macabre \macabre\ m.akaum"b~er adj.
   1. portraying human injury or death in a way so as to
      inspiring shock or horror; gruesome; ghastly; as, macabre
      tortures conceived by madmen. also spelled macaber.

   syn: ghastly, grisly, gruesome, lurid.
        wordnet 1.5

   2. pertaining to or portraying the grim aspects of death, or
      the allegorical dance of death.
      pjc
see also:
macaber dance of death