17 true scary stories

It depends. Some might be based on real events but exaggerated or dramatized for effect. Others could be completely made up.

In general, these scary stories are not true. Area 51 is a highly classified military base. The secrecy is mainly for national security reasons regarding military technology. The so - called alien - related stories are more of a cultural phenomenon that has grown over the years due to the lack of information about what actually goes on in there.

The first scary true story is about the Winchester Mystery House. Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune, believed she was haunted by the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles. She continuously built onto her house in San Jose, California in a very strange and maze - like way. There were staircases leading to nowhere, doors opening to walls, and rooms with no purpose. It was a very spooky place. A second one is the story of the Donner Party. A group of settlers got stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the winter. They resorted to cannibalism to survive, which is a truly horrifying thought. And the third scary true story is that of the Dyatlov Pass incident. In Russia, a group of hikers died mysteriously in the mountains. Their tents were cut open from the inside, they were found with strange injuries, and there was no clear explanation for what happened.

There's a story of a group of kids who dared each other to spend the night in a field with a creepy old scarecrow. As the night fell, they started to feel uneasy. One kid swore he saw the scarecrow's eyes glow red. They all huddled together, trying to ignore it. But then they heard strange rustling sounds coming from the direction of the scarecrow. They were so scared that they ran all the way home, not looking back once.

Often, true scary stories involve real people in normal situations suddenly being thrust into terrifying circumstances. In the Amityville Horror, a family was just looking for a new home but ended up in a place full of unexplained phenomena. The fear of the unknown and the violation of the safety of what should be a secure home space is what makes it so frightening. Also, the psychological impact on the people involved, like their fear and confusion, adds to the scariness when we hear about it.

One interesting story is of a hotel room. Guests in that room often complained of a cold presence. Some saw the figure of a woman in an old - fashioned dress standing at the foot of the bed. It made the guests so scared that they checked out early.

The element of truth in these stories makes them scary. When we know that something really happened, it becomes more terrifying. For example, if a story is about a real murder case with some unexplained aspects, like the killer was never found or there were strange circumstances around the crime. It makes us feel that such danger could be lurking around us too.

The realism might make them scary. If they are true, it means these events could potentially happen to anyone.

The fact that they are true. Knowing that these events actually happened to real people makes it scarier than fictional horror stories.

There might be a story of a cursed object. A person found an old doll in an attic. After bringing it home, they started having nightmares and feeling a sense of dread. Strange things would happen around the doll, like objects moving on their own.