. The only way to send the demons back to hell is to kill the person.

2. A little boy shows up at an adult character's house. He knows things about the adult that he's never told anyone. And he wants help killing someone.

3. A woman comes home to find that her house has been ransacked. The only thing that's missing is the positive pregnancy test she just took the day before.

4. As part of his job, a law enforcement officer investigates a dark website about demonic killers. Strange things start to happen as the investigation proceeds.

5. A teenager comes back home to his small mountain town after being away at camp. But he finds that everyone is acting strange and all the birds are gone.

6. A character finds that her social media has been hacked, and all her pictures have been expertly altered to make it look like she's dead.

7. There's a new scary movie out. The main character goes to the special midnight showing, but something terrible happens in the middle of the movie, and many of the audience members now have a taste for human flesh.

8. A small town is tormented by a supernatural force. It turns out that many of the people in the town helped cover up a horrible murder. Someone is seeking revenge from beyond the grave.

9. A man wins the lottery and starts living the high life. He breaks up with his old girlfriend for a new one. But the new one ends up dead, and he's the main suspect.

10. A bully terrorizes a small town, until the people have had enough. What they don't realize is the town bully is well-versed in the dark arts.

11. A girl who loves writing horror stories finds herself dealing with a crazy religious group that thinks what she does is immoral.

12. A couple of burglars break into a house only to find that they've been set up. The house is a mess of traps designed to torture the two burglars.

13. An amusement park worker finds that something sinister is going on behind the scenes.

14. A character attends a party in which an ancient ritual will be performed. He doesn't believe in the ritual, but he's in for a horrible surprise.

15. A new phone app that young people are using gives them powers to do amazing things. But with too much use, the app takes control of them.

Slasher horror movies are popular for a reason, and the same goes for books. Sometimes the scariest horror fiction involves something that can happen in real life.

16. Write a story set in the old west, where people are being brutally murdered. It's made to look like Native Americans are doing it, but the local sheriff suspects otherwise.

17. A killer is targeting police officers. The city is on edge, and a detective has a personal stake in catching the killer. But the killer soon targets her loved ones.

18. The main character thinks his neighbor is a serial killer. But we soon find out that the main character is the killer, and he's trying to set up his neighbor to take the fall.

19. A group of young people shows up at a camp three years after several people are murdered there. But these young people have come for revenge against the killer.

20. A man feels compelled to kill people he doesn't know. He soon figures out that someone is manipulating him with the dark arts.

Whether we're talking about Stephen King, Peter Straub, or any number of other great horror writers, ghosts and ghouls make for great horror fiction.

21. The staff of a mortuary start dying off through unexplained means. It turns out they've been stealing from their clients, and their dead family members are trying to right the wrongs.

22. A child is convinced his house is haunted. He tries to tell his mother about it but finds that she can no longer hear or see him. It's like he never existed.

23. A story about a haunting convinces people that ghosts are trying to kill them. Anyone who hears the story starts experiencing strange things. People say it's all in their heads, but it might be real.

24. A young couple driving cross-country finds a little girl. She tells them her story as they take her to the nearest police station. But when they get there, she's gone.

25. Explore the implications of an old man who goes out of his way to make ghosts so he'll have company after he dies.

Hulking monsters that go bump in the night are common staples of the horror genre. These prompts should lend you some monstrous inspiration.

26. An experiment gone wrong releases a virus that turns certain dog breeds into demonic killing machines.

27. A fracking company accidentally releases something huge and horrific from under the surface of the earth.

28. Vampires exist, but they're far more brutal, ugly, and harder to kill than lore suggests. And they've suddenly been released from their containment spell.

29. There's something strange about the neighbors who've just moved into the house. They say they have dogs, but the main character has only ever seen evidence of these huge dogs during full moons.

30. A horror writer is desperate for ideas. She steals a cursed item that is supposed to give her inspiration. But instead, it makes the monsters of her imagination come to life.

Not every horror story idea has to do with visible monsters or killers. Psychological horror uses the human psyche to ratchet up the fear factor for ultimate screams.

31. A young reporter's Twitter account is hacked. She keeps getting strange and threatening messages. Soon, she comes home to find her cat dead. Someone is messing with her, and she needs to find out why.

32. A man with a mysterious past has finally found some peace. But someone who he thought was dead shows up from his past.

33. This creepy story takes place over the course of a single night, in which campers are taunted by beings in the forest that pit the campers against each other.

34. Two coworkers are forced to spend the night in a dilapidated hotel. But it's a night that never ends, and they're both convinced there's something seriously wrong with the other.

35. A social media influencer live-streams a crime spree. It turns out the whole thing is faked, but the people who go out to stop him don't know that.

We couldn't mention horror stories without talking about Halloween. These prompts are all Halloween-themed.

36. As Halloween night gets into full swing, the power to the entire city goes out. And there's something in the dark that's powerful and ruthless.

37. A family who loves Halloween decides to take their haunted house a step further by stealing some dead bodies from the local morgue. But they choose the wrong morgue, because these bodies aren't all the way dead.

38. A town that has been haunted by a brutal killer on Halloween for years is on edge. A kid playing a prank dresses up as the killer and gets shot. Chaos ensues as neighbors turn against each other.

39. The main character wakes up on Halloween morning to find herself in a dilapidated version of her town. And all the people are mysteriously gone. But it seems she's not alone.

40. A cult leader convinces his followers to kill themselves on Halloween night. But some of the characters try to escape. The cult leader won't allow that to happen.

Mixing common science fiction themes with tried-and-true horror themes can make for a great story.

41. A mission to Mars is thrown off track as one of the astronauts becomes sick with a mysterious and deformative virus.

42. Strange ball-shaped objects suddenly appear all over Earth. People who come near them start acting very strange.

43. While testing a new weapon, the US Government accidentally opens a portal to another dimension. And the creatures of that dimension don't like humans.

44. In the not-too-distant future, the Earth is infested with killer plants and deformed beasts that keep getting better at killing humans.

45. A scientist opens a time portal, but he lets the wrong person use it. He must trip through time to right the wrongs done by the antagonist.

Mystery and horror often go hand-in-hand. So if you like intrigue with your terror, pick a horror prompt from below to get the creative juices flowing.

46. There's a killer terrorizing an American colony in the eighteenth century. But as the main characters get closer to the culprit, they suspect there's something inhuman at work.

47. A Sherlock Holmes-like character uses his skills to make criminals pay for their crimes . . . with their lives.

48. A woman decides to take self-defense classes. But someone from the class follows her home and tries to convince her she's in danger.

49. A group of people is locked in a house together. They must figure out why they've each been chosen, or else they'll die by morning.

50. A man takes it upon himself to do what the police can't: find out who is abducting children in his town. But what he finds is a conspiracy involving powerful people in a dark cult.

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Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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159+ Horror Story Prompts – Unleash Your Scary Stories

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on Published: September 5, 2022 - Last updated: January 2, 2024

Categories Writing , Inspiration , Storytelling

Are you a horror enthusiast with a passion for writing? Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ve put together 159 spine-chilling horror story prompts to help unleash your creativity and keep your readers on edge. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned writer, our carefully curated prompts, sorted by genre, will turn your creative gears.

Dive into these prompts and start crafting your terrifying tale today! With our help, you’ll be able to engage and thrill your audience through captivating narratives and haunting horror elements.

Key Takeaways

Discover 159 creative writing prompts to inspire gripping horror stories
Experience prompts tailored for different sub-genres within the horror realm
Unleash your creativity and captivate readers with spine-chilling tales

25 General Horror Writing Prompts

Here are 25 intriguing horror writing prompts to spark your imagination:

Haunted Places

Your family moves into a new home, only to find out it’s haunted by the ghost of a previous occupant.
A group of teenagers dares each other to stay overnight in a haunted house.
Inheriting your deceased grandmother’s house, you find a haunted music box.
Your group of friends discovers their beach hotel is haunted during their vacation.
Settling into your new home, your family realizes they’re not alone.

Mysterious Encounters

You and your friends go camping in the woods, but a mysterious killer begins stalking you.
Alone at home, you hear strange noises coming from within the house.
While driving home from work, your car breaks down late at night in a dark, isolated area.
On Halloween night, a creepy child dressed in a clown outfit shows up at the door of your babysitting gig.
Investigating odd noises in your attic, you make a horrifying discovery.

Supernatural Experiences

You and your friends decide to play with an Ouija board, accidentally summoning a demonic presence.
Strange occurrences begin happening when you discover that your children have been playing with a voodoo doll.
Living alone, an elderly woman notices objects in her house mysteriously moving independently.
Following a car accident, you start having nightmares of your death.
You stumble upon disturbing rituals at an abandoned temple on a Mexican vacation.

Unsettling Situations

Waking up in a hospital, you have no memory of how you got there or what happened to you.
You find out that your identical twin sister has been locked away in an asylum and decide to switch places with her.
As layoffs loom at work, your colleagues start dying in mysterious accidents.
Trying on clothes in a dressing room, you realize you’re not the only one present.
Your regular poker game is disrupted when you realize one of your friends has been replaced by an impostor.

Survival and Escape

After being stranded on an island, your group of survivors becomes the prey of cannibals.
Returning from war, you discover sinister counterparts have taken the place of your family members.
Driven by financial desperation, you agree to participate in a dangerous medical experiment.
Performing maintenance on an old elevator, you find yourself trapped overnight with terrifying company.
You start receiving terrifying phone calls and strange gifts at your doorstep.

25 Horror Screenplay Ideas

Let these ideas spark your creativity as you dive into the eerie world of horror writing:

Curses and Transformations

Imagine a small town where a mysterious curse transforms townsfolk into animals under the cover of darkness.
Picture an evil witch transforming people into frogs, forcing them to race against time to break the spell.

Ghosts and Spirits

Picture a woman tormented by the spirit of her deceased sister, who relentlessly attempts to end her life.
Think of a family moving into their dream home only to discover it’s inhabited by vengeful ghosts.
Visualize a woman pursued by her abusive ex-lover returned from the afterlife.
Consider friends visiting a haunted house, unaware of the frightening spirits awaiting them inside.
A family moves into a new house, only to find they’re being watched by an unseen presence.

Demonic and Otherworldly Entities

Envision a group of friends camping in the woods, stalked and hunted by ravenous werewolves.
Contemplate a young girl possessed by a malevolent demon, striking terror and death in her community.
Ponder a man who gradually realizes his wife has been replaced by an extraterrestrial being.
Envision a mother’s fight to protect her children from a nightmarish creature hiding in their closet.
In the midst of an eclipse, vampires emerge to feast upon unsuspecting humans.
A detective uncovers a shocking truth: werewolves have committed a string of grisly murders.

Apocalyptic and Unnatural Threats

Zombies and the undead.

Imagine a zombie invasion during a couple’s Caribbean getaway.
A twisted scientist creates a serum that turns its victims into undead zombies and unleashes it on the world.
On Halloween night, the dead rise as zombies to roam the Earth.

Paranormal and Psychic Phenomena

A woman is tormented by sinister, phantom-like children.
People fall victim to demonic possession through everyday technology.
A man, subjected to cruel experiments, channels newfound psychic powers to exact revenge.

Terrifying Encounters and Survival

Haunting encounters.

Teenagers partying in a deserted warehouse get trapped, facing dire consequences.
Kids at summer camp discover the staff members are aliens with a sinister plan.
As teens roam through an abandoned asylum, they begin to vanish one by one.

Cultural and Exotic Horrors

An American family vacationing in Japan unwittingly stumbles upon paranormal Yakuza activity.

Wilderness and Isolation

While hiking in the mountains, a group of friends must find their way back before darkness falls.
A brave sibling must protect their younger sister during a home invasion.

Let these ideas guide you in crafting your own terrifying tales. Enjoy the spine-chilling writing process!

37 Science Fiction Horror Prompts

Immerse yourself in these spine-chilling science fiction horror scenarios:

Space Horrors

Envision a space expedition going horribly wrong when the crew realizes they’re not alone on their ship.
Consider a woman astronaut haunted by a ghost from her past that she thought she left behind.
Visualize a cursed alien object causing gruesome deaths to whoever touches it.
Picture people trapped in a deadly maze on a faraway exoplanet created by a lunatic.
Contemplate astronauts on a deep space mission finding a hidden creature aboard their ship.
Envision a woman waking from cryogenic sleep to find she’s the last person on earth.
Reflect on a woman realizing her perfect life is an illusion created by an AI brain implant.
Contemplate a family vacation in space ruined by an alien creature stalking them.
Envision a woman with someone else’s still-beating heart inside her chest after surgery.

Time and Dimensional Anomalies

Imagine friends using a time machine and ending up in a parallel universe where menacing creatures are hunting them.
Think about a girl with psychic abilities accidentally opening a portal, unleashing terror upon her town.
Imagine friends uncovering an evil alien entity behind strange disappearances near their hometown.
Think about scientists accidentally opening a door to another dimension while working on a top-secret project.
Imagine a man stuck in a deadly time loop, living the same day over and over.
Ponder women drawn to an alien after a strange invasion, but is it just a physical attraction or something more sinister?

Alien Invasions and Encounters

Ponder an alien invasion taking over a small town, leaving a group of teens to save the day.
Reflect on a virus turning humans into zombies, with survivors fighting for their lives in a world of ruin.
Ponder a student’s terrifying hallucinations of an alien invasion caused by mysterious pills.
Consider mysterious disappearances in a town, with aliens as a possible culprit.
Picture an alien invasion forcing humanity underground, and someone venturing back to the surface only to find something far more horrifying.
Envision a distant future where humanity is at war with an advanced alien species, changing the course of human evolution .
Imagine a silent spacecraft appearing over a city, its intent unknown, sparking fear and fascination worldwide.

Futuristic Dystopias

Think about a mad scientist experimenting on people to create the perfect human.
Visualize an eclipse leaving everyone blind, except for one person.
Picture a future with a hive mind connecting everyone, and a woman hearing voices that aren’t her own.
Ponder a dark secret hidden by corporations ruling a world without democracy.
Consider an environmental disaster forcing humanity to live in a dome city ruled by a tyrannical government.
Visualize a world with cloning, and a woman realizing her identity isn’t what she thought.
Reflect on a small town terrorized by a killer who’s not quite human.
Contemplate scientists resurrecting extinct animals, only to create something far more dangerous instead.
Reflect on a man who suspects he may have started a zombie outbreak after a suspicious virus appears.

Psychological and Supernatural Terrors

Envision a boy discovering a mysterious door in the forest that takes him to an unwelcoming world.
Contemplate a girl who starts seeing unseen creatures after making a wish on a shooting star.
Consider a world controlled by AI, where a man starts to question his own memories.
Visualize a woman haunted by nightmares that turn out to be real, discovering she’s not the only one suffering from them.
Imagine a woman exploring lucid dreaming, later realizing she’s not the only one inside her mind.
Think about friends playing an augmented reality game with deadly stakes against a mysterious opponent.

27 Halloween Night Horror Prompts

As you delve into the world of horror writing, set the stage by using these chilling Halloween night prompts to unleash your creativity. Remember, on Halloween, the barrier between worlds becomes thin, so embrace the eerie occurrences that lurk in the shadows.

Haunted and Cursed Locations

Picture yourself and your friends gathered around a bonfire, sharing ghost stories. As one tells a tale about a cursed house nearby, you suddenly realize you’re standing in front of that very house.
A dare leads a group of teenagers to spend Halloween night in a haunted graveyard, only to discover they are not the only ones there.
Exploring an abandoned mental asylum with friends on Halloween, you hear strange noises coming from a cell.
After moving into a new home, paranormal happenings plague your family’s first Halloween.
An unexplainable force draws you to an abandoned house on Halloween night.
Curious teens follow your town’s haunted history, only to realize they are being watched by an evil presence.

Terrifying Encounters

A quiet Halloween night spent home alone becomes terrifying when you hear someone break in. As you hide under the bed, the intruder is already in the room with you.
Walking home from work, you notice a man following you. Your pace quickens, but so does his – and he’s always right behind you.
Trick-or-treating with friends, you encounter a seemingly abandoned house with its lights on and voices inside.
Playing basketball alone on Halloween, a mysterious clown approaches you on the street.
A chilling phone call from an unknown number threatens you on Halloween night.
Taking an alley shortcut, you notice something odd in a dumpster.
Babysitting on Halloween, unexplainable events occur while you’re alone with the children.
As you trick-or-treat, a masked man follows your every step.
Lying in bed, the slow approach of footsteps up the stairs on Halloween night fills you with dread.
A power outage causes uneasy knocking on apartment doors during Halloween night.

Supernatural and Mysterious Events

Driving home from a Halloween party, your family hits a deer on the road – except it’s more than just an ordinary deer.
Babysitting on Halloween night, the power goes out and you hear strange noises coming from upstairs.
Cleaning up after a party, you discover a hidden door in your basement that leads into darkness.
A remote cabin trip with friends for Halloween quickly becomes a nightmare with no connection to the outside world.
Discovering an old box in the attic, the contents send shivers down your spine.
Finding an ancient book on Halloween, a young boy unknowingly releases malevolent forces.
Desiring adventure, a group of teens leaves a Halloween party to stumble upon a forbidden place.
On Halloween, a haunting text message arrives from an unknown sender during a midnight horror movie.
First Halloween in a new home, you begin to realize your family isn’t alone.
As you set up for a Halloween party, lurking shadows indicate you are being watched by something malevolent.

These prompts will help you explore the spine-chilling world of horror stories, invoking spine-chilling fright and fueling your writing on Halloween night.

18 Haunted House Horror Prompts

Imagine your protagonist moving into a new home, only to find that their sanctuary is disrupted by paranormal forces. These 18 haunted house horror prompts will craft a chilling tale to keep your readers on edge.

Ghostly Encounters

Unwelcome Occupant : You and your family move into a new home, only to realize it’s haunted by a former resident.
Spiteful Spirit : A haunted fixer-upper reveals the vengeful ghost of a former owner.
Malicious Phantom : Your family moves in, only to find a malevolent spirit already residing in the house.
Ghostly Messenger : A tormented girl receives cryptic messages from a ghost.
Terrifying Twins : Expecting twins, you worry that one is possessed by a demon.
Mother’s Nightmare : Strange scratches on your daughter’s body make you think she’s possessed by a demonic entity.
Haunted Marriage : Your relationship is tested when your new home turns out to be haunted.
Ghostly Visions : After moving into a new home, you suddenly gain the ability to see spirits.
Unexpected Roommate : Moving into your first house together, you and your partner quickly realize something unseen shares the living space.

Demonic and Supernatural Threats

Nightmare Hauntings : A mysterious figure tormenting your dreams puts your family in danger.
Demonic Husband : Strange symbols in your home make you suspect demonic possession of your spouse.
Portal to Darkness : Your new home connects to a demonic realm through a mysterious entrance.
Dark Communication : Your son starts speaking in tongues and behaving strangely, making you think he’s talking to demons.

Mysteries and Dark Secrets

Deadly Dare : Friends stay overnight in a haunted house for a dare, only to discover the danger is real.
Dark Secret : Unbeknownst to them, your family moves into a house with a history of brutal murders by the owner’s son.
Mirror Menace : Suspicion of your husband’s infidelity grows as you notice another woman’s reflection in the mirrors.
Eerie Sounds : Unusual noises emanate from your home’s attic.
Hidden Horrors : You find remnants of a gruesome past concealed in your new home’s walls.

These prompts will help you explore the haunted house setting through various eerie scenarios, involving ghosts, demons, and chilling discoveries—all in a friendly, second-person point of view. Dive into your story, harness the fear, and captivate your audience with these spine-tingling ideas.

17 Paranormal Activity Horror Prompts

Haunting and possessions.

Consider a woman haunted by a ghost that desperately needs to communicate something important.
Think about a woman discovering her son is possessed by an evil demon.
A family moves into a new house already inhabited by ghosts seeking company.
Your mother becomes possessed by an evil spirit, endangering everyone in her life.
An exorcism goes haywire, unleashing a horde of demons into the world.
A family is visited by the ghost of their young child, who tragically passed away.

Dark Forces and Evil Entities

A woman discovers her supernatural abilities and uses them to stop a force of darkness from enveloping the world.
An evil witch curses a village, turning all its inhabitants into various animals overnight.
Two young girls learn they possess witchcraft powers and must stand against a wicked sorcerer.
Unfriendly angels begin to descend from heaven with ominous intentions.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ride into your town, bringing death, destruction, and chaos.

Mysterious and Deadly Threats

Imagine you and your friends go camping and find yourselves hunted by a mysterious and possibly non-human creature.
A group of friends is stalked by a killer who knows their darkest secrets and deepest fears.
A psychic girl foresees her own death but is powerless to stop it, adding to her fear.
People begin to inexplicably and spontaneously combust around you, with no discernible cause.
A rampant wave of demonic possessions starts affecting your community, turning loved ones against each other.

Unexplained and Terrifying Events

A family vacationing in a secluded cabin starts to encounter unexplainable events.

10 Plot Twists for Horror Stories

Ready to take your horror stories to the next level? Here are 10 plot twists that can add a frightfully unexpected twist to your sinister tales.

Unending nightmare : Your protagonist wakes up and realizes they’re caught in a never-ending bad dream.
Hidden family secrets : Your protagonist’s nemesis turns out to be their long-lost twin sibling.
Extraterrestrial encounters : The menacing creature is actually an alien from another world.
Ghosts with a purpose : The spirits haunting your protagonist are time-travelers from the future , trying to avert a catastrophe.
Reincarnated nemesis : Your protagonist discovers they are the reincarnation of the villain they despise.
Psychic revelations : Your protagonist realizes they have psychic powers and have been experiencing visions of future atrocities.
Supernatural portal : The seemingly ordinary small town setting is actually a gateway to the underworld.
Demonic doll : The murderer is an evil doll that springs to life under the cover of darkness.
Purgatory prisoner : Your protagonist has been dead all along and is trapped in purgatory.
Reader revelation : In the end, the reader realizes they are the true culprit in the story.

Sprinkle these plot twists into your horror writings to frighten your readers, weaving magic and torture into your stories for unforgettable moments of terror.

The Structure of a Great Horror Story

The attention-grabber.

A compelling horror story begins with an element that captivates the reader’s interest. This initial intrigue should evoke fear without giving away too many details. Your goal is to entice the reader to continue.

The Tension Builder

Having captured the reader’s interest, building suspense through eerie descriptions and tension-filled narratives is essential. Keep details vague to maintain an air of mystery , allowing the reader’s imagination to run wild.

The Chilling Moment

At some point, you ought to deliver an unforgettable scare. This is when your tension-building pays off. The chilling moment should be surprising yet consistent with the story’s context. An out-of-context scare might feel contrived and undermine its impact.

The Unraveling

Finally, it’s time to bring the story towards its conclusion. Provide some clarity while leaving a hint of ambiguity. This keeps the reader on edge even after they’ve finished reading.

Keep these guidelines in mind, and you’ll be well-equipped to craft an enthralling horror story. Focus on maintaining mystery, building suspense, and striking at the perfect moment. Happy writing!

The Potential Weakness of a Horror Story

As a writer, you want your horror story to be frightening enough to captivate your readers and not so horrifying that it repels them. To find the ideal balance, it’s crucial to know who your audience is and what scares them.

Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to fear. Different people are frightened by different things. Horror elements such as blood and gore aren’t always the most effective; sometimes, stories that tap into our deepest fears are more terrifying. For instance, a story about a mother losing her child in a store could evoke more dread than one involving a murderous monster.

One major challenge of crafting a compelling horror story is avoiding predictability. To keep your readers engaged, consider subverting their expectations and taking your story in surprising directions. This approach not only keeps them guessing but also maintains suspense throughout.

In the world of horror, striking a balance between being too scary and not scary enough is critical. By understanding your audience and exploring their fears, you can tailor your story accordingly. Ensuring unpredictability and capitalizing on deeply-rooted fears can significantly help elevate your story. Following these guidelines, you’ll be on the right track to create a chilling horror tale that leaves your audience suitably spooked.

What Are Common Horror Writing Themes

The world beyond our understanding.

A classic horror theme involves supernatural elements. This could mean ghosts, vampires, witches, zombies, or other beings that evoke fear. Incorporating the supernatural into your story can create spine-chilling moments for your readers to enjoy.

Menace Behind The Mask

Serial killers attract attention in horror stories as well. These characters often suffer from mental illness, making them unpredictable and frightening. By targeting specific victims, these killers bring a sense of personal dread for readers. Consider having a serial killer as your story’s main antagonist if you want to delve into gruesome aspects of human nature.

Alone in The Dark

Isolation is a powerful theme in horror, as it allows fear to fester and grow. When characters find themselves cut off from society, voluntary or not, situations can spiral out of control quickly. To increase tension in your story, have your characters confront their nightmares in isolation.

The End of The World

Apocalyptic scenarios are yet another classic horror staple. These can involve a zombie outbreak, an environmental catastrophe, or any other event that brings society to its knees. If your goal is to craft a harrowing story, consider setting it during or after a cataclysmic event.

Terror in Our Flesh

Body horror focuses on grotesque mutations, excessive gore, and horrifying physical changes. Although graphic in nature, body horror can also incorporate scares and suspense. For a blood-curdling tale, experiment with body horror elements.

Incorporating aspects such as population growth, psychological horror, and terrifying clowns can add an extra layer to these themes. Remember, whether you choose one of these themes or create something entirely original, the most crucial aspect is writing a story that piques your interest while keeping a friendly tone and maintaining a second-person point of view.

What Makes a Character Terrifying

Understanding their desires.

Firstly, it’s important to determine what your character wants. Their goals should be sinister and harmful to others. Whether it’s a simple desire to inflict pain or a complex plan to conquer the world, ensure that their intentions send shivers down your readers’ spines.

The Extent of Their Actions

Next, consider the lengths your character is willing to go to achieve their goals. Are they prepared to kill, torture, or maim? The more gruesome and ruthless their methods, the more terrified your readers will become. Looking at classic horror villains like Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers, you can see that their lack of mercy in inflicting pain on others is what makes them so scary.

Victims : The types of victims your character targets can also add to their degree of terror. For example, do they prey on innocent people or focus on those with specific traits?
Best friend : If your character has a best friend or close ally, explore how their relationship influences their actions and motivations. Consider how this bond can add depth or twists to the story and enhance the frightening aspects of your character.

Uncovering Their Motivations

After identifying your character’s sinister objectives and the extreme methods they’re willing to employ, seek to understand the reasons behind their desires. Was their drive initiated by a past tragedy or the concealment of a dark secret? By comprehending their motives, you can create a truly believable and terrifying character.

In conclusion, a well-rounded and multi-dimensional character with malevolent motives can truly strike fear into the hearts of readers. Utilize these suggestions to craft a spine-chilling horror story, making sure to let your creativity and imagination run free.

Fate and Coincidence in Horror Story Writing

In your journey as a horror writer, you might realize that blending fate and coincidence plays a crucial role in making your stories spine-chilling. When characters face continuous misfortune, readers can’t help but feel a sense of dread. So, how can you make the coincidences in your story plausible and avoid making them seem forced? Here are a few tips to help you seamlessly integrate fate and coincidence into your tale.

Firstly, remember that not all coincidences need an explanation. Sometimes, leaving them unexplained is better. A neatly knit story where everything is explicitly connected can feel contrived and unbelievable. Embracing mystery can add suspense to your spine-tingling narrative.

However, avoid certain coincidences altogether to maintain reader engagement. For instance, if two unrelated characters coincidentally meet on the street or a character discovers vital information purely by chance instead of through their efforts, it may seem unconvincing or like cheating.

To ensure that every event has a purpose and avoid contrived coincidences, ask yourself why a specific incident is happening and how it will impact the characters and plot. If you can’t find a satisfactory answer, consider reevaluating that scene.

By heeding these tips, you can make coincidences believable and enhance suspense instead of diminishing it. Strive to maintain an air of mystery while ensuring that each event serves its purpose. With a little effort, you can craft spine-tingling horror stories that will leave your readers captivated and wanting more.

Entangled love in horror

In the realm of horror films, the inclusion of love as a central theme can create a compelling contrast that heightens the emotional stakes of a story.

This juxtaposition of love in a horror story often deepens the reader’s connection to the main characters and makes their journey through fear and horror even more poignant.

Whether it’s a psychological thriller in which the protagonist must save a loved one from strange and evil forces or a supernatural horror in which love is the only solace in a world of darkness, the element of love adds a unique dimension to scary story ideas.

Love can be the driving force that pushes characters to face their deepest fears, resulting in an unforgettable and impactful horror story.

When horror writers weave these threads together, they create not just good horror stories but narratives that resonate on a deeply human level, combining the thrill of fear with the warmth of love.

Choose a Catchy Title

If you’ve gathered a wealth of story ideas and are ready to bring your spooky tale to life, the next crucial step is finding the perfect title to capture the essence of your story.

We invite you to explore our specially crafted guide at Brilliantio’s Horror Story Titles , where you’ll discover 34 unique ideas on how to name your horror story effectively.

This resource is designed to help you brainstorm and select a title that not only intrigues your readers but also gives a glimpse of the chilling adventure they’re about to embark upon.

A compelling title can make all the difference in drawing readers into the world you’ve created, so be sure to take advantage of this valuable tool in your storytelling journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can i start writing a frightening tale.

Choose a setting: a haunted house, a creepy forest, or an old mansion.
Develop your main character(s): give them a strong backstory, fears, and strengths.
Identify the source of horror: a ghost, a monster, or a mysterious villain.
Create tension and suspense: use descriptive language to keep readers on edge.

What elements create an excellent creepy romance?

Dark and alluring atmosphere: gothic, mysterious, and eerie.
Forbidden love: star-crossed lovers or love triangles.
A menacing or supernatural element: a vampire, ghost, or werewolf.
High emotional stakes: danger, betrayal, lost love.

Are there short horror movie ideas suitable for students?

A cursed object: an old book, a painting, or a music box.
A hidden secret: a forbidden room or an undiscovered basement.
A group of friends’ ghost hunting expedition turns dire.
Attending a party unaware of the host’s sinister intentions.

How should I approach writing a 500-word scary story?

Focus on one main event, setting, or character.
Utilize a simple and compelling plot.
Use concise descriptions to create an eerie atmosphere.
Leave readers wanting more with a twist ending.

What intriguing concepts can I use for body horror?

Transformation: becoming a monster or a grotesque creature.
Disfigurement: a character waking up with altered physical features.
Parasitic takeover: the protagonist’s body gradually taken over.
Cloning or doppelgangers: exploring dark counterparts.

How can I make my chilling tale stand out?

Subvert clichés : twist typical horror tropes to surprise readers.
Focus on psychological terror : dive deeper into characters’ minds.
Blend genres : combine horror with mystery, romance, or sci-fi.
Incorporate folklore or legends : introduce lesser-known myths or legends.

Horror Story Writing Prompts: Chilling Ideas for Your Next Creepy Story

Writing horror stories is a blast, but it’s not always easy to come up with new ideas. That’s why I’ve put together another list of writing prompts—horror story themed this time! If you’re feeling monsters, ghosts, killers, or just mystery and suspense, then I’ve got you covered with these writing prompts.

Take a look at some of these ideas, and you might find the inspiration for your next big story!

Writing Warmups for Horror Writers

This category doesn’t have any story prompts, so if that’s what you’re here for, you can skip to the next section. Instead, these prompts are exercises to help you warm up and practice some of the techniques you’ll use when writing in the horror genre!

Describe a horrifying monster in as much detail as possible. Don’t leave anything up to the imagination with this beast.
Write a monologue for a character who is afraid of something. They could be speaking out loud to comfort themself, speculating about what could be lurking in the dark, or something else.
Write a scene in which several characters are accusing each other of something. Focus on the tension and the emotions, especially if characters are hurt that others don’t believe them.
Describe a creepy old house. What are the elements that make it creepy, and how can you describe them in a way that would make your readers nervous?
Write a scene in which a character is paranoid about being watched or followed. Maybe they’re walking home in the dark, afraid of an ex-partner, or just overthinking.
Write a character’s reaction to finding a dead body. Be as authentic as possible in describing their thoughts, actions, fears, and subconscious reactions.
Write a scene in which a character receives terrible news. Try to convey the emotions they would feel with intensity and authenticity.
Listen to a horror movie soundtrack or horror ambiance track and write whatever it makes you think of.
Write a series of letters, composed by one of your characters to a member of their family (or a close friend). They are going through something (such as an illness or an adventure) and cannot visit personally, so they send letters to explain their situation. Try to make your character’s writing style differ from your own, and utilize the unique pacing of the letters to build suspense and mystery over time. You can write the other character’s responses too, or not!

Horror Story Prompts

It’s not always easy to come up with ideas for writing horror stories, so I’ve created a small list of ideas for you! Feel free to use any of these, or take bits and pieces from several different ones. They’re a little longer than some of my other prompts, but I hope you find the additional context helpful!

While exploring an abandoned house, you find a porcelain doll on the ground. You’ve always had an interest in creepy aesthetics, so you decide to take it home. Soon after taking the doll home, however, you begin to feel an overwhelming sense of dread and sadness that clouds your mind. In addition to that, you seem to be having terrible luck with everything you attempt. As it turns out, a girl went missing in your neighborhood a few years ago—and she has the exact same features as the doll, down to the same beauty mark on her cheek and the same scar above her eyebrow. She’s even wearing the same clothes that the girl was last seen wearing.
You and your best friend have been buds since elementary school, and now, you go to college together. He’s always been the kind of person to leave parties early and flake out on plans to hang out, but you’ve gotten used to it so you rarely think much of it. That is, of course, until a recent news report announces that police are on the lookout for a serial killer with a physical description that sounds a lot like your friend. The announcement comes after a student at your college was found dead on campus—the same night your friend decided not to go to a party with you.
A traveling carnival has come to your town, so you decide to check it out with some friends. You all have a great time together, but when you go to bed that night, your dreams are plagued by terrifying, murderous clowns. This goes on for a few nights before you bring it up to your friends, and they reveal that they have all been having similar dreams. You guys decide to investigate the carnival, and you find that it doesn’t actually exist, and no one else in town has any memory of it. (Need some help writing about nightmares? Check out Writing About Dreams and Nightmares !)
You bought a refurbished cellphone from a second-hand seller, but it’s been acting weird. You can’t afford to get it checked out, so when it randomly opens apps on its own, you simply close them and continue using it like normal. One day, as you’re sitting bored in a lecture or meeting, you decide to just watch your phone to see what it does if you don’t stop it. As it turns out, your phone has been trying to communicate with you this entire time! Well, more specifically, the ghost possessing your new phone has been trying to use apps and notes to get your attention.
Your spouse has been acting a little strange lately, but for the most part, it is easy to brush it off like you’re overreacting. One night, however, you catch a glimpse of them in a mirror or around a corner, and what you see isn’t your spouse at all… it’s someone—or something —else impersonating them.
You’re a doctor, and you recently saw a peculiar patient. They complained of grogginess, fatigue, and insatiable hunger. While examining them, you also noticed patches of necrotic tissue. You couldn’t formulate a diagnosis right away, but you suggested that the patient stays in a hospital until you can figure out what is wrong with them. One by one, hospital staff call in sick with similar symptoms, so you decide to move the patient into quarantine. However, when you get to their room, you discover the patient missing, with a nurse dead—and half-eaten—on the floor. (Psst! Check out these other Zombie Writing Prompts !)
You’re an amateur paranormal investigator, and you just received a commission to investigate a house. You decide to go alone. After a thorough investigation, you don’t find any signs of the supernatural, so you pack up and head home. Ever since then, however, you’ve noticed a little girl lurking in the shadows around your apartment. One time, you were even sure you saw her inside your room.
You recently went to an island for vacation, and got to swim in some breathtaking underwater caves. Now, a few weeks later, you can’t stop thinking about those caves. You’re finding it harder and harder to control your impulses, and at times, it feels like you aren’t in control of your actions. Unbeknownst to you, a little parasite from those waters has taken up residence in your brain, and it’s changing the way you think and act.
Recently, you’ve noticed the same man in many different places. You often see him on the subway on your way to work, in your favorite coffee shop, and even just walking on the street. You’ve noticed him watching you until you make eye contact with him, at which point he immediately looks away. One day, you don’t see him on the subway after work, and honestly, it’s a bit of a relief. That is, of course, until you get home and find that your front door has already been unlocked.
You and your friends decide to trespass in an abandoned factory, just for fun. It’s terribly creepy inside, plus the old machines and spare scrap metal laying around makes it a bit hazardous. Soon, your group stumbles upon some evidence that someone has been living here: a dirty mattress on the floor, a cooler, trash, and several articles of clothing strewn about. You also, unfortunately, find several knives and devices that look like instruments of torture. You and your friends decide to leave quickly to avoid trouble, but get lost on your way to the exit. One creepy sound is enough to send several of your friends running, and now, you all have to find each other before you can find your way out.
You wake up one morning, and you have no idea who you are. You can’t remember your past at all. In your quest to figure out what kind of life you’ve led up until now, you end up discovering evidence that you’ve committed crimes in the past. Many… many crimes. You aren’t sure if anything you’ve discovered is true, but when the police come looking for you, you have no choice but to run away. Now living the life of a fugitive, you slowly work to uncover the secrets of your gruesome past.
You’d heard many rumors about vampires lately, but you aren’t a particularly superstitious person. Rumors are just rumors, after all. Or at least… that’s what you thought until one fateful night. You were walking home late at night, when you witnessed an attack—one man viciously stabbed another in the chest, and then fled the scene. Cautiously, you approached the wounded man, who still had the wooden stake sticking out of the center of his chest. He was alive, but barely. In his dying moments, he told you the truth about vampires: they exist, but they are being kept a secret, contained in a horrible asylum where they are experimented on. Very few vampires ever escape, and those that do get hunted like him. Just before he died, he begged you to spread the truth, and to save the rest of his kind. Want more writing prompts about vampires? I got you.
Your worst nightmare has come true: you’ve been kidnapped. You don’t know who your kidnappers are or what they want from you, but you do know one thing. They keep referring to you with a name that isn’t yours. No matter how much you try to convince them that they have the wrong person, they don’t believe you.

Writing Horror Stories

Horror is a vast and diverse genre, but it is riddled with clichés. However, you don’t have to come up with something completely original in order to make a good story. You can breathe new life into old, overused tropes by adding in surprising twists and new perspectives. If your characters pull their car over on a creepy road in the middle of the night, what are your readers going to be expecting? What can you do to surprise them instead? Subvert readers’ expectations, and your story will end up being much more memorable!

Keep it creepy, writers!

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BRYN DONOVAN

tell your stories, love your life

Writing Inspiration
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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 Superb Sci-Fi Horror Movie

Sci-Fi Horror is an exciting and potentially powerful sub-genre sandpit that combines the speculative elements of science fiction with the fear-inducing qualities of horror . Sci-fi horror movies create a unique narrative where futuristic technology and existential dread intersect, resulting in both thought-provoking and terrifying stories. Writing a sci-fi horror film involves a nuanced approach, requiring understanding of both genres and how to blend them effectively.

Here’s a detailed guide to crafting a compelling sci-fi horror film, covering core elements, concept development, atmosphere creation, character crafting, suspense building, thematic exploration, and script writing.

Scientific concepts, atmosphere of fear, existential themes, unique science fiction premise, horror twist, isolated locations, unfamiliar environments, visual and auditory cues, relatable protagonists, internal and external conflicts, character development, effective use of scares, unexpected twists, the ethics of science, humanity vs. technology, fear of the unknown, tips for aspiring writers, “the fly” (1986), “invasion of the body snatchers” (1978), “the thing” (1982), “the terminator” (1984), “alien” (1979), the “star wars” franchise, the final take, understand the core elements of sci-fi horror.

Before diving into writing, it’s crucial to understand what core elements make sci-fi horror unique.

The backbone of a sci-fi horror is science. This genre frequently explores speculative and advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence gone rogue, alien species with menacing intentions, or genetic experiments spiraling out of control. The key to effective sci-fi horror lies in grounding these concepts in a semblance of reality. Make these scientific elements plausible, even if they’re exaggerated or speculative so that the audience can experience the horror.

The atmosphere of Fear is another vital aspect. Sci-fi horror relies heavily on crafting an environment filled with dread and suspense. This atmosphere can be achieved through unsettling settings—like an international space station drifting through outer space, or a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by unchecked technology.

Existential Themes often underpin sci-fi horror. These themes delve into profound questions about humanity’s place in the cosmos, the ethical boundaries of scientific advancement, the profound fear of the unknown, or the conflict of the human race against aliens or a deadly virus. By exploring these themes, sci-fi horror not only delivers scares but also provokes thought, offering a deeper, more resonant experience for the audience.

Develop a Strong Concept

A successful sci-fi horror movie starts with a strong, original concept that combines elements of both genres.

Start with a unique premise that captures your imagination. This could be an innovative technology, such as a breakthrough in virtual reality that becomes dangerously immersive, or an alien species with abilities beyond human comprehension. The core idea should spark curiosity and offer a fresh perspective.

Next, infuse your concept with a horror twist to generate fear and tension . Once you have your intriguing sci-fi premise, identify how it could spiral into horror. Consider how a plot twist will affect your characters and the story, creating a sense of dread and urgency.

Create a Tense and Unsettling Atmosphere

The setting in a sci-fi movie should be as much a character as the people inhabiting it.

Settings like a spaceship drifting in outer space, remote planets cut off from communication or secretive underground laboratories evoke a strong sense of isolation. This seclusion not only amplifies vulnerability but also makes the characters’ predicament more dire, intensifying the suspense.

Unfamiliar landscapes or futuristic settings should be both visually and thematically alien to the audience. These environments can disorient viewers, making them feel disconnected and unsure, which compounds the horror. An unknown setting forces characters and audiences alike to confront fears of the unfamiliar and uncontrollable.

Effective use of lighting, such as flickering or harsh, unnatural lights, can create a foreboding ambiance. Sound design plays a critical role as well; eerie noises, distorted echoes, or unsettling silence can all contribute to a growing sense of dread. Additionally, disorienting camera angles and sudden, jarring visual effects can amplify feelings of discomfort and anxiety, making the audience’s experience more immersive and intense.

Craft Complex Characters

Sci-fi horror is most effective when the audience cares about the characters. Develop multi-dimensional characters with distinct personalities, motivations, and fears.

The characters should be human and relatable, with distinct personalities and flaws. These traits make them more real and engaging. For example, a scientist driven by ambition who face the consequences of their reckless experiments becomes more relatable when their vulnerabilities and personal stakes are evident. Authentic reactions to the horrors they encounter—whether it’s fear, panic, or determination—enhance the believability of the story and make the horror feel more impactful.

Beyond the immediate external threat such as a monstrous alien or a rogue AI, explore internal struggles like fear, guilt, or moral dilemmas. A character grappling with the ethical implications of their actions or haunted by past mistakes adds layers to their persona, making their experiences with the horror more profound and personal. These internal conflicts often drive the narrative forward and provide a richer, more nuanced perspective on the events unfolding.

Allow your characters to evolve in response to the horrors they face. Their growth should be intertwined with the film’s central themes, whether it’s a journey from hubris to humility or the overcoming of deep-seated fears. Compelling character arcs that reflect the challenges and transformations experienced in the face of terror not only enhance the narrative but also ensure a more engaging and emotionally resonant film.

Build Suspense and Deliver Scares

The pacing of a sci-fi horror movie is crucial. It’s about the slow build-up of tension , punctuated by frightening moments.

Begin with a slow burn, allowing tension to build gradually. This approach involves establishing the setting, introducing characters, and hinting at underlying threats without immediate escalation. As the story unfolds, slowly increase the stakes and intensity, creating a rising wave of anxiety. Key moments of horror should be strategically placed to disrupt this build-up, ensuring they have the maximum impact. By letting the tension simmer before unleashing the scares, you heighten the anticipation and make each scare more effective.

While jump scares can offer sudden jolts, they should be used sparingly to avoid diminishing their effectiveness. Instead, focus on psychological horror that delves into the characters’ fears and anxieties, body horror that explores grotesque transformations or injuries, and the fear of the unknown that keeps the audience guessing. These elements often create a more profound and lingering sense of dread.

Incorporate plot twists that challenge their expectations and subvert common horror tropes . The horror should feel both inevitable and surprising, catching viewers off guard and intensifying their emotional response. By keeping the narrative unpredictable, you ensure that the tension remains high and the scares have a lasting impact.

Incorporate Thought-Provoking Themes

Sci Fi Horror Movie: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Sci-fi horror can be more than just a scary movie—it can explore deeper themes and questions about humanity, technology, and the future.

Delve into the moral implications of scientific advancements and question the boundaries of human experimentation. Themes should challenge the viewers to consider the responsibility that comes with scientific progress and the potential costs of playing god.

This explores the tension between human values and technological advancement. It raises questions about the reliability and control of technology, especially when it surpasses human oversight. The storyline should prompt viewers to question whether technology can truly be trusted and what happens when it becomes uncontrollable.

This theme addresses the existential dread of confronting the unfamiliar—be it alien entities, uncharted technologies, or cosmic mysteries. This fear taps into deep-seated anxieties about the limits of human understanding and the potential dangers lurking beyond the known universe. The film should evoke a profound sense of unease and reflection on humanity’s place in the cosmos.

Write a Compelling Script

Crafting a compelling sci-fi horror script demands a blend of engaging storytelling, well-developed characters, and a deep understanding of the genre’s distinct elements.

Strong Opening

Your script’s beginning is crucial. Start with a strong opening that immediately grabs the audience’s attention. This could be an intriguing premise or a shocking event that sets the film’s tone and establishes the stakes. Whether it’s a startling revelation or a mysterious occurrence, make sure it’s impactful, creating immediate investment in the story and characters. The goal is to hook viewers from the start, setting up anticipation for the unfolding horror.

In sci-fi horror, dialogue should be natural and concise , serving multiple purposes. It reveals character traits, builds tension , and explores underlying themes without lengthy exposition . Aim for authentic conversations that reflect the characters and their situations. Use dialogue to subtly unveil key details and emotional states, keeping the audience engaged without overwhelming them. Show, don’t tell; let characters’ actions and reactions reveal their thoughts and motivations.

Visual Storytelling

Visual storytelling is paramount in sci-fi horror. These movies thrive on their ability to convey fear and intrigue through imagery and setting. Think cinematically when writing your script—describe actions, environments, and visual elements to enhance the atmosphere and build suspense. Use vivid descriptions to bring alien or futuristic settings to life, creating a sense of dread and immersion. Effective visual storytelling can convey emotions and plot developments more powerfully than words alone, making the audience feel as though they are experiencing the horror firsthand.

Satisfying Conclusion

The ending of your sci-fi horror script should resolve the central conflict but doesn’t necessarily need to be a happy one. Many memorable sci-fi horror films leave the audience with a lingering sense of unease. Whether it’s a twist that reshapes the story or a conclusion that raises unsettling questions, ensure it resonates and reinforces the film’s themes. A well-crafted ending should feel earned and impactful, providing closure while echoing the film’s core anxieties and fears.

By focusing on these elements, you can create a sci-fi horror script that entertains, provokes thought, and elicits a strong emotional response from your audience.

Writing science fiction horror, with award winning author, Gareth Powell.

Read Widely: Dive into a variety of works within your genre and beyond. Studying the classics and contemporary masters provides insight into successful storytelling techniques, character development, and thematic exploration. Analyze what makes these works effective, from plot structure to character arcs, and understand how they engage and captivate readers. This broad reading helps you grasp the genre conventions of these movies while sparking inspiration for your unique voice.
Write Regularly: Consistent practice is essential for growth as a writer. Set aside dedicated time each day or week to write, regardless of whether you feel inspired. Regular writing hones your craft, helps you overcome writer’s block, and allows you to refine your voice and style. The more you write, the more you’ll learn about your strengths and areas for improvement, leading to better and more polished work.
Seek Feedback: Sharing your work with others is crucial for development. Find writing groups, mentors, or peers who can provide constructive criticism. Be open to their feedback, as it offers valuable perspectives and identifies areas that may need revision. Constructive criticism helps you see your work from different angles and improves your ability to craft compelling narratives.
Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment: Innovation often arises from experimentation. Challenge traditional storytelling methods, explore unconventional plot structures, and push boundaries. Taking risks can lead to original and memorable stories that stand out. Embrace the possibility of failure as part of the creative process, and use it as an opportunity to learn and grow as a writer.

Examples of Successful Sci-Fi Horror Movies

To further illustrate the key elements of sci-fi horror, let’s take a closer look at some of the best films of the genre. Each of these movies exemplifies a particular aspect of the genre and provides valuable lessons for aspiring writers.

Directed by David Cronenberg, “The Fly” is a seminal work in body horror, illustrating the terrifying consequences of scientific hubris. The film stars Jeff Goldblum as scientist Seth Brundle, whose experiment with teleportation leads to his gradual, grotesque transformation into a human-fly hybrid. Cronenberg’s direction emphasizes the horror of physical degeneration, using practical effects to make each stage of Brundle’s transformation viscerally disturbing. Geena Davis plays Veronica Quaife, a journalist and Brundle’s love interest, whose emotional struggle and heartbreak add depth to the story. The film’s slow-burn approach allows the audience to witness the tragic loss of humanity, both physically and emotionally, as Brundle becomes increasingly monstrous, making “The Fly” a haunting exploration of the fear of bodily decay.

In this classic sci-fi horror remake directed by Philip Kaufman, Donald Sutherland stars as Matthew Bennell, a health inspector in San Francisco who uncovers a horrifying alien invasion. The plot revolves around alien plant spores that replicate people’s bodies, gradually replacing them with emotionless duplicates. Sutherland’s portrayal of Bennell adds depth to the film’s tense atmosphere, as he grapples with the chilling realization that those around him are not who they seem. The film is renowned for its exploration of paranoia and loss of identity, creating a pervasive sense of dread as the characters struggle to distinguish friend from foe.

“28 Days Later” (2002)

Directed by Danny Boyle , “28 Days Later” revitalizes the zombie movie genre with a modern, sci-fi twist. The film follows Jim, played by Cillian Murphy, who wakes up from a coma to find London devastated by a “rage virus.” The virus, spread through infected blood, causes rapid and uncontrollable aggression, presenting a horrifying and realistic threat. Boyle’s direction combines gritty realism with apocalyptic themes, creating a tense atmosphere through stark visuals and haunting sound design. The film’s exploration of a fast-moving infection and the societal collapse it triggers adds a fresh, sci-fi edge to the classic zombie horror narrative.

John Carpenter’s, “The Thing” is a masterclass in combining creature horror with psychological tension . Set in an isolated Antarctic research station, the film’s horror stems from a shape-shifting alien that can mimic any living being, leading to extreme paranoia among the crew. Carpenter expertly builds tension by focusing on the characters’ growing mistrust of one another, as they struggle to identify who is human and who is the alien. This internal conflict, combined with the gruesome and shocking transformations, creates a deeply unsettling atmosphere where survival is as much about outsmarting each other as it is about defeating the creature.

Directed by James Cameron, “The Terminator” masterfully combines science fiction with relentless horror. The film’s premise revolves around a cyborg assassin sent from the future to kill Sarah Connor, the mother of the future leader of the human resistance. Cameron’s direction creates an atmosphere of unyielding tension , as the Terminator, portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is an unstoppable force, embodying the fear of an inescapable, technologically advanced threat. The relentless pursuit and the cold, emotionless nature of the Terminator transform this sci-fi narrative into a terrifying experience, blending the anxiety of future technology with the immediacy of horror.

Directed by Ridley Scott, “Alien” is an iconic example of sci-fi horror that masterfully creates a sense of dread through its oppressive atmosphere. Set aboard the spaceship Nostromo, the film’s claustrophobic corridors and dimly lit spaces heighten the isolation and vulnerability of the crew, particularly Ellen Ripley, who emerges as the central figure in the battle for survival. Scott’s slow-paced direction amplifies the tension , allowing the horror to unfold gradually as the unseen alien menace lurks in the shadows. Ripley’s resilience and resourcefulness become crucial as the threat intensifies, adding to the film’s suspense. The careful use of sound design, from the unsettling ambient noise to the creature’s terrifying hisses, contributes to the immersive fear, making “Alien” a cornerstone in atmospheric horror and solidifying Ellen Ripley as a legendary character in sci-fi movies.

While primarily known as an epic space opera, the “Star Wars” franchise, created by George Lucas, contains elements of horror, particularly through its exploration of the Dark Side and the terrifying aspects of the galaxy. The character of Darth Vader, with his dark, ominous presence and tragic backstory, embodies the fear of losing one’s humanity to technology and evil. Additionally, scenes like the Sarlacc pit in “Return of the Jedi” and the ominous, decaying ruins of the Death Star in “The Rise of Skywalker” tap into primal fears of the unknown and the monstrous. The franchise also explores the psychological horror of the Force, with its ability to corrupt and manipulate, adding a layer of existential dread to its otherwise adventurous tone.

The “Resident Evil” Franchise

The “Resident Evil” franchise, starting with the 2002 film directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, is a prominent example of blending survival horror with sci-fi elements. The series follows Alice, portrayed by Milla Jovovich, who battles against a zombie apocalypse caused by the Umbrella Corporation’s bioweapons. The franchise combines traditional horror with futuristic concepts such as genetic manipulation, artificial intelligence, and viral outbreaks. Anderson’s films mix intense action sequences with eerie, claustrophobic settings, emphasizing the terror of a world overrun by monstrous creatures and the ethical dilemmas of scientific experimentation gone awry. The series’ evolution showcases a range of horror elements intertwined with sci-fi advancements.

Writing a sci-fi horror movie is a challenging but rewarding endeavor. By combining the speculative elements of science fiction with the fear-inducing aspects of horror, you can create a film that is both thought-provoking and frightening. Focus on developing a strong concept, creating a tense atmosphere, crafting complex characters, and exploring deeper themes. With careful attention to pacing and a compelling script, your sci-fi horror movie can leave a lasting impact on audiences and stand out in the genre.

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1 thought on “How To Write A Superb Sci-Fi Horror Movie”

LOVED the way this article broke down the sub-genre of Sci-Fi/Horror as futuristic technology combined with existential dread. So far, I’ve written three Sci-Fi/Horror scripts including “Femme Fatale in Stiletto Heels” (Science of Cryogenics combined with fear of growing old and unattractive); “Devil’s Ride” (Science of DNA regeneration combined with fear of going to Hell); and “Bestie” (Environmental Science combined with fear of loss of a loved one). I am now working on a new project, “A.I. Spider” which combines fear of Computer Science with a focus on A. I. with a fear of spiders. This article helped me clarify how to explain my stories living in this “sub-genre sandpit”. Thank you very much for this article!

10 Horrifying Horror Story Prompts

January 12, 2023 by Richard 148 Comments

Here are 10 horror story prompts that should give you the chills and get you writing something scary. Warning if these don’t scare you, you are most likely a zombie, vampire, werewolf, or ghost. If you are unaware of being one of the undead, seek medical attention immediately.

You have had a strange feeling for a few days now. Today you’ve been feeling very energetic and tired at the same time. You sit, exhausted and full of energy, at your desk. Your arm has been itching. It’s killing you now. You look at your forearm and see it for the first time. Something is moving under your skin. It is shifting around. You have muscle spasms, and you realize dozens are moving toward the surface.
You open your eyes to complete darkness. The last thing you remember is the dog running out into the road, the brightness of the daylight, and your car headed off the road. As your head clears, you realize you are hanging upside down. Your feet and legs are completely mobilized. You can hear something breathing in the room.
You are driving on a country road. It is late at night. You are far from home. As you check your mirrors, you realize there is a man you do not know hiding on the floor of your back seat.
It’s 3 am. Your room is dark, but you can see someone standing at the foot of your bed. You can make out that they are wearing a clown costume, and you are pretty sure, from the glare and the little bit of reflection, that it has a knife.
At 3 am, you wake up out of a very sound sleep. You hear the ice cream truck outside of your house. And you realize the sound that woke you up was the sound of your 4-year-old daughter letting the screen down slam as she left the house.
You need to arrive on time. After quickly getting ready, you rush out of the house and to your car door. A sound gets your attention, and you look at your surroundings for the first time this morning. There is a fully grown male lion just a few feet from you. Your car door is still locked.
You are falling. The 737 is 100 yards above you. You hear the rush of the wind, and it’s so cold. You realize you are still holding your baby.
The worst cramps you have ever had set in on your biceps. Your arms are twisting. You feel your ankles popping. It came on so suddenly. You drop to your knees, look through your bedroom window, and see the full moon. You hear a little voice behind you, “Mommy?” (or “daddy”)
You are frozen with fear. You open your eyes; the tent is dark. But you can feel the heavy weight of a giant tarantula covering one eye. Through the other eye, you can see the shadows, from the moonlight, of 100s, if not 1000s, of other spiders covering the tent.
The man leans into you. There is a dark red, almost black, color to the whites of his eyes. He is so close his nose is almost touching your nose. You can feel his breath when he says, “We all have it here. We are all infected.

Well, we hope you have enjoyed our prompts. Some people find them scary, and some people don’t. Either way, these scary writing prompts will hopefully kick off your creativity.

We love hearing from you, so leave us a comment below. Try your hand at writing one of these ideas. If you do, we’d love to see them, and we will even consider publishing them. Check out our submissions page to submit your work.

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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 .

Reader Interactions

April 6, 2022 at 9:24 am

It’s great! Not that scary, but I made over 10 stories with this!

J.D. Lewis says

May 17, 2022 at 6:00 am

To everybody who says, “These aren’t scary,” you’re supposed to make it scary. Think of these prompts as ingredients you take out of your fridge or pantry. It’s up to you to put the flour and eggs together to make something delicious. If you don’t add your own twists, raw eggs and flour by themselves taste like crap.

Bottle Filling Machine says

December 12, 2022 at 6:27 pm

This is really interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your magnificent post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks!

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