A story on Quora told of a student who stayed late in the school library. As he was leaving, he heard whispers. He thought it was just his imagination at first. But then the books on the shelves started to shake. He ran out of there as fast as he could. It turns out that the school was built on an old cemetery and there were rumors of hauntings. He never stayed late in the library again.
There's a really terrifying Quora story about a family who moved into a new neighborhood. Their daughter made friends with a little girl next door. But the parents noticed that the little girl always looked a bit off. One day, they found out that the little girl had died years ago in a fire in that house. It was so creepy that they moved out immediately.
The one where a guy was driving alone at night on a deserted road. His radio started playing strange static - filled voices. Then his car headlights started flickering. He saw a figure in the middle of the road that looked like a ghostly apparition. He slammed on the brakes and when he looked again, it was gone. Scary as hell.
One of the scariest is the legend of the black dog. In Indian superstition, a black dog seen at midnight, especially near cemeteries, is a bad omen. There are stories of people who saw the black dog and then faced a series of misfortunes, like sudden illness in the family or financial ruin. It is believed that the black dog is a messenger of death or some dark entity.
A really terrifying 2021 story was about a derelict asylum. Explorers went inside and heard screams that seemed to be from the past. They saw old hospital beds moving on their own and felt a cold presence. They also found strange markings on the walls that seemed to be some kind of ritualistic symbols.
The sense of being watched. In the forest story, the hikers feeling like the trees were alive and watching them added a lot of terror. Also, in the doll story, the girl feeling like the doll was somehow aware and watching her even at night was terrifying.
One of the most terrifying Yellowstone stories is about a ranger who went on a solo patrol in a remote area. He radioed in that he saw a strange mist that seemed to be following him. As the mist got closer, he heard whispers that he couldn't understand. His radio went dead and he was never heard from again. It makes people wonder what really lurks in the less - visited parts of Yellowstone. There are also stories of strange lights that float above certain valleys at night. Some think they could be spirits or some unknown natural phenomenon, but no one really knows for sure, and that's what makes it so scary.
One of the most terrifying ones is when a user was led to an underground tunnel. The tunnel was pitch - black and smelled really bad. As they walked further, they heard growling sounds. They also felt something brushing against their legs. They were so scared that they dropped their flashlight and just ran blindly until they got out.
A terrifying 911 call involved a person who was home alone and heard scratching at the windows. As they peeked out, they saw a pair of red eyes staring back at them. They were so scared they could barely talk to the 911 operator. All they could keep repeating was 'There's something outside with red eyes'.
One terrifying story is of an old truck. The odometer would stop working whenever it passed a particular cemetery on a lonely road. It was as if the dead didn't want the truck to record its journey near them. Another story is about a car whose odometer would display the date of a person's death instead of the mileage when it reached a certain number. It freaked out the owner.
The story of Annabelle attacking people in their sleep is really terrifying. There are tales of her moving on her own and getting close to people while they're unconscious and vulnerable.
In 'the lineup scary stories', there's a story about a cursed object. It was a doll that seemed to have a life of its own. People who came near it started having bad luck and seeing strange apparitions. The details of how it moved on its own and the haunted look in its eyes made it truly terrifying.
I think the betrayal aspect in some of the stories is terrifying. There are fairies who seem friendly at first but then turn on the human characters. For instance, a fairy might offer to help a lost traveler but then lead them into a dangerous trap instead. It makes you question who can be trusted in these fairy - filled worlds.