Start with the classics. Classic horror stories often have a timeless quality that draws you in. For example, 'Dracula' is a great start. The atmosphere and the characters are so well - crafted that it's easy to get hooked.
There might be a story where in a chat group, someone starts sharing a story about an old haunted house. But as they type, strange things start happening to the members of the chat. Their devices glitch, and they receive messages from an unknown source that seem to be coming from the haunted house in the story. It gives a really hooked and scary feeling.
There's a story of an online chatroom that seemed normal at first. But then, users started receiving disturbing messages from an unknown source. The messages contained details about their personal lives that no one else should have known. It was really scary as it felt like someone was always watching them through the chatroom.
One example could be 'The Haunted House on the Hill'. It's about a family that moves into an old, dilapidated house. Strange noises start at night, and they see shadowy figures. Another is 'The Cursed Mirror'. A girl finds an antique mirror and whenever she looks into it, she sees a terrifying face that seems to be coming closer each time. And 'The Ghostly Train' where a man boards a train late at night and realizes all the passengers are pale and silent, and the train is headed towards an unknown, dark destination.
One scary hooked chat story could be about a person who starts chatting with a stranger online. The stranger seems friendly at first but then begins to send disturbing messages about dark secrets in the town. It gives the person chatting a sense of unease and fear as they keep getting more and more creepy details.
Libraries are great places to get hooked on scary stories. Look for classic horror authors such as Edgar Allan Poe. His works are full of mystery and horror, and once you start reading, it's hard to stop. You can also find collections of modern horror short stories there.
A 'hooked scary text story' might be about a haunted mirror. A family moves into a new home and discovers an antique mirror in the attic. When they look into it, they sometimes see a face that isn't their own. The face seems to be trapped behind the glass, screaming silently. It starts to affect the family's mental state as they become more and more paranoid. There's also the story of a cursed doll. A collector buys a doll at an auction. At night, the doll seems to change positions on its own and emits a strange coldness in the room.
They're popular because they play on our fear of the unknown. The internet is a vast and mysterious place, and these stories add an extra layer of spookiness to it.