70 Ghost Story Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas
Ghost stories aren’t just about cheap scares. They’re about atmosphere, mystery, and the strange presence of things we can’t explain. For teen writers, they offer a safe way to explore fear, the unknown, and the tension between the living and the dead. Whether it’s a whisper in the dark, a haunted place, or a character who won’t let go, ghost stories open the door to suspenseful, emotional storytelling.
These ghost story writing prompts are designed for teen writers and include eerie plot hooks, chilling titles, haunting opening and closing lines, character concepts, unsettling settings, and visual inspiration. Whether you’re planning a Halloween writing activity, a full unit on Gothic literature, or just need a quick spark for the spooky season, this list is built to keep the shadows moving.
1. Plot Hooks
Ghost stories thrive on unanswered questions and strange encounters. These story starters are designed to unsettle and spark curiosity:
Write about a character who moves into a new house and finds an old diary that begins to describe their own life, day by day.
Write about a group of friends who dare each other to stay in the local graveyard overnight, but one of them doesn’t come back out.
Write about someone who receives text messages from a friend who died last year.
Write about a character who starts seeing the same ghost every time they look into a mirror.
Write about a haunted road where people disappear if they stop their car.
Write about a teenager who can see ghosts, but only on the night of their birthday.
Write about a family who buys a seaside cottage, unaware that it was once the site of a shipwreck tragedy.
Write about a ghost who refuses to haunt anyone except the narrator.
Write about a boarding school where one student is always absent from lessons… because they aren’t alive.
Write about a photographer who realises a ghost has appeared in every picture they’ve ever taken.
2. Title Prompts
The right ghost story title is half the atmosphere. These can be used as challenges or inspiration:
The Whispering Room
A Candle in the Attic
Beyond the Graveyard Gate
The House on Hollow Street
When the Clock Struck Thirteen
A Voice in the Static
Ashes and Echoes
The Lantern’s Glow
They Never Left
The Last Door on the Left
3. Opening Lines
The best opening lines drop readers straight into unease. Here are a few to start chilling scenes:
The first time I saw her, she was standing at the end of my bed.
Nobody else could hear the knocking, but it never stopped.
I didn’t know the house was haunted when we moved in.
The photograph had changed overnight.
At midnight, the bells began to ring, even though the church had been abandoned for decades.
I woke up with soil under my fingernails.
The window was open, but I hadn’t opened it.
My phone lit up with a message from a number I deleted after the funeral.
The footsteps on the stairs were heavy, but no one was there.
The grave had my name on it.
4. Closing Lines
Haunting endings linger after the page is closed. These leave the door open just a little too wide:
The lights went out, and she was standing right behind me.
I thought it was over, until the whisper came again.
The house is quiet now, but I know it won’t stay that way.
I never told anyone what I saw that night.
The last thing I heard was her voice calling my name.
I buried the locket, but it still found its way back.
When I looked at the photo again, I wasn’t alone anymore.
The grave was empty.
I kept walking, even though I knew I was being followed.
Some doors should never be opened.
5. Character Ideas
Ghost story characters can be haunted, haunting, or simply caught in the wrong place at the wrong time:
A teenager who works in the town’s old funeral home.
A child who plays with an “imaginary friend” that only appears at night.
A ghost hunter who doesn’t believe in ghosts—until they see one.
A caretaker of an abandoned asylum who starts hearing voices in the halls.
A historian researching their family tree, only to discover their ancestors are still around.
A teen who becomes a medium after a near-death experience.
A librarian who notices certain books always fall from the shelves at midnight.
A ghost who doesn’t realise they’re dead and keeps trying to go to school.
A character who wears an antique ring that begins to control their thoughts.
A skeptic who becomes the ghost story everyone else tells.
6. Setting Ideas
Atmosphere is everything in ghost stories. These settings invite suspense and dread:
An abandoned amusement park with rides that still creak and move.
A seaside cliff where a shipwreck claimed dozens of lives.
A forgotten church with broken stained glass and a silent bell tower.
A narrow alleyway that no map records.
A forest where no birds ever sing.
A hospital ward where the lights flicker at the same time every night.
A snowbound cabin where old footprints appear in the morning.
A graveyard that floods whenever the moon is full.
A suburban house where the neighbours never turn off their lights.
An attic sealed off for decades.
7. Picture Prompts
Ghost stories come alive when we can see the uncanny. These picture prompts are designed to spark vivid, eerie storytelling by immersing writers in haunted rooms, abandoned spaces, and fleeting apparitions. Use them for descriptive writing, atmospheric openers, or full narratives that lean on setting and mood. Each image is a doorway to a story — the question is, what’s waiting on the other side?
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re chasing jump scares, slow-burn dread, or emotional hauntings, ghost stories offer endless creative possibilities. These 70 prompts give teen writers the chance to experiment with atmosphere, character, and suspense — and maybe even leave their readers looking over their shoulder.
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