Blog Header Bryn Donovan 2023

BRYN DONOVAN

tell your stories, love your life

  • Writing Inspiration
  • Semi-Charmed Life
  • Reading & Research

50 Spooky Writing Prompts and Horror Story Ideas

50 Spooky Writing Prompts and Horror Story Ideas #horror writing ideas #horror writing prompts #scary story prompts #Halloween writing prompts #dark fantasy story ideas #suspense story plots

If you’re looking for scary story prompts or horror writing ideas, you’ve come to the right place! These are great Halloween writing prompts, and some of these could also be used as suspense story prompts or dark fantasy story ideas.

These are all from my book 5 ,000 Writing Prompts: A Master List of Plot Ideas, Creative Exercises, and More . The book has 100 additional spooky writing prompts and horror story ideas, as well as master plots and idea starters for all kinds of writing.

If you are easily scared and have an over-active imagination, just skip this one. And anyway, just remember it’s all nonsense that I made up while I was exercising on the treadmill or sitting in bed.

Some of these are skeletal (ha) plot ideas, while others are images or suggestions. And if you’d like a spooky soundtrack to inspire you, be sure to check out my scary music playlist for writers ! Be sure to pin or bookmark the post for future reference. After all, when autumn rolls around, you might find yourself looking for Halloween writing prompts!

50 Spooky Writing Prompts and Horror Story Ideas #horror writing ideas #horror writing prompts #scary story prompts #Halloween writing prompts #dark fantasy story ideas #suspense story plots

  • A musician practices. When she finishes a piece, she hears someone clapping for her, although she lives alone.
  • Frightening events in a small town lead its citizens to dig up the grave of a deceased inhabitant.
  • Someone gets on the elevator by himself and is never seen by his friends or family again.
  • The Furies—the vengeance deities of classic mythology—are back in business again.
  • A collector buys an unpublished manuscript by an obscure writer that describes a terrible historical event a year before it occurred. The collector learns the writer wrote many unpublished stories…
  • Creating a hybrid of a human and this particular animal turns out to be a bad idea.
  • A person has the ability to make other people very ill.
  • The dead walk out of the sea.
  • An individual begins seeing and hearing from someone who looks just like her – and learns she had a twin who died at birth.
  • A killer places an advertisement for a willing victim and finds one.
  • A basement contains jars filled with unusual specimens.
  • A person finds new photos of herself on her cell phone that she didn’t take.
  • The spirit of a brutalized slave or prisoner of war wants revenge on his tormentor’s descendants.
  • A couple vacationing in a remote area begins having the same nightmares.
  • All of the circus performers were killed in the train wreck.
  • The television switches to another station of its own accord and plays footage of something horrible that happened long before the technology existed to record it.
  • A spouse or sibling dies. He or she begins to take over the body of the surviving spouse or sibling.
  • Weekend adventurers explore a cave and can’t find their way out again. Then they encounter something terrible…
  • Authorities go through the cluttered apartment of a deceased man who lived alone with no known friends or relatives for decades and find something disturbing.
  • A group of teenagers trolls everyone else in an online group by telling made-up stories about terrible things they’ve done. Things then get out of hand.
  • It’s bad luck in the theatre to call the Shakespeare play Macbeth by name, but someone in the company keeps doing it anyway… and the superstition proves true.
  • Every exhibit in this carnival sideshow is fake. Except this one thing.
  • An individual develops a terror of water – drinking it, touching it, or even being near it. There’s actually a good reason why.
  • The grandfather clock starts running backwards.
  • People in this neighborhood begin having freak accidents that involve normal appliances and machinery, such as blenders, weed whackers, and garage doors.
  • The cure for a new deadly epidemic is almost scarier than the disease.
  • He locked the doors and shuttered the windows; it came in through the roof.
  • A woman is happy when her dead loved one comes back to life… but he’s changed.
  • This centuries-old beauty secret is effective but horrifying.
  • A killer toys with his victims by orchestrating a series of false hopes for them.
  • She wakes up in the middle of the night and runs out to a certain tree.
  • Tourists on a ghost tour, along with their guide, fall into the hands of an evil presence.
  • A young woman is impregnated by her handsome new boyfriend, who turns out to be something other than human.
  • The empty swing is swinging.
  • A bride on her honeymoon discovers she’s not her new husband’s first wife… not even close.
  • Long ago, when he was a baby, a man’s parents made an unwise deal in order to bring him back from the dead.
  • Members of a family or people in a town begin sleepwalking and doing strange things in their sleep.
  • A young man confesses to a killing that hasn’t happened. The murder he describes takes place while he’s in custody.
  • Grisly events happen after the arrival of a hypnotist in Victorian London.
  • An author’s fictional villain stalks him.
  • Fraternity hazing goes way too far.
  • It always happens when he’s alone in the car.
  • A patient in a mental hospital encounters a malevolent ghost, but nobody believes her.
  • A mother’s young child may or may not be a changeling.
  • Swarms of insects appear in various places in a town, always followed by an untimely death.
  • The ghost at the movie theater wants everyone to watch one particular snippet of film.
  • A child’s imaginary friend starts to cause real trouble.
  • When putting together a slide show for a wedding or funeral, someone notices that for decades, the same man, dressed in the same fashion, has been appearing in the background of photographs taken in public places.
  • A politician, religious leader, or celebrity exerts mind control over the will of his or her followers.
  • The fairy godmother isn’t the good kind of fairy.

Okay, I creeped myself out a little with these spooky writing prompts! If you’re writing a novel and want a step-by-step guide to planning, writing, and editing, be sure to check out my book 5,000 Writing Prompts .

5,000 WRITING PROMPTS: A Master List of Plot Ideas, Creative Exercises, and More | BRYN DONOVAN |

Do you have questions or suggestions about horror story ideas? We’d love to hear them in the comments section! And don’t miss future posts about writing. Follow my blog, if you aren’t already — there’s a place you can sign up below. Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing!

Related Posts

a notebook, scissors, pens, paper clips and other school supplies

Share this:

60 thoughts on “ 50 spooky writing prompts and horror story ideas ”.

' src=

This was terrific. Thank you.

' src=

Thanks, B.D., you’re so welcome!

' src=

You always have the best writing prompts. I love these! Several gave me the jeebas. 🙂

Thank you so much! Haha, it only seemed creepy to me when I went back and read straight through them. 😀

' src=

Fabulous prompts – I see some stories in my immediate future.

Aw thanks Noelle, glad you like them!

' src=

Thanks, Bryn, for all the great prompts. I appreciate it. 🙂 — Suzanne

Thanks, Suzanne, you’re welcome!

' src=

Great prompts for the coming season and for those who write about the supernatural all year round. A friend of mine and myself send photos to each other as prompts and most of the time, mine stories lean toward the macabre, supernatural or fantasy. I love it! Many of these set my thoughts in motion (the gears are turning). Thanks!

Cheryl, that’s so cool that you and your friend send image prompts to each other! So glad you liked these. Thanks for the nice comments!

' src=

Those are delightful ideas and I thank you for them. Did you hear, by the way, about the writer of bizarre tales whose stories were typed using the blood font.The one that leaves an occasional trail of blood down the background image of the screen. Isn’t technology a delightful addition to this lexicon?

Hi Robert! Holy smokes, I had not heard of that use of text. That’s amazing! Thanks so much for commenting, and for the kind words!

' src=

I really like the first one: A musician practices. When she finishes a piece, she hears someone clapping for her, although she lives alone.

My character plays the violin and she’s blind, so imagining something like that happening is kind of scary.

Oh geez, Cinthia, that would be scary. That one was my favorite one, by the way. Thanks for commenting!

' src=

The reasons why crime features so heavily in media coverage are many and varied. In practical terms crime stories are often easy to cover, relative to other issues. Police make appeals for witnesses, ‘tip off’ journalists (sometimes in ethically problematic ways), court hearings are easy to access and scheduled long in advance.

  • Pingback: Five Links Friday the 13th 1/13/17 | Write Good Books

' src=

nice stories……..give me the creeps

Haha, thank you so much Jayitha!

' src=

Thanks so much really helped me.I have to write a short story for english so thanks!

So glad it helped, Neveah! Hope your story turned out (or turns out) great!

' src=

who are you?

' src=

That was amazing, I am 11 years old and I looked up writing prompts for fun but now I want to write a whole story! Thank you!

' src=

Thank u for these ideas. Good suggestions. I am actually writing a horror/thriller story right now and I’m almost done with it. It may be my first story to publish. At least I hope so. I hope that if it does get published, people may like it. I try to make my stories as unique as possible compared to the fantastic horror books already written.

  • Pingback: Dark Flash Month | Within A Forest Dark

' src=

Great article…So, I have a very sketchy idea (comments welcomed).Newly married couple, husband starts having night terrors about being trapped/lost in a cave (the type extreme potholers go down). He suffers from claustrophobia, specifically potholing. The terrors become more and more violent until one day/night he wakes up inside a shaft, wedged between the walls by his broad shoulders…can’t go forward, can’t go backwards. That’s as far as I’ve got. Apart from skipping to a potential sad ending. You may have guessed that this is a fear of mine!!!

' src=

That is unbelievably terrifying!!

ps. You may also guess that I am attempting to write my FIRST book!!!

Thank you Ember Jay

  • Pingback: Você não tem uma ideia, mas quer, pode e deve escrever mesmo assim – Romancearte

can you have more scary stories and pin them on pinterest? If you want my email for anything its [email protected] . Thanks

lisette isabelle

Isn’t the last one the plot of Shrek 2?????

yessss broooo

Broooo thats my fav movie!!!!!

  • Pingback: Halloween Writing Contest | RhetComp @ Stony Brook

I like #4 The Furies—the vengeance deities of classic mythology—are back in business again. I’m currently writing a story about a demon and a school girl the story is call Her name was Misaki

I like #4 The Furies—the vengeance deities of classic mythology—are back in business again. I’m currently writing a story about a demon and a school girl the story is call Her name was Misaki

This sounds like a a great story!

' src=

I used the first one to get me started on brainstorming, and I warped the idea into a feature screenplay that was very fun to write. Thanks for the awesome help!!!

Yeah boiiiiii

I was sitting by the window watching the snow slowly and silently fall. Suddenly, outside, a snap of a branch and a stutter of leaves, a sad old man leaves his house over the road. I watch him as he slowly strolls down the driveway with his brown old wooden stick. Is this a good story starter?

' src=

Thanks for getting my imagination running. I needed that. J

Aw, thanks. Thanks for reading, John!

' src=

heyo…. I’m 13 years old and i want to write a horror story…..this is helpful!!! I want to be an author when i grow up…whats it like being an author???!!! i have so many ideas , too many that i actually have no idea what to write this gave me some good ideas too thanks. oh, and i love your eyes they are so pretty.

Hey there! I’m so glad you liked the list! It sounds like you have an amazing imagination. Being a writer has challenges, but it’s fantastic making up whole characters, stories, and worlds…and when readers love your stories, too, that’s a great feeling. I hope you have great success as an author. Thanks for the compliment, too!

idea 48 is probably the ex boyfriend of the girl getting married and getting revenge on the husband hehe

I love all these prompts! They give just enough detail but also leave a great amount of imagination! I am doing a spooky story contest and now I have a wonderful idea! thank you so much! -Charlotte

' src=

Love this list! I plan on entering a short story contest, and this is very helpful! I lean more towards lengthy fantasy (particularly magic or medieval related) stories, so coming up with ideas for a scary short story is not exactly easy. I now have a solid idea combining bits and pieces of a few prompts (for example: #13 and #16) plus combining my own twists. So thank you!!

Thank you so much I really needed this for English

My story Wrote by 11 yrs old girl (no name, sry) The Mystery Of The Unexpected Ghost: As my grandfather lies on his deathbed, he told me of a terrible crime he committed many years ago and got away with. He also told me that his freedom was the result of a spell someone performed and that I should expect a visit from a ghost. “He will come out from the shadows,” are his last words. Hi, my name is Naomi. I am 21 years old and I love to read ghost stories especially Mr Midnight. I love spooky things like ghost but I do not wish to meet one, until one day, an unexpected man came and it changed my friend, Ruby’s and my life, FOREVER. It all started when I woke up one morning, “Hey! Want to hang out today? Let’s start working on our club, Daring Devils!” I called my friend, Ruby, over the phone. “Sure! I have no plans anyways…” Ruby answered. “Yay! Come over now!” I hung the phone and waited for Ruby to come. Moments later, “Ring… Ring…” The doorbell rang. I thought, ‘Yay it’s Ruby!’ When I opened the door, I saw Ruby and pulled her to my room. Then, I got super serious and asked her for cases to solve. “Nah, I have none, you?” Ruby said. I replied, “Actually, I do have one, but I think ghosts aren’t real…” “Wait, this case is about ghosts? Woo hoo! This just got a little more exciting!” Ruby exclaimed as she waited patiently for me to tell her the case. “Ok, so, before my grandfather died, he told me that I should expect a visit from a ghost.” I responded. “What, that’s not fun!” Ruby complained. I continued, “But that’s not all, after that, my grandfather told me that the ghost will come out from the shadows.” After hearing what I had said, Ruby’s face lit up and imitated a ghost, “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO… So this is a mystery! Did your grandfather tell you when will the ghost appear?” “No…” I replied. “O…K… So we must predict when the ghost is coming…” Ruby said, trying to think when the ghost will come. I thought really hard that I thought my brain was going to explode and I suddenly said, “At night! Ghosts always appear at night!” “Ok, then, I’ll meet you at night, got to go, bye!” Ruby replied as she ran home. I sat patiently on my bed and waited for Ruby to come at night. I kept trying to sleep but thinking about the ghost kept me awake. “Ring… Ring…” the doorbell rang. I ran to the door, drag Ruby to my room and exclaimed, “Yay! This is going to be so fun!” Ruby answered, “Naomi, I’ll not get too excited if I were you…” “What, you scared of ghosts, I don’t even believe in them!” I responded. “Naomi! The ghost might be listening! Stop making fun!” Ruby warned me. “Whatever!” I blurted. Little did I know that the ghost was spying on us, listening to every word I said. “Let’s get started on the case!” I exclaimed as I turn on my computer and typed, ‘Ghosts that can perform spells.’ “Enter!” I said as I pressed enter. Once I pressed enter, lots of information from the internet popped up on the screen. I slowly browsed through each website. “Not this, not this and not this either! At this rate, we’ll never find out about that ghost” I whimpered, feeling hopeless. “Search, ‘Visit from a ghost who performs spells’.” Ruby replied immediately. I typed, ‘Visit from a ghost who performs spells.’ “Enter.” I uttered. Suddenly, there was only one website. I click on the website and it says: The Chancer * His real name is unknown. He is believed to be the ghost of a boy who never had a second chance. This ghosts helps humans in life. He gives chances to those who have a kind heart. If this ghosts visits you, you are lucky. But… if you do not have a kind heart, you will die! If you want to risk your life, then call him… Say, “Chance, chance, give me a chance. Everyone deserves a second chance.” If you did not call him but he came to you, means someone you knew had called him before… Beware of your surroundings, he will come out from the shadows. If you do not want him to come near you, say, “Chance, chance, I don’t need a chance. Everyone deserves a second chance, everyone but me, I’m done…” If you are expecting him to come, he will say, “Second chance, second chance, second, second, second chance… What would you like for your second chance? Tell me now, tell me now…” * (BOHH) “Gosh! Naomi, quick! Take a picture of it!” Ruby shook me. “Chill! ‘Kay, ‘kay!” I grumbled. I quickly took my phone and took a picture of it. “Anyways, what’s BOHH?” Ruby questioned me. “WHAT! You don’t know!? It means Blood On His Hands. He has taken a life. You should read Mr Midnight!” I responded. “So if you are not kind hearted and you called the ghost or if someone you know has called the ghost, you will die?” Ruby asked. “Yup!” I replied. “But I don’t need a second chance, do I?” I wondered. “I guess…” Ruby murmured. Unexpectedly, the lights suddenly off. “Second chance, second chance, second, second, second chance… What would you like for your second chance? Tell me now, tell me now…” said an unknown voice. “Who are you?” Ruby hollered. “I am The Chancer, would you like to have a second chance?” The voice said. “Uh… uh…” I stammered. I quickly turn on my phone and looked at the picture I took. I took a deep breath and said, “Chance, chance, I don’t need a chance. Everyone deserves a second chance, everyone but me, I’m done…” Once those words left my mouth, I heard a loud scream and the lights suddenly turned back on. “What just happened?” Ruby asked. “Am I dreaming? Pinch me, Naomi!” Ruby said. I pinched Ruby as hard as I could to get my revenge for her pinching me in the past. “Ouch! Stop!” Ruby screamed. “So, I’m not dreaming…” She said under her breath. Weeks past as I tried to forget the memories that haunt me. After a year, I called Ruby and asked, “Have you forgotten about The Chancer?” Ruby stammered, “I…I…I…I…” I asked impatiently, “So did you forget ‘bout it?” Ruby stammered again, “Ok, Naomi, I have to tell you this, don’t… freak… out, ‘kay?” “What is it?” I asked her curiously. “The Chancer… The Chancer has visited me…” Ruby answered me with a frightened look. “WHAT DID YOU SAID?!” I asked. “How many times must I repeat? The Chancer visited me!” Ruby shouted. “Oh! I understand everything now! If someone you know saw The Chancer, he will go to someone you know or someone you are really close with, or even you! I get it now!” I explained to Ruby. Then, I asked curiously, “But, what did you do when you saw The Chancer?” “Uh… Naomi, I forgotten what to say when The Chancer come, so I said I want a second chance!” Ruby replied me, feeling frightened. “What!” I hollered. “What is your second chance?” I asked. “My second chance is to be pretty!” Ruby answered, curling her hair and blushing at the same time. “But, you know that, err….” I said. “I know what?” Ruby asked. “You know that a second chance means, A SECOND LIFE, right?” I told her. “Oh no! I’m going to die? Please tell me I’m dreaming! Pinch me, please!” Ruby shouted. I pinched her cheek as hard as I could and she shouted. “Yup, definitely not dreaming!” Ruby said, as she touched her cheek. “HOW?!” Ruby shouted in horror. “Don’t ask me! Ask yourself!” I answered her with a furious look. “What am I supposed to do at this stage?” Ruby complained. “We’ll see… Let’s observe what will happen next…” I answered, feeling worried for Ruby. “We can have a sleepover at your house, YAY!” Ruby squealed. “Ugh…” I grumbled. “It’s midnight!” I said. “Be ready for what’s going to happen next!” I continued. Suddenly, Ruby was glowing. After a few moments later, she disappeared! Feeling afraid, I tried to sleep, but as expected, I could not. It was dawn and my eyes were still wide open. Unexpectedly, I heard someone screamed, “AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH” I shut my eyes and covered my ears. When I opened my eyes, I saw a very beautiful girl in front of me. “Get away from me!” I screamed. “Naomi, it’s me, Ruby!” she said. “Liar, then tell me something only Ruby and I know!” I screamed, feeling afraid. “There is someone called The Chancer and he came to visit me and you.” She continued. “Oh gosh, Ruby!” I hugged her and cried. “What happened to your face? You somehow became, prettier!” I asked curiously. “Oh… About that, err… The Chancer said it is only temporary. He said if I did not use this chance correctly, I will have consequences. But if I use it properly, I can keep it forever.” Ruby explained. “You sure? This doesn’t feel right.” I said, thinking about why The Chancer would let her keep it if she used it properly. “Stop talking nonsense… Do you always act like this?” Ruby talked with a little bit of sassiness. “We need to change your name to something prettier…” I suggested. “I agree. I kind of want to be named Naomi…” Ruby said. “Let me think of a prettier name than mine. Hmmm… How about Alexi?” I suggested. “That is so nice! Ok…” Ruby Alexi replied. The next day, I went to school with Ruby Alexi. When we entered, many people were staring at Alexi with their mouths wide open, even the prettiest girl in our school, Cindy. “Hey girl, what’s your name?” Cindy asked with A LOT of sassiness. “Ru… Alexi” Alexi said. “Why you hanging around with this nerd… What was her name again? Oh yes, Naomi.” Cindy said, pointing at me. “You are the real nerd! Stop being so mean you ugly girl and don’t act like you are so pretty, because you are NOT!” Alexi screamed at the top of her lungs. “OMG… I can’t believe such a pretty girl like you to be so mean,” Cindy flipped her hair and sashayed away. After Cindy left, a lot of guys started crowding around Alexi, asking her stuff like, “Are you single?” and “Want to hang out with me?” When Alexi saw them, she started flipping and curling her hair. “Psst… Remember to use your second chance properly. Stop flipping and curling your hair and get away from this crowd,” I reminded her. “Oh sorry people, I got to go… See you guys later!” Alexi told them and sashayed away. “Ugh…” I whispered under my breath. Many days past and Alexi acts the same every day. Until one day, something odd happened to her. She stopped doing the stuff she normally do. When we walked back home together from school, I asked her, “What happened to you?” “Something is about to happen… Something bad! I know it… The Chancer is going to remove my chance! Am I going to DIE?!” She answered, feeling afraid. “No you are not! Can you stay over at my house for today? I need to observe you…” I asked her. “Ok…” She immediately agreed and plastered a fake smile across her face. We reached my house and we waited until it was night time. “What now?” Alexi asked. “We’ll see,” I replied, staring at her. “This is getting awkward… I’m going back,” Alexi said, walking away from me. When she was walking, she suddenly fainted and disappeared, AGAIN! “Ugh… Not again!” I complained. This time, I thought she was dead as she did not appear for the past few weeks and her parents said she did not return. One night, when I was about to turn off the light, the light off itself. When I was about to scream, someone covered my mouth and I immediately fainted. When I woke up, I was tied up. I took a closer look at where I was and noticed it was a cemetery. “Mmmm!” I tried to scream but my mouth was taped. Suddenly, The Chancer appeared. “I mean no harm… I just have to warn you something,” he said. “Ruby… She… Is dead!” He continued. “It’s Alexi!” I reminded him. “You can’t call her Alexi!” he warned me. “Why?” I asked. “Just don’t.” he replied. “But why is she dead?” I asked. “I tried to warn her about something but The Devi got her!” He explained. “Who is The Devi?” I asked curiously. “She is my sister, or should I say, she was my sister. She has changed. She used to be a kind girl but now, I’m not really sure what has happened to her.” He said, staring at a grave. “Her grave, is at this cemetery. It is over there,” he said, pointing at the grave he was staring at previously. I looked closer at the name at it said, “RIP DEV ‘LOVE FOR ALL, HATRED FOR NONE’ MAY GOD BLESS MY FAMILY” “Oh, so that’s her grave. But, why would she kill Ruby? I mean what did Ruby did? And, how do you know Ruby is dead?” I asked curiously. “You will know soon… I must get going!” The Chancer disappeared after saying that. When he left, I started feeling dizzy and lied on the floor. Moments past and I woke up after dreaming of Ruby. I immediately went to my computer, went to the internet and typed, ‘The Devi’. When I press enter, there was lots of websites popped up. I clicked on the first website and it says: The Devi * Her real name is Dev. She is believed to be the ghost of a girl who was murdered. Some say she was murdered because of her doing something ridiculous. The story goes, when she was born, she was ugly. When she grew up, she realised that other girls were prettier than her. So she went to this ghost and asked the ghost to make her prettier, but unfortunately, the ghost killed her. The Devi kills people who asked The Chancer to be pretty for their second chance. Some survived her as The Devi thinks that they are not very pretty. If you survived her, you will be unlucky for the rest of your life! But if you are lucky enough, you will be lucky for the rest of your life. Beware of what you asked from The Chancer! If The Devi wants to meet you, you will glow and suddenly disappear. If you disappear once, you will definitely survive from her. If you disappear twice, it depends if The Devi wants you dead or alive. If you disappear thrice, you will definitely die from her! * (BOHH) The Chancer, click here “Oh no… So did Ruby died or what?!” I asked myself confusedly. I took out my phone and took a picture of it. Suddenly, I heard the same voice, “AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” ‘Ruby! Are you there?” I asked. Ruby appeared again. I saw a lot of blood and scars on her body. “Oh my… What happened to you?” I asked her. “Hel… Hel… Help… Me… I-I-I a… am…” After saying that, Ruby fainted. After a few days, Ruby finally woke up. “What… What happened?” she asked curiously. “You disappeared as The Devi caught you.” I explained. “Who is The Devi? I only remember there was this extremely pretty girl talking to me.” Ruby asked, scratching her head. “What did she said to you?!” I asked her, waiting for her answer. “I only remember part of what she said. She said, ‘You will disappear again and it’s up to me to decide whether you should live or die… Hmm… I guess you can…’ Then I forgot what she said.” Ruby said, trying to remember what The Devi had said. “She would either said die or live.” I told Ruby. “How would you know?” Ruby asked. I took out my phone and showed her the picture about The Devi I took before Ruby appeared. Ruby read and screamed, “AAAAAAAHH! Oh no! She said I will disappear again, means I will definitely die!” “We might not know if the internet is true…” I said. “Yeah, you are right,” Ruby said. “I guess we have to wait until I disappear again…” Ruby continued. “No… I have a plan, but I’m not sure if it would work. But we might now know unless we give it a try!” I said. “So, what’s the plan?” Ruby asked. “Ok, we have to make Dev come out.” I said. “Err…” Ruby said, feeling confused. “We have to say something to piss her off.” I explained. “Like?” Ruby asked. “Just try to think… Let’s do it now.” I answered. “Hey Dev! Are you really that ugly? If you are, come out!” I shouted. “Err… Oh yeah, come on out unless you are afraid!’ Ruby shouted. Suddenly, Ruby was glowing. I hold her hand and we disappeared together. “Where are we?” I moaned. “Oh no! Naomi! Hel…” I heard Ruby said. I looked around and realised that I was in a cemetery, AGAIN! “Ruby?” I hollered. I looked around and spotted Ruby lying at a grave that said, “RIP DEV ‘LOVE FOR ALL, HATRED FOR NONE’ MAY GOD BLESS MY FAMILY” “Uh oh…” I whispered. I ran towards her and carried her up. Suddenly, The Devi appeared. “Wow, you guys are the first who dares to say cruel things to me, other than my brother and… and… wow!” she said. “Err…” Ruby and I said, feeling confused. “I saw that you, Naomi, searched about me on the website. You did not believed the internet and that is very smart of you… It is all a lie. Let me tell you my real story. So my real name is Dev. I was murdered by The Chancer, my brother, also known as Chace. He murdered me because I had something he did not have, popularity. The story goes, when I was born, I was extremely beautiful. A lot of boys always hang out with me but he was not popular. Chace was extremely jealous of me, so he killed me one day.” “Then…” I gasped. “Chace is evil! Oh my!” I screamed. Immediately, Chace appeared and slid Dev’s throat with his knife. “You betrayed me! You evil little creature, you will never get a second chance to live your popular life!” Chace screamed. “Look what we have here… Two girls. Well, Ruby, you want to be pretty right? Then you shall die too!” Chace continued, taking a sword about to kill Ruby. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!” I screamed. I shut my eyes, thinking of how helpless I am right now. “Don’t you worry and thank you for being so kind to me…” I heard someone whispered to me. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Dev jumping in front of Ruby and defend her from the sword. A lot of things happened in a blink of an eye. Dev was sliced into half, Ruby fainted and Chace screamed, “DEV!” Chace ran towards Dev and sob. “I’m so sorry.” He said to Dev. “Oh no! Dev is dead!” I screamed and ran towards Chace and Dev. “Why did you kill her!? You are crazy!” I screamed at Chace. “I’m sorry.” He said with tears dripping off his face. “Since young, I have this illness. I will turn into someone crazy when I am jealous. But now, when I’m a ghost, I will turn into someone crazy when I give someone a second chance to be prettier.” He explained. “Then just remove the chance you gave Ruby!” I suggested. “Oh yeah! You are right!” he said with his eyes lit up, twinkling with delight. “Second chance, come to me, come to me and you shall die.” He said. After saying that, Ruby was glowing and her face turned to her own face. “Yes! It worked! Ruby, you are back!” I screamed. I took a look at Dev and she was also back to her normal self. Dev cried and thanked me then face Chace and apologise, “I’m sorry, I did not know…” “It’s alright!” Chase said. After that, life was back to normal and now, everyone is wondering where Alexi went, even Cindy. Before I sleep, Dev and Chase would always come and visit me and you will never guess what happens when they visit me…

Although James did not believe in ghosts, it was hard to dismiss the appearance and Disappearance of the girl in a white chiffon dress.

As my brother lay helplessly on his deathbed, I would only recall the memories of him talking about the tree of death. His last words were ‘beware of the undergrowth’.

Days and weeks passed since the tragic accident until I had enough of keeping the secret all to myself. From that point onward I knew both my life and Ella’s life would change…

It all started in the morning when I was deciding on which book from the series ‘GHOST OF MURDER’ I should read again. Then before I could tell what I was doing, I was moving automatically towards the telephone. Unknowingly, I started dialling the numbers 07345967781, it then came to my head that I was dialling the phone number of my friend Ella. Within seconds, the phone was received and that was when I started blabbering about the new club we started, called Devils Dare. Just like I expected she agreed enthusiastically.

Soon after Ella came, fully packed with all the necessities for the club. “Ugh…” I complained it was so annoying when Ella does not understand what I wanted to say. Then I started ambling towards her and started to mumble under my breathe” GHOSTS”! Then out of the blue “AAAAHHHHhhh”! screamed Ella in her usual high-pitched voice. Grabbing her by the wrist we fledged to my room.

There, Ella started complaining about how her wrist is broken and that its paining horribly. “What a cry-baby she is”. I said under my breathe ignoring and trying focus on what I called her here for. Ella stop, I did not mean to scare you. And do you remember my brother…. “Yeah of course I do”. Ella said in a very intense voice. Well before he died, he told me about a tree near Midview meadow was the tree of death. “WOW!!!!” whispered Ella.

Within a blink of an eye I saw Ella opening her laptop and was typing (exceptionally fast) about deaths occurring near the tree. My face then drained out of colour. I felt dumbfounded that I did not think of that earlier. We then only found one website which had the title DEATH…. the ghost of eternal darkness. It then occurred once we started reading the second paragraph, that each time someone dies at that very spot, they have a leaf fall on them and that is when they will evaporate into thin air.

Stunned by the news, we were really wanting to see if it was true. However, just before my very eyes Ella was being taken away from me by the shadows. Suddenly RING…. RING! OH! PHEW, I was dreaming.”. At one point, I had thought that all this a real dream until I realised that it was true, Ella had been taken! Running around in my room just like a headless-chicken I was really frightened until it came to me that my brothers last words were ‘beware of the undergrowth’.

It came to my mind that the undergrowth are the ghosts guarding the tree from the kind and letting the leaves on the ones who have a cold heart. Hurrying up to the tree I went to the very spot where the very people named on the website died. However, I never realised there was a test to pass. Although there was just one question (and that to the question being quite easy I quickly answered it).

As I slowly walked, there was a loud thud, which had made the ground make a little sound of pain. Running towards the core of the loud sound, I found Ella tied up with a misty rope. Fear took over me and without thinking, I noticed that I was at the exact spot where the ghost called death killed its victims. Hoping a leaf would not fall on me, I closed my eyes and wished. Though I unfortunately failed and I evaporated into thin air…

Within seconds I understood Deaths intelligence of luring me to be one of the victims. Abruptly, I found myself floating, I was a ghost!

“OH please, ghosts aren’t real and are never going to be”. James stammered. Who would believe in that. Though little did he know that he would be seeing the exact person at that exact place. Alas, the day arrived he then went with all his bravery to the Midview meadow and to his astonishment saw the last victim of the ghost Death. The next day back at school he started telling everyone about the disappearance and appearances of a ghost he had read, and he saw about. Though no one would ever believe him…

Title: The Stalker “Ring…” the bell rang. “Class dismissed!” Mrs. Ng said. “Amelia! Amelia! Wait for me, let’s walk home together.” Ari shouted. Amelia agreed and they walked home together. On their way home, “Creak…” Amelia turned behind and saw nothing but heard the wind blowing in the air. “BOOM!” When they heard the loud noise, they shouted and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. When they thought they were safe, Amelia stopped running and said, “What a relief! I could hear the loud boom just right beside my ears!” Ari panted and said, “Let’s just walk home and forget that just happened.” Amelia agreed and they continued walking home. Just when they were about to reach home, there was an unknown voice that whispered into Ari and Amelia’s ears. The voice said, “I’ll set you free when I get what I want.” Amelia shouted, “Reveal yourself!” So, the stalker revealed himself. He had spiky hair, tattoo all over his body, long claws as finger nails, a weird smile on his face and a scar on his eye. “My name is Klaus!” “Oh My Gosh!” Ari said it shockingly. Feeling afraid, Amelia whispered to Ari, “Let’s run away!” Ari nodded his head and they ran away. Before they could even move, Klaus use a metal pole and knocked them down. Klaus brought them to an abandoned house, tied their hands with ropes and taped their mouth with duct tape. When Amelia woke up, she mumbled, “Mmmm…. Mmmmm!” When Ari heard Amelia mumbling, she woke up. When Klaus saw Amelia and Ari woke up, he said, “Finally, you’re both awake. I’ve been waiting for an hour!” When he saw both of them were trying to talk, he removed the duct tape on their mouth. “Hey! What do you want?” Amelia shouted. Klaus said, “Money, obviously. Everyone wants money!” “Fine! Take it, release us and go!” Ari said. Klaus asked, “You sure?” “Yeah!” Ari replied. When Klaus was about to take the money, a siren sounded. Klaus shouted, “You called the police?” Amelia giggled and said, “Yeah, I called the police!” After hearing what Amelia had said, Klaus ran as fast as a cheetah. Ari asked Amelia, “Did you really called the police?” Amelia laughed and replied, “No, silly! That was my alarm! I am prepared for anything… Come on, let’s walk home!” s the saying goes, ‘Once bitten, twice shy’, Amelia taught Ari to be prepared for anything.

  • Pingback: Tricks and Treats | The Blank Page
  • Pingback: NaNoWriMo 2020 Preptober Round Up | Author Eliza Stopps

I just can’t find any that grab my attention, they are good prompts but not the ones I’m looking for

  • Pingback: Horror Writing Prompts | Freelance Writing Jobs
  • Pingback: Horror Writing Tips | Working as a freelance writer | Online Jobs
  • Pingback: why she screamed my name when she saw me - Saw Tool
  • Pingback: History That Never Was » Fun for Friday: Spooky Writing Prompts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Discover more from BRYN DONOVAN

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

  • How It Works
  • All Projects
  • All Services
  • Write my essay
  • Buy essay online
  • Custom coursework
  • Creative writing
  • Custom admission essay
  • College essay writers
  • IB extended essays
  • Buy speech online
  • Pay for essays
  • College papers
  • Do my homework
  • Write my paper
  • Custom dissertation
  • Buy research paper
  • Buy dissertation
  • Write my dissertation
  • Essay for cheap
  • Essays for sale
  • Non-plagiarized essays
  • Buy coursework
  • Term paper help
  • Buy assignment
  • Custom thesis
  • Custom research paper
  • College paper
  • Coursework writing
  • Edit my essay
  • Nurse essays
  • Business essays
  • Custom term paper
  • Buy college essays
  • Buy book report
  • Cheap custom essay
  • Argumentative essay
  • Assignment writing
  • Custom book report
  • Custom case study
  • Doctorate essay
  • Finance essay
  • Scholarship essays
  • Essay topics
  • Research paper topics
  • Essay samples
  • Top Query Link

How To Write A Halloween Essay? Best Advice

halloween essay

Halloween is an excellent time to celebrate but writing a persuasive essay on Halloween is another topic for discussion. Many college and university students find it tedious crafting such a paper and scoring low grades. To others, such an assignment is scary, and they end up not attempting it all. But should that be the case for all students? Well, our experts have prepared a tip-top guide on how to write Halloween essays that will make you a superstar. Keep reading.

What is a Halloween Essay?

It is an academic paper on Halloween that takes place on 31 st October every year. Now, Halloween is usually a night of customs filled with fun and merry-making. The Halloween tradition has rich ancient religious stories, beliefs, and history. With its origin over 2000 years ago in Celtic Ireland, the festival has developed roots in most parts of Europe.

Outline For Halloween Essays

Many students think that knowing how to write a Halloween essay introduction is all to it. Nonetheless, it would help if you had more than an understanding of one section to craft a brilliant Halloween essay sample. You will have to know the following background information first:

Origin of the Halloween festival Its significance to the communities that celebrate it The cultural and religious implications of the festival

With such knowledge, you are good to proceed to the structure of a Halloween essay which is a swift process. Like any other essay, a Halloween paper has three parts; introduction, body and conclusion. Below is a brief description of this structure:

  • The introduction should contain catchy facts and ideas on Halloween that would immerse the reader into your essay. The beginning can also have proverbs, citations, some wise words, or quotes on Halloween. The thesis statement which comes in the intro should be brief and informative. Remember that the introduction paints a picture of what to expect, and as such, it should be captivating.
  • The body: This is the part that explains the thesis statement in detail. It contains arguments and facts that support the main idea presented in the thesis statement. It is essential to connect every paragraph of the body logically to make your essay flow. To make this section more interesting, use vivid details and descriptions when narrating your story.
  • Conclusion: It is the shortest part of your Halloween essay that wraps up your discussion. The decision should summarize the main points and restate the thesis statement. For an excellent article, ensure that your conclusion leaves a mark on your audience. Do not leave them scared and frustrated as people celebrating Halloween for the first time.

To ace your paper, you can look at the various Halloween essay example tasks online. These will give you ideas as well as tips on how to write a thrilling Halloween paper.

Halloween Essay Example

Halloween is widely celebrated in the U.S. and has a number of strange characteristics that make it similar to other rituals of reversal. Some social roles are reversed during Halloween. One example is that children hold power over adults through “trick or treat” as they can make adults give them candy and other things that they would not usually get. There are also many different costumes.

One type of costume that gets a lot of attention are the “sexy” costumes made for women and girls that are different to what they would normally wear. On a normal day no-one would wear that type of clothing but on Halloween it is OK. This is a way of everyone (particularly girls) stepping away from cultural norms and having the freedom to dress the way they want and express themselves. There are also symbolic messages behind the costumes in that they are supposed to imitate “scary” things. Anyone wearing a clown or vampire costume in everyday life would be seen as strange but on Halloween this is considered normal behavior.

Halloween can serve many functions in contemporary U.S. society. It is one of the most creative holidays in that it allows people to express themselves in costume and clothing, as well as make things and decorate their homes in an interesting way. It is also a kind of equalizing holiday because many costumes can be made at home from everyday objects, and pumpkins to carve are not expensive. In this way, everyone can join in with Halloween festivities, whereas Christmas (for example) can be very expensive with the presents and light shows. It is also an important holiday because it is fun for both children and adults – children can go to “trick or treat” whilst adults get to dress up and go to parties.

Let’s have a look at some exciting Halloween topics for your inspiration:

History of Halloween Essay Topics

  • Analyze the myths behind the origins of Halloween
  • Discuss the role of the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain in Halloween
  • Why do people light bonfires and wear costumes during Halloween?
  • Evaluate the development of the Halloween festival from the 8 th century
  • What aspects of All Saints Day featured in Halloween?
  • Discuss the evolution of Halloween into a day of activities
  • Traditional festive gatherings that define Halloween
  • Discuss how people in the United Kingdom and northern France celebrated Halloween in the 18 th century
  • Why was Halloween associated with human death?
  • Discuss the connection between the worlds of the living and the dead and Halloween
  • The role of Celtic priests in furthering the Halloween festival
  • Why did people offer crop and animal sacrifices during Halloween?
  • Discuss the role of the conquest of the Roman Empire on the Celtic territory
  • The role of religion in contributing to the development of Halloween
  • How did Pope Gregory III contribute to the furthering of the Halloween festival?

Custom Halloween Topics For Top Performers

  • Beliefs and customs of the rigid Protestant belief systems
  • How did the southern colonies celebrate the Halloween festival?
  • Discuss the customs of different European ethnic groups concerning Halloween
  • How do the American Indians celebrate Halloween?
  • The impact of coronavirus on Halloween celebrations in the United States
  • How did the American version of Halloween emerge?
  • Should people buy costumes for their pets during Halloween?
  • Discuss the typical annual autumn festivities related to Halloween
  • The role of immigration in furthering Halloween
  • How did the Irish Potato Famine impact Halloween?
  • The role of the media in popularizing Halloween

Fast Topics For An Informative Speech On Halloween

  • Discuss the “trick-or-treat” tradition of Halloween
  • What is the significance of apple parings or mirrors during Halloween?
  • How neighbourly get-togethers spice up Halloween celebrations
  • What is the role of pranks and witchcraft in Halloween
  • Familiar games that people play during Halloween
  • How newspapers and community leaders contribute to furthering Halloween
  • Discuss Halloween parties in the 1920s and 1930s
  • Evaluate the relationship between vandalism and Halloween
  • Discuss the role of the Spooky Story Hour during Halloween
  • Effects of reading many Halloween stories and poems
  • The part of divination games
  • Halloween and watching horror films
  • Impact of visiting haunted attractions during Halloween
  • Why telling scary stories to lighten up Halloween

Getting Help With Halloween Essay Is Easy

An essay writing service is all you need to score top grades in your Halloween paper. We offer full essay help that will make a perfect impression on your professor. Ask our writers to work on your article today!

how to title an essay

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Have a team of vetted experts take you to the top, with professionally written papers in every area of study.

Halloween Essay: How to Write, Topics and Essay Ideas

So, there are a few days left before Halloween, one of the favorite American holidays both for kids and adults. Most probably, your teacher will ask to prepare a Halloween essay. And most probably, it is not the first Halloween essay that you need to prepare.

Our specialists will write a custom essay specially for you!

We are sure that right now your head is busy with ideas for a Halloween party, your costume, some tricks, and so on. You absolutely do not feel like writing your Halloween essay, although the topic is fascinating.

Yet, even really amazing topics should be properly covered. Let Custom-writing.org offer you several ways of completing your Halloween essay, which will not take too much time and efforts.

🔝 Top 10 Halloween Essay Ideas

  • Your favorite Halloween specials 
  • What traditions define Halloween? 
  • What makes trick-or-treating dangerous? 
  • Why are apples associated with Halloween? 
  • How does Halloween impact the economy? 
  • Different Halloween customs around the world 
  • The difference between Samhain and Halloween 
  • The effect of media in the popularization of Halloween 
  • How has the Halloween celebration evolved over time? 
  • How has religion contributed to Halloween’s development? 

Writing Halloween Essays: Way #1

Imagine that you have a friend who lives in a country where Halloween is not popular, and you have to tell him/her about the holiday. You can use general facts, your knowledge, and experience to complete the Halloween essay in this way.

Here are some points to include into your Halloween essay for a foreign friend:

Ghost costume halloween party

  • Say a few words about the origins of Halloween;
  • Talk about the tradition of carving pumpkins. Add a couple of pictures.
  • Tell how people celebrate Halloween . Give details on how people decorate their houses and yards, how they choose costumes, how kids do trick-or-treating, how Halloween parties are organized.

Writing Halloween Essays: Way #2

Another easy and exciting way to prepare a Halloween essay is to make up a scary story. Think about a good idea for your story involving ghosts, witches, dead men. Mind that descriptions, vivid details will make your Halloween essay more impressive.

Just in 1 hour! We will write you a plagiarism-free paper in hardly more than 1 hour

Your Halloween essay can also be based on your personal experience (sure, you can make up some details). It can be something like “Last Halloween, I and two other guys decided to visit that old, abandoned house that was believed to be haunted. As it turned out, ghosts were there!”

Our tips for writing remembered event essays and a narration essay might be useful.

Learn more on this topic:

  • Coral Reef Essay: Descriptive Writing How-to Guide
  • Best Descriptive Essays That Win Top Marks
  • Harriet Tubman Essay: How to Write, Prompts and Ideas
  • Americanism Essay Writing: How-to Guide, Tips, Topics
  • Share to Facebook
  • Share to Twitter
  • Share to LinkedIn
  • Share to email

250 Topics for Investigative Essay, Example, & Tips

An investigative essay is a piece of writing based on the information you gather by investigating the topic. Unlike regular research or term paper, this assignment requires you to conduct interviews, study archival records, or visit relevant locations—in a word, inspect things personally. If you’re a fan of detective stories,...

Nationalism Essay: Topics, Examples, & Tips

A nationalism essay is focused on the idea of devotion and loyalty to one’s country and its sovereignty. In your paper, you can elaborate on its various aspects. For example, you might want to describe the phenomenon’s meaning or compare the types of nationalism. You might also be interested in...

Human Trafficking Essay Topics, Outline, & Example [2024]

“People for sale” is a phrase that describes exactly what human trafficking is. It also makes for an attention-grabbing title for an essay on this subject. You are going to talk about a severe problem, so it’s crucial to hook the reader from the get-go. A human trafficking essay is...

256 Advantages and Disadvantages Essay Topics [2024 Update]

Is globalization a beneficial process? What are the pros and cons of a religious upbringing? Do the drawbacks of immigration outweigh the benefits? These questions can become a foundation for your advantages and disadvantages essay. And we have even more ideas to offer! There is nothing complicated about writing this...

World War 2 Essay: Outline + 100 WW2 Research Topics

This time you have to write a World War II essay, paper, or thesis. It means that you have a perfect chance to refresh those memories about the war that some of us might forget. So many words can be said about the war in that it seems you will...

413 Science and Technology Essay Topics to Write About [2024]

Would you always go for Bill Nye the Science Guy instead of Power Rangers as a child? Were you ready to spend sleepless nights perfecting your science fair project? Or maybe you dream of a career in science? Then this guide by Custom-Writing.org is perfect for you. Here, you’ll find...

256 Satirical Essay Topics & Satire Essay Examples [2024]

A satire essay is a creative writing assignment where you use irony and humor to criticize people’s vices or follies. It’s especially prevalent in the context of current political and social events. A satirical essay contains facts on a particular topic but presents it in a comical way. This task...

267 Music Essay Topics + Writing Guide [2024 Update]

Your mood leaves a lot to be desired. Everything around you is getting on your nerves. But still, there’s one thing that may save you: music. Just think of all the times you turned on your favorite song, and it lifted your spirits! So, why not write about it in a music essay? In this article, you’ll find all the information necessary for this type of assignment: 267 brilliant music...

549 Excellent Globalization Topics for Writing & Presentations

Not everyone knows it, but globalization is not a brand-new process that started with the advent of the Internet. In fact, it’s been around throughout all of human history. This makes the choice of topics related to globalization practically endless.  If you need help choosing a writing idea, this Custom-Writing.org...

267 Hottest Fashion Topics to Write About in 2024

In today’s world, fashion has become one of the most significant aspects of our lives. It influences everything from clothing and furniture to language and etiquette. It propels the economy, shapes people’s personal tastes, defines individuals and communities, and satisfies all possible desires and needs. In this article, Custom-Writing.org experts...

112 Teenage Pregnancy Essay Topics + Examples

Early motherhood is a very complicated social problem. Even though the number of teenage mothers globally has decreased since 1991, about 12 million teen girls in developing countries give birth every year. If you need to write a paper on the issue of adolescent pregnancy and can’t find a good...

309 Human Rights Research Topics & Essay Ideas

Human rights are moral norms and behavior standards towards all people that are protected by national and international law. They represent fundamental principles on which our society is founded. Human rights are a crucial safeguard for every person in the world. That’s why teachers often assign students to research and...

i really needed this and i have a presentation in a few days and i really needed a speech for my project thanks!!

Custom Writing

Good luck with your project, Megan! Our experts always ready to help with any task🙂

Everybody loves HALLOWEEN and your article is really good one 😀

Thank you very much for stopping by! We hope to see you again on our blog. Feel free to browse other posts and categories. Have a nice week!

Thanks so much for interesting ideas for my Halloween essay. Though it is too early to write about Halloween, but this is my favorite holiday, and I can’t but dedicate my paper to it! Good luck!

When I was given to write an essay about my favorite holiday, I chose Halloween. In your article on writing Halloween essays, I found lots of fascinating ideas for my paper. Thanks for them very much!

78 Halloween Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best halloween topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 simple & easy halloween essay titles, 🥇 good research topics about halloween, ❓ halloween research questions.

  • “Halloween” (1978): A Film Analysis Since the plot of the movies of the killer genre revolves around the murderer, it is only fair that the way his presence and actions are depicted is what makes the story horrifying.
  • Why Should We Not Celebrate Halloween? In other words, Halloween used to be a celebration of all saints and a cultural phenomenon equal to the Day of the Dead in other parts of the world. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
  • The Global Festival of Halloween or Hallow Eve The festival’s roots came from the traditions of religious attention to the edge between the world of the living and the dead.
  • Halloween: Ancient Religious Roots and Traditions Preview: After conducting in-depth research, in the next few minutes, I will inform you about the history of Halloween, how the modern trick-or-treat tradition came to be, and the practice of wearing costumes.
  • Halloween: Origins and Modern Traditions There was a belief that the night before the beginning of winter, the limits between the dead and the living blurred, and ghosts returned to haunt.
  • Halloween Celebration in the United States During the event, I learnt a number of factors that were very practical in increasing the level of pleasure and joy that one can derive from the festival.
  • Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos Celebrations Halloween was celebrated by the Celtic inhabitants to mark the beginning of the New Year celebrations. The Druids were the priests, and the educated class of the Celtic group.
  • Why Halloween Celebration Is Bad It signifies the time when the wall between the world of the dead or supernatural and the living was broken down.
  • Comparing and Contrasting: Halloween to Day of the Dead
  • Americans Should Abolish Halloween as a Traditional Holiday
  • Comparison Between Halloween and Easter
  • Is Your Kid’s Halloween Costume Safe?
  • Role of Religion in Contributing to the Development of Halloween
  • Why Catholics Should Not Celebrate Halloween
  • Celebrating Halloween and Being an Exemplary Believer as a Paradox
  • Comparing and Contrasting Between Prom Night and Halloween Night
  • Discrimination Issues Appearing During Halloween
  • Halloween History and Traditions: Old and New
  • Racist and Culturally Oppressive Customs During Halloween in the United States
  • The Reasons Why Halloween Is the Best Celebration of the Year
  • The History and Origins of Halloween
  • Halloween: The Gate Between the Living and the Spirit World Opens
  • Role of the Conquest of the Roman Empire on the Celtic Territory
  • The History and the Negative Effects of Halloween
  • The Origin and Development of the Halloween Tradition
  • The Past and Present of Halloween
  • The Symbolism and Traditions in Halloween
  • Why Keeping Halloween Traditions Is Important
  • The Issue of Gender Roles During Halloween
  • Finding the Definition of Halloween in Different Works of Literature
  • Halloween and Day of the Dead: The Unique Difference
  • The Dark History Behind Halloween
  • The Role of the Media in Popularizing Halloween
  • The Difference Between Samhain and Halloween
  • The Effect of Media on the Popularization of Halloween
  • How Has the Halloween Celebration Evolved?
  • The Myths Behind the Origins of Halloween
  • The Development of the Halloween Festival From the 8th Century
  • The Evolution of Halloween Into a Day of Activities
  • Traditional Festive Gatherings That Define Halloween
  • How People in the UK and France Celebrated Halloween in the 18th Century
  • Connection Between the Worlds of the Living and the Dead and Halloween
  • The Role of Celtic Priests in Furthering the Halloween Festival
  • The Customs of Different European Ethnic Groups Concerning Halloween
  • The Impact of Coronavirus on Halloween Celebrations in the United States
  • The Typical Annual Autumn Festivities Related to Halloween
  • The Role of Immigration in Furthering Halloween
  • Overview of the “Trick-Or-Treat” Tradition of Halloween
  • What Are the Changing Halloween Costume Trends?
  • Should Americans Abolish Halloween as a Traditional Holiday?
  • What Are the Most Popular Halloween Movies?
  • What Is the History of Halloween?
  • Do Stores Have Sales Before Halloween?
  • What Is the Scariest Outdoor Decoration for Halloween?
  • What Are the Most Popular Halloween Sweets?
  • How Is Halloween Traditionally Celebrated?
  • What Are the Similarities and Differences Between Halloween and the Day of the Dead?
  • Is Dracula a Popular Halloween Icon?
  • What Is the Most Popular Halloween Symbol?
  • What Is Better to Use on Halloween, a Mask or Makeup?
  • Do You Celebrate Halloween With the Whole Family?
  • Why Is Halloween Celebrated in October?
  • Should Catholics Participate in Halloween?
  • Are Gothic Buildings Associated With Halloween?
  • Why Do Children Love Halloween?
  • What Are the Myths and Legends About Halloween?
  • How to Create a Budget Costume for Halloween?
  • What Are the Most Questionable Celebrity Halloween Costumes of All Time?
  • Why Are Pumpkins Popular on Halloween?
  • Are There Racist and Culturally Repressive Halloween Customs in the United States?
  • Are Sexy Halloween Costumes Appropriate?
  • What Are the Best Pet Costumes for Halloween?
  • The Halloween Effect and Japanese Stock Prices: Myth or Anomaly?
  • What Are the Negative Effects of Halloween?
  • What Do Halloween Colors Symbolize?
  • What Skills Are Used When Carving Halloween Pumpkins?
  • What Are Some Halloween Games for Kids?
  • What Does Halloween Teach Children?
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, September 26). 78 Halloween Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/halloween-essay-topics/

"78 Halloween Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 26 Sept. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/halloween-essay-topics/.

IvyPanda . (2023) '78 Halloween Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 26 September.

IvyPanda . 2023. "78 Halloween Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." September 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/halloween-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "78 Halloween Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." September 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/halloween-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "78 Halloween Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." September 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/halloween-essay-topics/.

  • Festival Essay Ideas
  • Celtic Civilization Ideas
  • Afterlife Research Topics
  • Christmas Essay Titles
  • History Topics
  • Thanksgiving Research Ideas
  • Salem Witch Trials Research Topics
  • Social Media Marketing Topics
  • Contemporary Art Questions
  • Culture Topics
  • Witchcraft Research Ideas
  • Fear Questions
  • Dracula Ideas
  • Entertainment Ideas
  • Dress Code Ideas

The Write Practice

15 Haunted Halloween Writing Prompts

by Abigail Perry and Ruthanne Reid | 10 comments

Free Book Planning Course!  Sign up for our 3-part book planning course and make your book writing easy . It expires soon, though, so don’t wait.  Sign up here before the deadline!

BOO! Halloween is right around the corner—what better day to write some spooky stories? Sharpen your pencil and take a stab at one of these Halloween writing prompts !

halloween writing prompts

Scary Stories Connect With Readers in Big Ways

You write to get a reaction out of your readers. No matter the genre, you want your reader to feel  something when they read your writing.

For horror writers, that feeling is fear. But it's also so much more.

Great horror stories take the everyday creepy and turn it into something even  more  creepy (and often become a condemnation of injustices in society). The great thing is, horror stories teach you that those creepy things can be beaten. That's what keeps bringing the readers back.

And that's why horror writers keep churning out the fear.

Maybe you love writing scary stories. Maybe you don't, but I hope you'll give it a try, just for practice (we're fans of that around here!).

Just like reading outside your genre is valuable to mastering the writing craft, so is writing a scary story .

This story doesn't have to be long, it could be a short story . Try for something you can write in one sitting, like 1,500 words.

To get you started, use one of the Halloween writing prompts suggested in this article. Then let loose, and have fun!

Creepy Story Writing Prompts

1. It's late at night, and you hear footsteps in the cellar, but you're definitely home alone…or so you thought.

2. You've put that doll in the cabinet, in the closet, in the attic, but no matter where you tuck it, it always shows back up on the sofa. On Halloween night, you find it watching you…

3. A bad-tempered businessman is driving home after a long day of work. He thinks he sees his kids trick-or-treating and stops to pick them up but those aren't costumes.

4. It's Halloween night and you and your friends think it would be fun to visit the local town's annual corn maze. But when you're inside it, someone inside the maze doesn't look like an actor in a costume. And shortly after, your friends start to disappear one by one.

5. You don't believe in the rumors that say a certain scary book is cursed—and that anyone who reads it will meet their maker by the end of the week. So naturally, you read it. And then things start going wrong…

Monster/Ghost Story Writing Prompts

6. A young woman goes to her grandmother's house for tea on Halloween night. They have a wonderful time together, sharing stories, joy, and the best times of family. The next day, the woman learns her grandmother has been dead for a week and no one could get ahold of her to tell her.

7. A little boy is lost in the woods, but at least his faithful dog is with him. As they look for the way out, the dog defends his master against terrifying monsters and animals. But the closer they get to the escaping the dark forest, the more apparent it is that they'll need to face the person, or thing, releasing these monsters in the first place.

8. A farmer who dreams of being a scientist experiments on this year's pumpkins, hoping to enlarge them. He has a lot of success, until one of his potions is tampered with, and the cute pumpkin in his patch morphs into a monster that eats anyone who stumbles over its vines.

9. Your girlfriend/boyfriend brings over your favorite treat on Halloween, but when you eat it, you transform into a giant, poisonous snake that kills anyone who touches you. What do you do next?

10. You wake up on Halloween night, look outside your window, and see your sister sleep walking away from the house. You chase after her but can't catch her until she plunges into a dark lake, where there's a mysterious song that starts to pull you deep below the surface.

Not-So-Spooky Story Writing Prompts

Not all people love scary stories. If this is you but you'd like to try to write a scary story—and have a fun time writing it—try tackling a (not-so) scary story prompt that could turn a potentially scary tale into something that is fun (even funny):

11. You hate clowns, which makes it even worse when your husband secretly decides to hire a clown for you son's birthday party—which just happens to be on Halloween.

12. Aliens have just landed on Earth and boy, did they pick a weird day to come. How do they respond to Halloween, supernatural or otherwise? Do they decide this place is just too bizarre and get the heck out, or do they stick around and join in the fun?

13. On Halloween night, lovers get to come back and spend the evening together one more time. One couple from the Roaring Twenties decides to come back from the grave to help their extreme nerd great-grandchild or the kid will never get married.

14. You decide that this year you're going to crash the ten top costume parties in town—and prank each one while you're at it.

15. A mad scientist determined to destroy the world falls hopelessly in love with a not-so-wicked witch. As hard as he tries, he can't impress her.

Write Your Spooky Stories

Writing a scary story can be a fun exercise to give your students (regardless of age, elementary students to college graduates) around this time of year. It also can stir some exciting writing ideas in  any  writer, whether or not they're part of an entire class or their personal writing group.

As mentioned above, writing scary stories can also push you to better your creative writing skills, even if it's not normally in your genre lane. Bestselling author Neil Gaiman has some great insight about  why  this is true:

Fairy tales are more than true: Not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.

You don't have to love horror stories to write one, but you will learn about protagonists who face trialing, often life or death, situations when writing them. Challenge students or writers to become better at their writing craft by pushing them to write a short scary story with one of the writing prompts in this article.

Sit down with your favorite candy or flavor of candy corn and get ready to write. Pluck it from the list, and let your imagination free!

What is your favorite Halloween writing prompt from this list?   Why did it stand out to you?  Let us know in the comments .

' src=

Abigail Perry

Abigail Perry is a Certified Story Grid Editor with professional teaching, literary agency, and film production experience. In addition to writing Story Grid masterwork guides, she works as a freelance editor and is the Content Editor for The Write Practice. Abigail loves stories that put women and diverse groups at the center of the story—and others that include superpowers and magic. Her favorite genres include: Smart Book Club Fiction, Women's Fiction, YA Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and unique memoirs. She also has a B.S. in TV, Radio, and Film and loves working on screenplays that are emotionally driven and/or full of action. You can learn more about Abigail on her website.

' src=

Ruthanne Reid

Best-Selling author Ruthanne Reid has led a convention panel on world-building, taught courses on plot and character development, and was keynote speaker for The Write Practice 2021 Spring Retreat.

Author of two series with five books and fifty short stories, Ruthanne has lived in her head since childhood, when she wrote her first story about a pony princess and a genocidal snake-kingdom, using up her mom’s red typewriter ribbon.

When she isn’t reading, writing, or reading about writing, Ruthanne enjoys old cartoons with her husband and two cats, and dreams of living on an island beach far, far away.

P.S. Red is still her favorite color.

halloween writing prompts

10 Comments

William J. DeProspo

“Damn, I hate those busy bodies. Auditors, they call themselves. Pains in the ass is what they are.” said Joe aloud to no one who could hear. The radio blasted the nightly news and told a grisly story about three kids poisoned by bad candy. Joe, shaking his head from side to side and mumbling,

“For crying-out-loud. They’re just kids. Who in their right mind would do that to kids?”

The traffic became lighter and Joe took the off ramp to his street. As he drove toward his house, he saw his children walking down the sidewalk trick or treating. After hearing the news about the poisoning, he wanted his kids to go home. He stopped the car and walked over to them.

“Jeremy, Julian, why are you out here alone. Your mother was supposed to wait until I got home?”

He stood over the children waiting for an answer. When none came, he grabbed an arm, one child in each hand, and marched them to the car. He opened the back door and demanded they get in.

“In the car. Don’t stand there, get in… I’ve had a rough day, keep this up and you’ll get a Halloween to remember.”

Jeremy, the cutest little goblin, turned to Joe, jumped on top of him, opened his enormous mouth, and swallowed Joe whole. Julian, danced around Jeremy singing

“Remember, remember, a Halloween to remember, A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all fall down”

To the children passing by, the song sounded familiar. They started to sing,

“Ring-a-round the rosie, A pocket full of posies, Hush! Hush! Hush! Hush! We’ve all tumbled down.”

Susan W A

William – I enjoyed your story. Nicely developed in such a short span.

Great lead-in to the story as a way to introduce taking his kids home. One suggestion in the first paragraph … not sure you need “from side to side” after “shaking his head”, and you could modify it to ” Joe, shaking his head, mumbled, …” or “Joe shook his head and mumbled, …”

While it could be viewed as too abrupt (I didn’t think so), I love how Jeremy “the cutest little goblin” got right down to business and “jumped on top of [Joe], opened his enormous mouth, and swallowed Joe whole”, with Julian dancing and singing along. Those two lines plus Julian’s clever integration of “Remember, remember, a Halloween to remember” made for a ghoulishly delightful twist.

Thanks for the Halloween treat.

– Susan

Thanks Susan. I already made the change (Joe, shaking his head, mumbled). It reads much better. William

anika sahunja

Hi thanks for writing this story it gave my students some ideas to write about since halloween is coming up

Thanks for the Halloween treat, Ruthanne. Great prompts.

Debra johnson

I love prompt #4 with the grandma, I was devastated when my grammy died…. this will be good to write about.

justin boote

Harold Saggerbob loves Halloween. Has his very own Pumpkin Club. But while the ‘pumpkins’ on his shelf, might be round, they are certainly not orange. And every Halloween, several kids disappear near his home…

Elmax fleur-de-lys59

It’s not really creepy but I tried it with my characters. English isn’t my first language so if you see any mistake, please let me know:

“Aymeric was eating alone in the kitchen. He didn’t have much appetite and spent more time looking at the dark sky through the window than eating. He sighed. He wished he had company. But that wouldn’t happen. Rose was back to his home and was probably already sleeping – flowers go to sleep with the sun, after all. The sky was covered in dark clouds so thick he couldn’t even see the Moon – and it was definitely up somewhere. He could feel it. It felt as if he had a knot in his throat. He covered his plate and put it in the fridge. He would eat it later, when he’d be hungrier. Suddenly, he stilled. He had heard footsteps. He closed the fridge slowly, careful not to make any noise. It wasn’t some kind of rodent. They were scared of lycanthropes. And Aymeric was able to recognize footsteps from rodents. With a hearing like his, no one could fool him. He put his fork and his knife in the sink, shrugging. It wasn’t as if the intruder could mess with his stuff unnoticed, anyway. What bothered him was that he didn’t heard the intruder enter. It was definitely strange. He didn’t know what or who it was but he’d better be careful. He grabbed a dagger and followed the noise. It definitely came from the cellar. He barged in there, determined to end all this quickly. The moon was rising and waxing, anyway, so he shouldn’t have any problem dealing with whoever it was. What he saw still surprised him. A tiny body in the middle of the room. Thick wavy blond hair, long ears, big grey eyes. Aymeric recognized the child immediately. When the little elf saw him, he rushed into his arms. “Hey, what’s wrong, champion?” He didn’t expect the kid to reply. The elf only hugged him tightly. Aymeric could feel his relief and his fear. The ability they had to travel between spaces and times was really something he couldn’t get used to…”

Mahvish

Noah was waking up. He had been knocked down while he was chased by a group of teens. It was Halloween. Noah left his home with Oscar his dog. He headed to park across the street where his friends were waiting for him for trick or treating around the neighborhood. As they got treats from the third house Noah and his friends headed for the next house. Suddenly a huge dark figure appeared and almost grabbed one of Noah’s friends. The group was actually chased by teenage boys who looked hideous beasts in their costumes. Noah and his friends were dispersed. Some managed to stick together, some made it back home. Noah lost the sense of direction and was running for a while now. Suddenly he stumbled and tripped over. He knocked his head hard on something and passed out. After he got up he could see dark figures with blazing eyes staring down at him. Noah jumped to his feet and fled into the woods that were the only easy hideout he could access fast. Oscar was behind him growling and barking at the dark figures that followed them into the woods. As he went farther it got more and more dark. The only thing that kept him going was Oscar who was right behind him keeping the dark figures at a distance. Noah saw bushes and managed to hide within. Oscar had stopped barking now and there was a deadly silence. Noah was panting and was trying to calm down. He was about to lie down when he saw a huge hand trying to grab him from within the bushes. Noah screamed in panic when Oscar jumped in between just in time to save him. Noah was running fast when suddenly he saw light piercing through the darkness. He ran towards the light fast. When he came near he couldn’t believe his eyes. The sun shone bright and there were beautiful flowers and trees. Far away he could see children playing. He quickly entered the garden as he had no better choice to escape the dark figures. Oscar slowly paced back and ran all the way home where Noah’s parents were mourning his death.

karamjit kaur

great Helloween

http://www.emetechnologies.com/industrial-training-in-chandigarh/6-months-android-app-development-in-chandigarh-&-mohali.php

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  • Halloween Story Writing Prompt: Bring Out Your Inner Child - […] the story starters above get your creative juices flowing! Write a cute story, a creepy story, or a downright…

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Submit Comment

Join over 450,000 readers who are saying YES to practice. You’ll also get a free copy of our eBook 14 Prompts :

Popular Resources

Book Writing Tips & Guides Creativity & Inspiration Tips Writing Prompts Grammar & Vocab Resources Best Book Writing Software ProWritingAid Review Writing Teacher Resources Publisher Rocket Review Scrivener Review Gifts for Writers

Books By Our Writers

Surviving Death

You've got it! Just us where to send your guide.

Enter your email to get our free 10-step guide to becoming a writer.

You've got it! Just us where to send your book.

Enter your first name and email to get our free book, 14 Prompts.

Want to Get Published?

Enter your email to get our free interactive checklist to writing and publishing a book.

hook for halloween essay

Home » Writers-House Blog » Guide to Writing a Halloween Essay

Guide to Writing a Halloween Essay

If you need to write a Halloween essay, you may experience some difficulties. Fortunately, Writers-House is always here to help you. Halloween is a unique day. Children love this holiday because they can put on funny or scary costumes and get some candy. This day has very interesting traditions, which makes it a great topic for an A+ essay.

  • First of all, you should choose a topic. Determine what would be interesting for your audience and write a good title.
  • Write an outline so that you can clearly understand what your essay will look like.
  • Search for interesting facts about Halloween. For example, you can tell your readers why people started to wear weird costumes or why this day is associated with the dead.
  • Your essay must have a clear structure, consisting of an introduction, body, and conclusion. Besides, make sure to check the requirements regarding the number of pages and word count.
  • Use the appropriate style and the right citation format.

Interesting Topics

  • Will people celebrate Halloween in the future?
  • The tradition of carving a pumpkin.
  • What you don’t know about the history of Halloween.
  • Why do some people say that Halloween shouldn’t be celebrated?
  • The best ways to spend Halloween.

Make sure to not only present interesting facts but also analyze them and explain your own opinion. These factors will to a large extent determine your grade.

Interesting Facts About Halloween

As we’ve already mentioned above, you should try to provide interesting facts. Research your topic, find evidence from proven sources, and analyze them in your essay. Here are some facts about this holiday.

  • Druids believed that spirits can visit our world and even live in the bodies of living beings. They were also trying to predict the future. However, their traditions have changed because of the Roman Empire invading Celtic territories.
  • There was a Celtic holiday devoted to the God of Death. On this day, which was the last day of October, Celts made big sacred fires and put on animal skins and heads.
  • On November 1st, Romans celebrated All Saints’ Day. Instead of wearing animal skins, they started to dress up as ghosts, witches, and book characters. To repel ghosts, people carved jack-o’-lanterns and threw huge parties.
  • The tradition of trick-or-treating first appeared in England, where it was a part of All Souls’ Day celebration. People baked “soul cakes” and gave them to the poor. Modern people also buy sweets to give them to kids.

Make sure to always check your sources for reliability. Avoid sources that express personal opinions. We recommend that you determine what sources are considered reliable by your college. For instance, many professors don’t like it when students use Wikipedia.

How to Start and How to Finish

All the essays have a certain logical structure. The structure of your essay must include an introduction, body, and conclusion. It’s especially important to write a catchy introduction because it will help you make a good impression. Writing experts recommend that you begin your introductions with interesting facts, anecdotes, citations, proverbs, or short stories. You can include such attention-grabbing elements both at the beginning and at the end of your Halloween essay.

Your introduction should also contain a thesis statement. Make sure that it’s brief yet informative because it will serve as the basis for the whole essay. Keep different sections of your essay logically connected to each other and make sure that the ideas from the body of your essay support the thesis statement. The conclusion and introduction must be the shortest sections of your essay.

You should use the right citation format and include footnotes and a bibliography section if needed. Make sure that your essay meets the requirements of your college.

The Style Does Matter

When writing an essay about Halloween, we recommend that you pay attention to its style. The most common writing styles are descriptive, narrative, persuasive, and expository. Each style can be a good choice for essays of a certain type.

For instance, you can use the narrative style to tell a story from your life. You may share some memories about Halloween with your readers, providing vivid details so that your readers can feel like they were present at that moment and shared it with you.

The expository style requires you to focus on evidence that you’ve collected from various sources and to analyze it. Expository essays shouldn’t be emotional.

Descriptive essay about Halloween can focus on such details as smells, sounds, colors, tastes, etc. They require you to create a realistic picture.

You may also write a persuasive essay about Halloween, arguing for a certain opinion and persuading your readers to agree with you. You can also make such an essay stronger if you interview a reputable person.

Leave a Reply

Be the First to Comment!

avatar

Place your order

  • Essay Writer
  • Essay Writing Service
  • Term Paper Writing
  • Research Paper Writing
  • Assignment Writing Service
  • Cover Letter Writing
  • CV Writing Service
  • Resume Writing Service
  • 5-Paragraph Essays
  • Paper By Subjects
  • Affordable Papers
  • Prime quality of each and every paper
  • Everything written per your instructions
  • Native-speaking expert writers
  • 100% authenticity guaranteed
  • Timely delivery
  • Attentive 24/7 customer care team
  • Benefits for return customers
  • Affordable pricing

Essay Freelance Writers

How to write a Spooky Essay on Halloween (With Example)

Oct 12, 2022 | 0 comments

blog banner

Oct 12, 2022 | Blog | 0 comments

Halloween is just around the corner, and I bet you’re planning to write a spooky essay on Halloween. If that’s the case, then this article is for you! In this post, we’ll cover everything there is to know about writing an essay on Halloween. We’ll start with what a spooky essay is, then move on to tips on how to write a scary Halloween party event essay.

What Is a Spooky Essay?

A spooky essay is a type of writing that describes a scary or creepy event. It can be written as a story, poem, or another type of writing . Usually, it’s written for Halloween, and its purpose is to scare people.

What Is a Halloween Essay?

Halloween is a day to dress up, go out and enjoy the spooky atmosphere. A Halloween essay is a type of academic writing in that you write to explain or describe something. In this case, it explains how Halloween works in your life and what it means to you.

A Halloween essay is an analytical essay that explores the social customs of the holiday and explains why they are important to us as human beings. It can also be used as a creative writing assignment to tell a story about yourself or someone else during their most memorable Halloween experience!

Halloween Essay Step-By-Step Tips

If you want to write a Halloween essay, start by considering the following three factors:

  • Background information

1. Think of Halloween Essay Topics

Now that you know what makes a good spooky essay let’s discuss some ideas for your topic.

  • Perhaps you have a real-life story to tell. Maybe it’s about how your mom used to tell ghost stories about her old house, and she told them so often that now, when she tells them, they don’t seem scary anymore. That’s not true for me! Or maybe it is—I don’t know; I wasn’t there.
  • What if you have a fictional account of something spooky? Maybe it involves witches or vampires or ghosts—whatever tickles your fancy! Just remember to make sure the characters are believable and relatable. If they’re not relatable, then no one will care whether they live or die in the end.

2. Study Background Information

Once you know what you want to write about, it’s time to get some background information on the topic. Please read about it online or in books, learn more about what others have said about it before, and generally get a better understanding of the topic. The more detail-oriented your essay is, the better!

3. Stick to the Structure

The structure of your essay is important. A good structure will help you organize your thoughts and ideas, making it easier for the reader to understand what you are trying to say. There are several possible ways to organize an essay, but one popular method is the “five-paragraph” essay. This structure has three main parts:

  • Introduction – where you state why you’re writing about this topic now and what your overall argument will be (for example: “I’m going to discuss how Halloween has changed over time.”)
  • Body – where you can find most of your evidence and reasoning (for example: “In ancient Greece…”)
  • Conclusion – where you sum up briefly what has been said so far (for example: “So I hope that this essay has shown how Halloween has changed over time.”).

Types of Halloween Essays

1. narrative halloween essay.

Narrative essays are stories that you create by combining a series of events and characters. In this type of Halloween essay, you can tell the story of how you started celebrating Halloween or share some of your favorite memories about the holiday

A narrative Halloween essay can be a good way to write about Halloween. You could write about the first time that you dressed up for Halloween or the funniest costume that you saw last year.

2. Descriptive Halloween Essay

In a descriptive essay , you describe a person, place, or thing in detail. You may be asked to write about Halloween. If you have been given this topic, you need to describe Halloween in your essay.

You can break down the process into three parts:

  • Choosing the main idea of your essay – what should be described most? What should come first?
  • Developing this idea and writing an introduction will intrigue readers with something interesting about Halloween (or any other subject).
  • Writing an effective conclusion will leave them satisfied with their reading experience and encourage them to look for more information on the topic.

3. Informative Halloween Essay

In a word, an informative essay is a type of essay that informs the reader about a certain topic. An informative essay may be objective, neutral, or opinionated (the writer’s opinion is introduced). The latter type of essay is called persuasive.

The main purpose of an informative essay is to inform your readers about something they didn’t know before. You can write it based on your own experience or research done by you on the topic.

An example for an informative Halloween paper could be: Why do people like scary movies so much?

Halloween Essay Example

Need our help with your spooky essay.

This Halloween, we’re here to help you with your spooky essay.

Whether you’re writing about vampires or ghosts, a scary story, a serial killer, a horror story, or a haunted house, we can help you make your story even scarier.

Our essay writing service will ensure that your readers are left with goosebumps and chills. Our writers are skilled in writing research papers in the horror genre.

Order your Halloween Essay Today

Halloween is a great holiday that has been around for centuries. It’s a time when people get together to celebrate their favorite traditions and enjoy some good food and fun activities. One thing that often goes hand in hand with Halloween is writing an essay about it! If you want to gain extra credit or have fun with your class project, consider writing an essay on this topic.

sarah Bentley

With a passion for helping students navigate their educational journey, I strive to create informative and relatable blog content. Whether it’s tackling exam stress, offering career guidance, or sharing effective study techniques

People Also Read

  • How to Write a Diagnostic Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide (With Example)
  • How To Write An Autobiography Essay: Step-by-Step Guide
  • How to do Close Reading- Step by Step Guide

discount

Most Popular Articles

Racism thesis statement example, how to rephrase a thesis statement, capstone project topic suggestions, how to write an abortion essay, should students wear school uniforms essay, list causal essay topics write, respect essay, signal words, great synonyms, informative speech examples, essay writing guide, introduction paragraph for an essay, argumentative essay writing, essay outline templates, write an autobiographical essay, personal narrative essay ideas, descriptive essay writing, how to write a reflective-essay, how to write a lab report abstract, how to write a grant proposal, point of view in an essay, debate topics for youth at church, theatre research paper topics, privacy overview.

My Homework Done

Expert Writing Services

  • How It Works
  • Buy homework
  • Ace my homework
  • Homework writers
  • Homework help
  • Assignment writing
  • Homework Solutions
  • Homework Answers
  • No Need To Study
  • High school
  • McGraw-Hill Connect
  • Myaccountinglab
  • Precalculus
  • Word Problem
  • Computer Science
  • Language arts
  • Engineering
  • Biochemistry
  • Microbiology

Homework is easy with expert tips and advice. And even easier when you have an expert to do it for you.

My Homework Done

Let’s Help You With How to Write Halloween Essay

The sad truth is that most college students don’t know exactly how to write Halloween essay. The stats are quite alarming. Each semester, thousands of students are getting low grades on this type of paper. And things could be so much different. All you need to know is why to write this paper, when to write the essay, and how to write it.

halloween essay

Table of Contents

Why bother learning how to write halloween essay, when to write the halloween essay, basic steps to write an essay about halloween, our top halloween essay ideas and tips, best halloween topics, halloween topics to write about, halloween writing prompts, halloween essays topics.

Because truth be told, learning how to write Halloween essay is not at all difficult. There are topics that are far more complex than this one. You just need some form of step by step guide and a couple good examples to get started. Things will become easier over time, after you get some more experience with this type of writing assignment.

First, you need to understand why and how writing a Halloween essay can help you. Of course, many of your peers will also attempt to write one. After all, this is not a difficult topic at all. The good thing is that you have a lot of flexibility with this kind of topic. While most of your fellow students will try to write on various topics one can find all over the Internet, you can get creative. You can earn a lot of bonus points easily, without having to spend hours and hours doing research and analyzing data.

When writing a Halloween essay, you can talk about how you celebrate it in your own family. Talk about yourself, for example – or about your relatives. This will instantly make your paper original and unique.

And you already know everything there is to know about the topic. An example of a great essay about Halloween would be “What Halloween means to me and how I celebrate it”. It’s simple, yet effective!

Of course, you won’t want to write an essay about Halloween around Christmas. The best part of the year to write a paper on this celebration is, of course, around Halloween. You can write the paper both before and after the holiday, of course. If you write it after, you can easily write about all the interesting and captivating things you’ve done.

If you write the paper before Halloween, you can talk about your plans and what you expect to do. In both cases, you will need to present some background information about the topic. However, this is relatively simple, as there is a lot of information about this celebration online. And of course, a great idea for college students is to write a Halloween costume essay. Why not talk about your own costume and about what inspired you to choose it?

Now that you know why and when to write the essay, it’s time to see how to write Halloween essay. Here is a quick step by step guide, so you can submit the best assignment writing possible:

  • Choose the topic wisely and make it unique. Also come up with a captivating thesis statement (you will include this is the introduction).
  • Do the necessary research. This usually means just researching what Halloween means and how it’s celebrated.
  • Create an outline of the paper using your most important ideas. Remember, each section of the paper should discuss a main important idea.
  • Write each section of the outline and then write the introduction and the conclusion. If you are writing a Halloween essay using the five paragraph essay structure, you just need 3 body paragraphs.
  • Edit the paper to make sure you did not stray from the subject. Also, remember to exclude parts that sound too subjective.
  • Make sure that nothing in your paper offends your audience and then proofread the essay at least once.

The process of writing an essay about Halloween is not difficult as all, as you have probably already found out by reading our short guide. Finding some nice Halloween essay topics can pose a problem though. This is why we advise you to talk about your own person or family to make sure the topic is 100% unique. And if that doesn’t work, then we’re offering a few Halloween topics right here! Look through the list and feel inspired to create your own topic, or use one of the ones provided.

How did you spend your last Halloween? I hope it was fun and interesting. Here are some horror topics that you can use in your essay. You just need to visualize your last Halloween and write a great piece.

  • The best Halloween you have ever had.
  • Narrate a spooky story about when you went camping and what you encountered during the campfire.
  • Write an essay on a kid who goes out trick or treating on his own to different spooky houses.
  • The scariest costume you have ever come across – If you would create your costume, what would it look like?
  • Your favorite Halloween treats and how they are made.
  • Discuss the various Halloween costumes you have had in the past.
  • How to make Halloween costumes using available supplies in the house.
  • The evolution of Halloween to how it is currently.
  • The major differences between Christmas and Halloween.
  • The western history of Halloween.

Halloween is a fascinating time. We get to trick or treat, watch movies, wear scary costumes and spend time with family and friends. Here are some Halloween topics to write about.

  • The major beliefs of Halloween in the 19th century.
  • The past and present of Halloween.
  • Analysis of the film Halloween.
  • The history of Halloween and carving pumpkins.
  • Halloween in modern society.
  • The Halloween horror nights.
  • The relation between Halloween and Harry Potter.
  • The scariest thing that has ever happened to you.
  • The differences between scary movies and scary books.
  • The safety rules of trick or treating in the modern world.

What do you like most about Halloween? Here are some of the best Halloween writing prompts. They will help you to be more creative in how you celebrate your Halloween holiday.

  • Write an essay on a haunted house you have ever visited. How was the experience?
  • Which Halloween monster is the scariest?
  • Why do people light bonfires and wear costumes during Halloween?
  • Which aspects of All Saints’ Day feature on Halloween day?
  • The myths associated with Halloween.
  • The development of the Halloween holiday globally.
  • Why do people offer animal and crop sacrifices during the Halloween season?
  • How do Indians celebrate their Halloween holiday?
  • The role of media in popularizing Halloween.
  • Should pets wear costumes during Halloween?

As a student, you should always aim to get top marks. Hence, it is important to write an interesting horror essay based on your experience and imagination.

  • The importance of neighborly get-togethers on Halloween days.
  • The amazing foods taken during Halloween.
  • The Halloween parties during the early 1900s.
  • The effect of reading and watching many Halloween movies.
  • Evaluate the importance of watching scary films during Halloween.
  • The emergence of Halloween in America.
  • The customs of different European ethnic groups during Halloween.
  • How did the southern colonies celebrate the Halloween festival?
  • How is Halloween associated with human death?
  • The traditional festive gatherings define Halloween.

Don’t Want To Write Halloween Essay?

And when it comes to Halloween essay ideas, there is no better place to get them than from an academic writing service. A professional writer can help you not only with interesting ideas and information, but also with an outline or with a catchy introduction. So if you’re thinking “Where can I get someone to do my assignment for me ?” It’s right here. And remember, even though you may be talking about yourself or about your own family, you must adhere to all applicable academic writing standards. After all, you are writing an academic paper and your professor expects a flawless academic writing style.

162 Linguistic Topics

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Link to facebook
  • Link to linkedin
  • Link to twitter
  • Link to youtube
  • Writing Tips

How to Write the Ultimate Essay Hook

How to Write the Ultimate Essay Hook

4-minute read

  • 6th May 2023

Never underestimate the power of an essay hook . This opening statement is meant to grab the reader’s attention and convince them to keep reading. But how do you write one that’ll pack a punch? In this article, we’ll break this down.

What Is an Essay Hook?

An essay hook is the first thing your audience will read. If it doesn’t hook them right off the bat, they might decide not to keep reading. It’s important that your opening statement is impactful while not being too wordy or presumptuous.

It’s also crucial that it clearly relates to your topic. You don’t want to mislead your readers into thinking your essay is about something it’s not. So, what kind of essay hook should you write? Here are seven ideas to choose from:

1.   Story

Everyone likes a good story. If an interesting story or anecdote relates to your essay topic, the hook is a great place to include it. For example:

The key to a good story hook is keeping it short and sweet. You’re not writing a novel in addition to an essay!

2.   Fact

Another great essay hook idea is to lay out a compelling fact or statistic. For example:

There are a few things to keep in mind when doing this. Make sure it’s relevant to your topic, accurate, and something your audience will care about. And, of course, be sure to cite your sources properly.

3.   Metaphor or Simile

If you want to get a little more creative with your essay hook, try using a metaphor or simile . A metaphor states that something is something else in a figurative sense, while a simile states that something is like something else.

Metaphors and similes are effective because they provide a visual for your readers, making them think about a concept in a different way. However, be careful not to make them too far-fetched or overly exaggerated.

4.   Question

Asking your audience a question is a great way to hook them. Not only does it make them think, but they’ll also want to keep reading because you will have sparked their curiosity. For example:

Find this useful?

Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.

Try to avoid using questions that start with something along the lines of “Have you ever wondered…?” Instead, try to think of a question they may never have wondered about. And be sure not to answer it right away, at least not fully. Use your essay to do that!

5.   Declaration

Making a bold statement or declaring a strong opinion can immediately catch people’s attention. For example:

Regardless of whether your reader agrees with you, they’ll probably want to keep reading to find out how you will back up your claim. Just make sure your declaration isn’t too controversial, or you might scare readers away!

6.   Common Misconception

Laying out a common misconception is another useful way to hook your reader. For example:

If your readers don’t know that a common belief is actually a misconception, they’ll likely be interested in learning more. And if they are already aware, it’s probably a topic they’re interested in, so they’ll want to read more.

7.   Description

You can put your descriptive powers into action with your essay hook. Creating interesting or compelling imagery places your reader into a scene, making the words come alive.

A description can be something beautiful and appealing or emotionally charged and provoking. Either way, descriptive writing is a powerful way to immerse your audience and keep them reading.

When writing an essay, don’t skimp on the essay hook! The opening statement has the potential to convince your audience to hear what you have to say or to let them walk away. We hope our ideas have given you some inspiration.

And once you finish writing your essay, make sure to send it to our editors. We’ll check it for grammar, spelling, word choice, references, and more. Try it out for free today with a 500-word sample !

Share this article:

Post A New Comment

Got content that needs a quick turnaround? Let us polish your work. Explore our editorial business services.

3-minute read

How to Insert a Text Box in a Google Doc

Google Docs is a powerful collaborative tool, and mastering its features can significantly enhance your...

2-minute read

How to Cite the CDC in APA

If you’re writing about health issues, you might need to reference the Centers for Disease...

5-minute read

Six Product Description Generator Tools for Your Product Copy

Introduction If you’re involved with ecommerce, you’re likely familiar with the often painstaking process of...

What Is a Content Editor?

Are you interested in learning more about the role of a content editor and the...

The Benefits of Using an Online Proofreading Service

Proofreading is important to ensure your writing is clear and concise for your readers. Whether...

6 Online AI Presentation Maker Tools

Creating presentations can be time-consuming and frustrating. Trying to construct a visually appealing and informative...

Logo Harvard University

Make sure your writing is the best it can be with our expert English proofreading and editing.

hook for halloween essay

How to Write a Hook: Start Off Your Essay Strong with This Guide

hook for halloween essay

What is a Hook for an Essay: Importance and Purpose

Which section of your essay can make your readers dip their toes into your writing? Is it the body paragraphs where all the analysis is laid out? Or maybe the introduction, where you present your thesis statement and voice your perspective on the subject? Well, if you think it is the latter, then we must agree with your decision. However, let's get more specific; if we take the introductory paragraph to pieces, which piece gets the most recognition? You must have guessed from the article's title that we're talking about a hook. But first, let's define what is a hook for an essay before we walk you through the reasons why it deserves our pat on the back.

The hook is the initial sentence in a written work. Whether you're asking how to write a hook for a song, blog post, or term paper, know that the purpose of any effective hook is to seize the reader's attention. It can be one sentence long, often for shorter pieces, or composed of several lines - usually for larger pieces. Making the reader want to keep reading is what an essay hook accomplishes for your paper, just as an intriguing introduction does for any piece.

Our main emphasis in this guide is on creating a good hook for an essay. Nonetheless, these fundamental guidelines apply to nearly every format for communicating with your audience. Whether writing a personal statement, a speech, or a presentation, making a solid first impression is crucial to spur your readers into action.

How to Write a Hook for Different Kinds of Writing

Although it is a tough skill to master, understanding how to write a hook is crucial for academic writing success. By reviewing the most prevalent kinds of essay hooks, you can discover how to effectively captivate readers from the start and generate a hook that is ideal for your article. To do so, let's head over to the following sections prepared by our dissertation writers .

essay hooks

How to Write a Hook for a College Essay?

By mastering how to write a hook for a college essay, you have the opportunity to stand out from the hundreds of applicants with identical academic portfolios to yours in your college essay. It should shed light on who you are, represent your true nature, and show your individuality. But first, you need an attention-grabbing start if you want the admissions committee to read more of yours than theirs. For this, you'll require a strong hook.

Set the Scene

When wondering how to write a good hook for an essay, consider setting the scene. Open in the middle of a key moment, plunge in with vivid details and conversation to keep your essay flowing and attract the reader. Make the reader feel like they are seeing a moment from your life and have just tuned in.

Open with an Example

Starting with a specific example is also a great idea if you're explaining how you acquired a particular skill or unique accomplishment. Then, similar to how you established the scenario above, you may return to this point later and discuss its significance throughout the remaining sections.

Open with an Anecdote

Using an anecdotal hook doesn't necessarily mean that your essay should also be humorous. The joke should be short and well-aimed to achieve the best results. To assist the reader in visualizing the situation and understanding what you are up against when tackling a task or overcoming a challenge, you might also use a funny irony. And if this sounds too overwhelming to compose, buy an essay on our platform and let our expert writers convey your unmatched story!

How to Write a Hook for an Argumentative Essay?

If you write a strong hook, your instructor will be compelled to read your argument in the following paragraphs. So, put your creative thinking cap on while crafting the hook, and write in a way that entices readers to continue reading the essay.

Use Statistics

Statistics serve as a useful hook because they encourage research. When used in argumentative writing, statistics can introduce readers to previously undiscovered details and data. That can greatly increase their desire to read your article from start to finish. You can also consider this advice when unsure how to write a good hook for a research paper. Especially if you're conducting a quantitative study, a statistic hook can be a solid start.

Use a Common Misconception

Another answer to your 'how to write a hook for an argumentative essay' question is to use a common misconception. What could be a better way to construct an interesting hook, which should grab readers' attention, than to incorporate a widely held misconception? A widespread false belief is one that many people hold to be true. When you create a hook with a misinterpretation, you startle your readers and immediately capture their interest.

How to Write a Hook for a Persuasive Essay?

The finest hooks for a persuasive essay capture the reader's interest while leading them to almost unconsciously support your position even before they are aware of it. You can accomplish this by employing the following hook ideas for an essay:

Ask a Rhetorical Question

By posing a query at the outset of your essay, you may engage the reader's critical thinking and whet their appetite for the solution you won't provide until later. Try to formulate a question wide enough for them to not immediately know the answer and detailed enough to avoid becoming a generic hook.

Use an Emotional Appeal

This is a fantastic approach to arouse sympathy and draw the reader into your cause. By appealing to the reader's emotions, you may establish a bond that encourages them to read more and get invested in the subject you cover.

Using these strategies, you won't have to wonder how to write a hook for a persuasive essay anymore!

How to Write a Hook for a Literary Analysis Essay?

Finding strong essay openers might be particularly challenging when writing a literary analysis. Coming up with something very remarkable on your own while writing about someone else's work is no easy feat. But we have some expert solutions below:

Use Literary Quotes

Using a literary quote sounds like the best option when unsure how to write a hook for a literary analysis essay. Nonetheless, its use is not restricted to that and is mostly determined by the style and meaning of the quotes. Still, when employing literary quotes, it's crucial to show two things at once: first, how well you understand the textual information. And second, you know how to capture the reader's interest right away.

Employ Quotes from Famous People

This is another style of hook that is frequently employed in literary analysis. But if you wonder how to write a good essay hook without sounding boring, choose a historical person with notable accomplishments and keep your readers intrigued and inspired to read more.

How to Write a Hook for an Informative Essay?

In an informative essay, your ultimate goal is to not only educate your audience but also engage and keep them interested from the very beginning. For this, consider the following:

Start with a Fact or Definition

You might begin your essay with an interesting fact or by giving a definition related to your subject. The same standard applies here for most types mentioned above: it must be intriguing, surprising, and/or alarming.

Ask Questions that Relate to Your Topic

Another solution to 'How to write a hook for an informative essay?' is to introduce your essay with a relevant question. This hook lets you pique a reader's interest in your essay and urge them to keep reading as they ponder the answer.

Need a Perfect Article?

Hire a professional to write a top-notch essay or paper for you! Click the button below to get custom essay help.

Expert-Approved Tips for Writing an Essay Hook

Are you still struggling with the ideal opening sentence for your essay? Check out some advice from our essay helper on how to write a hook sentence and make your opening stand out.

good essay hook

  • Keep your essay type in mind . Remember to keep your hook relevant. An effective hook for an argumentative or descriptive essay format will differ greatly. Therefore, the relevancy of the hook might be even more important than the content it conveys.
  • Decide on the purpose of your hook . When unsure how to write a hook for an essay, try asking the following questions: What result are you hoping to get from it? Would you like your readers to be curious? Or, even better, surprised? Perhaps even somewhat caught off guard? Determine the effect you wish to accomplish before selecting a hook.
  • Choose a hook at the end of the writing process. Even though it should be the first sentence of your paper, it doesn't mean you should write your hook first. Writing an essay is a long and creative process. So, if you can't think of an effective hook at the beginning, just keep writing according to your plan, and it will eventually come into your head. If you were lucky enough to concoct your hook immediately, double-check your writing to see if it still fits into the whole text and its style once you've finished writing.
  • Make it short . The shorter, the better – this rule works for essay hooks. Keeping your hook to a minimum size will ensure that readers will read it at the same moment they start looking at your essay. Even before thinking if they want or don't want to read it, their attention will be captured, and their curiosity will get the best of them. So, they will continue reading the entire text to discover as much as possible.

Now you know how to write a good hook and understand that a solid hook is the difference between someone delving further into your work or abandoning it immediately. With our hook examples for an essay, you can do more than just write a great paper. We do not doubt that you can even write a winning term paper example right away!

Try to become an even better writer with the help of our paper writing service . Give them the freedom to write superior hooks and full essays for you so you may learn from them!

Do You Lack Creative Writing Skills?

This shouldn't stop you from producing a great essay! Order your essay today and watch your writing come alive.

What Is A Good Hook For An Essay?

How to write a hook for an essay, what is a good hook for an argumentative essay, related articles.

How to Write a Summary of a Book with an Example

Writing Universe - logo

  • Environment
  • Information Science
  • Social Issues
  • Argumentative
  • Cause and Effect
  • Classification
  • Compare and Contrast
  • Descriptive
  • Exemplification
  • Informative
  • Controversial
  • Exploratory
  • What Is an Essay
  • Length of an Essay
  • Generate Ideas
  • Types of Essays
  • Structuring an Essay
  • Outline For Essay
  • Essay Introduction
  • Thesis Statement
  • Body of an Essay
  • Writing a Conclusion
  • Essay Writing Tips
  • Drafting an Essay
  • Revision Process
  • Fix a Broken Essay
  • Format of an Essay
  • Essay Examples
  • Essay Checklist
  • Essay Writing Service
  • Pay for Research Paper
  • Write My Research Paper
  • Write My Essay
  • Custom Essay Writing Service
  • Admission Essay Writing Service
  • Pay for Essay
  • Academic Ghostwriting
  • Write My Book Report
  • Case Study Writing Service
  • Dissertation Writing Service
  • Coursework Writing Service
  • Lab Report Writing Service
  • Do My Assignment
  • Buy College Papers
  • Capstone Project Writing Service
  • Buy Research Paper
  • Custom Essays for Sale

Can’t find a perfect paper?

  • Free Essay Samples

Essays on Halloween

Spooky season is the best season, and you can use your Halloween essay as an opportunity to delve deeper into the origins and traditions of this boo-tiful holiday. Halloween also referred to as All Hallows' Eve, is a holiday that originated in Ireland, where it was called Samhain. Some Halloween essays concentrate primarily on the Celtic origins of this holiday, while other essays on Halloween explore modern-day practices and traditions. Halloween is celebrated annually on October 31. It was believed that on this day evil spirits roamed free, so people were putting on costumes to trick the spirits into leaving people alone. Nowadays Halloween is celebrated by dressing up in costumes, trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, and eating candy. Use Halloween essay samples below to gather more information about Halloween for your essays. We compiled only the best essay samples for you to check out!

Harry Potter: A Story of Marginalization and Hope Because of their universality and magic, the Harry Potter series and stories are exceptional. It revolves around an outcast young boy. Harry Potter is a young kid. Outcasts have been viewed as a relegated and undesirably typecast community throughout history. The story depicts...

Cosplay is seen differently by many people; for others, it is a way of life, and for others, it is a sport. If you have engaged in cosplay or not, it has become common in today's culture. Labor and a significant amount of time are expended in creating these costumes...

Words: 2341

Found a perfect essay sample but want a unique one?

Request writing help from expert writer in you feed!

In a small remote town in Chicago Illinois There is an old legend that has been passed from one technology to another. The story is narrated to kids by their parents at night time to scare them during Halloween so that they do not wander far away from their homes. The Actual...

Related topic to Halloween

You might also like.

Halloween - Essay Examples And Topic Ideas For Free

Halloween, celebrated on October 31st, has ancient roots tied to the Celtic festival of Samhain, but has evolved over centuries into a holiday synonymous with costumes, trick-or-treating, and a celebration of the spooky and macabre. Essays could delve into the history of Halloween, exploring its pagan origins, its Christianization as All Hallows’ Eve, and its cultural evolution in modern times. They might also discuss the commercialization of Halloween, and how it reflects broader societal fascinations with horror, death, and the supernatural. Discussions could extend to the variations in Halloween celebrations around the world, and how the holiday serves as a lens through which to explore societal norms, fears, and the human fascination with the unknown. We have collected a large number of free essay examples about Halloween you can find at Papersowl. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Informative Speech Outline Halloween

Introduction Halloween is a magical time that allows you to become a whole new person for a night, but this holiday hasn't always been what we know it to be today... so how did children begin running around yelling, "Trick or Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat" and expecting candy in return? This is something we all do as kids and don't really question, because I mean free candy. Halloween is my favorite holiday, not only […]

What’s Better Halloween or Christmas

The most wonderful thing about people is that we have different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles in different countries around the world. That is the reason holidays exist; as marks in history to be remembered. Holidays are essential and fun because they allow people to take breaks from busy, mundane day-to-day life duties, spend time with family or friends, or just to celebrate culture and life. Some of the most common and widely-known holidays are Halloween and Christmas. One celebrates spooky […]

Review of the Day of the Dead

Day of the dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated through out Mexico in particular cantral and south regions. Day of the dead is celebrated October 31 - November 2. This ritual dates back 3,000 years ago and is still evolving. The Aztec created this Mexican holiday even tho you might think day of the dead and Halloween are related they have many different feats. In order to celebrate, the families make altars and place ofrendas (offerings) of food such as […]

We will write an essay sample crafted to your needs.

John Carpenter’s Halloween

John Carpenter's Halloween is an iconic film that perpetually changed the horror genre. Halloween modernized slasher films and brought it to mainstream media; its release in 1978 caused a cult following, and filmmakers instantly took notice. Even before Halloween, "horror cinema prospered and developed its unique forms of expressions in many film industries around the globe, [but] it is in the United States and in the American film industry that horror, for as long as film has existed, has been […]

Halloween Writing

Footsteps slowly creaked on every step of the stairs. The bedroom door handle turned slowly. "Surprise!!" "Aww, you guys shouldn't have!" The walls were lined with balloons and banners all saying "Happy Birthday!". "Well you can leave everything up to me, I am your best friend after all!" Katie said to her best friend Lura. "I am sooo envious of you big, pretty hazel eyes! I wish I could just rip them out of your head and take." "Aw, thanks […]

The Day of the Dead in Mexico

Imagine having a brightly colored ( Especially marigold) altar called an Ofrenda, with pictures of your departed loved ones and a hat, article of clothing or a loved shawl that dead relative loved. And at the exact same time, it also may have food and drinks you are offering them. Once you are finished with this tradition they go to the graveyard and light candles by their graves. After that, you replace the flowers on their graves with new flowers […]

Origins of Halloween

Abstract I'm conducting research on the origins of Halloween. I chose this subject because I have always loved Halloween and it has a very interesting history. I plan to research the history and different meanings of Halloween throughout time. I will be looking at how Halloween got its start, how it has changed over the years, and how it got to where it is today. I will also be looking into how the idea of jack o lanterns and the […]

About Halloween in the World

Halloween has been taken in by other countries around the world but they have different ways for celebrating it. This holiday has its moment in Mexico, complete with costumes dealing with death or disaster and fun- size candy, the main events happen the following two days, November first and second, for D?­a de Los Muertos. Mexicans welcome back the souls of their deceased loved ones by decorating their graves with meaningful marigolds and hold candlelit processions. For D?­a de Los […]

Modern Samhain Celebrations

Halloween began as Samhain, a Celtic festival that took place at the end of summer when the veil between the spirit world and the living earth was said to grow thin. In order to drive off trespassing specters, the Celtic people would dress up in frightening costumes and party the night away. With time, Christianity's rapid spread through Europe leads to pagan marginalization. All Saint's Day was enforced in place of Samhain in hopes that as the Celtic people were […]

Halloween Event Review

The report entails a review of Mickey's Halloween party event that I attended recently. This was the first time that I attended this special event. It was interesting that one could enter the parks even some hours before the beginning of the event, which was a good option for those who wanted to avoid traffic. The sole intent of attending this party was to take pictures with my favorite characters: Mickey and Minnie. At exactly 3 p.m., my friend Jack […]

Halloween and Carving Pumpkins

Halloween is one of the scariest days of the year. To some people, Halloween is all about carving pumpkins and cute costumes. Halloween is my favorite holiday because of the scary decorations, fearful haunted houses, and the delicious candies. One major part of Halloween is the scary decorations. Many people put black and brown coffins in their yards, implying they are holding dead bodies. People also put clown masks on and use pictures of them because they are known to […]

Halloween Series: Michael Myers

The character I completed a mental profile on is Michael Myers, who is an anecdotal character from the Halloween arrangement of slasher films. He is the principle character and reprobate. Michael Myers was conceived on October 19, 1957. He additionally has a more youthful sister. The family lived in a two-story house in a rural town of Haddonfield, Illinois. On Halloween day, when Michael was six years of age he spruced up as a jokester for Halloween and watched his […]

Halloween Horror Nights

The ticket sales were much higher than Universal had expected. With the success of Fright Nights, it was clear to Universal they had something and could tap into a market that their rival Disney. Disney didn't already capitalize on. The event will return to Universal Studios Florida in 1992 but with the name change Halloween Horror Nights due in part of copyright issues. While the Dungeon of Terror maze would return for the event. A new house would be created […]

From Ancient Harvests to Modern Horrors: Tracing the Roots of Halloween

Halloween, with its macabre aesthetics, spine-chilling tales, and sugary indulgences, has captivated the imaginations of both children and adults for generations. Today, it's synonymous with costumes, trick-or-treating, and haunted houses. But how did this unique tradition emerge? To fully appreciate the depth and richness of Halloween, we must journey back through centuries and cross diverse civilizations. The most direct ancestor of our modern Halloween is the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced SOW-in). Celebrated around November 1, Samhain marked the […]

Halloween in our Modern Society

Halloween is a very popular holiday in our modern society. Almost everyone knows about the spooky festivities and spine chilling activities. We could try to cover it up with the notion that it's about spending time with the ones you love, but at its core it really just exists so big business can get your money. This works really well. However, I would make the argument that this fact by itself is not the biggest concern about Halloween. The main […]

Halloween Cinematic Eye Contact

That almost personal confrontation is especially evident in John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978). Drawing heavily upon the conventions of the genre, Carpenter created what seems to be, despite its dark, threatening surface, one of the most lucid of horror films, a tale whose most telling effects derive not so much from our forced encounter with its disturbing images or from our mindfulness of those mythic fears associated with Halloween night, but precisely from the ways in which we are asked to […]

Halloween Screen Report

For this screening report I went to see Halloween in theaters. This Halloween is a sequel to the original in the franchise and pretty much wipes the slate of failed sequels clean with a deserving finish to Jamie' Lee Curtis' character's story. In Halloween, we find Laurie Strode, who was attacked my Michael Myers in the original, 40 years later facing Michael Myers again after he escapes a bus transfer from a locked-up facility and this time, he becomes the […]

Halloween and Harry Potter

Halloween, also known as All Hallows' Eve lands on the 31st of October every year. Nowadays people celebrate the date as a holiday where children wear costumes, go trick-or-treating, and receive candy, but Halloween has much more to its roots than we think. About 2,000 years ago in Celtic Ireland, Celtics celebrated Samhain, a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season (lighter half of the year) and the beginning of winter (darker half of the year). This is […]

Additional Example Essays

  • Analysis of Letter from Birmingham Jail
  • The Road not Taken Poem Analysis
  • Homeschooling vs Public School
  • "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes
  • “Allegory of the Cave”
  • Silence in Their Eyes Were Watching God
  • Character Heathcliff in Emily Bronte’s "Wuthering Heights"
  • The Harlem Renaissance Essay
  • Poems “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and “Still I Rise”
  • Intersectionality: Strengths & Weaknesses
  • Both Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Cesaire’s adaptation “A Tempest”

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

Halloween, Its History and Celebration

There are quite a number of holidays in the world, each having different reasons for being observed, different degrees of significance, and different levels of popularity, depending on where one is located.

Among the holidays, I am most fascinated with that which features a pumpkin lantern, scary costumes and decorations, and kids shouting “trick or treat” to their neighbors at dusk. I am talking about Halloween.

I find Halloween the most interesting among all the world holidays, mainly because it is foreign to me. I want to find out its history: how it came to be, where it originated, and how it became such a popular tradition practiced in many parts of the world. I also want to know the basic tenets surrounding its popularity and practice.

Commonly observed on the eve of October 31, Halloween is a holiday for remembering and honoring the dead. It is closely linked to All Souls’ Day (also called Hallowmas or All Hallows Days) and All Saint’ Day, which are both considered holy days in the Roman Catholic Church.

All Saints’ Day was established in the 9 th Century to honor the saints of the Christian church, whereas All Souls’ Day was established a century later to help purify the spirits of the dead. Both celebrations are said to have pagan origins (Santino, 1994a; Santino, 1994b; Lanford, n.d.).

Halloween is a very old tradition. Its origins date back from many thousand years ago. And how it is currently being celebrated is very far removed from how it used to be practiced, mainly because many cultures have added ‘flavor’ to it through the centuries. Halloween originated from the Celts.

The Celts, like many other pagans, worshipped nature. They had many gods, their favorite being the sun. They believed that the sun was the one responsible for the beautiful earth and everything that grew on it. (Landford, n.d.; Santino, 1994b).

According to Lanford, the Celts “marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter by celebrating a holiday in late autumn” (Lanford, n.d.). Among the holidays celebrated by the Celts is the Samhain, which heavily influenced later Halloween celebrations.

Samhain was celebrated on the eve of October 31 until the following day, November 1. The Celts believed that on the eve of Samhain, the spirits of the departed roamed the earth. As such, they offered food and drink to ward the spirits off. They also performed rituals at sacred hilltops, where they offered human and animal sacrifices.

However, when the Celtic lands were conquered by the Roman Empire by the end of the first century A.D., the Romans adopted some of the traditions of the Celts, thus creating a mixture of Celtic and Catholic religious observances.

In Britain, which used to be a part of Celtic lands, the Romans had incorporated some Samhain customs into their own pagan harvest festival, which honors Pomona, goddess of fruit trees, to make it easier for the Romans to conquer the Celts (Landford, n.d.) completely.

In areas that were not completely conquered by the Romans, like Ireland and Scotland, however, pure Celtic influences stayed on much longer. In these areas, the Samhain custom was abandoned only during the earlier part of the Middle Ages, when the locals converted to Christianity.

One of the strategies employed by the Roman Catholic Church to win over the loyalty of the converts was incorporating some customs of the conquered lands into its religious traditions. One example of this is Halloween.

In 835 AD, Pope Gregory IV replaced Samhain with All Saints’ Day. All Souls’ Day, closer in spirit to Samhain and modern Halloween, was first instituted at a French monastery in 998 and quickly spread throughout Europe.

Folk observances linked to these Christian holidays, including Halloween, thus preserved many of the ancient Celtic customs associated with Samhain (Santino, 1994a; Santino 1994b; Lanford, n.d.).

There are traditions observed during Halloweens that are believed to have no basis in Christianity. This is mainly because some of these traditions are influences of other religions and beliefs, specifically those of the Celtic tribes.

One example of this is the jack-o’-lantern, which originated from Scotland during the Medieval period. But instead of the carved up pumpkin which are used in present-day Halloween celebrations, the earlier jack-o’-lanterns were turnips.

Present Halloween festivities feature folk beliefs that have to do with death and the supernatural. Decorations during the holiday include imagery on death, like cobwebs, human skeletons, and skulls, and costumes based on supernatural beliefs, stories, and traditions, like those Dracula, White Lady, witches, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and so on.

Even natural objects that are believed to bring bad omen, like spiders, black cats, and bats, are also featured during Halloween celebrations as either decorations or costumes. But the most celebrated of all the Halloween decorations is the jack-o’-lantern.

The jack-o’-lantern is a pumpkin that was hollowed-out and then carved to resemble a monstrous face. Inside it is a candle or a bulb, illuminating it. The jack-o’-lantern is based on British tales, which say that the soul of a dead person named Jack O’Lantern was barred from both heaven and hell and was thus condemned to roam the earth aimlessly with his lantern.

As previously mentioned, the traditional jack-o-lantern used to be carved from turnip, potato, or beet. But the turnips were not readily available in America, so the pumpkin was used as a replacement. Placed on windows, the lanterns represent the souls of the departed loved ones and served as a protection against bad spirits (Landford, n.d.; Barth, 1972)

An interesting feature of Halloween celebrations is trick or treat where children dressed as a witch, a vampire, a ghost, or any other supernatural character go from house to house to solicit candies or treats from the house owners in their neighborhood.

The children greet every house owner with the cry, “Trick or Treat.” The greeting suggests that the house owner should present them with a treat. Otherwise, some form of a prank will be committed against them.

Although ‘Trick or Treat’ still widely practiced in many Christian nations, its practice has declined to begin in the 1970s. This may be largely due to studies suggesting the negative effect of junks, like candies, on children’s health.

Moreover, many parents are now concerned about their children still going around their neighborhood after dark. What many parents do now is to accompany their children in their Trick or Treat, or have their children accompanied by a responsible adult.

Another feature of Halloween celebration is a custom party, either for kids or for adults, or both. Traditional costumes as well as costumes inspired by pop cultures, such as movie characters, and even politicians are used.

For such parties, adults often use costumes with “satirical or humorous overtones” (Lanford, n.d.; Barth, 1972). In most costume parties, best in costume contests are usually held, where the hosts or chosen judges choose among the guests the one who is wearing the best costume.

At present, Halloween is already a popular holiday, especially in Christian nations, although there was some resistance from some Christian sects, like the English Puritans who rejected the celebration of Halloween on the basis that it is a Catholic and pagan tradition. The Puritans are members of a strict Protestant sect (Lanford, n.d.; Santino, 1994b).

Despite the resistance from the Puritans, however, Halloween spread in many Christian countries in the world. Its spread was primarily ensured by the spread of Catholicism. In the United States, British colonists transplanted the observance of Halloween in Virginia and Maryland. Moreover, in the mid 19 th Century, Irish who came into the United States as immigrants likewise helped popularize Halloween throughout the United States (Lanford, n.d.).

According to Lanford, young people in the 19th and early 20th centuries tended to observe Halloween by “perpetrating minor acts of vandalism, such as overturning sheds or breaking windows” (Lanford, n.d).

The ritual of trick or tricking started sometime in the beginning of the 1930s when Halloween mischief was slowly transformed from merely perpetuating vandalistic acts, to trick or tricking in the neighborhood.

As time passed by, Halloween treats became more plentiful as the number of tricks decreased. It is believed that the trick or treat was introduced to lessen the pranks and destruction that typically accompanied the Halloween celebrations (Santino, 1994a; Santino 1994b).

In some areas, however, pranks still survived. A day before Halloween, there is such an event called Mischief Night in some areas of the United States, where vandalism sometimes got out of hand. Landford (n.d.) shares: “in Detroit, Michigan, Mischief Night — known there as Devil’s Night —provided the occasion for waves of arson that sometimes destroyed whole city blocks during the 1970s and 1980s.”

Beginning in the 1970s, Halloween has become increasingly popular. Adult celebrations of this occasion feature elaborate satirical costumes, boisterous festivities, and drunken revelry while the costume-donning kids go house to house, treat-or-tricking their neighbors, happy with the candies that they get.

At present, Halloween is one of the most celebrated Holidays in the world, with both the young ones and the adults taking part in the festivities. It is also among the most commercialized. During Halloween, costumes, masks, and decors dominate the malls and commercial centers. Restaurants and event venues also have a heyday during the celebrations. Indeed, Halloween is such a fascinating holiday.

Bibliography

Barth, Edna. (1972). Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts. New York: Seaburry Press.

Landford, Brent. (n.d.) “Halloween.” MSN Encarta.

Santino, Jack. (1994a). All Around the Year: Holidays and Celebrations in American Life. University of Illiois Press.

Santino, Jack. (1994b). Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life. Knoxville. University of Tennessee Press.

Cite this paper

  • Chicago (N-B)
  • Chicago (A-D)

StudyCorgi. (2020, January 8). Halloween, Its History and Celebration. https://studycorgi.com/halloween-its-history-and-celebration/

"Halloween, Its History and Celebration." StudyCorgi , 8 Jan. 2020, studycorgi.com/halloween-its-history-and-celebration/.

StudyCorgi . (2020) 'Halloween, Its History and Celebration'. 8 January.

1. StudyCorgi . "Halloween, Its History and Celebration." January 8, 2020. https://studycorgi.com/halloween-its-history-and-celebration/.

StudyCorgi . "Halloween, Its History and Celebration." January 8, 2020. https://studycorgi.com/halloween-its-history-and-celebration/.

StudyCorgi . 2020. "Halloween, Its History and Celebration." January 8, 2020. https://studycorgi.com/halloween-its-history-and-celebration/.

This paper, “Halloween, Its History and Celebration”, was written and voluntary submitted to our free essay database by a straight-A student. Please ensure you properly reference the paper if you're using it to write your assignment.

Before publication, the StudyCorgi editorial team proofread and checked the paper to make sure it meets the highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, fact accuracy, copyright issues, and inclusive language. Last updated: June 18, 2020 .

If you are the author of this paper and no longer wish to have it published on StudyCorgi, request the removal . Please use the “ Donate your paper ” form to submit an essay.

helpful professor logo

73 Essay Hook Examples

essay hook examples and definition, explained below

An essay hook is the first one or two sentences of your essay that are used to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into your discussion.

It is called a hook because it “grabs” the reader and doesn’t let them go! It should have something in there that makes the reader feel curious and intrigued, compelling them to continue reading.

Techniques for Good Essay Hooks

Here are a few techniques that you can use to write a good essay hook:

  • Use a Quotation : Sometimes, a relevant quotation from a well-known author or expert can help establish the context or theme of your essay. Next time you’re conducting research for an essay, keep an eye out for a really compelling quote that you could use as your hook for that essay.
  • Start with a Statement that is Surprising or Unusual: A surprising or unusually statement will draw a reader in, making them want to know more about that topic. It’s good if the statement contradicts common knowledge or reveals an insight about your topic that isn’t immediately obvious. These can be particularly good for argumentative essays where you’re putting forward a controversial or compelling argument as your thesis statement .
  • Tell a Brief Anecdote : A short, interesting story related to your topic can personaize the story, making it more than just a dry essay, and turning it into a compelling narrative that’s worth reading.
  • Use Statistics or Facts: Interesting, surprising, or shocking facts or statistics work similarly to surprising statements: they make us want to know more about a topic. Statistics and facts in your introductions are particularly useful for analytical, expository , and argumentative essays.
  • Start with a Question: Questions that make the reader think deeply about an issue, or pose a question that the reader themselves has considered, can be really effecitve. But remember, questions tend to be better for informal and personal essays, and are generally not allowed in formal argumentative essays. If you’re not sure if you’re allowed to use questions in your essays, check with your teacher first.

Below, I’ll present some examples of hooks that you could use as inspiration when writing your own essay hook.

Essay Hook Examples

These examples might help stimulate your thinking. However, keep in mind that your essay hook needs to be unique to your essay, so use these as inspiration but write your own essay hook that’s perfect for your own essay.

1. For an Essay About Yourself

An essay about yourself can be personal, use “I” statements, and include memories or thoughts that are deeply personal to you.

  • Question: “Have you ever met someone who could turn even the most mundane events into a thrilling adventure? Let me introduce myself.”
  • Anecdote: “The smell of freshly baked cookies always takes me back to the day when I accidentally started a baking business at the age of nine.”
  • Intriguing Statement: “I’ve always believed that you haven’t truly lived until you’ve read a book upside down, danced in the rain, or taught a parrot to say ‘I love pizza.'”
  • Quotation: “As Mark Twain once said, ‘The secret of getting ahead is getting started.’ That’s a philosophy I’ve embraced in every aspect of my life.”
  • Humorous Statement: “I’m a self-proclaimed ‘professional chocolate tester’ – a title that’s not only delicious but also requires extreme dedication.”
  • Start with your Mission Statement : “My life motto is simple but powerful: be the person who decided to go for it.
  • Fact or Statistic: “According to a study, people who speak more than one language tend to be better at multitasking . As a polyglot, I certainly live up to that statistic.”
  • Comparison or Metaphor: “If my life were a book, it would be a blend of an adventurous novel, a suspense thriller, and a pinch of romantic comedy.”
  • Personal Revelation: “Ever since I was a child, I’ve had an uncanny ability to communicate with animals. It’s an unusual skill, but one that has shaped my life in many ways.”
  • Narrative: “The day everything changed for me was an ordinary Tuesday. Little did I know, a single conversation would lead me to discover my true passion.”

2. For a Reflective Essay

A reflective essay often explores personal experiences, feelings, and thoughts. So, your hooks for reflective essays can usually be more personal, intriguing, and engaging than other types of essays. Here are some examples for inspiration:

  • Question: “Have you ever felt as though a single moment could change your entire life? This essay is going to explore that moment for me.”
  • Anecdote: “I was standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, looking at the vast emptiness, and for the first time, I truly understood the word ‘perspective’.”
  • Bold Statement: “There is a part of me that is still trapped in that room, on that rainy afternoon, holding the letter that would change everything.”
  • Personal Revelation: “The first time I truly felt a sense of belonging wasn’t in a crowded room full of friends, but in the quiet solitude of a forest.”
  • Intriguing Statement: “In my life, silence has been a teacher more profound than any words could ever be.”
  • Quotation: “Einstein once said, ‘The only source of knowledge is experience.’ Now, looking back, I realize how profound that statement truly is.”
  • Comparison or Metaphor: “If my life is a tapestry, then that summer was the vibrant thread that changed the entire pattern.”
  • Narrative: “As the train pulled out of the station, I realized I wasn’t just leaving my hometown, I was leaving my old self behind.”
  • Philosophical Statement: “In the theater of life, we are both the actor and the audience, playing our part and watching ourselves simultaneously.”
  • Emotive Statement: “There is a sort of sweet sorrow in remembering, a joy tinged with a hint of sadness, like the last notes of a beautiful song.”

For an Argumentative Essay

Essay hooks for argumentative essays are often the hardest. This type of essay tends to require the most formal type of academic writing, meaning your hook shouldn’t use first person, and should be more based on fact and objectivity, often at the expense of creativity. Here are some examples.

  • Quotation: “Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.’ If Jefferson were alive today, he would likely feel that this meed for a well-informed citizenry is falling well short of where he would aspire.”
  • Provocative Statement: “Despite what romantic films may portray, love at first sight is merely a myth perpetuated by society. This essay will prosecute the argument that love at first sight is a myth.”
  • Statistical Fact: “According to the World Health Organization, depression is the leading psychological disability worldwide. Yet, mental health is still stigmatized and often overlooked. This essay will argue that depression should be seen as a health issue, and stigmatization of depression causes serious harm to society.”
  • Comparison: “Much like an unchecked infection, climate change, if left ignored, can spread far beyond what it is today, causing long-term economic and social problems that may even threaten the longevity of humanity itself.”
  • Contradiction : “While we live in an era of unprecedented technological advancements, millions around the world are still denied basic internet access.”
  • Bold Declaration: “Animal testing is not only ethically unacceptable, but it also undermines the progress of medical research.”
  • Challenging Belief: “Despite popular belief, the automation of jobs is not a threat but an opportunity for society to evolve.”
  • Quotation: “George Orwell wrote in ‘1984’, ‘Big Brother is Watching You.’ In our modern society, with the advancement of technology, this is becoming more of a reality than fiction.”
  • Intriguing Statement: “Despite countless diet fads and fitness trends, obesity rates continue to rise. This argumentative essay will argue that this is because medical practitioners’ approaches to health and weight loss are fundamentally flawed.”
  • Statistical Fact: “Research reveals that over 90% of the world’s plastic waste is not recycled. This alarming figure calls for a drastic change in social attitudes towards consumption and waste management.”
  • Challenging Assumption: “Society often assumes that progress and growth are intrinsically good, but this is not always the case in the realm of economic development.”
  • Contradiction: “Western society upholds the value of freedom, yet every day, members of society cede personal liberties in the name of convenience and security.”
  • Analogy: “Like an overplayed song, when a news story is repeated too often, it loses its impact. In the era of digital media, society is becoming desensitized to critical issues.”
  • Relevant Anecdote: “In a village in India, the arrival of a single computer transformed the lives of the residents. This small anecdote underscores the importance of digital inclusion in today’s world.”
  • Call to Rethink: “In a world where success is often equated with financial wealth, it is time for society to reconsidered what truly constitutes a successful life.”

For a Compare and Contrast Essay

A compare and contrast essay examines two issues, looking at both the similarities and differences between them. A good hook for a compare and contrast essay will immediately signal to the reader the subjects that are being compared and why they’re being compared. Here are sine ideas for hooks for a compare and contrast essay:

  • Quotation: “As Charles Dickens wrote in his novel ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’. This could equally apply to the contrasting dynamics of urban and rural living.”
  • Provocative Statement: “Despite popular belief, cats and dogs have more in common than society tends to think.”
  • Comparison: “Comparing being an only child to growing up with siblings is like contrasting a solo performance with an orchestral symphony.”
  • Contradiction: “While many view classic literature and contemporary fiction as worlds apart, they are more akin to two sides of the same coin.”
  • Bold Declaration: “Android and iPhone may compete in the same market, but their philosophies could not be more different.”
  • Statistical Fact: “Statistics show that children who grow up reading books tend to perform better academically than those who do not. But, the jury is out on how reading traditional books compares to reading e-books on screens.”
  • Quotation: “As Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote, ‘Sooner or later, we all sit down to a banquet of consequences.’ This statement can be used to frame a comparison between short-term and long-term thinking.”
  • Provocative Statement: “Democracy and dictatorship are often seen as polar opposites, but are they are not as different as they seem.”
  • Comparison: “Climate change and plastic pollution are two major environmental issues, yet they demand different approaches and solutions.”
  • Contradiction: “While traditional classrooms and online learning are seen as separate modes of education, they can often blend into a cohesive learning experience.”
  • Bold Declaration: “Though both based on merit, the structures of capitalism and socialism lead to vastly different societal outcomes.”
  • Imagery: “The painting styles of Van Gogh and Monet can be contrasted as a stormy sea versus a tranquil pond.”
  • Historical Reference: “The philosophies of the Cold War-era – capitalism and communism – provide a lens to contrast economic systems.”
  • Literary Comparison: “The dystopian societies portrayed in George Orwell’s ‘1984’ and Aldous Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’ serve as contrasting visions of the future.”
  • Philosophical Question: “Individualism and collectivism shape societies in distinct ways, but neither one can truly exist without the other.”

See Here for my Guide on Writing a Compare and Contrast Essay

For a Psychology Essay

Writing an engaging hook for a psychology essay involves sparking the reader’s interest in the human mind, behavior, or the specific psychology topic you’re discussing. Here are some stimulating hooks for a psychology essay:

  • Rhetorical Question: “How much control do we truly have over our own actions?”
  • Quotation: “Sigmund Freud once said, ‘Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.’ This essay will explore whether this is universally true.”
  • Provocative Statement: “Contrary to popular belief, ‘venting out’ anger might actually be fueling the fire of fury.”
  • Comparison: “Just as an iceberg reveals only a fraction of its bulk above water, conscious minds may only be a small piece of who humans truly are.”
  • Contradiction: “While it may seem counterintuitive, studies show that individuals who are more intelligent are also more likely to suffer from mental health issues.”
  • Bold Declaration: “Despite advances in technology, understanding the human brain remains one of the final frontiers in science.”
  • Statistical Fact: “According to a study by the American Psychological Association, nearly one in five adults in the U.S. lives with a mental illness. Yet, mental health continues to be a topic shrouded in stigma.”

For a Sociology Essay

Writing an engaging hook for a sociology essay involves sparking the reader’s interest in social behaviors, cultural phenomena, or the specific sociology topic you’re discussing. Here are ideas for hooks for a sociology essay:

  • Quotation: “As Karl Marx once noted, ‘Social progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex.’ Sadly, society has not made much progress in gender equality.”
  • Provocative Statement: “Social media, initially created to connect people, is ironically leading society into an era of unprecedented isolation.”
  • Comparison: “Comparing society to a theater, where each individual plays a role, it is possible to start to see patterns and scripts embedded in daily interactions.”
  • Contradiction: “While people often believe that technology is bringing society closer together, evidence suggests that it’s actually driving a wedge between people, creating ‘digital divides’.”
  • Bold Declaration: “Human societies are constructed on deeply ingrained systems of inequality, often invisible to those benefiting from them.”
  • Statistical Fact: “A recent study found that women still earn only 81 cents for every dollar earned by men. This stark wage gap raises questions about equality in the workforce.”

For a College Application Essay

A college essay is a personal statement where you can showcase who you are beyond your grades and resume. It’s your chance to tell your unique story. Here are ten potential hooks for a college essay:

  • Anecdote: “At the age of seven, with a wooden spoon as my baton, I confidently conducted an orchestra of pots and pans in my grandmother’s kitchen.”
  • Provocative Statement: “I believe that life is like a game of chess. The king might be the most important piece, but it’s the pawns that can change the entire course of the game.”
  • Personal Revelation: “It wasn’t until I was lost in a foreign city, armed with nothing but a map in a language I didn’t understand, that I truly discovered my love for adventure.”
  • Intriguing Question: “Have you ever wondered how it feels to be part of two completely different cultures, yet wholly belong to neither?”
  • Bold Declaration: “Breaking a bone can be a painful experience. Breaking stereotypes, however, is an entirely different kind of challenge.”
  • Unusual Fact: “I can recite the periodic table backwards while juggling three tennis balls. It’s a strange talent, but it’s a perfect metaphor for how I tackle challenges.”
  • Quotation: “As Albert Einstein once said, ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge.’ This quote has defined my approach to learning.”
  • Narrative: “It was a cold winter’s day when I first discovered the magic of turning a blank page into a world full of characters, stories, and ideas.”
  • Metaphor: “Like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, my high school years have been a period of profound metamorphosis.”
  • Humorous Statement: “Being the youngest of five siblings, I quickly learned that the best way to be heard was to become the family’s unofficial lawyer.”

Conclusion: The Qualities of a Good Essay Hook

As I wrap up this article, I want to share a few last tips on qualities that a good essay hook should have. Keep these tips in mind when writing your essay hook and using the above essay hook examples:

First, relevance . A good hook should be directly relevant to the topic or theme of your essay. The hook should provide a preview of what’s to come without giving too much away.

Second, Intrigue. A great hook should make the reader want to continue reading. It should create a question in the reader’s mind or present a fascinating idea that they want to know more about.

Third, uniqueness. An effective hook should be original and unique. It should stand out from the many other essays that the reader might be going through.

Fourth, clarity. Even though a hook should be captivating and original, it should also be clear and easy to understand. Avoid complex sentences and jargon that might confuse the reader.

Fifth, genre conventions. Too often, my students try to be so creative in their essay hooks that they forget genre conventions . The more formal an essay, the harder it is to write the hook. My general approach is to focus on statistics and facts, and avoid rhetorical questions , with more formal essay hooks.

Keep in mind that you should run your essay hook by your teacher by showing them your first draft before you submit your essay for grading. This will help you to make sure it follows genre conventions and is well-written.

Chris

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 5 Top Tips for Succeeding at University
  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 50 Durable Goods Examples
  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 100 Consumer Goods Examples
  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 30 Globalization Pros and Cons

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

IMAGES

  1. High-interest Halloween Lesson Plans and Activities for Secondary ELA

    hook for halloween essay

  2. Essay Hook Types

    hook for halloween essay

  3. Halloween Writing Kids Will Scream About!

    hook for halloween essay

  4. Halloween Writing Prompts for Kids

    hook for halloween essay

  5. Pin on Happy Halloween Day 2018

    hook for halloween essay

  6. Halloween Essay

    hook for halloween essay

VIDEO

  1. Morbid Enterprises Clown Head On Hook Halloween Prop

  2. Hook Halloween 2023

  3. curve job essay hook official store chance

  4. 75 Halloween Quotes and Graphics

  5. 5 Lines on Halloween 🎃 in english

  6. All you need to celebrate a scary Halloween 🎃👻🕯️💀

COMMENTS

  1. Free Hook Generator for Essays

    With this AI-powered attention grabber maker, you will get fresh ideas for your project. The tool will offer you a hook statement tailored to your needs quickly and for free. Use it as many times as you need to get the perfect result. The hook maker is limitless and 100% free.

  2. How to Write a Spooky Essay on Halloween

    Even in the realm of a Halloween essay, academic rules of how to write coursework still make a difference. Follow the conventions of scholarly writing, including a well-crafted thesis statement, an engaging introduction, a detailed body, and a conclusive conclusion. The thesis statement should succinctly encapsulate the main idea of your ...

  3. 50 Spooky Writing Prompts and Horror Story Ideas

    These are all from my book 5 ,000 Writing Prompts: A Master List of Plot Ideas, Creative Exercises, and More. The book has 100 additional spooky writing prompts and horror story ideas, as well as master plots and idea starters for all kinds of writing. If you are easily scared and have an over-active imagination, just skip this one.

  4. Halloween Essay Writing Guide: Sample Essay + 40 Topics

    Like any other essay, a Halloween paper has three parts; introduction, body and conclusion. Below is a brief description of this structure: The introduction should contain catchy facts and ideas on Halloween that would immerse the reader into your essay. The beginning can also have proverbs, citations, some wise words, or quotes on Halloween.

  5. Halloween Essay: How to Write, Topics and Essay Ideas

    Writing Halloween Essays: Way #2. Another easy and exciting way to prepare a Halloween essay is to make up a scary story. Think about a good idea for your story involving ghosts, witches, dead men. Mind that descriptions, vivid details will make your Halloween essay more impressive. Just in 1 hour!

  6. 10 Halloween Writing Prompts to Inspire Your Spooky Stories

    Subscribe. 6. A society either bans Halloween or requires participation in it, and the punishment for disobeying is shocking. 7. A group sits around a bonfire telling ghost stories, and one of the stories starts playing out in real life. 8. Put a Halloween spin on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by writing about a farmer who takes a science ...

  7. 78 Halloween Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    The festival's roots came from the traditions of religious attention to the edge between the world of the living and the dead. Halloween: Ancient Religious Roots and Traditions. Preview: After conducting in-depth research, in the next few minutes, I will inform you about the history of Halloween, how the modern trick-or-treat tradition came ...

  8. 15 Haunted Halloween Writing Prompts

    Creepy Story Writing Prompts. 1. It's late at night, and you hear footsteps in the cellar, but you're definitely home alone…or so you thought. 2. You've put that doll in the cabinet, in the closet, in the attic, but no matter where you tuck it, it always shows back up on the sofa.

  9. Guide to Writing a Halloween Essay

    Write an outline so that you can clearly understand what your essay will look like. Search for interesting facts about Halloween. For example, you can tell your readers why people started to wear weird costumes or why this day is associated with the dead. Your essay must have a clear structure, consisting of an introduction, body, and conclusion.

  10. 64 Best Halloween Writing Prompts (& Story Ideas)

    Waking up in a room with no doors, windows - no way to get out. Fear of and contact with spiders or snakes. Scary clowns chasing someone. A door that appears in a wall that leads to another world. Waking up with no eyes, or nose, or mouth. The discovery that a family member is a serial killer.

  11. How To Write A Spooky Essay On Halloween (With Example)

    Halloween Essay Step-By-Step Tips. If you want to write a Halloween essay, start by considering the following three factors: Topic. Background information. Structure. 1. Think of Halloween Essay Topics. Now that you know what makes a good spooky essay let's discuss some ideas for your topic.

  12. How to Write Halloween Essay: Quick and Easy Guide for Students

    Write each section of the outline and then write the introduction and the conclusion. If you are writing a Halloween essay using the five paragraph essay structure, you just need 3 body paragraphs. Edit the paper to make sure you did not stray from the subject. Also, remember to exclude parts that sound too subjective.

  13. How to Write the Ultimate Essay Hook

    Here are seven ideas to choose from: 1. Story. Everyone likes a good story. If an interesting story or anecdote relates to your essay topic, the hook is a great place to include it. For example: In January 2023, two children were playing outside in a Los Angeles neighborhood.

  14. How to Write a Hook: 10 Ways to Capture Your Readers' Attention

    Writing a compelling hook takes skill. But you can use any of the following ways of writing a hook to get you started: 1. The Surprising Statistic Hook. Presenting a surprising fact or statistic is a great way to grab the attention of your audience. For example, an essay on the orphan crisis may begin with:

  15. 6 Spooky and Engaging Halloween Activities & Lessons ...

    Halloween is a season during the school year when we can really engage our students. ... This activity consists of a hook and wrap up suggestions to frame the lesson as well as a reading guide featuring questions that span many depths of knowledge. ... screenplay writing, and essay writing-- and she enjoys the process of teaching students how ...

  16. How to Write a Hook for an Essay: Guide, Tips, and Examples

    Determine the effect you wish to accomplish before selecting a hook. Choose a hook at the end of the writing process. Even though it should be the first sentence of your paper, it doesn't mean you should write your hook first. Writing an essay is a long and creative process. So, if you can't think of an effective hook at the beginning, just ...

  17. Free Essays on Halloween, Examples, Topics, Outlines

    Some Halloween essays concentrate primarily on the Celtic origins of this holiday, while other essays on Halloween explore modern-day practices and traditions. Halloween is celebrated annually on October 31. It was believed that on this day evil spirits roamed free, so people were putting on costumes to trick the spirits into leaving people ...

  18. Halloween Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

    18 essay samples found. Halloween, celebrated on October 31st, has ancient roots tied to the Celtic festival of Samhain, but has evolved over centuries into a holiday synonymous with costumes, trick-or-treating, and a celebration of the spooky and macabre. Essays could delve into the history of Halloween, exploring its pagan origins, its ...

  19. Halloween, Its History and Celebration

    Halloween is a very old tradition, and nowadays , it is one of the most celebrated holidays in the world. It is also among the most commercialized. ... Argumentative Essay Maker Informative Essay Maker Scholarship Essay Generator Essays Summary Generator Paragraph Rewriter Hook Generator for Essays Essay Expander Tool.

  20. The Origin And History Of Halloween: [Essay Example], 1523 words

    The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating sweet treats. Halloween's origins date back to the traditional Celtic competition of Samhain.

  21. 73 Essay Hook Examples (2024)

    These examples might help stimulate your thinking. However, keep in mind that your essay hook needs to be unique to your essay, so use these as inspiration but write your own essay hook that's perfect for your own essay. 1. For an Essay About Yourself. An essay about yourself can be personal, use "I" statements, and include memories or ...

  22. Should Halloween Be on a Saturday?

    Not everyone supports moving Halloween. One reason is that doing so could exclude people who observe Saturday as a religious day. Plus, being at school on Halloween is actually quite fun—maybe you get to read macabre stories or come to school in costume. Then there is the fact that Halloween has been celebrated on the 31st for centuries.