A story where a nation gets cursed by an ancient power. Let's say Italy gets cursed by a long - forgotten magic. His usual cheerful self starts to fade away as he is haunted by nightmares and strange apparitions. His friends in the Hetalia world try to help but they are also in danger as the curse seems to spread a sense of dread and decay around him.
Sure. In one version, Cinderella's stepmother makes a deal with the devil. The devil gives her the power to keep Cinderella in eternal servitude. Cinderella's only hope is a mysterious figure that appears in her dreams. But every time she tries to follow the figure's advice in the real world, something even more horrible happens. The prince in this story is also under a spell, and instead of being a savior, he's part of the stepmother's plan to keep Cinderella trapped.
Sure. There was a brony named Tom. He bought a second - hand My Little Pony figurine online. When it arrived, it had a strange aura. At night, he would hear faint hoof - steps coming from the direction of the figurine. One night, he woke up to see the figurine glowing and a dark shadowy pony figure emerging from it. He was so terrified that he threw the figurine out the window, but the strange noises and apparitions continued until he finally got rid of all his pony stuff.
Sorry, I don't have an actual example from that friend. But perhaps a story about a cursed object in Hmong lore. Something like a necklace that brings bad luck and misfortune to whoever wears it, and as the story goes, each owner meets a horrible end.
There might be a story where a man is out hiking. He stops to rest and suddenly feels like the ground beneath him is alive. As he looks down, he sees a small crack opening up, and from it comes a putrid smell. Out of the crack crawls a grotesque creature with too many legs and eyes. It starts chasing him, and as he runs, he realizes that the entire forest floor is now part of this nightmarish 'world between my feet'. Every step he takes seems to lead him deeper into danger, and he can't find a way out.
There was once a girl who lived in an old, creaky house. Every night, she would hear a faint whisper coming from the attic. She was too scared to go up there at first. But one night, the whispers grew louder and more insistent. It was as if the whisperer was calling her name. Eventually, she summoned the courage to go up to the attic. There, in the dim light, she saw a shadowy figure that seemed to be the source of the whispers. The figure disappeared as soon as she got closer, leaving her alone in the attic with the lingering whispers.
One classic scary story is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. In this short story, the narrator is haunted by the 'evil eye' of an old man. The narrator's obsession and his growing madness as he plots and then executes the murder of the old man, all while being tormented by the sound of the old man's still - beating heart, is truly terrifying. The way Poe builds the tension and the sense of the narrator's unhinged mental state makes it a classic in the horror genre.
Sure. There were five friends who went into an old, abandoned mansion. One by one, they started to disappear. First, the bravest one went to explore the attic. Then, only four were left. Next, the one who was always so curious went to check the basement, and now there were three. As the count went down, the remaining friends grew more and more terrified, not knowing what was taking their friends away.
Sure. 'In a small, forgotten town, there was an old, dilapidated mansion on the outskirts. It stood alone, surrounded by overgrown weeds and gnarled trees. The townspeople whispered that at midnight, strange lights could be seen flickering in the attic windows. No one dared to go near it, but a young, curious journalist was about to change that.'
The concept of a haunted house where every time you think you've escaped, you find yourself back inside. It just keeps repeating, and the scares never stop. Each time you enter, there are new and more terrifying ghosts or events waiting for you.
One example could be the animated short 'The Sandman'. It has a very eerie atmosphere with its dark color palette and the strange, menacing character of the Sandman. The way the Sandman moves, with his long fingers reaching out in the animated frames, is really scary. And the overall story of him coming to steal people's sleep in a rather spooky way makes it a great example of a scary movable picture story.