A shocker: a report of a crime written in a provokingly lurid style.
"The police released a dreadful account of the burglary that left everyone shaking their heads at how gory the details were described."
causing fear or dread or terror
"the awful war"
"an awful risk"
"dire news"
"a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"
"the dread presence of the headmaster"
"polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"
"a dreadful storm"
"a fearful howling"
"horrendous explosions shook the city"
"a terrible curse"
exceptionally bad or displeasing
"atrocious taste"
"abominable workmanship"
"an awful voice"
"dreadful manners"
"a painful performance"
"terrible handwriting"
"an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room"
Full of something causing dread, whether
"The sky turned a dreadful shade of gray just before the storm arrived."
Genuinely horrific, awful, or alarming; dangerous, risky.
"The sudden drop in pressure and the storm's roar made the captain realize that sailing through the eye was a dreadful gamble that could cost them their lives."
Dreadfully.
"The weather turned dreadful just as we were about to leave for our picnic."