What are the best ideas for a horror story?

One idea could be a haunted house where every night at midnight, the walls start to ooze a strange black liquid that whispers the names of the previous owners who died mysteriously in the house. The protagonist could be a young journalist looking for a big story and decides to stay in the house for a night to investigate.

A body - snatching alien. In a small town, people start acting really strange. They become emotionless and robotic. It turns out that an alien species has landed and is taking over people's bodies. The main character notices that their friends and neighbors are changing, and they start to investigate. They find a crashed spaceship on the outskirts of town. Inside, they discover the aliens' plan to use human bodies to blend in and eventually take over the world. The character has to find a way to stop the aliens before everyone they know is completely taken over.

The asylum could be filled with the spirits of former patients who were tortured there. The main character, a thrill - seeker exploring the place, starts hearing screams and seeing shadowy figures that seem to be reliving their moments of agony.

Walking through the cemetery, I heard a soft cry. I turned to see a little girl in a white dress. When she looked up, her eyes were black holes that seemed to suck the life out of me.

A possessed doll makes for a great horror story idea. It moves on its own, has an evil glint in its eyes, and seems to have a mind of its own. It could start by causing small annoyances like moving around the room at night, but then escalates to more dangerous things like attacking people. Also, the idea of a group of people getting lost in a fog - covered forest where the trees seem to have a life of their own and there are strange noises all around can be very terrifying.

There is a forest that has always been avoided by the locals. It is said that within the forest, there are trees that can move and voices that whisper disturbing things. A group of hikers decides to explore the forest. As they enter, they are gradually separated. Each hiker then experiences a series of terrifying illusions related to their past traumas. The forest seems to feed on their fear and pain.

The main character finally finds the source of the evil, which is an ancient cursed object. As they try to destroy it, they realize too late that the curse spreads through touch. They are consumed by the darkness, and their screams are the last sound in the now desolate place.

One idea is to start with an ordinary setting like a small, idyllic town. But then introduce a strange occurrence, such as all the animals in the town suddenly going silent. Another idea could be a character who inherits an old, creepy mansion and starts experiencing unexplained noises and apparitions at night. You can also write about a group of friends who go camping in the woods and encounter a menacing force that seems to be stalking them.

A house that seems normal during the day but at night, the walls start to bleed. The blood drips down and forms strange symbols on the floor. These symbols are a warning from the spirits trapped in the house. The people living there start to experience sleep paralysis and see terrifying apparitions that get closer each night.

One idea could be a haunted mirror. Every time someone looks into it, they see a distorted version of themselves with a sinister figure lurking in the background. As they keep looking, the figure starts to come closer out of the mirror until it reaches into their world.