The 'Tiyanak' from Filipino folklore is a scary one. It is a shape - shifting demon that often takes the form of a baby or a young child to lure people in. It's said to be the spirit of an unborn child who died in a tragic way. In Japanese horror, the 'Kuchisake - onna' is also famous. She is a woman with a slit - mouthed mask who asks people if they think she's pretty. If you answer wrongly, she might harm you.
One popular Asian ghost story is the 'Yuki - onna' from Japanese folklore. She is a snow spirit often depicted as a beautiful woman in a white kimono. Another is the 'Pontianak' from Malay and Indonesian folklore. It is a female vampire - like ghost. And the 'Korean Ghost Bride' story is also quite well - known, where a dead bride returns to haunt the living.
The 'Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy' also has its share of ghost - related scary stories. It often involves Grim, the Grim Reaper, who is a supernatural being. There are various tales where they encounter otherworldly ghosts and deal with the consequences in a rather dark - humored way. In one story, they enter a haunted house filled with angry spirits.
Well, there's 'Pulse'. It's about ghosts invading the world through the Internet. The idea of the digital world being a gateway for the supernatural is really creepy. Then there's 'Dark Water'. A single mother and her daughter move into an apartment with a dark past. The water in the building is haunted, and there are disturbing apparitions related to a little girl who died there. Oh, and 'Shutter' is great too. In it, a photographer starts seeing strange figures in his photos, and it turns out to be related to a vengeful spirit.
The 'Aokigahara Forest' in Japan has many tales. It's known as the 'Suicide Forest'. People believe that the spirits of those who died there linger. Some say they can hear strange noises and see apparitions. In Thailand, the story of Nang Tani is famous. She is a female ghost who haunts certain trees, especially those near water. Legend has it that she was a woman who died tragically in love, and now she protects the area where she died.
One of the most popular is 'The Bell Witch' story in audio form. It has been told and retold many times.
A story goes that in a fog - covered forest, there is a strange creature that tickles its victims before leading them astray. Hikers who have entered the forest on moonless nights claim to have felt sudden, unexplained tickling sensations on their feet and legs, and then found themselves lost and disoriented.
One of the top scary ghost stories could be 'The Bell Witch'. It's a well - known American ghost story. The Bell Witch was said to haunt the Bell family, causing all sorts of strange phenomena like objects moving on their own and strange noises at night.
They are terrifying because they often involve elements that play on our deepest fears. For example, the idea of the unknown. Asian ghost stories often have spirits that can appear out of nowhere. Also, many of these ghosts are vengeful, like the 'Pontianak' who is seeking revenge for her death. This taps into our fear of being punished for things we may or may not have done.
Sure. One popular one is the story of Okiku. She was a maid who worked in a castle. Her master, a samurai, was in love with a valuable plate that had ten inscriptions on it. Okiku accidentally broke one of the plates and was so horrified that she committed suicide. After that, her ghost was said to haunt the castle, counting from one to nine, and then wailing in despair because of the missing tenth inscription.
One popular kids' scary ghost story is 'The Bloody Mary'. It's about a girl who appears in the mirror when you say her name three times in a dark bathroom. Another is 'The Girl with the Green Ribbon'. A girl always wears a green ribbon around her neck, and in the end, when the ribbon is removed, her head falls off. And there's 'The Haunted House' where kids enter an old, spooky house and encounter various strange and ghostly happenings.
One popular upper elementary scary story is '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 killing him. Another is 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' with the headless horseman chasing Ichabod Crane. There's also 'The Monkey's Paw' where a family's wishes on a cursed paw bring them misfortune.