ideas for starting a scary story

A child's bedroom where all the toys seem to move when no one is looking. The stuffed animals have a menacing look in their glassy eyes, and the dolls' heads turn slightly when you pass by. The room is filled with an unnatural silence, broken only by the occasional giggle that seems to come from nowhere.

One idea could be to start with a strange or mysterious event. For example, a character wakes up in an unfamiliar place with no memory of how they got there. This immediately grabs the reader's attention and sets up a lot of questions that need to be answered. It also gives the writer a chance to gradually reveal information about the character and the world they are in as the story progresses.

A great way to start is with a conversation that is full of mystery or tension. For instance, two characters are whispering in a dark alley about a secret that could change the world. The reader will be intrigued to find out what the secret is and who these characters are.

It might be a strange old man sitting alone on a park bench in the middle of winter. His face is hidden in the shadows of his tattered hat, and he mutters to himself in an unknown language. He has a small, tattered doll in his hands that he strokes gently, but there's something off about the way he does it, as if the doll is more than just a toy.

One good starting point could be a creepy old abandoned house. It sets the spooky atmosphere right away.

A good start for a scary story could be a creepy setting, like an abandoned house in the middle of the night.

It was a dark and stormy night. A young girl named Lily was home alone. She had just finished reading a horror book and the storm outside was making her imagination run wild. The lights flickered and went out. In the pitch black, she heard scratching at the window. Lily was too scared to move. She thought of all the monsters from the book she had read. But then she remembered that she was in her own home and she had to be brave. She groped around in the dark for a candle and matches. Once she had some light, she saw that it was just a branch from a tree scratching at the window. She laughed at herself for being so scared, but she still couldn't wait for the storm to pass.

A simple yet effective start could be a map. The protagonist stumbles upon an old, tattered map that shows a route to a place that's only rumored to exist - a city made of gold and jewels in the heart of a magical forest. This map is the catalyst for their journey, full of unknown perils and exciting encounters.

One idea could be a haunted house. A family moves into an old, dilapidated mansion. Every night, they hear strange noises like creaking floorboards and whispering voices. The children start seeing a shadowy figure in the hallway that disappears when they turn on the lights. As the days pass, the figure gets closer and closer until it finally reveals its terrifying face one night.

How about a story set in a dark forest? A hiker gets lost in the forest at night. As he tries to find his way out, he hears strange howls. He comes across a clearing where there are strange symbols carved into the trees. Suddenly, he feels like he's being watched from all directions. Every step he takes seems to lead him deeper into the unknown and the sense of dread just keeps growing.