Ghosts and Ghouls: Teaching Scary Stories to Middle and High School Students

MUAHAHAHAHAHA! It’s that time of year again, where teacher shuffle through old packets of scary stories to use in their classrooms. (Trust me…I have my favorites too). This year, we can throw some writing of scary stories into the mix.

Here are some things to look for when reading or writing scary stories. Go over these elements with students, and you’ll see how creative and focused they can be.

I do recommend reading a few scary or psychological stories first, so they’ll have exemplars to use.

Creating a scary story is all about building tension, creating an eerie atmosphere, and evoking a sense of dread or fear in the reader.

1. Focus on Relatable Fears

• Tap into common teenage fears: Think about anxieties like feeling out of place, social isolation, being the first one at a party, or changes that come with growing up. You can use these themes and amplify them into supernatural or horror contexts.
• Make it personal: Incorporate themes of identity, trust, family, or friendship, as they resonate with middle and high school students. For instance, a story about a friend changing in an unnerving way can add a psychological layer of fear.

Example: A student discovers that their best friend has been acting strange, only to realize they’ve been replaced by something otherworldly.

2. Create an Eerie Atmosphere

• Set the tone early: Start with a mood of unease or subtle discomfort. Avoid giving away too much at once; let the creepy details slowly unfold. Something as simple as a scary feeling of someone watching you is enough to start the process.
• Use familiar settings with a twist: Schools, parks, sleepovers, or even cell phones and social media can be great settings, as students can easily picture themselves there. Turn those normal places into unsettling environments. Have students start looking differently at the places they frequent. (Remember what the franchise Final Destination did to us?)

Example: A haunted text message chain where mysterious, threatening texts come from a number that doesn’t exist.

3. Build Suspense and Mystery

• Slowly unravel the horror: Instead of jumping straight into the scary elements, introduce small, unexplained occurrences that build tension. Let students practice using those motifs that lead to uncertainty. Moving grass, blowing wind, sounds of footsteps from afar, stranger continuing to stare, etc.
• Keep the pacing tight: Middle and high school readers may lose interest if the story drags, so make sure each scene adds to the suspense or mystery.

Example: Strange events begin happening at school after a rumor spreads about a cursed yearbook photo. Small details (like an eerie shadow in the background) hint at something wrong before the real scare is revealed.

4. Develop Interesting, Relatable Characters

• Make the protagonist likeable: A relatable main character makes it easier for readers to get invested in the story. Maybe the protagonist is an outsider or deals with real-life issues like peer pressure, but they end up facing something far more terrifying.
• Avoid over-the-top villains: Instead of outright monsters, you can explore morally ambiguous characters or mysterious figures that are scarier because their motivations are unclear.

Example: A student starts receiving cryptic notes from someone at school who seems to know all their secrets. The fear builds as they try to figure out who (or what) is behind it.

5. Use Tension Rather Than Gore

• Focus on psychological horror: For this age group, stories that rely on psychological tension, eerie imagery, and suggestive scares tend to work best. Less is often more—leaving some things up to the reader’s imagination. There may be more torture in the unknown and someone thinking something is wrong than just the murder or weapon.
• Avoid graphic violence: Keep the horror age-appropriate by focusing on suspense rather than blood or overly disturbing imagery. Let students focus on the mentality of the protagonist or the villain.

Example: A student wakes up in their bed every night to hear whispering, but when they investigate, nothing is there. The whispers become more urgent and specific, pointing to a dark secret from the past.

6. End with a Twist or Cliffhanger

• Surprise the reader: A twist ending can leave a lasting impression. Maybe the protagonist escapes the immediate danger, only to realize that the threat isn’t fully gone.
• Leave some questions unanswered: Sometimes, the scariest part of a story is what’s left unresolved, allowing the reader’s imagination to fill in the blanks.

Example: The protagonist believes they’ve escaped the haunted house, but when they arrive home, they notice a detail that suggests they’ve brought something back with them.

By keeping the fears relatable, the pacing tight, and the characters engaging, you’ll create or your students will create a scary story that resonates with middle and high school students while keeping them on the edge of their seats!

Relating Resources to Help You teach the Scaries:

HAVE A SCARY, GOOD TIME THIS SEASON! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!