100 Easy Prompts of Scary Things to Draw

Do you want to step out of the norm and draw something creepy? Believe it or not, you can have a lot of fun drawing scary things. And you don’t have to be a professional artist to try these drawing prompts we’re about to share! We partnered with a horror expert to help us come up with a wide range of spooky prompts—all organized by theme! Get ideas for sketching classic scary characters, horror-movie inspired figures, dark and surreal images, and more.

Creepy Things to Draw

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An overview of some scary things to draw.

Horror expert Sydney Bermudez recommends drawing simple but recognizable things. Some easy horror-themed drawing ideas she suggests include: haunted houses, jack-o’-lanterns, cracked dolls, abandoned teddy bears, cursed VHS tapes, eyes in the dark, shadow figures, and a doorway with a mysterious figure standing inside.

Section 1 of 7:

Scary Mythical Characters to Draw

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Sketch classic characters from the realm of horror. From vampires to ghosts, these figures give some of the best inspiration to get your imagination going. Take a look at these suggestions:
- Ghost
- Vampire
- Zombie
- Mummy
- Werewolf
- Frankenstein’s monster
- Grim Reaper
- Big Foot
- Demon face
- Devil with pitchfork
- Cerberus (a three-headed dog from Greek mythology)
- Cthulhu (giant octopus creature created by writer H.P. Lovecraft)
- Kraken
- Krampus
- Zombie shark
- Troll
- Gargoyle
- Monster face with sharp teeth and horns
- Medusa
- Creepy clown
Meet the wikiHow Expert

Sydney Bermudez is an urban legends and Mexican folklore expert and horror content creator. She uses social media to explore how horror intersects with pop culture, social media, and modern myths.

Section 2 of 7:

Surreal Scary Things to Draw

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Sketch something that borders on reality and fantasy. These surreal themes we’re about to share portray creepy scenes that you would only see in nightmares. Try one of these ideas if you dare:
- Cursed VHS tapes^{[1]
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- Old rotary phones^{[2]
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- Demon girl removing face
- A face screaming
- Hand shadows inside of an eye
- Girl holding an animal skull
- Man wearing black with a creepy smile
- Claws coming out of an open eye
- Skeleton dog
- Scary baby doll inside a man’s face
- Tiny figures coming out of a man’s open mouth
- Shadow figures with glowing red eyes
- Creepy hands with long black nails holding a person’s head
- Man’s silhouette with hand reaching out
- Creepy face with black demonic eyes
- Dark, evil eyes floating
- Person with mouth sewn shut
- Person’s head with skull showing
- Girl with horns and bloody star on forehead

Section 3 of 7:

Horror Movie/TV-Inspired Things to Draw

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Horror movies and TV shows are filled with spine-tingling characters. These ideas are inspired by slasher films, paranormal movies, and other spooky flicks. Enjoy drawing Chucky or your very own Demogorgon. Check out the following list for more inspo:
- Michael Myers (Halloween)
- Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
- Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)
- Ghostface (Scream)
- Pennywise (It)
- Demogorgon (Stranger Things)
- Chucky (Child’s Play)
- Xenomorph (Alien)
- Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)
- Springtrap (Five Nights at Freddy’s)
- Art the Clown (Terrifier)
- Samara (The Ring)
- Billy the Puppet (Saw)
- Annabelle (Annabelle)
- Valak the Nun (The Conjuring 2, The Nun)
- The Slender Man (Slender Man)
- Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
- Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)
- Pinhead (Hellraiser)
- Alucard (Castlevania)
- Frank (Donnie Darko)

Section 4 of 7:

Scary Halloween-Inspired Things to Draw

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Halloween inspires a ton of fun, spooky artwork! It’s the scariest holiday of the year, and we mean that in the best way possible. And Bermudez says, “For easy horror-themed ideas, I think simple but recognizable things work best.”^{[3]
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Sydney Bermudez
Horror Expert

Expert Interview} She recommends drawings like:
- Haunted houses^{[4]
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- Creepy Jack-o-lanterns^{[5]
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- Ghost silhouettes^{[6]
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- Ouija boards^{[7]
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- Eerie eyes in the dark^{[8]
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- Shadow figures^{[9]
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- Creepy forests with glowing eyes^{[10]
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- A doorway with a mysterious figure standing inside^{[11]
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- Black cat silhouette
- Witch’s cauldron
- Wood coffin with a skull on top
- Creepy crawling spiders
- Pumpkin scarecrow
- Graveyard or gravestones
- Witch on a broom
- Vampire fangs with blood on them
- Skull
- Monster footprints
- Flickering candles
- Floating lantern
- Bloody handprint
- Full moon
- Dancing skeletons

Section 5 of 7:

Cute & Creepy Things to Draw

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Scary can be cute, and we’re about to prove it. These ideas are great if you’re looking for kid-friendly scary drawing ideas. Or, maybe you want to ease your way into drawing scary things. Either way, the following can be super enjoyable:
- Cracked dolls^{[12]
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- Abandoned teddy bears^{[13]
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- Cartoon-style haunted house
- Colorful bats
- Tiny monsters, like baby versions of Dracula and zombies
- Pac Man-style ghosts
- Pumpkin patch
- Tree with eyeballs
- Spooky cupcakes
- Starry night sky
- Mushroom monster
- Heart monster
- Owls with big eyes
- Bucket of Halloween candy
- Baby Grim Reaper
- Spooky forest
- Friendly ghost

Section 6 of 7:

Scary Villains to Draw

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Try bringing your favorite scary villain to life on paper. These characters are perfect to draw because they often have frightening features and traits. Here are some villains you may want to sketch:
- Venom (Venom)
- Oogie Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
- The Joker (Batman)
- Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
- Two-Face (Batman comics)
- Ursula (The Little Mermaid)
- Hades (Hercules)
- Magneto (X-Men)
- Voldemort (Harry Potter)
- Catwoman (Batman)

Section 7 of 7:

What is the scariest art style?

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Dark art is an art style that highlights the macabre and can be perceived as scary. Dark art embodies elements of horror and is inspired by all kinds of spooky and grim subject matter. Some popular artists who are known for their dark art include H.R. Giger, Zdzisław Beksiński, and Salvador Dalí.^{[14]
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