Horror ideas for a short story

One idea could be a haunted mirror. A young woman buys an antique mirror at a flea market. Every time she looks into it, she sees a figure in the background that gets closer each time. At first, she thinks it's just her imagination, but then strange things start to happen around her. Objects move on their own, and she hears whispers coming from the mirror.

One idea could be a person moving into a new house. Every night, they hear strange scratching noises coming from inside the walls. As they investigate, they find old, faded photos of a family that looks just like them but with sinister expressions. The scratches start to form words like 'leave' on the walls.

A family moves into a new house. At first, everything seems normal, but then they start to notice that the toys in their children's room move on their own at night. The children also start having nightmares about a shadowy figure that stands at the end of their beds.

One idea could be a story about a cursed antique mirror. Every time someone looks into it, they see a distorted version of themselves that slowly starts to take over their body and mind. They begin to act out the evil deeds they see in the mirror reflection.

Here's an idea for a short horror story. A young woman moves into a new apartment. She discovers a locked room that no one in the building seems to know about. One night, she hears strange scratching noises coming from behind the locked door. When she finally manages to open it, she finds a diary that reveals the previous tenant was driven insane by a malevolent presence in that very room.

You could write about a forest that has an evil presence. Maybe a group of hikers go into the forest and get lost. As they wander, they start to feel like they're being watched. The trees seem to close in on them, and they hear howls that don't sound like any normal animal. The forest seems to play tricks on their minds, making them see things that aren't there, like apparitions of long - dead hunters.

One idea could be a haunted house. Picture an old, dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of town. Strange noises come from within at night, like creaking floorboards and whispering voices. The protagonist could be a curious journalist who decides to spend a night there to write a story. As the night progresses, they start to see shadowy figures moving in the corners of their vision.

One idea could be a person who moves into a new house and every night hears strange scratching noises from the attic. When they finally go up to investigate, they find a diary that details the previous owner's descent into madness and how they were haunted by an entity that lived in the walls. As soon as they start reading, the scratching gets louder and the room grows colder.

A cursed mirror could be a great idea. A girl finds an old, ornate mirror at a flea market. When she takes it home and hangs it on her wall, she starts seeing a different reflection in it. Instead of her own face, she sees a distorted, evil - looking version of herself that seems to be getting closer every time she looks. Eventually, she realizes that the mirror is draining her life force.

One idea could be that a family moves into an old, dilapidated house. At night, they start hearing strange noises coming from the attic. When they go to investigate, they find old portraits with eyes that seem to follow them. The walls start to ooze a strange, black substance. Eventually, they realize that the previous owners were part of a cult and the house was built on an ancient burial ground.