Books

These Creepy Quotes From Books Are Going To Spook Up Your Halloween Insta Captions
by Kerri Jarema
black cat sitting in the grass
xinh oc / 500px/500px/Getty Images

To me, Halloween means rewatching Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown, sitting on the couch all snug and warm with a blanket and cup of hot chocolate. I love the Autumn and holiday seasons, and Halloween feels so much like the very start of it all. I even love decorating and reading something a little bit spooky. But as someone who is the farthest away from a horror fan as you can possibly get (seriously, that murder-y episode of Boy Meets World is pretty much the scariest I will go) I am not one to revel in the scarier traditions of the holiday. But if you love the scary traditions so much, you post about them to Instagram, here are some creepy book quotes to give your captions the spook factor you love.

Even still, I can appreciate that some people theme their whole lives around Halloween once it rolls around, and that definitely extends into social media. And if you're the sort of poster who likes to keep things macabre all month long, you might be finding yourself at a lack of spooky captions; good thing we've got books for that. All of the eerie, creepy, spooky quotes below would make the perfect additions to any of your seasonal, All Hallows Eve, decorative and costumed pics. Sure, they're a little bit #extra, but what better way to scare the pants off your followers?

"The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?" -Edgar Allan Poe, 'The Premature Burial'

OK, so let's say you've got a really great faux tombstone just chillin' in your house, spookin' up the joint. You're probably desperate to get some artsy shots of it for your social media, right? Or maybe you took a nice, scary ghost tour and got some shots of actual tombstones in your camera roll. Whatever creepy something that makes you think of the sheer veil between this world and the next, you're definitely going to watch to use this quote as the caption.

"Is Evil something you are? Or is it something you do?" -Bret Easton Ellis, 'American Psycho'

I feel like this one would be particularly good for those Halloween costume pics, especially if you forgo the usual sexy [insert costume here] like Cady Stanton. Whether you're a bloody witch, a ghostly ghoul or a gory goblin, make people second guess your true proclivity for those dark dress-up choices when you use this quote below that selfie.

"When you look into the darkness, the darkness looks into you." -April Genevieve Tucholke, 'Wink Poppy Midnight'

Alright, get outside on a nice, cool, October night. Find a big, leafy tree blowing in the wind, search out some shadows, or get your candlelit bedroom window in just the right light...and then totally freak out all your followers with this eerie quote.

"Death has his favorites, like anyone. Those who are beloved of Death will not die." ― Holly Black, 'The Coldest Girl in Coldtown'

I mean, again, you could use a selfie for this one, if you're going for the creep out factor. But this would also be a great one for a Halloween night flatlay, if you've got all your creepiest decorations on the go for that holiday dinner or candy-giving to treat or treaters (and, everyone loves a good festive food pic, after all).

"Monsters are real. Ghosts are too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win." ― Stephen King, 'The Shining'

Again, take your pick with this one: an eerie costume selfie, a creepy scene of your own making or maybe even a nice bookstagram set-up if you've got a copy of the book on hand. This famous quote can go a long way to making that Halloween aesthetic horror-tastic.

"You musn’t be afraid of the dark.’ ‘I’m not,’ said Shadow. ‘I’m afraid of the people in the dark." ― Neil Gaiman, 'American Gods'

So, we've already confirmed that these quotes are gonna freak a few people out. When you're on your fall foliage trip to the farm or the forest, make sure to snap a nice pretty (though sooon to be eerie) pic of a nice, empty fall scape and get yourself a spooky filter on it. Slap this quote underneath and we're sure the likes will be flooding in.

"We ask only to be reassured/About the noises in the cellar/And the windows that should not have been open." -T.S. Eliot, 'The Family Reunion'

OK, if you've got a window it's time to disregard everything this quote says, open it up and get some candles and other macabre decorations set up. I think this one would be perfect for a boomerang...the curtain floating in the breeze, the candle flames flickering, the moon bright outside; I've got chilld just thinking about pressing that like button.

"Mirrors,' she said, 'are never to be trusted." ― Neil Gaiman, 'Coraline'

I don't know about you, but I'm definitely looking at my mirror in a different way already. A nice artsy pic of your own (and don't forget the spooky decor!) with this quote underneath...just enough terrifying, just enough aesthetic to ratchet up that follower count.

"Hell is empty and all the devils are here." ― William Shakespeare, 'The Tempest'

Good ol' Shakespeare can always be counted on for a nice appropriate quote, and this one is certainly it. You know the drill by now: any of your Halloween themed pics would fit this one, and hey, it might even make your followers think a little after they've finished those candy corn...or cocktails. Happy Halloween!