Halloween Poems: How to Write a Scary, Dark, Horror Poem

Poetry comes in many forms, from extremely short haiku to the epic. Poetry can be rhymed or unrhymed, it can be literal or abstract, and it can encompass any subject matter. The horror genre is not off-limits. Poems by Edgar Allan Poe, such as \"The Raven\" and \"The Conqueror Worm,\" stand testament to this. Halloween poetry can be just as meaningful as a song with love as its focal point. ‌Learning to write a horror poem or halloween poem can be challenging and rewarding, and with a little imagination, you can write one that might send chills along the spines of your readers.‌

How to Start

‌Decide the subject matter of your poem‌. It's a horror poem, but there are many different spooky subjects you can write about in this genre. Decide whether you want to tell a story or just express a simple fear. Think about how you can use metaphor, symbolism and other literary devices to do this. You might just start with a title and see if that sparks ideas. Consider starting with a universal fear or classic ghoul and build upon that--for example, fear of the dark.

‌Write off the top of your head.‌ Don't think too much about the first stanza, just write down some of your feelings about darkness.

Examples

‌Black as ink, darkness surrounds me When I close my eyes GO And I feel as if nothing Will be there when I rise.‌

If you like what you have, build upon it. You don't need to rhyme. You don't need to count syllables. Just write free-form.

Develop the idea from your first stanza. Try using the word \"tomb\" as a metaphor for your room. Here's an example:

‌My tomb, my special place becomes my deepest fear. Things shift in the shadow, As they draw so near.‌

Advice

‌Write your ideas down in a notebook.‌ Don't be afraid to scratch words and entire phrases out to make any changes that will add to the depth of your poetry. Try to capture the images you see in your mind when you think about your subject. Aim to scare your audience by writing something that will strike a fear within them. The best scary poems find a fear and bring it to the surface.

Horror poetry isn’t all hags and entrails, ‌think of an emotional fear‌ as well and build on it.

Authors who wrote spooky poems and other ghost stories include William shakespeare when he wrote macbeth, Emily dickinson, John Keats, Thomas hardy, Henry Wadsworth longfellow, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Mary Elizabeth coleridge, Walter de la mare, Christina Rossetti, louise erdrich, John donne, and most notable Stephen King.