Useful expressions and vocabulary

  1. Descriptive Vocabulary (Setting and Atmosphere)

Adjectives for Setting:

  • dark / gloomy / eerie / creepy / shadowy / deserted / abandoned
  • misty / foggy / dimly lit / moonlit / haunted / isolated / ruined
  • chilling / sinister / mysterious / silent / ghostly / cursed

Nouns for Setting:

  • graveyard / attic / cellar / forest / mansion / corridor / mirror / candlelight / footsteps / whisper / shadow

Adjectives for Mood:

  • anxious / terrified / uneasy / restless / panicked / frozen with fear / breathless

Verbs for Atmosphere:

  • flicker (the candle flickered)
  • creak (the door creaked open)
  • whisper (the wind whispered through the trees)
  • echo (footsteps echoed in the hall)
  • appear / vanish / tremble / shiver / scream / gasp / moan
  1. Useful Phrases for Building Suspense
  • “The night was cold and silent, except for…”
  • “Something didn’t feel right.”
  • “I could sense that someone — or something — was watching me.”
  • “My heart started to race.”
  • “A chill ran down my spine.”
  • “I held my breath, listening.”
  • “Suddenly, I heard a noise behind me.”
  • “The silence was broken by a scream.”
  • “I froze, unable to move.”
  • “The door opened by itself.”

🕯️ 3. Expressions for Fear and Reactions

  • “I was paralyzed with fear.”
  • “Goosebumps covered my skin.”
  • “My hands were shaking.”
  • “I could barely breathe.”
  • “My voice trembled as I called out.”
  • “Every hair on my neck stood up.”
  • “I didn’t dare to look.”
  1. Time and Movement Phrases (for pacing and tension)
  • “At first, everything seemed normal…”
  • “As the clock struck midnight…”
  • “Slowly, I turned around…”
  • “A moment later…”
  • “All of a sudden…”
  • “Before I could react…”
  • “Then, without warning…”
  • “It felt like hours passed, though it was only seconds.”
  1. Supernatural Vocabulary

Nouns:

  • ghost / spirit / phantom / apparition / demon / curse / coffin / tomb / skeleton / possession / nightmare

Verbs:

  • haunt / appear / disappear / possess / curse / summon / awaken / scream / vanish / drift

Adjectives:

  • undead / cursed / supernatural / invisible / otherworldly / possessed
  1.  Linking and Narrative Expressions

For sequencing:

  • first / then / after that / suddenly / meanwhile / eventually / finally

For contrast or surprise:

  • however / but / unexpectedly / to my horror / to my surprise

For description:

  • there was / it was / I could see / I could hear / I noticed that…