2025 6 Words of Horror for Halloween Contest
Back by popular demand to haunt your nightmares! After bringing back our beloved haiku contest, we couldn’t resist diving into another spine-tingling challenge. Welcome to our 2025 6 Words of Horror for Halloween Contest – where we prove that sometimes the shortest stories cut the deepest.
Six words. That’s all you get to craft pure terror. No elaborate setups, no lengthy descriptions – just six perfectly chosen words that will make readers’ blood run cold. Think Hemingway’s famous six-word story, but twisted into something that would make him sleep with the lights on.
We want stories that hit like a punch to the gut. The kind that stick with you long after you’ve read them. Stories that make you check your locks twice and avoid dark corners. This is about distilling horror down to its essence – finding that perfect combination of words that unleashes maximum dread.
The Rules:
- Your horror story must be exactly six words – no more, no less
- Each entry will be judged on pure terror factor
- Enter as many spine-chilling stories as you dare
- Deadline: October 30, 2025
- Post your entries in the comments below
The Prizes:
- Bragging rights
- The terrifying treat of scaring your friends
- Being awarded the Master Writer Award from Every Writer
Examples to get your dark creativity flowing:
- “Baby shoes for sale, never worn.” (Hemingway’s original)
- “She smiled back from the mirror.”
- “My reflection blinked without me blinking.”
Drop your most hair-raising six-word horror stories in the comments below. Remember, every single word counts in this battle for horror supremacy. The clock is ticking, and darkness gathers.
Let the nightmares begin!
Leave your 6-word stories in the comments, enter as many times as you like.
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Had my friend stuffed, so realistic!
Doing taxidermy to live people, Sweet!
Entombed in glass, screaming you shatter.
I wake to IT…
…beckoning.
“FOLLOW.”
“Don’t!!!!”
…he does.
…and is lost.
My tortured screams made them laugh.
Their loyal hounds now stalking them.
Demons in courtyard, bloody smiles all.
Maggots breath inside of your guts.
Your mommy’s damned now , With Us!
Your pathetic family’s wallowing in hell.
Mommy is breast feeding a maggot.
Grandma’s chest pain. Tarantulas crawl out.
An ugly ass Hag got me.
That smell of dead lingers around.
Run; I like to hunt what I kill.
Relax, these tax audits are common.
My family disappeared without a trace.
Dark shadows feast upon lonely souls.
Monster under bed, wearing moms pajamas.
Skeleton swaps from killed to kill.
The epitaph begins spelling my name.
Grave empty, coffin warm… It’s alive!
Supposedly poisoned, I scratch the coffin.
Sharks circle around my sinking raft.
There is no escaping this hell.
The suffering continues after you die,
Sleep ends and the nightmares begin.
Disassembled organs. Revitalizing electrocution. No anesthesia.
Wedding night. He devours her heart.
Nightmares hatch from sleeping skin eggs.
Ghost are haunted by human apparitions.
When are the winners announced?
Winners Announced: The 2025 6-Word Horror Contest
I have to admit, I slept with the lights on after reading through the comments section this week.
When we launched the 2025 6 Words of Horror for Halloween Contest, I asked for stories that hit like a punch to the gut. I asked for Hemingway twisted into a nightmare. You absolutely delivered.
We had over 130 entries, and narrowing them down to a top five was brutal. Thank you to everyone who made this year’s contest a terrifying success.
The Winners
The Master Writer Award (Grand Prize) Winner: Tracey Brown Posted: September 22, 2025 “Where’s the corpse?” “Delivering the sermon.”
The Psychological Horror Award Winner: Delano Britt Posted: October 6, 2025 My own corpse tucked me in.
The Atmospheric Dread Award Winner: Bart Meehan Posted: October 2, 2025 What’s that knocking? the undertaker asked
The Classic Scare Award Winner: James Posted: September 20, 2025 The mirror blinked before I did.
The Supernatural Inevitability Award Winner: Martina Posted: October 25, 2025 The epitaph begins spelling my name.
A huge thank you to everyone who participated. The creativity in this community never ceases to amaze me. If you didn’t win this time, don’t worry—we’ll be back with another challenge soon.
To the winners: You have bragging rights and the Master Writer Award. Feel free to share this post and terrify your friends.
Until next time, keep writing (and maybe check your locks twice).
Richard
My apologies for the delay in announcing these winners – I’ve been navigating some challenging family health issues. Thank you all for your patience and for the incredible entries.
Wow, thanks. Nice boost to my battered writerly ego.