Can you recommend some terrifying scary short stories?

One terrifying short story is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. In this story, the narrator is obsessed with an old man's vulture - like eye. He eventually kills the old man and hides his body under the floorboards. But his guilt makes him imagine he hears the old man's heart still beating, which drives him to confess. It's a classic that plays on the themes of madness and guilt.

One terrifying short story is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's about a narrator who is driven mad by the old man's vulture - like eye and ends up murdering him, then being haunted by the sound of the dead man's heart. Another is 'The Monkey's Paw' where a family gets a cursed monkey's paw that grants wishes but with horrible consequences. For example, their first wish for money results in their son's death at work, which is truly scary.

Once upon a time, a girl was home alone at night. She heard strange scratching noises at the window. When she peeked out, she saw a pair of red eyes staring back at her. She quickly closed the curtain but the scratching continued until dawn.

Sure. One story could be about a haunted house where every night strange noises come from the attic. People who have entered the house claim to see shadowy figures moving around. Another might be a story of a cursed object that brings misfortune to whoever possesses it.

One short terrifying story is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's about a narrator who is haunted by an old man's vulture - like eye and eventually murders him, only to be driven mad by the sound of the dead man's heart still beating.

Sure. 'The Yellow Wallpaper' is a great yet terrifying short story. It tells the story of a woman's descent into madness as she is confined to a room with yellow wallpaper. 'The Masque of the Red Death' by Poe is set during a plague and features a creepy masked figure. Also, 'August Heat' is a short story that has an uncanny and terrifying ending where the main character seems to be fated to a dreadful end.

The element of the unknown. For example, in many of the stories, there are unexplained noises or figures. We don't know what they are or what they want, and that scares us.

Sure. One of the scariest ones could be 'The Haunted House' in it. It's about a family who moves into an old, dilapidated house and starts experiencing strange noises and apparitions at night.

There's also 'The Monkey's Paw'. In this story, a family comes into possession of a magical monkey's paw that can grant wishes. But every wish comes with a terrible and unforeseen consequence, often involving a ghostly apparition related to the death and misfortune that follows their wishes.

One short terrifying 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. He then hears the old man's heart still beating beneath the floorboards. Another is 'The Monkey's Paw'. A family gets a cursed monkey's paw that grants wishes, but with horrifying consequences for each wish.