The creepier the tale, the more middle school students love it. October is the perfect month to introduce middle school students to scary short stories. Download these 21 short stories that are perfect for Halloween-related lesson plans. I have tried to include related activities, lesson plans, and other resources, including YouTube videos, TV show adaptations, and related songs. Happy Halloween!
- The Possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson | Assessment Activity & Writing Project | Assessment Activity & Writing Project on TpT
- The Masque of the Red by Death by Edgar Allan Poe* | Assessment Activity | Assessment Activity on TpT
- The Landlady by Roald Dahl | Assessment Activity | Assessment Activity on TpT
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
- A Ghost Story by Mark Twain
- The Bottle Imp by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Mortal Immortal by Mary Shelley
- The Tomb by H.P. Lovecraft
- The Tree by H.P. Lovecraft
- The Screaming Skull by F. Marion Crawford | Full Movie 1958
- The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe | Reader’s Theater
- The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe | Audio | Lesson Plans
- The Spectre Bridegroom, a Traveller’s Tale by Washington Irving | Activities
- The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs | Activities | Reader’s Theater – $
- An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce | Activities
- The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe*
- The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe
- The Hitchhiker by Orson Welles | Activities | YouTube | Resources | Phantom 309 | Quiz
- Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket (DOC file) by Jack Finney | Lesson Plan – $ | YouTube
- A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner | Activities | Lesson Plans
- The Boarded Window by Ambrose Bierce
- A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
*These stories may be more appropriate for students with higher-level reading skills, or may require extra scaffolding from the teacher.
Copyright notice: These stories are published on sites other than reThinkELA.com and NO copyrighted stories are excerpted or quoted in RTE-created materials. Some stories are in the public domain (not copyrighted), or are excerpts of larger works, while others are not. In some cases, teachers may print a class set for their own classroom usage, but there are exceptions. Please check with your district regarding its policies and licenses for reproducing printed copies. Generally speaking, you may ask students to download their own copies (outside of the one you download for your own use) to their devices for their own educational studies.
I am a secondary English Language Arts teacher, a University of Oklahoma student working on my Master’s of Education in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum with an concentration in English Education, and a NBPTS candidate. I am constantly seeking ways to amplify my students’ voices and choices.
Lyndsey G. says
October 16, 2014 at 8:20 pmThank you so much for sharing! Love all of these great activities for Halloween!
Mrs. Waters says
October 18, 2014 at 5:33 pmYou’re welcome! I’m glad this post has helped you.
Zee says
October 27, 2014 at 5:49 pmI love Duffey’s Jacket …..
Mrs. Waters says
October 27, 2014 at 6:22 pmThank you, Zee!
I found a copy of Duffy’s Jacket my readers can download and print for their students. I also found a few teacher’s resources for the story.
fashionablegirl says
November 24, 2014 at 6:05 pmI read all the stories, and I love them.
mark says
December 18, 2014 at 2:24 pmi liked the red death story. It was very well written and a very good story.
Mrs. Waters says
December 18, 2014 at 3:44 pmThank you for your comment, Mark. Poe’s works are deliciously macabre, and are favorites of students. Have you read “The Tell-Tale Heart?”
Jason says
January 15, 2015 at 2:32 pmGreat list. If any teachers reading this want to teach some of these pieces to their students, but are finding that their students just aren’t ready for such complex text, they may want to check out our free, multilevel versions at http://www.booksthatgrow.com. We have The Masque of the Red by Death, The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Tell-Tale Hearth, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, The Monkey’s Paw, A Rose for Emily, and 130+ more.
Mrs. Waters says
January 19, 2015 at 3:22 pmThank you for sharing, Jason. I’m checking out what you’re offering, particularly the myths and folktales, and legends.
Kim Higginbotham says
October 19, 2016 at 10:02 amDo you know if these leveled versions can be printed? Or you can only view through internet?
Karen says
September 23, 2015 at 4:24 pmA short short story that my students always enjoyed is “Cemetery Path.”
Pam says
October 1, 2015 at 9:39 amWOW!! Thank you so much for your generosity! My students and I will enjoy several of these stories and activities.
Mrs. Waters says
October 1, 2015 at 11:11 pmYou’re welcome! I’d love to hear feedback from you and your students. Let me know if there are any other resources I can find for you.
Jennifer Lindsey says
September 15, 2016 at 7:05 amThese are absolutely fantastic! Thank you for the list. Do you happen to have the Lexile levels for each story?
jerry says
December 7, 2016 at 5:46 pmGreat list and useful links. Thanks for putting this together. My son loves spooky stories and we have been reading them together.
Adrienne says
October 6, 2017 at 8:10 amThank you! Using it this month!
Carrie Nevins says
October 19, 2017 at 7:10 pmThank you for your amazing blog/website/fb page, and all these stories! Everything is useful and wonderful.
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