What are some scary nightmare ideas?

Answer 1

Scary nightmares must have a fear factor for the sleeping character. The nightmare story does not have to be frightening in the sense of Horror to the reader but rather something that would be horrifying to the character. For instance a mother dreams her child drowns and she cannot reach the water to save her child. I had a nightmare that my husband was going to leave me forever. I was so upset I woke him up and asked him if that was true. The dream must be very real to the sleeping character. Imagine being electrocuted and you wake up in a foreign country where no one can understand your demise. So let your brain wander and come up with really horrible scenarios for your sleeper. Let your plot help you along. Is there something bothering your character in the story? Let the nightmare elevate that problem to a fearful level.

Answer 2

1. Being chased by a relentless shadowy figure through a dark, never-ending maze.
2. Being trapped in a room slowly filling up with water and struggling to find a way out.
3. Finding yourself in a post-apocalyptic world where you are the last Survivor surrounded by eerie silence and threats lurking in the shadows.
4. Being haunted by the presence of a malevolent ghost that follows you everywhere, whispering terrifying secrets in your ear.