Can you recommend some best spooky short stories?

There are many good ones. For example, 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' by Washington Irving. The headless horseman chasing Ichabod Crane is a classic spooky image. 'August Heat' is also a short but creepy story where a man meets a stranger whose drawing seems to predict his death in a very strange way. And 'The Black Cat' by Poe again, with its themes of guilt and the supernatural, is a great short spooky tale.

The story of the headless horseman. He rides through the night looking for his lost head. If you're out on the road where he haunts, you might just see him coming towards you, his horse's hooves making a terrifying sound.

One spooky short story is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's about a narrator who is driven mad by an old man's 'vulture - like' eye and ultimately commits murder. Another is 'The Monkey's Paw' where a family gets a magical paw that grants wishes but with terrible consequences.

Of course. A spooky short story is 'The Black Cat' by Poe as well. The narrator, an alcoholic, starts to hate his cat and ends up killing it. Later, a new cat that looks similar haunts him. Also, 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' has a spooky element. A man is about to be hanged, and his mind plays tricks on him as he hallucinates his escape, but in the end, it was all just a brief moment before his death.

A short spooky story could be this: In a small town, there was an abandoned asylum. A group of teenagers decided to explore it. Once inside, they heard screams and whispers. One of them saw a figure in a white gown floating down the hall. They all ran out in terror. Another story is about a man who wakes up in the middle of the night to find a shadowy figure standing at the foot of his bed. He tries to scream but no sound comes out.

Sure. 'The Lottery' is a very spooky short story. In a seemingly ordinary village, there is an annual lottery. However, the 'prize' is not what one would expect. It turns out to be a human sacrifice. It's a chilling look at blind tradition. Also, 'The Masque of the Red Death' by Poe. It's set during a plague and features a prince who tries to escape death by locking himself and his courtiers in an abbey. But death, in the form of a mysterious figure, still finds them.

Sure. 'Lore' is a top pick. It's filled with historical horror stories that will send shivers down your spine. For example, it might tell you about some old - fashioned superstitions that turned out to have a terrifying truth behind them. Another one is 'The NoSleep Podcast'. The narrators there do a great job of bringing the horror stories to life. And 'Welcome to Night Vale' offers a really unique and spooky experience with its off - kilter town and the strange happenings there.

One spooky Christmas story could be about a haunted Christmas tree. A family brings home a beautiful tree, but at night they hear strange noises coming from it. Turns out, a spirit was trapped in the tree long ago. Another story could be of a ghostly Santa. He appears in an old, dilapidated house on Christmas Eve, but his sack is filled with nightmares instead of presents. And then there's the story of a cursed Christmas ornament that brings misfortune to whoever hangs it on their tree.

One spooky short horror story is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's about a man who is driven mad by the old man's 'vulture - like' eye and ends up murdering him, only to be haunted by the sound of the dead man's heart. Another is 'The Monkey's Paw'. A family gets a magical paw that grants wishes, but each wish comes with a horrible and unforeseen consequence. And 'The Yellow Wallpaper' where a woman's mental state deteriorates as she becomes obsessed with the strange yellow wallpaper in her room.

Sure. There's a story about a jack - o' - lantern that comes to life. One Halloween night, a carved pumpkin left on a porch starts to glow and then rolls off. It chases a group of trick - or - treaters down the street, its eyes burning with an eerie light. Another one could be the story of the ghostly bride. Every Halloween, in an old cemetery, people claim to see a woman in a white wedding dress floating among the tombstones. She was a bride who died on her wedding day long ago and now haunts the place on Halloween. And then there's the story of the vampire in the cellar. A family moves into a new house and discovers a hidden cellar. On Halloween night, they hear strange noises from it. When they go to check, they see a vampire lurking in the shadows.