REEDSY PROMPTS

Write your book in Reedsy Studio. Try the beloved writing app for free today.

Win up to $250 in our weekly writing contest

Submit your short story on Reedsy Prompts.

DIRECTORY

30 Best Halloween Short Story Ideas

Showing 30 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.

Page 2

Write a story about a festive neighborhood battle between one family who loves Halloween and another family who loves Christmas.

You signed up for what you thought was a sweepstakes to win the latest Apple iPhone model, only to discover to your horror when you get to the fall festival that it's actually a competition to see who can eat the most apples in 30 minutes.

Spin a scary story that could be told around a bonfire at night.

Write a story about the all-out war among the PTA moms to snatch up the last Spider-Man costume in the costume shop.

A group of students hold a high-stakes competition to see who can carve the best jack-o-lantern. The class clown is appointed the judge.

You've been turned into a ghost! Now the fun part begins. Who do you pick to haunt, and why?

You're donating blood as normal in October when you notice that the nurse taking care of you is... strangely... pale? And seems to have oddly-shaped teeth... that almost look like fangs...?

A group of friends go pumpkin picking at a local farm and have a competition to see who can find the biggest pumpkin. Plot twist: the farm has a previous reputation for being haunted.

A group of kids get an invite to a costume party in the neighborhood… but when they arrive, the monsters aren't costumes. They're real.

Write a story about the local scarecrow coming to life and going on a revenge mission against all of those people who had dressed it badly in previous years.

Write a story about an ongoing rivalry between a vampire and a werewolf for supremacy over Halloween.

A group of high school students go on an educational field trip to a graveyard to learn about the history of the area. But when a storm starts up and they get trapped, they have to figure out how to survive the night.

Write a story about a catastrophic attempt to use grandma's famous pumpkin pie recipe for the annual Halloween feast.

Set your story on a hayride. Bonus points if a headless horseman makes an appearance.

Free course: How to Write a Short Story

10 lessons to turn your story idea into a sparkling piece of short fiction.