Horror Expressions & Examples
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Scaredy-catA person who is easily frightened or scared of a lot of things."Don't be such a scaredy-cat! It's just a haunted house attraction."
"My little brother is such a scaredy-cat, he won't even watch mild horror movies."
"Stop being a scaredy-cat and come explore the old basement with us!"
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SqueamishA person who can't deal with the sight of blood/gore."I'm too squeamish to watch surgery scenes in medical dramas."
"She's quite squeamish - even a paper cut makes her dizzy."
"My friend is so squeamish that they had to leave the room during the vampire movie."
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GoryA film with lots of blood and guts."The latest zombie movie was too gory for me to handle."
"I prefer psychological thrillers over gory horror films."
"This director is known for making extremely gory monster movies."
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Gives me the heebie-jeebiesMakes me feel uncomfortable/scared/disgusted."That abandoned asylum gives me the heebie-jeebies."
"The way that portrait's eyes seem to follow you gives me the heebie-jeebies."
"Just thinking about spiders gives me the heebie-jeebies!"
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UnsettlingMakes you feel uncomfortable."There's something deeply unsettling about that old doll's empty stare."
"The atmosphere in the abandoned house was unsettling."
"I find the thought of being alone in the woods unsettling."
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Sends shivers down my spineA physical response to being scared."That creaking sound from upstairs sends shivers down my spine."
"The thought of being buried alive sends shivers down my spine."
"The haunted house attraction sent shivers down my spine." -
SpookyHaunted, supernatural."This spooky old mansion must have a thousand ghost stories."
"The forest was spooky at night, with all the trees creaking and swaying."
"I love reading spooky stories on Halloween night."
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CreepyDiscomforting, films can be creepy but people can too."That creepy clown statue in the corner seems to follow you with its eyes."
"The movie was so creepy, I had to watch it with the lights on."
"My neighbor is a bit creepy, always staring at me."
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Put me on edgeMakes me nervous."The constant sound of footsteps upstairs really puts me on edge."
"The thought of public speaking puts me on edge."
"The suspenseful music in horror movies puts me on edge."
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Scare you half to deathScare a lot."That jump scare scared me half to death!"
"The sudden noise scared me half to death."
"The haunted house attraction scared me half to death." -
Jump out of your skinGives you a big fright."The sudden thunder made me nearly jump out of my skin!"
"The surprise party made me jump out of my skin."
"The creepy atmosphere in the abandoned house made me jump out of my skin."
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Petrified ofVery scared of."Ever since watching 'IT', I've been petrified of clowns."
"I'm petrified of snakes, I don't know how people can keep them as pets."
"She's petrified of heights, she can't even look out the window." -
Shake like a leafTrembling with fear."After watching that horror movie alone, I was shaking like a leaf."
"When we heard footsteps in the attic, we were all shaking like leaves."
"The thunderstorm was so bad, my poor dog was shaking like a leaf under the bed."
Test Your Horror Vocabulary
1. After watching that horror movie alone, I was _______ _______ _______ _______.
2. That old mansion is so _______ at night, I swear I can hear ghostly footsteps.
3. Don't be such a _______, it's just a Halloween decoration!
4. That abandoned hospital really gives me the _______.
5. The sudden lightning made me _______ _______ _______ _______.
6. Ever since watching that horror movie, I've been _______ of clowns.
7. That eerie sound _______ _______ _______ _______ _______.
8. I'm too _______ to watch surgery scenes in horror movies.
9. The latest zombie film was too _______ for me to watch.
10. Those strange noises really _______ _______ _______ _______.