Set your story in a haunted house.

Posted in Horror on Sep 8, 2023

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✍️ 70 stories

“The New Apartment” by Mitchell Kaye

Submitted to Contest #215

Steven couldn’t get out of bed. After three days of lying there alone, his bedroom door slammed shut, stirring up a curtain of dust. The noise startled him, although that would hardly be apparent to an observer, as he didn’t budge. The dust slowly spread throughout the room and when it slithered into his ragged throat, he began to hack and squeeze and writhe. Every time he rolled over, his sharp and sore toenails snagged the sheets, undoing a thread. Steven moved into the apartment two weeks ago and immediately fell ill. He’d accepted a...

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“Like and Subscribe” by Kyle Meyer

Submitted to Contest #215

The bolt cutters snipped through the chain like it was made of paper clips; the wrought iron gate opened slowly, ominously. James and Mac, two men both in their mid twenties, slipped through the open gate. Friends since college the two had always hoped for quick money and easy fame. A YouTube channel seemed the logical move; so they started posting videos of their a ‘urban adventures’, breaking into various abandoned buildings. &n...

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“POLTERGa.iST 2123” by Skott's Ghost

Submitted to Contest #215

The battered SUV rumbled down the dark, deserted, murky dirt road outside Vernyn in the year 2123. Rain pelted the windshield, the digital display on the dashboard flickering as they approached their destination. Zephyr Voss gripped the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the towering, dilapidated mansion that loomed in the distance.Inside the SUV, the giant stereo speaker in the back seat throbbed with a bass-heavy rhythm, drowning out the patter of rain. Astra Synth, her fingers dancing over a holographic interface, adjusted the music's frequenc...

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“The Malberrie Haunted House” by Camryn Hitchner

Submitted to Contest #215

It was the night of October thirty-first, and I was getting ready for my thirty-first shift at the Malberrie Haunted House. It was the Malberrie’s first year of being fully in business and it was quickly becoming the most popular Haunted House and Halloween attraction in all of Washington State. I won’t lie, this wasn’t where I imagined I would be at this time in my life. Not even close. I thought, or hoped I suppose, that I would be partying and hanging out with the rest of the kids in my grade, but money is money, and I happened to e...

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“Paralysis” by Ian Grogan

Submitted to Contest #215

Dreaming, your stomach feels weightless in your throat as you find yourself falling into a darkened chasm with no idea when or how long you have been descending. Looking up, you notice a trickle of light, a possible source of where you may have befallen. Reaching out to the light, you try to escape as the glow suffocates in the surrounding blackness. Fear and loneliness encase you like a mother’s womb and you succumb to the bleak surroundings, forfeiting any fight left inside. It’s over, you think to yourself. &nbsp...

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“Potter's Field” by Tracey M. Palmore

Submitted to Contest #215

“Honey, you are going to love the house” said David Augno (pronounce ‘oh no’) to his wife of 10 years. “The development is built on acres of land from a large farm purchased by Soil. They bought the farm and several other acres to build a large compost facility. You’ll love it there I promise.” Deidra Augno said nothing. She quietly stared out the window watching the scenery go by."Mom, can I choose my own room at the new house” inquired Teresa, the Augno’s six-year-old daughter. “Yes dear, you ...

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“Red Flag” by Kelli Knack

Submitted to Contest #215

Emma had made the dish before, but that was years ago, long before she moved into her current home, where the oven’s maximum temperature was three hundred degrees. She wrinkled her nose as she read the thermometer. It’s a shame rare chicken had such a bad rap. “I’m afraid it’s going to be a bit longer,” she called to her date for the night, the first man she’d ever invited into her home for dinner, a...

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“The Klemens House.” by Zach Goff

Submitted to Contest #215

Trigger warning for the content ahead includes mental health, physical violence, gore, sexual violence, and abuse.Mr. Kenneth K. Klemens first built the house after marrying his wife, Rebecca. He got the land dirt cheap off of a farmer of the land. Nothing ever grew there. Farmer Rick had no use for it, and luckily Mr. Klemens had no plans of starting a farm. Kenneth and Rick of them grew to be fast friends afterward.They soon found that part of the barren land problem belongs to boars trampling through the acres. Though Kenneth didn't plan ...

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“The Correct Way to Use Your Friends” by Jereld Yaussi

Submitted to Contest #215

Luis smacked the mosquito that was trying to make a meal of him. He hadn’t thought he’d be spending his night as a buffet. The five teenagers trudged up the secluded driveway to the old plantation house, the lights from the large windows guiding them in the murky night. “Thanks again for carrying my duffel, Nick,” Luis said. &nbs...

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“The Candlelit Attic” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #215

I glanced at Monsie for a split second before my eyes darted back up to the only window in the house that ever glowed. Against a navy-blue backdrop spangled with stars, the illumination flickered as gusts of summer breeze played across the windowsill indicating the window was open, the light, candlelight. Monsie was fat. He’d grown up under the floorboards of Gilly’s Sweets. I had not been so fortunate and had spent my first couple of years in a barn. Not only were scraps hard to come by, but my siblings and I spent a great deal of time fl...

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“Save Me If You Can” by Itxy Lopez

Submitted to Contest #215

The arteries of the house dripped, dripped, dripped. Maia’s steps were hesitant as she stepped further inside. She was distinctly aware that the floor was soft and almost flesh-like, but she was more focused on what she felt rather than the physical features of this dark place. It wasn’t comfortable, but familiar. She’d been here before.She patted the air, hoping to find something to grab and give her a sense of guidance. She felt like she was trapped in a coffin. Her hands finally slid against a wall but she squeaked and yanked them back. S...

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“The House On Eerie Street” by Leah Gissendaner

Submitted to Contest #215

I've always liked spooky, thrilling things like ghosts and vampires. I was one of those weird kids who wanted to watch rated R movies with my dad and play alone with an Ouija board to meet spirits. I dressed up as a ghost almost every year until I was 12, but I never thought I'd meet a real one. My husband and I were looking for a new house with our two kids, Cara and Jon. I was looking for an older home to redecorate, a lovely, cozy home in a nice neighborhood. It took a long time, but we found one. It was perfect, a nice backyard w...

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“Vanator ” by Debbie Archibald

Submitted to Contest #215

The deluge of icy water soaked Sorina. Thunder exploded; lightning blazed. In-between, all was pitch. It wasn't the rainstorm terrifying her. It was the black figure appearing and disappearing throughout Forest Park, each time whispering in her ear, “She is mine. She is mine.” Two Romanian vampyrs had once battled for the love of Sorina’s mother, Marian Bane. The vampyr who lived, returned twenty years later to stake claim on her mother. Now she was gone – against her will. A crash of thunder, so powerful the ground shoo...

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“A Wail in the Night” by Jeydie Woloszczuk

Submitted to Contest #215

Laura placed the mug inside the cupboard and straightened it so that the handle was facing her. She took another cup out of the cardboard box and did the same. She found the repetitive movements comforting. Laura glanced out the kitchen window after placing the last mug. The grass was a vibrant green, accentuated with palm trees and short, rounded bushes; the midday sun struck the land. Ice streaks appeared on the windowpane’s edges, spreading slowly towards the middle. Laura hadn’t noticed as her mind wandered to an image of her and her unb...

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“House on 223 Maple RD.” by Holland Wells

Submitted to Contest #215

The evening air was nice and cool with a mild breeze blowing through the willows that encircled the old house that sat on top of the hill on 223 Maple RD. The house had been sitting abandoned for at least twelve years, the window shutters where barley hanging on by their hinges. The green paint on the old house had been peeling away for some years now. In its time the house was quite a Jewl, there was an upstairs balcony that overlooked the acers and acers of golden wheat fields and an old dirt road lined with dogwood trees that appear to ha...

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Set your story in a haunted house.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 70 stories

“The New Apartment” by Mitchell Kaye

“Like and Subscribe” by Kyle Meyer

“POLTERGa.iST 2123” by Skott's Ghost

“The Malberrie Haunted House” by Camryn Hitchner

“Paralysis” by Ian Grogan

“Potter's Field” by Tracey M. Palmore

“Red Flag” by Kelli Knack

“The Klemens House.” by Zach Goff

“The Correct Way to Use Your Friends” by Jereld Yaussi

“The Candlelit Attic” by Tanya Humphreys

“Save Me If You Can” by Itxy Lopez

“The House On Eerie Street” by Leah Gissendaner

“Vanator ” by Debbie Archibald

“A Wail in the Night” by Jeydie Woloszczuk

“House on 223 Maple RD.” by Holland Wells

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone trying to resist their darker impulses. Whether they succeed or fail is up to you.

Write a story about a monster trying to become more human. Or about a human trying to become more monstrous.

You confront the monster you’ve spent many long years hunting. Except they’re not exactly what you thought they’d be…

Write a story about someone making a deal with the devil.

Contest #215

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

387

Contest entries

135

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: