Picture this: you're sitting in your dimly lit room, the only sound being the gentle tapping of your keyboard as you search for the perfect writing prompt to ignite your creativity. Suddenly, you stumble upon a treasure trove of spine-chilling story ideas that make your heart race with excitement. Welcome to the world of horror writing prompts, where the only limit is your imagination (and maybe your ability to sleep at night).
We've scoured the internet, braved the darkest corners of Reddit, and even asked our weird cousin who always wears black for their favorite prompts. (Just kidding, all these prompts are from r/WritingPrompts). The result? A collection of prompts so terrifying, so mind-bending, that you'll be sleeping with the lights on for weeks. Whether you're an aspiring writer looking to practice your craft or a reader who loves a good scare, these prompts will keep you on the edge of your seat. So, grab a blanket, lock the doors, and let's dive into the abyss together!
Psychological Horror
You know that feeling when you're home alone and you hear a creak in the floorboards? That's the essence of psychological horror - the fear that comes from within. These prompts will make you question your sanity, your perception of reality, and even your closest relationships. From haunting phone alerts to the consequences of a seemingly innocent act, these ideas will burrow deep into your psyche and stay there.
But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. Some of these prompts have a twisted sense of humor, like the one about a job interview with a monster under your bed. Just remember, if you ever find yourself in that situation, make sure to negotiate a good salary and benefits package.
Browse all Psychological Horror prompts
Our Picks
Your little daughter have imaginary friends. One day, she asked if her friends can sleep in her room. You jokingly told her that they can stay as long as they want, as long as they help with the rent. The next morning, you found a hand wearing a Rolex and a roll of cash by the sink.
You ate your last apple almost a full day ago. The second hand on the clock creeps closer and closer to the 24-hour mark. Holed up in a cabin you ready your shotgun. You can feel them out there, waiting, watching. The Doctors.
You've been living alone for 13 years. Whenever you come home from work, you always find your bed made, dinner cooked and a message with "This could have been us." You moved out several times. This keeps going on.
You accidentally kill a person. You instantly absorb all of their memories, intelligence, and talents. You find it feels euphoric and quite addicting.
When summoning a demon, something very unexpected happens. The demon bellows through the fire and smoke, “Who dares to call upon me, Mortal- wait.. dude, is that really you?” The demonic voice immediately switches to the familiar voice of your high school best-friend, who died years ago.
You receive a government text warning saying “EMERGENCY - LOCK ALL DOORS AND STAY INSIDE. DO NOT PANIC”. You hear your SO at the locked front door, who’s just come back from the supermarket. They beg to be let inside but you’re unsure. Something doesn’t feel right.
It's been years since the last moon landing. After several decades of silence, humans proudly set foot on it again. Up there, the astronauts found mummified human corpses inside torn open space suits. The tags were still legible, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin... the astronauts from decades ago.
As you die, you wake up in a fiery place. You quickly realize you're in hell. You ask the next demon why you are there, as you lived a very good life. "You're not being punished", he says. "You are the punishment."
An horror story where it gets progressively clearer that the writer is the psycho, not the other person.
You have been told all your life that you have a rare medical condition. It means you need regular special meals that your family has lovingly prepared. You now find out that your "condition" actually requires fresh human flesh and your family have become serial killers to keep you alive.
Creature Horror
If you're the type of person who checks under the bed for monsters before going to sleep, then these prompts are for you. From demonic sharks to killer clowns, these creatures will haunt your nightmares and make you think twice about turning off the lights.
But it's not just the classic monsters that make an appearance here. We've got creative killers, alternate dimensions filled with deadly creatures, and even a fly's perspective on the eldritch horror that is humanity. These prompts will make you appreciate the relative safety of your own world, even if you do have to deal with the occasional spider in the bathroom.
Browse all Creature Horror prompts
Our Picks
Every time there is a thunderstorm your father ushers you inside and waits on the porch with his gun, your mother says he's just gone a bit crazy after the war, but you've seen what lurks in the clouds too.
Rule of thumb: If you see something on a foreign planet that has all the outward traits of an apex predator, but no obvious and apparent way to kill you - run. The methods in which they kill aren't something you want to see.
The US Government finds a Stranger Things-esque alternate dimension full of deadly creatures. Then, they discover Oil there.
From a bug's perspective, humans are ageless eldritch beings who would kill them without a second thought. You are a fly among many, infesting one of their basements, but one of your kind made the mistake of irritating the human. Now the human is out for blood.
You're bitten by a zombie. By some strange happening, you die and become a zombie, but your ghost remains bound to this earth. Your ghost has to try and keep your zombie body out of trouble until a cure is found.
Pennywise wakes up after his 27 year sleep to find that four giant turtles and a rat have taken over the sewers.
You are a child therapist who treats extreme cases of children terrified of a monster in their closet. They're extreme because they're real, and you're actually secretly a demon hunter using these therapy sessions to gather intel on the monsters before killing them.
Your family line suffers from a pirate curse: A demonic shark will manifest itself in nearby sources of water and harrow you and your ancestors. You live three-hundred miles from any body of water and this has made the shark get...creative.
You are a vampire. If one of your victims isn't completely drained of blood, they reanimate as a newborn vampire, which by law, you are now responsible for. You have always carefully avoided this, until one morning you notice a sticky note on the door of your apartment: "I lived, bitch."
Pennywise is feeling a little bored during the holidays, seeing how kids don’t venture outside during blizzards. He decides to pick out a house at random and pick a child living in it. Unluckily for him, Kevin McCallister hates clowns and will do all he can to stop his attacker.
Cosmic Horror
Do you ever look up at the stars and feel incredibly small and insignificant? Well, these prompts take that feeling and crank it up to eleven. Cosmic horror is all about the vast, unknowable entities that exist beyond our comprehension, and the futility of human existence in the face of such overwhelming power.
From ancient gods imprisoned on Earth to the true nature of our feline overlords, these prompts will make you question your place in the universe. But don't despair - at least you can take comfort in the fact that if Cthulhu does rise from the depths, we'll all be too insane to care.
Browse all Cosmic Horror prompts
Our Picks
An eldritch horror considers you their best friend. By virtue of you being able to perceive their true form and not going insane. One day they ask how you became so jaded, that not even indescribable cosmic horror phases you.
American submarines are never considered lost. The ones missing from WWII are “still on patrol” with their hundreds of sailors. Little do we know the horrors these men defend us from in the deeps.
It turns out that all housecats are actually lovecraftian monsters. Due to an ancient pact with humans, however, they will never use their powers for earthly offense. Against otherworldy invaders, however, they have no such restrictions.
When bloody rain began to fall over most of the earth, many religious leaders began to proclaim the end times were upon us. Then corpses came crashing down, identified as Zeus, Odin, Osiris, and Jesus of Nazareth, and we realized it was so much worse.
"Fuck it." The General said, as the alien mother-ship came in to land. "Summon Cthulhu."
You are an Elder God, older than time, beyond the knowledge of man. Yet, in some tiny corner of the infinite omniverse and beyond, on a little blue ball, you find yourself content as a caretaker and guardian of some poor lesser being. You do enjoy being called "a good boy."
Humans show Aliens their depictions of them. The Aliens stumble backwards, terrified. “You know of the old ones.”
The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up.
You've been magically gifted the ability to speak all languages. Anything you say comes out in the first language of whoever you're looking at. One day, you try to greet someone on the street and they gape in horror as ancient, unknowable eldritch sounds exit your mouth. The ground shakes...
Other
And now, for something completely different. These prompts don't quite fit into the other categories, but that doesn't make them any less terrifying. From necromancers accidentally animating their own skeletons to teleportation experiments gone horribly wrong, these ideas are the wild cards of the horror world.
But it's not all blood and guts. Some of these prompts have a surprisingly wholesome twist, like the one about a serial killer who turns out to be a sympathetic ear for a jilted lover. It just goes to show that even in the darkest of stories, there's always room for a little bit of light.
Browse all Other prompts
Our Picks
You woke up in a bathtub full of ice with fresh stitches on your back and abdomen. The emergency room reveals that several organs are missing, replaced with something unknown. They want to cut you open, but you're feeling awesome, stronger and healthier than you've ever felt in your life.
A serial killer decides to murder a bunch of teens in a cabin in the woods. However these 'teens' have just returned from a magical journey thousands of years long and have dealt with much worse.
You and your significant other are running for your lives from a slasher killer. Suddenly your partner ducks into a door and locks it behind them leaving you behind. You slump against the door preparing for the worst. The killer walks up and says "Wow what a jerk. You ok?"
A necromancer's spell misfires and he animates the skeleton inside his own body. The body that he's still very much using.
Researchers have developed a prototype for teleportation but it hasn’t been announced to the public. Being the 53rd tester, you hop in. But as the scientists pull the switch, you feel your body being ripped apart. Before you fade away, you see yourself come out, reassuring everyone it worked.
You are the first man on Mars to explore a previously unknown cave. The camera feed is able to still reach earth, but with a 20 minute delay. Your crew back on Earth start frantically shouting to go back.
Your power is that Any insect that gets within 30 feet of you is vaporized. One day on your regular walk to work a man steps in your field and is turned to dust in the middle of the street. People start fleeing in a panic, except for a few standing about 30 ft away staring at you hatefully
Ever since turning 17 you've been hearing a voice saying "Get out of my head". After having had enough, you get an MRI scan revealing what the doctors think is a tumor and they want to remove it. Then you realize, that's you. You're a parasite.
We hope these prompts have sparked your imagination and left you eager to explore the darker corners of storytelling – just remember to keep the lights on!