One of the top scary 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 'evil eye' and ends up murdering him, then being haunted by the sound of the dead man's beating heart. Another might be 'The Monkey's Paw'. A family gets a cursed paw that grants wishes but with horrible consequences. And 'Dracula' is also very scary. It introduced the world to the iconic vampire, Count Dracula, who preys on the living.
Some well - known YouTubers in the scary stories niche include Corpse Husband. His deep voice adds an extra layer of creepiness to the horror stories he tells. Also, Darkness Prevails is quite popular. They cover a wide range of horror - themed content, from classic scary stories to modern urban legends. There's also a YouTuber named Scary Mysteries, who delves into the more mysterious and unexplained aspects of scary stories.
One could be about a haunted house where during a sleepover, strange noises came from the attic and shadowy figures were seen on the walls. Another might be the story of a doll that seemed to move on its own during a sleepover. And there could be a story of a sleepover in the woods where a mysterious howling was heard all night long.
A really popular one is 'The Wendigo'. In Native American folklore, the Wendigo is a malevolent spirit that is often associated with the cold and starvation. It's said to have a heart of ice and will hunt down any humans it can find in the forest. The idea of this half - human, half - beast creature lurking in the woods makes it a great scary campfire story.
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.
One element is the unknown. In many of these stories, like in 'The Monkey's Paw', we don't know exactly how the cursed paw will bring about misfortune. It's this sense of not knowing what will happen next that scares us. Another is the use of psychological horror. For example, in 'The Yellow Wallpaper', the woman's slow descent into madness due to her confinement is terrifying because it plays on our fears of losing our minds.
One of the scariest stories could be 'The Tell - Tale Heart'. A man is haunted by the vulture - like eye of an old man he lives with. He finally kills the old man and hides his body under the floorboards. But he's then driven mad by the sound of the old man's still - beating heart that he imagines he can hear.
It's hard to say which one is the most terrifying as it depends on personal fears. But for me, the stories about haunted hospitals are the scariest. The idea of being in a place where people are sick and dying, and then having ghosts of the deceased patients roaming around is really creepy. It makes you think about the afterlife and the things that might be left behind.
A lot of these scary stories play on our deepest fears. Such as the fear of death, as seen in stories where characters are haunted by the dead or face sudden and unexpected death. They also use elements of isolation. When characters are alone in a spooky place, like an old mansion or a dark forest, it heightens the sense of dread.
One of the top scary horror 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 ends up killing him. Then he hears the heartbeat of the dead man, which could be his guilty conscience. Another is 'The Shining' where a family is trapped in an isolated hotel with malevolent spirits. And 'The Exorcist' is also very terrifying, with the possession of a young girl by a demon.