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With spooky season upon us, our lessons tend to turn towards texts and themes that evoke trepidation and terror in the minds of our students. We structure our yearly lessons so that Macbeth and The Crucible line up with October. We highlight the works of Poe and Shelley for a moment, but as soon as November 1 hits, we move on to other literary pursuits. As ELA teachers, we love this time of year because the educational stars align to give us the perfect platform to boost student engagement and excitement. But why does the horror genre have to be confined to October? Spoiler alert: it doesn’t! As a self-proclaimed horror aficionado and mistress of the macabre, I suggest we make scary stories a regular part of our curriculum and not just relegate them to one season.

Luckily, I’m not the only one who feels this way. A simple Google search will give you thousands of articles advocating for the regular use of horror stories in education, so here are a few points of consensus:

1. Regularly practicing horror analysis reminds us of our psychological needs and grounds us. In an interview about his horror literature class at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Professor Joe Fletcher calls horror “a disruptive force that emphasizes the positive forces we value: coming together as a community, putting others first, or self-love. . . .Showing a stark absence of those values helps us remember that they keep us from becoming monsters.”
2. Horror is a subject of interest that can get students excited about literature. Janel Sullivan, in her article “It’s Alive! Teaching with Horror Stories in the Classroom” in TEACH Magazine, writes:

“Throughout my years of teaching, I’ve discovered that students are often more eager to read and discuss horror stories than other material. The genre naturally provokes excitement and a sense of morbid curiosity; even students who hate horror are still curious about what happens at the end. And, as a bonus, scary stories can also teach critical life lessons and help kids learn to confront their fears.”

3. Finally, it’s horror stories that keep the horror at bay and make us realize that we are not alone. In Stephen King’s 1981 article “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” he writes that “we’re all mentally ill” and that the scariest horror stories are like “lifting a trap door in the civilized forebrain and throwing a basket of raw meat to the hungry alligators swimming around in that subterranean river beneath.” Essentially, horror is needed in a civilized society because it keeps these metaphorical alligators fed and allows the average reader to release pent-up anger, aggression, and fear through catharsis. Furthermore, Sherman Alexie, in his 2011 response to Meghan Cox Gurdon’s criticism of the abundance of horrific themes in young adult novels titled “Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood,” argues that literature that does not shy away from challenging topics and difficult conversations actually helps students cope and feel seen. Representation goes a long way in helping people process difficult events.

Before you take your students down the haunted road of horror, here are some caveats to keep in mind:

1. Make sure the lesson is rooted in pedagogical purposes. The lesson should align with ELA (or cross-curricular) standards; have clear learning targets focused on analysis, interpretation, and critical thinking; and connect horror elements (mood, tone, suspense) to the author’s craft. You might also consider incorporating literary theory or genre study (e.g., Gothic, Romanticism, psychological horror).
2. Text selection is key. Select works with literary merit and age-appropriate complexity. Represent diverse authors and cultural traditions of horror (Stephen Graham Jones, Tracy Cross, Cassandra Khaw). Focus on psychological or symbolic horror over graphic violence. Connect to universal human fears or social commentary. The classics are a great place to start; they’re classics for a reason (e.g., A Rose for Emily, Frankenstein, Dracula)!  
3. Keep the sensitive nature of the content in mind. Review all materials for age-appropriate content (no explicit gore, violence, etc.). Provide content warnings and opt-out alternatives. Incorporate trauma-informed practices—build reflection or decompression into lessons (I often co-create with my school psychologist to maintain mental safety and security for students). Encourage empathy and understanding over shock or fear.
4. Maintain a supportive classroom environment. Establish norms for discussing unsettling or dark material respectfully. Create a safe, inclusive space for differing comfort levels. Use atmospheric touches (music, visuals) purposefully. Provide structured opportunities for debriefing and emotional check-ins.
5. Allow for student voice and choice. Offer text or project options to foster ownership and comfort and structure student discourse through Socratic Seminars, debates, or KialoEDU (reviewed here). Include creative expression options (storytelling, podcasts, visual media) to place value on the analysis of both emotional and technical aspects of the text.
6. Plan the lesson with the end in mind. Design assessments for higher-order thinking, not fear reaction. Include reflective or metacognitive activities (“What makes fear universal?”). Offer varied assessment formats: essay, creative response, or digital product. Provide clear rubrics connecting creativity to analytical rigor.
7. Have clear and transparent communication with your administration and the adults responsible for your students. Share a reading list and rationale with the admin or guardians. Use NCTE Rationales (reviewed here) for potentially challenged texts when relevant. Explain the academic purpose (genre study, empathy, literary analysis). Maintain transparency and flexibility for parent or student concerns (and always have a plan B!).

With the case for horror made, here are a few ideas that you can use at any point of the year to bring the world of fear alive in your classroom:

• The Black Tapes (reviewed here) – This serialized podcast has three seasons-worth of stories from Pacific Northwest Stories and Minnow Beats Whale. The episodes range from about 35 to 50 minutes in length, so this could be a fun way to get students discussing short story structure, expanded storytelling, and suspense. Plan an episode a week, and it will break up the learning a bit. Think of this as story time for older students.
• Making Monsters (reviewed here) – The Kennedy Center created this lesson to focus on Beowulf (specifically Beowulf and Grendel), but this could be adapted to be a general discussion about societal monsters and where they come from. The lesson uses art, music, and literature to examine how monsters are created. 
• Horror Escape Room (reviewed here) – This is a general horror-themed escape room from Genially (reviewed here) that has a variety of horror/Halloween-themed knowledge. You can use this as a template to create your own escape room for a horror unit you already have planned. 
• CommonLit (reviewed here) – CommonLit is an excellent resource for classroom-ready spooky stories! Assign the readings with comprehension and extension questions on CommonLit for digital/guided reading or print the PDF for your students.  

These are all great, easy things that you can use to help bring the power of horror to your classroom. Not only will students love the lessons, but the benefits that come from protected horror exposure are significant. If you would like more support in bringing horror literature to your classroom, be on the lookout for future horror-themed lessons from TeachersFirst focusing on the literature of Edgar Allan Poe.