Sounds heard in haunted houses

MOANS

These eerie vocalizations might come from ghosts—or just someone in pain, but they’re often long and mournful. Think of the sound a lonely spirit might make at night.

This clue plays on the eerie sounds often associated with ghosts in haunted houses. "Moans" fits because it describes the low, mournful noises people imagine spirits making—like groans or wails. The word itself is straightforward, but the clue relies on the common horror trope of ghostly sounds to point to the answer.