Ideas for short horror stories

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.

You could write a story about a haunted locket. The locket has a picture of a long - dead person in it. Whenever someone wears the locket, they start to have vivid nightmares of that person's tragic death. As time passes, they begin to see the ghost of the person in the locket during their waking hours, too.

Imagine a forest that is known to be cursed. People who enter it often get lost, even those who are experienced hikers. The protagonist is a journalist who wants to investigate the mystery of the forest. Once inside, he discovers that the trees seem to move and form mazes. He also hears voices that seem to be leading him deeper into the forest. As he tries to find his way out, he realizes that there are strange creatures watching him from the shadows.

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.

A story about a house with a locked room that no one has opened for decades. The new owner of the house is curious and finally manages to break the lock. Inside, there's a single chair in the middle of the room. As soon as they step in, the door slams shut behind them. They feel a cold presence. Then, they start to see apparitions of people who seem to be trapped in the room, reaching out to them with desperate looks, as if they want to transfer their own trapped state to the new owner.

One idea could be a story about an old, abandoned house. A young couple decides to explore it. As they enter, the doors slam shut behind them. Strange noises start coming from the attic, like something is dragging heavy chains. They try to find a way out but every door they open leads to a darker and scarier room filled with cobwebs and the feeling of being watched.

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 story about a cursed forest. The forest has a reputation for being a place where people go missing. A group of hikers decides to explore it despite the warnings. As they go deeper, they notice that the trees seem to be alive, with branches reaching out like arms. There are strange symbols carved into the trunks. At night, they are surrounded by a thick fog, and in the fog, they see shadowy figures that seem to be luring them further into the forest. The hiker's attempts to escape only lead them deeper into the nightmare.

A doll that comes to life at night. Every night, the owner of the doll wakes up to find the doll in a different position. One night, it's sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at her. The doll's eyes seem to follow her wherever she goes in the room. Eventually, it starts leaving little footprints around the house, leading to places where strange things start to happen, like cold spots or objects moving on their own.