horror story

Noun

horror story (plural horror stories)

1. A fictional narrative of horrifying and often supernatural events.
   • The film is based on a horror story by Edgar Allan Poe.
2. (informal) A disturbing rumour.
   • We've heard horror stories about people being attacked in the elevator.
   • Nevertheless, the batarians have colonized the world, forcing slaves to work in their mines and agri-habitats. The labor is hot, endless, and backbreaking, even in the low-G environment. Every horror story told by slaves elsewhere in the cluster seems to be topped by one from Logasiri. The most...2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Logasiri
3. An unpleasant experience.
   • It was more of a horror story than a vacation.
   • The French election is straying from the script. It was meant to be a predictable remake. It has turned into a thriller. It could end up as a horror story.2022 April 8, John Lichfield, “Get ready for a scary fortnight in French politics: a Le Pen presidency really is possible”, in The Guardian