Writing Contest: Harrowing

Contest finished

Prepare your scariest horror stories for our latest writing contest In honor of Stephen King! Judges will pick 3 winners from the top 10% of stories in our 'most voted' and 'most popular' sections.

Authors retain all rights to works submitted to the contest

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Latest

List of stories recently added to the contest

The Saints Beneath the Floorboards

A young girl discovers the bloody truth of how her grandmother received her riches.

Catharsis

Three parallel tales woven into one about a strange solitary soul exploring the forsaken corners of humanity, with an unexpected and horrifying conclusion.

Mika's Dollhouse

Thanna and Mika have moved into a new house, but they are about to find out that their family's not the only one staying in this house. Something more terrifying is hiding behind an innocent face.

The Foundations of Heaven

The underside of paradise, depicted through the horrific pain and suffering of a poor soul forever forsaken in hell.

On the Flip Side

Do you see over there? No, not there – over THERE. That's the bright light of Heaven, doesn't it look beautiful? Too bad you're never gonna reach it in time. And you're FALLING–

Athazagoraphobia

Athazagoraphobia… a fear of forgetting something or being forgotten, ignored, or replaced. But... does it have something to do with the disappearance of her friends?

Black Bile

An allegory on something that many of us are sadly all too familiar with, presented as a short medieval tale of inescapable despair, grotesque dedication, humiliating abuse and horrendous suffering.

Cinderella

Whoever said "happily ever after" needed a touch a darkness. After looking at the increasing statistics of the 50% divorce rate in America and taking an impromptu trip to Disneyland, my fingers hav...

The "You" in the Night (Branded)

Mac is not your ordinary girlfriend.

The Door at the End of the Hallway

A dark doorway leading to a nonexistent room lays at the end of a hallway, but only Cora can see it. Is she going insane, or is it really there?

They Live in the Dark

I turned and reached out for Mary but her side of the bed was ice cold.

The Door

I blame Louis Carroll for writing ‘Alice through the Looking Glass.’

We, The Anomalies

We have been here for millenniums. It's only fair that we do what we do.

Gothic Noire

A dead girl bound up in ribbons is left on the cobblestone streets. London's budding police force is inexperienced and uncaring. The case is left in the hands of the hard-boiled Jack Pendleton..

The Woods

The boy loved the woods---until the night it revealed the nature of fear to him.

Mortal Fuel

In a world populated with over seven billion people, it’s easy to see how some of them go missing. In most situations, these disappearances are natural, but Jim was not so lucky.

Put Your Lights On

When he was ten years old Eric met a girl named Sookie. At her side he faced the monsters that lurk in the hungry shadows and she changed his life forever one hot July afternoon. Years later she call

The Fall

The Wall fell and they marched in, overtaking the city and leaving nothing but blood and carnage in their wake. We were all doomed.

The Scientist's Assistant

Kit Gillian wanted a summer job and Dr Marshall was looking for an assistant. Naturally, it seems like the perfect set-up. However, soon Kit realises that he should have stuck with the paper round...

Crimson Snow

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?

Welcome to the Dark Carnival

What more hides behind the shimmer and the lights? The fame and the fortune? What more lies behind the curtain of deceit? Will you play his game to change your fate, or are you already too late?

The Subway

The blackness was suffocating, and I could feel my life being drained from out of me as bit by bit I began to give up chase.

The Attic

Looking for monsters? Try your own childhood. And make sure to check The Attic.

The Lakehomes

A young writer makes a purchase he will never forget, and always regret.

A Macabre Ballet, 'Til Death Do They Part

A beautiful short story written for the tortured soul. An eternally damned soul enters the stage to preform a ballet that would darken the hearts of the most sinister souls.

Star Of The Show

Be careful when you go to the movies you never know who's around you.

Grabbing control

What will happen if the U.S. president is no longer in control of his actions?

THE CARETAKER

People swear that this house is haunted. I don’t know why they’d say that — I’ve been here since 1841 and I’d never seen a ghost - until yesterday.

Beasts

The tale of Cassandra Ribbon: an evil bed-time story dedicated to the monster under yours.

Liar, Liar

Lizzie doesn't remember much, but she knows she isn't lying. And she knows she can't control what happens when no one believes her.

Show Must Go On

A talented artist gets the chance to give the performance of a lifetime. But everything comes with a price...

The Center

Welcome to The Center. You are safe here.

Chasing Ghosts

The tragedy of tragedy is surviving. Once the blood is washed away and the carnage is dragged away. All that is left is the memories. When that's all you have left how do you pick up the pieces.

The Torso Farmer

Dyson is a torso farmer, and a lifetime behind the pitching fork is about to take its toll.