Super Spooky Video Writing Prompts!

With Halloween coming up, it is a fantastic time to get spooky and creative during writing sessions. So I have collected some scary short films to provide inspiration this season.  

Warning: Please use these videos at your discretion.
You will find a link to the YouTube video below each image snapshot. I recommend viewing each video before showing your class just in case it is too scary or inappropriate for your students; yes they are pretty spooky! Also, YouTube being how it works, keep an eye out for anything too horrifying in the side bar of related videos (some images I came across when sourcing these videos spooked me!)

Next to the image and link section, you will find an outline of some suggestions for writing activities that you could do with the video. These activities can easily be adapted to multiple grades and adjusted to suit your style.

Enjoy! I hope these provide some inspiration for some very scary stories. Happy Halloween!

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Alma - A Chilling Doll Story

Writing Activity Suggestions

• View only the first part of the short film (up to where Alma opens the door to the shop). Pause the video here and instruct students to write a short story piece about what they think will happen. Finish watching the video afterwards -> you could compare & contrast the short film to the short stories your students came up with.
• Watch  the whole video and instruct students to rewrite the story in their own words, perhaps even make a sequel to the video. 
• Students write a descriptive paragraph describing the town setting or  shop setting. 

Click here to view the video on YouTube

My fifth and sixth graders really liked this story and came up with some fantastic written pieces when they wrote their own versions of the short film. 

Please view prior to viewing to check suitability for your class. 

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The Passenger

• Instruct students to write a description of the opening setting from the main character's point of view.
• When the fish passenger is making funny faces (about 3 minutes into the video), pause and ask students what they think is happening to the fish. You could get students to continue their own story from this point using their own imagination. After students write their own versions, you could watch the rest of the video - then carry out a compare and contrast lesson between the way the film goes and the stories students came up with.
• Instruct the students to rewrite the story from the main character's point of view. 

Click HERE to view video

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Francis

• Write a description of the lake setting.
• Brainstorm and make a chain of emotions that Francis must be feeling from when she starts relaxing on the boat, to hearing the knocks, to trying to row her boat to shore. Using the brainstorm emotion chain, students write from Francis' perspective her experience on the boat (encourage language to show the emotions in their writing).
• Students continue to write what they think happened to Francis in the film and create their own ending to the scary story. Some questions to give direction could include - "Where has she gone?" "Does she return the same person?" "Who was knocking?"

Click here to view the short film video on YouTube​.

WARNING: This one is pretty scary! Recommended for older students. Use at your discretion. 

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Road's End

• Start by brainstorming words you would use to describe the character wearing the goggles and red scarf. Then instruct students to create a character profile for the man. Students write a paragraph describing the character as well.
• Brainstorm the emotions and thoughts the driver must be feeling throughout the video. You could watch the film again and create an emotion or 'thought' train as the film progresses. Then, with the help of the brainstorm notes, instruct students to rewrite the story from the driver's point of view. 
• Instruct students to create a warning sign to drivers along that road. 
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Click here to view the short film video on YouTube

Again, please watch and use at your discretion. In my opinion, this won't be suitable for some classes and younger students. 

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You may also be interested in some of these fun and spooky activities this Halloween. Click on the cover image to find out more about each product in my TPT store - there are a mix of free and paid products. 

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