Horror Story Ideas, Prompts, and Screenplays to Kickstart Your Creativity

One of the most popular genres out there is horror. It comes with its own audience and frequently does well at the box office and on television. It delivers chills, scares, and makes the audience feel like they're on a roller coaster. The only thing I don't love about horror is actually sitting down to write it.

Horror story ideas take a lot of work. They need to feel unique and cut through the noise to stand out to producers. 

Some of the best ways to get ready to write are to study other screenplays, look at horror prompts, and refine your ideas with successful writing tools. 

Today, I want to guide you through some of these and allow you to try a few of these tactics out for yourself. Hopefully, we can work together to make writing horror less frightening than watching it. 

Let's get going, you have scary stories to write! 

'It'Credit: Warner Brothers

The Horror Genre Definition 

Before we jump in, let's get a definition. Horror is a genre of film and television whose purpose is to create feelings of fear, dread, disgust, and terror in the audience. The primary goal is to develop an atmosphere that puts the audience on edge and scares them.

Where does the word "horror" come from?

The term actually came from the Old French word "orror," which meant “to shudder or to bristle.”

Horror filmmaking has roots in religions across the world, local folktales, and history. It's a universal genre. Every culture has its scary stories and fears. These elements are meant to exploit the viewer and engage them with the possibility of death and pain. 

Most importantly, to be a true horror project, your story should deal with the supernatural. Death, evil, powers, creatures, the afterlife, witchcraft, and other diabolical and unexplainable happenings must be at the story's center. 

'The Exorcist'Credit: Warner Brothers

Horror Story Ideas, Prompts, and Screenplays 

Got an idea of what kinds of scary stories you want to tell in the dark? 

Before you get into the physical act of writing, let's trace some of the origins and reasoning behind what you're embarking on. That's a question you can answer for yourself before you start writing. Why horror? What do you have to say? Why are you using this genre to tell your story? 

Themes for horror stories

The theme of your screenplay refers to the issue at the core of the story itself. This isn't mentioned in the script, but it's the emotional or spiritual driving force behind your movie's message. If you don't have a theme, then your film will feel like it lacks purpose. Think of the theme like the thesis statement of a paper. John August describes the theme as "what is true and what is real."

So what's true at the center of your story? 

As you go through your ideas and the "why" you're telling them, you'll pick up on the themes. What do you want to say about the human condition, or society, or relationships? 

The themes for your screenplay matter. They'll cast a shadow over every scene and should dictate how you craft characters and set up the main story beats. 

Horror plots

When it comes time to begin to write your plot for these kinds of movies, consider writing a treatment to get started. It's basically a scary story you'll then adapt into a movie.

Horror plots really depend on the kind of subgenre you plan on using. Let's take a look at some. 

Credit: Horror on Screen

Horror movie subgenres 

Slasher 

Slasher movies usually have killers who use knives or hooks or machetes to hack up their victims. They can be like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or Scream in tone. There can be one or multiple killers. They have a lot in common with the mystery genre and thrillers. 

Monster 

From Godzilla to The Fly, monster movies come in all shapes and sizes. Usually, these monsters terrorize a small community, like in Jaws, but they can also be a global threat, like in Cloverfield.

We don't always need a direct scientific explanation for why or how the monster exists, but that might clue everyone in on how you can defeat them. 

Supernatural  

Ghosts, demons, and Satan all exist within these worlds. Your demons can be like Freddy Kreuger or they can be like the spirit in The Exorcist. They can be ghosts like in The Others or a riff on that, like in Ghost. Or just straight-up horrific like in Poltergeist. 

Inanimate Objects 

A few years ago it felt like every movie had a scary doll in it. Now, with the Chucky reboot and Anabelle, these dolls don't seem like they're going away.

But what about something like The Fog or Christine? They also fall into these types. 

Found Footage 

I know this is technically a way to make a movie, but I wanted to address it last. While these movies are not as popular as they once were, the staples are still the most famous. 

The Blair Witch, The Visit, and Paranormal Activity changed the way we viewed cinema. You have to write for found footage for it to be found footage. 

Common tropes of horror screenplays

Here are just a few of the biggest horror screenplay tropes.

1. Action: People often creep around with little dialogue. 
2. Suspense: Pacing in horror is a must. Think Hitchcock! 
3. Jumpscares: Sudden noises or reveals should POP off the page. 
4. Gore: Gruesome death or torture scenes are commonplace in these movies. 
5. A memorable villain: Create someone who will haunt your dreams for years to come. 

The Horror Screenplay Outline

If you're writing your own screenplay, maybe this outline will help you get started. The beats below should help jumpstart your ideas and show you where they would traditionally fall into place within the story.   

1. Unraveling The Terror—Do you have an opening scare that defines the movie?

Do you like Scream? The opening scene of the screenplay sets the tone for the entire story. 

2. The Entry Point—Who will be involved in these terrifying escapades, and what are they dealing with? 

In a movie like Dawn of the Dead, it's a series of scenes where we meet who will inhabit the mall. 

3. Before It Goes to Shit—What’s a normal day look like in this world?

Think about the way the family gets by in Poltergeist before the ghosts show up. 

4. The Horror Sets In—What horrific thing sets our characters off on their journey?

Nothing is worse than realizing your daughter is possessed as the characters do in The Exorcist.   

5. The Uneasy Path—Everyone is together, what keeps them moving this way?

In something like Godzilla, it's the reason why they deal with the monster at hand. What do they have to gain? 

6. Walking Over Broken Glass—How do our heroes deal with the problems as they go?

In the Saw franchise, this is how people try to get out of the sick traps and hunt Jigsaw. 

7. Through The Dark Cave—Do you have a B story? Set that story off on its own now too.

B-stories, like the marital tension in Rosemary's Baby, are great scenes to juxtapose against the horror at hand. 

8. Reassess the Terror—You’re in the middle. Is there another way to get out alive?

In Shaun of the Dead, it's when they decide to go to the Winchester. 

9. People are Going to Die—Things begin to fall apart, let the body count rise, and show how they deal with it. 

In The Descent, this is when the people in the group begin to be picked off one by one. 

10. The Fall—The worst thing happens, something so bad you don’t think you can get up.

In a horror movie like The Mist, it's when they are forced outside and surrounded by the actual mist. 

11. The Hidden Clue—What do your characters discover that they never saw before?

Is there a way out? Something they never realized, like in the Sixth Sense when David realizes he's a ghost. 

12. Race To the Final (Girl)—They’re up and running no matter what. They can make it! 

This is the series of scenes that carries us toward your thrilling finale. In Alien, it's when Ripley is confronted by the Xenomorph and has to think fast. 

13. The Moment of Relief—Did they make it out alive? Has life returned to normal?

What does their day feel like with the problem corrected? Think about when the shark in Jaws finally dies.

14. Where We Go From Here?—Show us the world in a new light, hint what’s next. Maybe the killer or monster returns for one final scare!

In every horror movie, it feels like there's one last scare. Like in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer when it turns out the hook-handed man is under the bed! 

30 Scary Horror Story Prompts and Ideas 

We have lots of story prompts available for writers. If you want to use them, go for it. Check out the list below.