Here is a list of Halloween words to add to your next horror story.
The night is getting darker, and the air is getting colder because Halloween is just around the corner! Make your Halloween party even more fun this year by reading scary stories or playing a spooky game of Pictionary. Check out our list of terrifying words related to Halloween.
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What Are Halloween Words

Halloween came from the pagan festival, Samhain. It got its name from All Hallow’s Eve (hallowed evening), where people dress as saints and knock on doors. Today, Halloween is not just about decorating your deck with carved pumpkins and unlimited candy. It’s a holiday celebrated every last Saturday of October and an excellent preamble to All Saint’s Day that happens the following day.
If you want to fully immerse yourself with the wonders of Halloween to enjoy the event or use it in your writing, you need to know the words related to this highly anticipated night.
Afterlife | Exorcism | Orb |
Altar | Eyeballs | Owl |
Apparition | Fangs | Paranormal |
Bat | Flashlight | Phantoms |
Blood | Ghost | Pitchfork |
Bloodsucker | Ghoul | Poltergeist |
Bones | Goblin | Possession |
Broomstick | Gory | Potion |
Candle | Graveyard | Pumpkin |
Cape | Grim | Ritualistic |
Casket | Gruesome | Satanic |
Cauldron | Harrowing | Scream |
Cemetery | Herbs | Shaman |
Chainsaw | Hex | Skull |
Cobweb | Hocus-Pocus | Sorcery |
Corpse | Howling | Spider |
Coven | Incantations | Spine-tingling |
Crematorium | Jack-O’-Lantern | Spirits |
Cursed | Knife | Superstition |
Darkness | Laird | Talisman |
Dead | Levitation | Tarantula |
Decapitated | Lurking | Tombstone |
Decomposing | Macabre | Trick-Or-Treat |
Demon | Magic | Unearthly |
Disguise | Manifest | Vampire |
Eerie | Mausoleums | Voodoo |
Enchanted | Midnight | Wand |
Esbat | Monster | Witch |
Evil | Necromancer | Wraith |
Evoke | October | Zombie |
See our list of words for poets to add to your next piece.
Horror Halloween Words
These are words with particular meanings strongly associated with Halloween. As the word “horror” suggests, these terms usually convey intense fear, disgust, and shock to the audience.
- Afterlife
Even though there is no certainty, he continues to believe in the promise of the afterlife.
- Blood
She can’t be a nurse if she faints at the sight of blood.
- Bloodsucker
Amy doesn’t need to disguise herself as a vampire because she’s a real bloodsucker for taking every penny my father owns.
- Bones
If you want your Halloween party decorations to be scary, place some bloody bones on the tables and shelves.
- Chainsaw
Since Carl always says he doesn’t scare easily, let’s watch the movie “Texas Chainsaw“ on the night of the 31st!
- Dead
If you always eat greasy, fatty food, you’ll be dead in no time!
- Decapitated
Due to the typhoon, many old statues were decapitated, damaged, and knocked over.
- Demon
Many people don’t want to ride with Kevin because he likes to speed down the highway like a demon is chasing after him.
- Evil
Mother is right about the love of money being the root of all evil.
- Exorcism
Clara loves everything gothic; she even owns an array of exorcism books and movies!
- Eyeballs
Quick! Add fake eyeballs to his drink, and he’ll scream his heart out.
- Fangs
Lisa’s chihuahua dog is very aggressive and will always bare his fangs at anyone.
- Ghoul
Adam’s detailed ghoul costume made his little brother cry.
- Gory
Why do you want to know all the gory details about the tragedy?
- Grim
All employees’ expressions turned grim when their boss told them the company would shut down.
- Gruesome
Let’s look for a gruesome abandoned house and stay there for an unforgettable Halloween.
- Knife
He’s a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the kitchen; he uses his knife as if it’s an extension of his hands!
- Lurking
There’s a warning sign that a wild animal is lurking in this area.
- Macabre
Dion has a macabre interest in dark stories, graveyards, and reports of unexplained killings.
- Pitchfork
It’s best to use a pitchfork when trying to lift and remove twiggy materials such as small branches, leaves, or hay.
- Ritualistic
She’s obsessed with ritualistic routines and gets annoyed whenever someone interrupts her schedule.
- Satanic
Many believed Dungeons & Dragons was a satanic game doomed to fail, but they were all proven wrong with its continuously increasing sales.
- Spine-tingling
To be a passenger on the Euthanasia Coaster is a spine-tingling thought.
- Tarantula
She has a tarantula for a pet.
- Trick-or-Treat
Remember to say “Trick or treat” after knocking on each door.
Haunted Halloween Words
Words related to being haunted are usually applied to games or writings related to ghostly interactions and other paranormal activities. Being haunted elicits disturbing feelings connected to being watched or followed. Thus, haunted words are necessary to relay these feelings of distress successfully.
- Apparition
No one believes Clinton as he explains the apparition of her dead wife.
- Cemetery
We always visit the cemetery every November 2nd.
- Darkness
The darkness made it hard to see what lurks deep in the forest.
- Enchanted
Sheena’s indescribable beauty enchanted Rome.
- Goblin
The old lady told us a goblin was living in a desolate cave.
- Ghost
My friends and I plan to go ghost hunting on Halloween.
- Harrowing
Her harrowing experience last year made her wary of old buildings.
- Laird
His grandfather was a laird who owned a huge mansion and hectares of land.
- Levitation
Jill shows high interest in levitation and wants to research this phenomenon.
- Midnight
The campers prepare for a midnight feast in their tents to celebrate Halloween.
- October
The company will have a Halloween party on October 31st at the roof deck.
- Orb
A red orb is watching us but just ignore it; let’s continue walking towards our cabin.
- Paranormal
She’s fond of watching haunting documentaries and real-life paranormal activities.
- Phantoms
Our camp master says that in the past, phantoms walks around with humans on the night of Halloween.
- Poltergeist
You expect me to believe a poltergeist threw and broke my cup?
- Possession
The movie “Exorcism of Emily Rose” was inspired by Anneliese Michel’s spirit possession.
- Spirits
According to the elders, wearing Halloween costumes is a way to ward off the spirits around you.
- Tombstone
I can barely see the scripts on Aunt Sheila’s tombstone.
- Unearthly
Why do newborns wake up at an unearthly time?
- Wraith
My siblings say that the wraith of our mother haunts the house.
Witchy Halloween Words
Witches and warlocks are linked to Halloween for their ability to contact the deceased. They serve as a bridge between the living and the dead, thereby posing a possible opening for the dead to cross over the land of the living. This list contains words that refer to objects, activities, or anything related to the use of black magic.
- Altar
The focal point of her Halloween decorations is the altar to honor the dead.
- Broomstick
If you’re a real Harry Potter fan, what’s the other name of his broomstick?
- Candle
The witch begins to light up every candle around her to prepare for her ritual.
- Cape
That cape once belonged to a witch in ancient times.
- Cauldron
The witch pours all the vital ingredients into the cauldron.
- Coven
Your group looks like a witch coven; you gather in one place, wear all black, and do things together.
- Esbat
The town’s witches are preparing for an esbat to celebrate this month’s full moon.
- Evoke
She’s chanting to evoke the wild spirit.
- Herbs
Cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel, and lavender are the common herbs in witchcraft.
- Hex
He intimidates his bullies by creating a fake hex.
- Hocus-Pocus
All you need is a little hocus-pocus to make the children believe in the illusion.
- Incantations
How long have you been practicing witchcraft gestures and incantations?
- Magic
The wizard uses his magic wand to perform a spell.
- Manifest
Amy continues to manifest her eagerness to learn and finish college.
- Necromancer
The necromancer claims he can talk with my dead grandfather.
- Potion
What do I need to make a love potion?
- Pumpkin
My grandfather said we’ll make a Halloween pumpkin today!
- Shaman
We intend to pay respects to the great shaman.
- Sorcery
Mother believes there’s no harm in sorcery and witchcraft.
- Superstition
Old maids believe in every superstition and think they are guides left by the previous generation.
- Talisman
Amulets and charms are talisman jewelry that attracts more power and luck.
- Voodoo
I just saw her holding a voodoo doll while reciting an incantation.
- Wand
The fairy godmother waves her magic wand once and turns her into a beautiful princess.
- Witch
Because of her strange behavior and dark aura, many believe she’s a witch.
You might also enjoy our gothic literature explainer.
Other Halloween Words
To say that a word is associated with Halloween, it must be scary and unpleasant to see, hear, and feel. The words listed below are Halloween words that are common names of creepy things and places.
- Bat
Hanging a red-eye bat and pumpkins is the easiest Halloween decoration you can do.
- Casket
I don’t usually look inside the deceased’s casket because I’m afraid.
- Cobweb
The old furniture in the attic is not only dusty but also has a giant cobweb.
- Corpse
Lio wants to dress up like a corpse for the school Halloween party on Saturday.
- Crematorium
Grandma says she doesn’t want to be in a crematorium if she dies.
- Cursed
All the elders in their family say that Linda is cursed by her enemies.
- Decomposing
Reporters said the body had been decomposing for weeks.
- Disguise
Do you still think it’s weird when kids wear costumes to disguise themselves and ask for candies?
- Eerie
She doesn’t want to check the basement because of the eerie sounds that come from it.
- Flashlight
You must always have a flashlight whenever you plan to go ghost hunting.
- Graveyard
There’s a graveyard close to our school.
- Howling
I wonder why my neighbor’s dog is always howling at night.
- Jack–O’-Lantern
You can also use a big turnip for your Jack-o’lantern.
- Mausoleums
Wealthy people are usually put in extravagant mausoleums.
- Monster
Frankenstein is my favorite monster.
- Owl
She owns a great white owl.
- Scream
The blood-curdling scream came from the Master’s bedroom!
- Skull
Mark’s skull collection is both astonishing and frightening.
- Spider
A giant black spider is hanging on the ceiling of my room.
- Vampire
The vampire is the go-to costume of most people who decide to join a Halloween party at the last minute.
- Zombie
She looks like a zombie with her frizzled hair and large eyebags.
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