top 10 scary short stories

One of the top 5 scary short stories could be '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 eventually kills him. Another might be 'The Monkey's Paw' where a family gets a cursed paw that grants wishes but with horrible consequences. 'The Yellow Wallpaper' is also very scary, it shows a woman's descent into madness due to her isolation and the strange wallpaper in her room.

Most of them have a sense of the unknown. For example, in 'The Monkey's Paw', the family doesn't know what exactly will happen when they make a wish, and that mystery creates fear. They also often have a build - up of suspense. Like in 'The Tell - Tale Heart', the narrator's growing paranoia before he finally commits the act keeps the reader on edge. And many of them deal with the darker side of human nature, such as in 'Lamb to the Slaughter' where the wife's sudden act of violence shows how people can snap under pressure.

One characteristic is the element of surprise. Stories like 'The Open Window' rely on a sudden twist at the end to shock the reader. A lot of these stories have morally ambiguous characters. Take 'Lamb to the Slaughter' for instance, the wife who kills her husband is not a typical villain. And they usually create a strong atmosphere. In 'The Masque of the Red Death', the vivid descriptions of the different rooms and the presence of the Red Death itself create a very spooky mood.

Well, from 'top 100 short scary stories', there are many great ones. For instance, there's a story about a girl who moves into a new apartment and starts seeing a shadowy figure that always stands in the corner of her bedroom at 3 am. It slowly creeps closer each night. Another story is about a small town where people keep disappearing near an old well. It turns out there's a malevolent spirit down there. Also, a story about a doll that seems to move on its own and has a really creepy face.

Sure. There's a story about a cemetery at night where the tombstones seem to glow. Another is a story of a werewolf - like creature that haunts a small village. And the story of a possessed book that makes people who read it go insane.

Well, for top 3 scary stories, 'The Shining' is really up there. A writer and his family stay in an isolated hotel during the winter, and the hotel has a dark past that drives the father crazy and makes him turn on his family. Next is 'It'. The story of a shape - shifting clown named Pennywise that preys on children's fears. And finally, 'Silence of the Lambs'. The serial killer Hannibal Lecter and his mind games with Clarice Starling make this a very scary story.

In 'The Tell - Tale Heart', it's the narrator's psychological breakdown that scares. His obsession and the guilt that eventually consumes him are really terrifying. For 'The Monkey's Paw', the idea of getting what you wish for in the most horrible way is what makes it scary. You think you're getting something good but it turns into a nightmare.

The suspense. In top scary short stories, like 'The Tell - Tale Heart', the author builds suspense by making the reader wonder what the narrator will do next. Will he really kill the old man because of that eye? This keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.

One of the top scary short stories 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 his descent into madness as he plots to kill the old man. Another is 'The Monkey's Paw' where a family is granted three wishes by a mummified monkey's paw, but each wish comes with a terrifying and unforeseen consequence.

One of the great ones could be 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's a story about a man's descent into madness as he's haunted by the sound of his victim's heart, even after he's killed and dismembered the old man. Another is 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson. It starts off seeming like a normal small - town event but turns into a truly terrifying ritual. And 'The Monkey's Paw' by W. W. Jacobs, where a family makes wishes on a cursed paw with horrifying consequences.