actually scary short stories

There was a man who liked to take late - night walks in the cemetery. One night, as he was walking, he noticed a figure in a white dress sitting on a gravestone. He thought it was just his imagination at first. But when he got closer, the figure turned its head slowly towards him, and it had no face. He ran all the way home and couldn't sleep for days.

Sure, scary stories have the potential to be very scary. They play on common fears, use dark settings, and build tension to create a spooky atmosphere that can spook most people.

The element of surprise. In a short story, there's not much room for long build - ups, so when the horror hits, it's sudden and shocking. For example, in a story where a character thinks they're alone in a house but then suddenly a hand grabs their ankle from under the bed.

There's 'The Yellow Wallpaper' which is a disturbing story. A woman is confined to a room with yellow wallpaper for her supposed mental illness. As she stays there, she becomes obsessed with the wallpaper, seeing a woman trapped behind it. It's a great example of how the mind can be tortured in a small, enclosed space and how mental illness can be a source of horror.

Relatable characters also play a part. If we can put ourselves in the shoes of the character in the story, we feel their fear more intensely. For instance, if it's a story about a normal person like us in a familiar situation, like being alone in a house at night, and then something scary starts to happen, we can easily relate to that fear. And the more we can relate, the scarier the story becomes.

I think it's actually scary. The combination of the spooky settings, mysterious characters, and suspenseful moments make it a frightening experience.

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

One is about the hitchhiker. A driver picks up a girl on a lonely road at night. She is very quiet. As they approach a cemetery, she suddenly says 'My home is here.' and disappears. The driver is shocked and when he checks the backseat, he finds a flower from the cemetery.

It depends. Some scary stories can be really terrifying, especially if they play on common fears or have unexpected twists.

The story of the Winchester Mystery House is also spooky. Sarah Winchester, the widow of the rifle magnate, believed she was haunted by the ghosts of those killed by Winchester rifles. So she continuously built onto her house in San Jose in a very strange and maze - like way. There were staircases leading to nowhere, doors opening to walls, and many reported seeing apparitions in the house.