There's 'Lamb to the Slaughter' by Roald Dahl. In this story, a woman kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb when he tells her he's leaving her. Then she calmly serves the lamb to the police officers who come to investigate. It's a story full of dark humor and horror. Another short horror story is 'The Most Dangerous Game' where a man is hunted like an animal on an island by a deranged hunter. It shows the horror of being the prey and the lengths a person will go to survive.
One short horror story is about a girl who moved into an old house. Every night, she heard strange scratching noises from the attic. One day, she finally mustered the courage to go up there. In the dim light, she saw a figure with long, bony fingers and glowing eyes. She ran out of the house and never went back.
They can be relatable in a way. Many short horror stories use common settings like a house or a forest. We all have experiences with these places, so it's easy to put ourselves in the protagonist's shoes. Also, they often deal with basic human fears such as fear of the dark or fear of being alone.
One scaries story is 'The Haunted House'. There was an old, abandoned house on the outskirts of town. People said that at night, strange noises came from it. Lights would flicker in the empty rooms. Once, a curious boy went near it and he heard a blood - curdling scream from inside. He ran away as fast as he could and never went back again.
The unknown and the unexpected play a big role. In short horror stories, things that are not fully explained, like a strange figure that appears briefly in the corner of one's eye, create a sense of unease. And when there are sudden twists, like a character who seems safe suddenly being in mortal danger, it amps up the spookiness. Moreover, the use of dark themes such as death, the supernatural, and insanity all contribute to the overall spooky atmosphere.
Perhaps a story where you are trapped in a dream within a dream. Each layer has its own set of horrors, like rooms filled with grotesque images or people with distorted faces. You try to wake up but keep sinking deeper into this nightmare world, and every attempt to escape just leads you to more terrifying scenarios.
Work - related stress is a common element. For example, the fear of an upcoming presentation or a pile of unfinished tasks waiting on Monday. Another common thing is social anxiety, like having to face a difficult person at work or in a social group the next day.
There was this guy who always dreaded Sunday evenings because he had a really mean coworker. On Sundays, he'd start thinking about having to deal with that person the next day. He'd recall all the times the coworker had been unkind and it made him so anxious that he couldn't enjoy his last day of the weekend. He was constantly worried about what new mean thing the coworker might do on Monday.
For short horror stories, 'The Phantom's Touch' is a great title. It makes you think of an unseen, ghostly hand touching you. 'The Darkest Hour' implies that something truly terrifying happens during the darkest part of the night or a difficult time. 'The Hollow Eyes' is also quite effective as it makes you wonder what kind of creature has those hollow eyes.
Dream scaries stories can happen because of unresolved emotions, hidden phobias, or even random neural firings in the brain during sleep. Sometimes, a traumatic event can trigger such dreams too.
A story about a house with a locked room that no one has opened for decades. The new owner of the house is curious and finally manages to break the lock. Inside, there's a single chair in the middle of the room. As soon as they step in, the door slams shut behind them. They feel a cold presence. Then, they start to see apparitions of people who seem to be trapped in the room, reaching out to them with desperate looks, as if they want to transfer their own trapped state to the new owner.