The story of 'The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs' is quite terrifying. A babysitter is taking care of a child at night. She keeps getting strange phone calls from someone asking if she's checked on the children. Then she realizes there's someone upstairs in the house. She tries to call the police, but the phone lines are cut. It creates a lot of suspense as she has to protect the child while being in a really scary situation.
These stories are often considered the scariest because they play on common fears. For example, 'The Hook' plays on the fear of being in a vulnerable situation, like being alone in a car at night, and the threat of a violent and unpredictable attacker. It's a simple yet effective way to create fear.
One of the top scariest 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 eventually murders him. Another is 'The Shining'. The story of a family in an isolated hotel where the father slowly loses his sanity. And 'Dracula' is also quite terrifying, with the vampire Count Dracula preying on the living.
One of the scariest real ghost stories is the story of the Bell Witch in Tennessee. It was said to be a malevolent spirit that haunted the Bell family, causing all sorts of chaos like physical attacks and strange noises. Another is the Amityville Horror. The Lutz family claimed to experience terrifying paranormal activities after moving into the house where a mass murder had occurred. And the Borley Rectory in England was also very spooky. It had reports of apparitions, strange lights, and unexplained noises over a long period of time.
There are numerous terrifying craigslist stories. For example, there was a story where a woman thought she was going to buy some furniture from a craigslist seller. She went to the address given, which was a really isolated and run - down place. When she got there, the so - called seller tried to lock her in the house. Fortunately, she managed to escape. Another story involved a craigslist ad for a pet. When the person went to pick up the pet, they found out that the 'pet' was actually an illegal and dangerous wild animal that the seller was trying to get rid of in a very unethical way. Also, some craigslist ads for tutoring jobs turned out to be fronts for predators looking for vulnerable victims.
One of the top scariest horror stories could be 'The Shining' by Stephen King. It's about a family in an isolated hotel where the father slowly goes insane. Another is 'Psycho', the story of Norman Bates and his motel of horrors. And 'The Exorcist' is also terrifying, with a young girl possessed by a demon.
One of the top scariest stories is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's about a narrator who is driven mad by the old man's 'vulture - like' eye and ends up murdering him. The narrator's increasing paranoia and the sound of the supposedly dead man's heart still beating in his head is truly terrifying.
It's hard to say which is the scariest, but 'The Winchester Mystery House' gives me the creeps. The thought of building a huge, maze - like house just to try and escape ghosts is really spooky. And all those odd architectural features like doors that open to nothing and stairs that go nowhere make it seem like a place full of lost souls and trapped spirits.
Well, 'The Rake' is really scary. It's about a strange, pale humanoid creature that hunts at night. It often appears suddenly near people, which is very frightening. 'Eyeless Jack' is also on the list. He's a figure with no eyes, who has some really grotesque habits. And 'Sonic.exe', a demonic version of Sonic that does horrible things in a corrupted game world.
Well, 'The Tell - Tale Heart' is super scary. The narrator's obsessive and unreliable narration as he plots and then tries to cover up the murder makes your skin crawl. 'The Monkey's Paw' is also up there. Just think about the idea of getting what you wish for but in the most horrible ways. The third one might be 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson. It seems like a normal small - town event at first, but then turns into a shockingly brutal ritual.