supernatural tales
Eerie fictional narratives
Supernatural tales are stories featuring elements beyond natural explanation—ghosts, demons, magic, or otherworldly forces.
The genre encompasses folklore, gothic fiction, and modern horror.
Unlike fantasy, which builds alternate worlds, supernatural tales typically intrude the uncanny into ordinary settings: She loved reading supernatural tales by candlelight.
The term often appears in anthology titles and course descriptions.
- vampireBlood-drinking undead creature
- goblinMalicious folklore creature
- Bloody MarySpiced tomato vodka drink
- hauntingDisturbingly unforgettable
- poltergeistDisruptive supernatural entity
eldritch · folklore · séance · phantom · werewolf · creature feature · black dog · chupacabra · forbidden knowledge · specter · restless spirit · revenant · banshee · doppelgänger · Lovecraftian · legends · witching hour · dead of night
- Halloweenjack-o-lantern, trick or treating, haunted mansion, pumpkin, trick-or-treat
- American folklorePaul Bunyan, folk heroes, John Henry, folk narratives, Johnny Appleseed
- folklorefairytales, folktales, folk tale, fairy tale, folktale
- folktalesfolktales, animal fables, folktale, moral fables, fairy tale
- Japanese folkloreyokai, kitsune, tanuki, tengu, oni
- Celtic folkloreIrish folklore, Celtic myths, folktales, fairy lore, Celtic myth
supernatural talesrealistic fiction
Invented yet plausible storytelling
literary realism · social realism · naturalism · slice of life · verisimilitude
supernatural talesnonfiction
Literature about real events
hard science fiction · historical narratives · journalism · documentary · science fiction