© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.

com
 10 Short Scary Plays
Below are ten classic scary stories turned into short scripts. They are ready to print and assign
to small groups of students to perform. Read through them beforehand to gauge their
appropriateness for your group. Most of the stories are somewhat scary but not blatantly gory
or violent. Drama offers a great way for kids to explore their fears in a safe environment,
especially if you hold thoughtful class discussions after seeing some of the stories acted out.

Ways to Use the Scary Stories:

Small Group Project
Divide students into small groups and assign them a short skit to perform. Grade
students based on: level of collaboration; use of the stage area and props; vocal
projection; and characterization.

Put on a Short Halloween-Themed Show

Put on a variety show featuring short skits, songs and spooky poems.

Ask!
Were any of these stories scary to you?
What parts did you find the scariest? Why?
Do you think that any of these stories are
true? Why? Why not?
Has anything like this happened to you in
real life? What did you do?

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com

 Scary Stories to Perform
Houseguests
(6 characters)

Scene: House in the woods, restaurant

Cast: Husband; Wife; Old Man; Old Woman; Restaurant Owner; Narrator

Narrator: A young man and his wife were on their way to visit his parents, but they had gotten
a late start and it was getting dark.

Husband: I haven’t seen a hotel for miles.

Wife: I haven’t seen much of anything for miles.

Husband: Look, I see a house there, behind the trees.

Wife: Maybe they will rent us a room.

Narrator: They pulled into the long driveway, parked the car and knocked on the door. An old
man and woman answered.

Husband: We’re sorry to bother you, but it’s getting late and we can’t find a hotel. We were
wondering if you could possibly rent us a room.

Old Man: We don’t rent rooms. But we would be happy to let you stay as our guests.

Wife: We don’t want to be a bother.

Old Woman: Oh, it’s no bother. It gets awfully lonely out here. We’d love the company.

Narrator: So, the couple went inside. The old woman made coffee and brought out some pie,
and the four of them talked for a while before the old man and old woman brought the couple
to their room.

Husband: We’d really like to pay you for your trouble.

Old Man: Oh, no. We don’t want any money.

Narrator: The young couple got up early the next morning. They decided to leave some
money for the old man and woman in an envelope on the table.

Wife: They were so nice to us. This will be a wonderful surprise.

Narrator: They stopped for breakfast at a restaurant in the next town, and told the owner of
the restaurant where they had stayed the night before.
© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com
Restaurant Owner: I think you are talking about the Johnson place, but that’s impossible.
That house burned down ten years ago and both the husband and the wife died in the fire.

Husband: Are you sure? They were very much alive last night.

Restaurant Owner: I think you must have been seeing things.

Narrator: The young couple could not believe it. They decided to go back. When they arrived
at the house, they were shocked at what they saw.

Husband: Where is the house?

Wife: It’s nothing but a burned out shell.

Narrator: They walked around in the ruins.

Wife: (Screams) Look!

Husband: What is it?

Wife: There, on that little burned table.

Husband: (Horrified) It’s the envelope we left this morning!

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com

 The Hook
(4 characters)

Scene: A car
Cast: Narrator; Joe; Emily; Radio Announcer

Narrator: One evening, two teenagers had gone on a date to the movies. Afterward, they
went for a ride and parked up on a hill outside of town.

Emily: It’s so pretty up here.

Joe: Let’s listen to some music.

Narrator: Joe turned on the radio just in time to hear a news bulletin.

Radio Announcer: We interrupt our regular program to bring you this breaking news. A
murderer has escaped from the local prison. His is considered armed and dangerous. He is
believed to be armed with a knife. He may be easily identified. He is missing his left hand and in
its place is a hook.

Emily: Turn it off, Joe, I’m scared. Let’s roll up the windows and lock the doors.

Joe: That’s a good idea.

Emily: The prison is not far away from here. Maybe we should go home.

Joe: But it’s still early.

Emily: We can stay out late another time. I want to go home.

Joe: Look, he’s not going to make it all the way up here, and all the doors are locked. What
could he possibly do?

Emily: He could take his hook and smash open one of the windows. I really want to go home.
I’m scared.

Joe: Girls are always afraid of something.

Narrator: Joe started the car.

Emily: What’s that?

Joe: I didn’t hear anything.

Emily: it sounded like something scratching at the door.

Joe: You’re imagining things.

Narrator: Soon, they arrived at Emily’s house.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com
Emily: Would you like to come inside for a little while?

Joe: No, I’ve got to get home.

Narrator: He walked around the car to let her out.

Joe: What’s that!

Emily: What? What is it?

Narrator: Hanging on the door handle was a hook!

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com

 The Soup Bone
(3 characters)

Scene: A cemetery, and the woman’s house

Cast: Narrator; Woman; Strange Voice

Narrator: One day, a woman was on her way home from the market when she took a shortcut
through a cemetery. She passed a grave that had a big bone sticking out of it.

Woman: (Picking up the bone.) This will make a very good soup bone. It’s chilly outside…a
perfect day to make a pot of soup.

Narrator: As soon as she got home, she started making the soup.

Woman: (Humming to herself.) Let’s see…water, carrots, onions, potatoes, rice, corn, some
chicken, salt and pepper, and the bone.

Narrator: She let the soup simmer on the stove all day and by evening, she was very hungry.

Woman: I can hardly wait to eat this soup!

Narrator: She was sitting reading a book, waiting for the soup to be ready when suddenly, she
heard a strange voice.

Strange Voice: Give me back my bone, please.

Woman: I must be hearing things.

Strange Voice: I said, please give me back my bone.

Woman: My mind is playing tricks on me.

Narrator: She went back to reading her book, but the voice came again. This time it sounded
angry.

Strange Voice: I want my bone back, now!

Woman: (Reaching into the pot, grabbing the bone.) Fine, take it!

Narrator: She flung the bone out the window, and waited. For a moment, there was silence.
Then she heard footsteps shuffling away from the house down the road toward the cemetery.

Woman: Now, for my soup.

Narrator: And she got up and served herself a delicious bowl of bone soup.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com

 The Undertaker
(3 characters)

Scene: A funeral parlor

Cast: Narrator; Widow; Undertaker

Narrator: A woman whose husband had died went to the funeral parlor to see her husband in
his casket before the service.

Undertaker: He’s right in here.

Widow: (Looking at her husband.) You did a really good job. He looks just the way he did
when he was alive, except for one thing.

Undertaker: What’s that?

Widow: Well, he really preferred to wear black suits, and you have him dressed in a blue one.

Undertaker: That’s not a problem. We can change it.

Widow: Are you sure? I mean it seems like a lot of trouble.

Undertaker: No trouble at all.

Narrator: She returned an hour later and her husband was wearing a black suit.

Widow: Now he looks the way he should. That was pretty fast. Are you sure it was no trouble?

Undertaker: Not at all. As it happens, there was another man here who was wearing a black
suit and his widow felt that blue would be better. Both men were about the same size, so we
gave him the blue one and your husband the black one.

Widow: Well, changing all that clothing must have been a big job.

Undertaker: Not really. All we did was change their heads.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com

 Johnny Meets Death
(4 characters)

Scene: Town, farm.

Cast: Narrator; Johnny; Grandfather; Death

Narrator: A teenager named Johnny went to live with his grandfather after his parents were
killed in an automobile accident. One morning, he wanted to go into town.

Johnny: Grandfather, may I borrow the pickup to go into town?

Grandfather: Sure enough, son. Just be back by dinner.

Narrator: So, Johnny drove into town. As he was walking down main street, he saw a
shadowy figure up ahead. He knew immediately that it was Death.

Death: Hello Johnny.

Narrator: Johnny ran as fast as he could back to the truck and drove back to his grandfather’s
house.

Johnny: Grandfather, I think I saw Death, just now in town. He even said my name.

Grandfather: What?

Johnny: I’m sure it was him. Please, let me have the truck again and I will go into the city. He
will never find me there.

Grandfather: Alright son. Stay safe.

Narrator: After Johnny left, the grandfather went into town to find Death. He found him
leaning on a building and smoking in an alleyway.

Grandfather: Why did you frighten my grandson that way? He’s only seventeen. He’s too
young to die.

Death: I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to call out his name. But I was surprised to see him
here in town.

Grandfather: Why?

Death: Because I have an appointment with him later this afternoon in the city.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com

 The Babysitter
(7 characters)

Scene: A house
Cast: Narrator; Babysitter; 3 Children—Max, Sophie, Sarah; Strange Man; Operator

Narrator: One evening, the babysitter sat in the living room with three children when the
phone rang.

Sophie: You‘d better answer it. Maybe it’s your boyfriend.

Babysitter: Very funny, Sophie. (Answering the phone) Hello?

(A strange laugh is heard offstage.)

Narrator: The babysitter hung up immediately.

Max: Who was it?

Babysitter: No one. Just someone playing a prank.

Narrator: A half an hour later, the phone rang again.

Babysitter: Hello?

Strange Man: One more hour. (He laughs again and hangs up.)

Children: Who was it this time?

Babysitter: Just some nut.

Sarah: I heard him say “one more hour.” What does that mean?

Babysitter: It’s just somebody fooling around.

Sophie: I’m scared.

Narrator: A half an hour later, the phone rang again.

Babysitter: Hello?

Strange Man: Pretty soon now!

Babysitter: Why are you doing this? (She slams down the phone.)

Max: It was him again, wasn’t it?

Babysitter: Yes, I’m going to call the operator and complain. (She dials the number.)

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com

Operator: Operator, how may I help you?

Babysitter: Yes, a strange man keeps calling this number and he’s starting to scare us.

Operator: If it happens again, call back and I will trace the call.

Narrator: A half an hour later, the phone rang again.

Babysitter: Hello?

Strange Man: Very soon now! (He laughs.)

Babysitter: (Dials the operator.) He just called again.

Operator: That person is calling you from a telephone in your house. You’d better leave. I’ll
get the police!

Narrator: Just then, a door upstairs opened and a man they had never seen before started
down the stairs toward them. They ran out the door just in time for the police to arrive and
arrest him.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com

 William Perkins
(3-10 characters)

Scene: A small town street

Cast: Narrator; William Perkins; Woman; People on the Street; Person on the Phone

Narrator: One cloudy afternoon, William Perkins found himself walking down the street in his
home town. He couldn’t remember how he got there, or where he had been. He didn’t even
know what day it was. He saw a woman walking toward him.

William Perkins: Excuse me, can you tell me what day it is?

(The woman screams and runs away.)

William Perkins: That was strange.

Narrator: Then William Perkins noticed that other people were afraid of him. They ran across
the street to avoid him and looked at him with fear in their eyes.

William Perkins: There must be something wrong with me. I’d better get home.

Narrator: He tried to hail a taxi.

William Perkins: Taxi!

Narrator: But when the cab driver saw him, he sped up and drove away.

William Perkins: Maybe my wife can come get me.

Narrator: He found a telephone and called his home. A stranger’s voice answered on the other
end.

Person on the Phone: Hello?

William Perkins: Who is this?

Person on the Phone: Who is this?

William Perkins: Never mind. Is Mrs. Perkins there?

Person on the Phone: No, she is at a funeral.

William Perkins: For whom?

Person on the Phone: For her husband, Mr. Perkins. He was killed in an accident in town
yesterday.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com

 The Flat Tire
(4 characters)

Scene: A car, a house

Cast: Narrator; Wife; Stranger; Husband

Narrator: One evening, a young wife was leaving a shopping mall when she discovered that
she had a flat tire. She was on the phone with Triple A when a nice-looking stranger
approached her.

Stranger: Do you need some help?

Wife: Oh, actually, yes. They told me that it would take an hour before a truck can come out.
Do you know how to fix a flat tire?

Stranger: Of course.

Narrator: The stranger loosened his tie and got to work. He had her tire fixed in no time.

Wife: I can’t thank you enough. How can I repay you?

Stranger: Well, I could use a ride to the other side of the mall to get back to my car.

Wife: Of course.

Narrator: Just then, she looked at her watch and realized that she was late.

Wife: Actually, I’m very sorry, but it’s my daughter’s birthday and my family is waiting for m.

Stranger: I understand.

Narrator: So, she got in her car and drove home. Her husband ran out to greet her.

Husband: What happened? You are really late.

Wife: I was at the mall and I got a flat tire. But a very nice man helped me fix it.

Husband: Let me look at that tire. (Opens the trunk.) What’s this? (Pulling out a briefcase.)

Wife: The man must have accidentally left it behind after he helped me.

Husband: I’ll look for some identification so we can return it.

Narrator: But the couple was shocked when they saw what was inside.

Husband: What’s all this? A rag, duct tape, chloroform, a body bag and an icepick!

Wife: He was no helpful stranger!

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com

 Henry
(5 characters)

Scene: An old house

Cast: Narrator; Man (or Woman); 3 Black Cats

Narrator: One night, a man went out for a walk when suddenly thunder clouds rolled in a
storm started. He looked for a place to get out of the rain, and soon he came to an old
abandoned house.

Man: Hello? Is anyone here?

Narrator: He opened the door and went inside.

Man: I’ll just stay here until the storm passes.

Narrator: He found some old wooden boxes and made a fire in the fireplace. It was so warm
that he fell asleep. When he woke up, he noticed a black cat was sitting near the fire.

Man: Hello, nice kitty.

Narrator: He dozed off again and when he opened his eyes, he saw a second cat in the room.
But this one was a big as a fox.

Black Cat #2: Shall we do it now?

Black Cat #1: No, Let’s wait until Henry comes.

Man: I must be dreaming.

Narrator: He fell asleep again and when he woke up, there was a third cat in the room. This
one was as big as a lion.

Black Cat #3: Shall we do it now?

Black Cat #2: No.

Black Cat #1: Let’s wait until Henry comes.

Narrator: The old man jumped up and headed for the door.

Man: When Henry comes, you tell him that I couldn’t wait!

Narrator: And he ran out the door as fast as his legs could carry him.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com

 The Blue Ribbon
(3 characters)

Scene: School, a house

Cast: Narrator; Jane; Tommy

Narrator: A long time ago, there was a little girl named Jane who always wore a blue ribbon
around her neck. On the first day of school, the boy sitting behind her named Tommy noticed it
from beneath her blonde hair.

Tommy: Why are you wearing that blue ribbon?

Jane: Maybe someday I’ll tell you.

Narrator: A year went by and the two became friends. One day at lunch, Tommy tried to ask
her about the ribbon again.

Tommy: Why do you always wear that blue ribbon?

Jane: Maybe I’ll tell you another time.

Narrator: When they got to high school, Tommy asked Jane out for a date and she became
his girlfriend. One night, they were kissing in his car and he pulled away.

Tommy: Now, will you tell me why you wear that blue ribbon?

Jane: Maybe if we ever get married, I’ll tell you.

Narrator: Tommy fell in love with Jane and ten years later, he proposed and they got married.
But she still never took off the blue ribbon.

Tommy: Okay, we are married now. Please tell me why you wear that ribbon!

Jane: If we ever have children, I’ll tell you.

Narrator: A few years later, they had two children.

Tommy: Alright. I’ve waited long enough. It’s time for you to tell me why you wear that blue
ribbon.

Jane: Look, if you really love me, you will just let it go. One day, I promise, I will tell you why.

Narrator: So, Tommy stopped asking even though he was dying to know. They grew old
together and eventually, Jane became very sick. The doctor told Tommy that she would die
soon. He sat by her bed day and night.

Tommy: Please, please tell me, my love. Why do you always wear that ribbon around your
neck?

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com

Jane: Okay, I’ll tell you. Take it off now.

Narrator: Tommy reached for the ribbon and with fumbling fingers, he managed to untie it. He
pulled the bow loose…and her head fell off.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com