horror short stories with a twist

One characteristic is the unexpected ending. For example, in a story where a person thinks they are safe, but suddenly something terrifying happens at the last moment. Another is the build - up of suspense. It makes the reader keep guessing what will happen next, like in a story where strange things keep occurring but there's no clear explanation until the twist. Also, they often play with the reader's fears, whether it's the fear of the unknown, like in a story set in a dark, deserted place, or the fear of something supernatural.

One interesting one is about a couple camping in the woods. They hear howls all night. In the morning, they find a huge paw print. They decide to leave but get lost. As night falls again, they see a pair of glowing eyes. Just as they think it's a wild animal, a ranger comes out. But then the ranger's face twists and he says 'I'm the real danger here'.

Sure. Here's one. A woman was alone in her house at night. She heard strange noises coming from the attic. She bravely went up to check. There was an old doll sitting in the corner. As she turned to leave, she heard a voice say 'You shouldn't have come.' When she looked back, the doll was gone.

Sure. One story is about a girl who always hears strange noises at night. She thinks it's the old house settling. One night, she decides to face it and goes to the attic. There, she finds a doll that looks exactly like her. As she reaches for it, the doll's eyes open and it whispers 'You're not alone'.

One idea could be that the seemingly innocent child character is actually the one causing all the horror. They have some sort of dark power that they are using to torment the adults around them. For example, they make people see their worst nightmares come to life.

Yes, plot twists are quite common in horror stories. They add that element of surprise and shock to keep the readers or viewers on the edge of their seats.

A woman moves into a new apartment. Strange things start to happen like objects moving on their own. She believes it's a ghost. But it turns out that her ex - boyfriend has installed hidden cameras and is remotely moving things to make her think she's haunted. He's obsessed with her and wants to drive her crazy. This adds a more human - made horror element rather than the supernatural at first glance.

One idea could be that the character who seems to be the hero is actually the villain all along. For example, in a story about a detective solving a crime, it turns out that the detective was the one who set up the crime in the first place to gain fame.

She heard a knock at the door. Opening it, she saw her own face staring back at her with empty eyes.

One characteristic is the element of surprise. For example, in 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson, the readers are led to believe it's a normal small - town lottery until the very end when it's revealed that the 'winner' will be stoned to death. Another characteristic is that they often make the reader re - evaluate the whole story. In a story with a twist ending, the events leading up to the end suddenly take on a different meaning. Also, they tend to be concise. Since they need to hold the reader's attention until the big reveal, they usually don't have a lot of unnecessary fluff.