5 Unique, Terrifying Ways to Write Ghosts

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Hauntings and spirits are classic in paranormal fantasy and horror. I know I’ve been spooked by ghosts in horror movies, especially when it comes to found footage. Back when I was younger, Paranormal Activity got me because I thought it was based off of a true story. Then, to this day, I find The Ring quite scary.

The idea of the dead coming back and being able to torment you, with you not being able to do a thing about it, is truly terrifying. Not all spirits and ghosts need to be depicted that way, though! Some can be playful and harmless, or even warn you regarding greater dangers. It all depends on the story, and how you’d like your ghost to act.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas you could implement in you stories.

(1) Haunted vehicles

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There’s a short horror youtube video called ROT that strikes a similar feeling to the Silent Hill movies. The car radio switches on and goes to static, and it gives a rather haunting feeling. The focus isn’t necessarily the car or ghost, but it feels like a good train (hah!) of thought for this sort of thing. Having an out of control radio giving static, or words sometimes, can be neat. I know there’s interrupted broadcasts that could also be a basis for a good haunting.

Haunted trains work well too, speaking of which. Train accidents can be devastating, and there could be multiple ghosts haunting one train. Perhaps they can warn of another accident that may be coming, if you’re not going for aggressive, dangerous ghosts.

The most dangerous ghosts, though, are the ones that would take control of a vehicle to possibly lead the protagonist to their death. However, this can be twisted, where it seems like the ghost is trying to kill the protagonist, but in reality is trying to save them. I think that concept could also be done really well.

(2) Haunted books

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This one feels like a classic for sure. Haunted books that fall out of book shelves are something we see in fantasy and horror a lot. However, one thing I see less of is words changing in a book at random, which could be super interesting. It could change to threats or warnings, depending on the role you want your ghost to play.

Or, if you don’t want the text of the book to change, have it turn to random pages and even include random objects being placed on certain words or phrases. There is a lot that can be done with this. Maybe your ghost was an author, and that was their book? If I passed, I’d probably haunt The Dancing Crow, as it’s a vampire horror book I’m proud of.

You could even have the book be the only copy in existence, or an unfinished manuscript. Something that for some reason begins to finish itself as the events of the story press on, and the ghost is trying to tell the protagonist something. It could certainly be used very well in a paranormal mystery novel.

(3) Cursed song (that summons the ghost)

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A cursed song that can summon a ghost may be a neat idea. You could work a bard-necromancer into the story this way, if you’re delving more into dark fantasy than horror. However, a song that summons a spirit every time it’s played can be potentially dangerous. Imagine a killer who uses that song to sic a spirit on their victims? That could be pretty neat. Every time the song plays, it could mean death.

It could also indirectly be a warning omen. You’d hear the song, then other things happen related to a haunting, which chases people away. This could happen before some sort of devastating event, where this ghost and song would be a protagonist. This can also go hand in hand with actual cursed images (cognitohazard anyone?). This song could have significance to the spirit or be some sort of summoning ritual. It would be super neat either way!

(4) Classic: Mirror (but with a twist?)

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Speaking of a ghost that could warn you, what about one that appears in a mirror? We know the classic ‘ghost in a mirror ends up killing the person who is looking into it’ or your reflection going after you. That is awesome, but you could also introduce a twist. Have your protagonist fixate on the obvious something-being-wrong with their reflection, or seeing a ghost behind them, but the entity is actually trying to warn them about something horrifying.

This twist would be interesting. If you’re looking for an unhappy ending for the protagonist in the end, have the ghost fail to warn them properly because they’re just too afraid of said ghost. Would be an interesting look at how things that can be ‘bad omens’ or ‘trying to warn people’ end up failing anyway, but not due to their own fault.

(5) Possessed loved one

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What would you do if someone else was in your loved one? And only you seemed to know it? There is a disorder where people think their loved ones are replaced, which is due to a brain issue. However, in this story, it would be true, and I imagine it would be terrifying because everyone would think it’s that disorder. We see possession all the time, but something far more subtle in a story could be interesting.

Even more interesting if it’s a departed loved one possessing a living person. Or if the ghost possessing your protagonists’ loved one is not actually trying to harm them, but is doing so anyway just by improperly possessing them. Or, even more interesting, the protagonist is dead, possessing a loved one, and not even knowing it. There’s a lot that can be done with psychological horror in that case.

I hope I gave you some interesting ideas for ghosts in dark fantasy and horror! Let me know if you use any of these in your story, and feel free to comment that. Share this around as well, I plan on regularly updating this blog with brainstorming ideas like this to spark creative ideas for writers!

Speaking of horror, you should check out The Dancing Crow audiobook, which is an excellent vampire horror written by yours truly.