The accident scene was a ghastly sight.
That movie has a gruesome murder scene.
凄惨 describes scenes of gruesome, blood-chilling horror (e.g. a massacre), a stronger and more graphic word than the broader 悲惨.
Standard kanji form for this word.
Rarely used kanji form; learners should recognize but not produce it.
Composed of 凄 (dreadful, uncanny) and 惨 (miserable, wretched). The combination intensifies the sense of horror and ghastliness.