What are some plot ideas for short scary stories?

One plot idea could be a haunted house. A family moves into an old, dilapidated mansion. Strange noises start at night, like creaking floorboards and whispering voices. Objects move on their own, and the family members start having nightmares about a dark figure that lurks in the shadows of the house. As they try to uncover the history of the place, they find out that a murder took place there decades ago and the spirit of the killer is still trapped.

One idea could be a story about a haunted mirror. A young girl moves into an old house and discovers a large, ornate mirror in the attic. Every time she looks into it, she sees a figure that gets closer and closer each day. Eventually, the figure steps out of the mirror.

A story about a cursed doll. A little girl finds an old, tattered doll in a thrift store. She takes it home, and strange things start to happen. Her toys start to move on their own, and she hears whispers at night. It's revealed that the doll was once owned by a witch, and now it's bringing bad luck to the girl's family.

One idea could be a haunted house where strange noises and apparitions keep appearing. Another could be a forest with a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows.

A time - travel plot where a character accidentally travels back to a significant moment in history and has to figure out how to return while not changing the course of events too much.

There's a small town where every year on the same night, all the lights go out. A curious teenager decides to stay outside during this time and witnesses shadowy figures moving through the streets, whispering his name.

Imagine a scientist who goes to an isolated research station in the Arctic. The station has a dark past that he's unaware of. As he conducts his experiments, strange things start to occur. Equipment malfunctions on its own, and he finds odd footprints in the snow outside that don't belong to any known animal. He begins to feel like he's being watched. Eventually, he uncovers a secret experiment that went wrong decades ago, and the mutated creatures from that experiment are now after him in the isolation of the Arctic.

A time - related plot twist can be interesting. For example, a character believes they have been living in the present day but then discovers they are actually in a post - apocalyptic future where time has been distorted. This forces them to re - evaluate everything they thought they knew.

Monsters are a typical idea in scary stories. They can be in various forms, such as vampires, werewolves, or some unknown and grotesque creatures. Their inhumane and often blood - thirsty nature scares people. Then there's the idea of the unknown. When something strange is happening but there's no clear explanation, like strange noises at night with no source. It makes the readers or listeners feel on edge.

Another idea is a cursed object. For example, a beautiful antique mirror. Whoever looks into it starts to see a distorted version of themselves that slowly becomes more and more menacing. Then, bad things start to happen to them in real life - they get into accidents, lose their jobs, or their loved ones start to act strangely towards them as if they are being influenced by the mirror's curse.