Haunting Hooks: Scary Story Opener Writing Contest
After 1,800 submissions, 3 finalists, nearly 3,000 votes, some scary-bad puns, and several recurring nightmares: it’s official. You have chosen the winner of the “Haunting Hook” Scary Story Opener Writing Contest!
We challenged contestants to write a spooky, captivating opening to a scary story using 50 words or less. And you cheeky devils delivered.
Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com editors narrowed it down to three finalists, and we left the rest up to the scariest contingent of humans we could think of: the internet public.
And now, without further a-boo, we present the most Haunting Hook, as judged by you.
🥇 1st place (41% of the votes)
The night my brother returned home, my parents wept for joy. Not a scratch on him, too exhausted to speak — nonetheless it was a miracle. I suppose I might have been happier were it not for the fact that I had killed and buried him six months ago.
— Amy Chase
Amy Chase on composing her winning entry:
“I loved the challenge of submitting to Haunting Hooks—so many horror stories give you the opportunity to build dread and suspense, but this required me to create a quick punch of horror. Nothing like realizing you’re trapped with an overly honest and murderous narrator. I am humbled to have terrified the judges just enough to make it to the finals.
“I’ve been absorbing a lot of slasher movies recently, and am well aware of the trope that the killer always comes back in the sequel and is never truly dead. I wanted to write from the perspective of a killer whose victim manages to come back instead, in a twist on that idea to alarm the reader.
“My active writing process seemed brief, because I spent most of my time internally trying to visualize whether a victim or a killer’s perspective would be more evocative for a hook. Once I had that dialed in, getting the words out came surprisingly quickly. (It helps that I entered about a day before the deadline too!)
“A friend showed me this contest and at first I thought I might pass on it. I’m used to lengthy, suspenseful writing and wasn’t sure if I could condense that into a quick hook. But I have been experimenting with different horror styles recently, so it was a wonderful exercise and I’m so glad I gave it a try!
“I’ve been greatly enjoying the themed word posts this month featuring some of my favorite monstrous and horrific vocabulary. Especially the different creature classifications—a fun way to be educational and imaginative!”
Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com editors on what makes it work:
We’re used to stories ending with twists, but starting with a twist? Now we’re hooked. The reader is thrust into what seems like a happy occasion. The return of a brother. Tears of joy. A miracle. Then comes the reveal from an apparently fratricidal narrator—who we’re almost tempted to trust. Only one way to find out if we can—by reading on. Amy’s entry shows how much thought and precision can go into writing 50 words.
🥈 2nd place (35% of the votes)
I hadn’t realized my body had a zipper until I was unzipped from behind. Hands pulled my back apart and I felt a shoe step into me, followed by a leg and the whole of a person. Against my brain, a man’s voice whispered, “Let’s get acquainted, shall we?”
— Alexander Lee
Alexander Lee, proving that even twisted horror writers can be quite nice:
“This contest was great fun to participate in! The other submissions were fantastic as well.”
What makes it work:
Yeesh. If this doesn’t give you the bad chills, check for a pulse. It’s made all the spookier by how tangible it is—the unzipping (*shudder*) is followed not just by someone vaguely stepping inside, but by a “shoe” and then “a leg and the whole of a person.” And then, ugh, a whisper directly against the brain. Bad chills, spooky vibe, have to keep reading.
🥉 3rd place (24% of the votes)
It was a bright and sunny day. A beautiful day to paint. Smiling, I look over at my husband. This part calls for crimson red. Gently moving my brush towards the man I married, I dip it where he’s seeping from his wounds. Sometimes, happy little accidents are anything but.
— Rachel Bullock
Rachel Bullock on being inspired:
“I was astonished I got the opportunity to be a finalist and I’m thankful for the support my family and friends gave me in voting. Overall it was a fun, exciting contest. The other entries were super spooky and I loved participating! This inspired me to write more along the lines of spooky stories.”
What makes it work:
This one flips “It was a dark and stormy night” on its head, literally and thematically. It hits notes disturbing (“the man I married”), macabre (“I dip it where he’s seeping from his wounds”), and funny (“happy little accidents,” a Bob Ross reference)—a perfect blend of horror and comedy. We’d love to see the strange places this goes.
Spooktacular honorable mentions
If you just can’t get enough scary story openings, here are some of the “hauntorable” mentions that just missed the cut:
“That first summer living in the city, I learned several things about my neighbor in 8C: he lived alone, preferred Tchaikovsky when it rained, baked aromatic sourdough bread the Sundays his grandson visited, and when those guttural, tide-rending shrieks clawed through his walls, they’d start at precisely 2:56 a.m.”
“A large crowd gathered below the clock tower to see the woman that was tied to its hands. The sun, having already impaled itself on the spire, cast a damning shadow over the cobbles and if anyone had followed its trail, they would have discovered that it pointed to me.”
“Whenever I sleep, I like to hold my husbands hand. Just one more night, and then I’ll bury it with the rest of him.”
“The graveyard sang one night.
People lay in bed, dreaming but not sleeping.
The moon leaned closer to the earth to hear the melancholy music.
‘Come, come,’ the graveyard wailed.
Bodies rattled in coffins. The streets reeked of flesh.
‘Dig a pit, dig a pit. Come lay your bones.’”
“The scene in the painting was the same one I had been seeing in my dreams. A small, dusty country lane with a single tree overhanging the road. But now, unlike in my dreams, the woman hanging from the tree twisted her head around and began to smile at me.”
“‘We’ll be best friends forever.’ That sentence was our promise to each other when we were 12. Now, looking at my bedroom wall, which was adorned with decapitated heads dripping with blood, including his, a sadistic smile crept onto my face. I muttered, ‘We’ll be best friends forever.’”
“She was born with mismatched eyes and a port wine stain on her face. The maroon skin corrupted, murky and bleak, screaming out against the newborn’s red blush. She looked nothing like her father, and her mother died as soon as she saw her daughter’s face.”
“The little girl woke up and asked the medical examiner, ‘Have you come join my tea party?’ It was then when the doctor finally understood why they always had to have a priest present whenever they exhumed a child’s grave.’”
If you’re still curious about how the contest worked (but be forewarned, curiosity did kill the cat), all the details—including what to write, how the contest works, examples, inspiration—are lurking below. (Perhaps it will still get you writing, because an eerie ghost story is perfect any time of the year.) And you can also review the official contest rules for eligibility and other important conditions.
What to write
Compose an original opening to a scary story in 50 words or less.
We define an “opening” as the first sentence or sentences that establish the beginning of a written narrative.
Your opening must (and will be judged on):
- Be original.
- Be captivating as an opening.
- Follow the general conventions of the horror genre.
- Establish a spooky—or spoopy—atmosphere or mood.
For more information on these criteria, please scroll below—if you’re brave.
Need inspiration?
Try adding some frightful flair to your hook with one of these eerie alternatives for the word scary or one of these haunting words ideal for Halloween. Or, take a look at the some the most memorable and captivating first lines we’ve encountered in books.
When and how to enter
We accepted submissions starting at 12:00 am PT on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 until 11:59 pm PT on Friday, October 8, 2021. Only one entry per person.
There were multiple ways to submit: through the form on site, or on selected social media.
How you can win
When the contest entry period has closed, our editors will review all the submissions and narrow them down to three finalists based on our writing criteria.
Starting on Wednesday, October 20 and closing no later than Monday, October 25, users will have a chance to vote on our sites or social media to choose which of the finalists they think is best. Voting is open to all.
The results of the votes will be announced by Friday, October 29, 2021.
What you can win
The finalist who receives the most votes will win:
- $100 gift card
- One-year subscription to Premium
- A gift package with Thesaurus.com or Dictionary.com brand swag
The second- and third-place runners-up will receive:
- A gift package with Thesaurus.com or Dictionary.com brand swag
All three finalists will have the opportunity to have their opening published on and shared by Thesaurus.com and Dictionary.com.
Didn’t make the cut? Your opening may still have the chance to appear on our sites and social media.
More information on writing criteria
As noted above, your opening has to meet and will be judged on four criteria, which we’ll explain below. Stay posted—we’ll be providing articles diving deeper into many of these topics in the weeks to come.
1. Be original.
Now’s your chance to share that great idea for the start of that scary story you always knew would get those spines tingling!
Your opening must be your own unique, previously unpublished work. A word to the wise: do not not use any copyrighted material from existing stories in any form. This includes, but is not limited to, horror books, fanfiction, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and other print and digital media.
We’re looking for scary, not obscene: no slurs, no swears or offensive language, no sexually explicit content, and no gratuitous violence.
2. Be captivating as an opening.
Hook your audience right away! A great story pulls you in—and doesn’t let you go (like any good monster).
A compelling opening is one that can do a lot in just the first few lines. It can spark interest, curiosity—and fear! It can set a vivid scene or introduce a compelling character. It can establish an evocative world. It can start a story the reader just has to keep reading.
💀 Spooky example: “The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years—if it ever did end—began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain.” — It, Stephen King (1986)
Explanation: Here, master of horror Stephen King hooks in readers by portraying an innocuous-seeming paper boat as the unlikely source of decades of terror.
👻 Spoopy example: Emily looked hungrily at her dinner, and he looked happily back at her.
Explanation: In just a few short words, this opener sparks some big questions: who is “he,” and why is he “happily” being eaten alive?!
Looking for some creative brainstorming energy? Reel in this guide on how to write a great hook.
3. Follow the general conventions of the horror genre.
Haunted houses and dark alleys, grotesque monsters and blood-sucking vampires, supernatural and paranormal events—whether on the page or screen, horror is marked by a variety of places, characters, and plots.
But they all have some things in common. Your opening must stick to the themes, characteristics, and spirit of horror: speculative fiction dealing with matters that create fear, shock, or revulsion.
That said, that doesn’t mean horror can’t have a sense of humor or is all dark and gloomy. We welcome openings with elements based in horror but are still funny, comedic, even cute—or maybe downright turn the genre on its head.
💀 Spooky example: If you make any noise in Walker’s Woods, it will find you. And if it finds you, nobody else ever will.
Explanation: This opening line warns of some ghastly horror lurking in the woods. It challenges you, the reader, to test your mettle by reading on.
👻 Spoopy example: The skeletons, ghouls, and zombies gathered slowly, methodically around me. If we had any hope of winning the dance competition, we were going to need to learn some new routines.
Explanation: This opener introduces some classic baddies, but immediately subverts expectations by placing them in a surprising, decidedly un-terrifying scene.
4. Establish a spooky—or spoopy—atmosphere or mood.
This is where you give Stephen King or Shirley Jackson a run for their money. The winning opening will be the evil marriage of #2 and #3. In just a few short words, it will create a perfectly spooky—or spoopy—ambience. This can be achieved by crafting that captivating hook (#2) through the elements of horror (#3).
A “spooky atmosphere or mood” is one that creates a strong sense of dread, mystery, fear, or related sinister feelings through its language and narrative techniques. Remember, the goal isn’t to write an entire story in 50 words. Just set the scene, establish the tone, and make the reader want—need—to know what happens next. Draw them into the story’s world—even if it’s a terrifying one.
Because the horror genre isn’t always about sheer terror, a “spooky atmosphere” can be one that distinctly draws from the horror genre for comedic, endearing, or otherwise playful effect.
💀 Spooky example: “A low howl filled the two-story house, bleeding from the cracks in the knotty Dade County pinewood walls. There were intervals of peace, then the sound rose two octaves into a scream that splintered Jessica Jacobs-Wolde’s sleep.” — My Soul to Keep, Tananarive Due (1997)
Explanation: A low howl that turns into a scream (yikes!) doesn’t just wake a woman up—it splinters her sleep. It’s the first thing that happens, and it makes it feel like it’s happening to you, the reader. The subtle details of the setting make it even eerier: the sound bleeds through the cracked, knotty walls of what sure sounds like a haunted house.
👻 Spoopy example: The eyes in the walls never stopped watching Benny despite how boring his life was. It was rather rude, really. He desperately hoped they would find a new hobby.
Explanation: This opener sets up a world where creepy things are so commonplace that they are felt to be a mild annoyance.
OK, we know we’re no masters of horror. Don’t worry: we can’t submit.
::shines flashlight to face:: So, do you have what it takes?! Mwahaha.
