thought catalog short horror stories

One interesting short horror story could be about a haunted house. A family moves in, and at night, they hear strange whispers and footsteps. Every time they try to follow the source, it disappears. It turns out the house was built on an old burial ground, and the spirits are restless. Another could be a story of a cursed object. A girl finds an old locket in an antique store. After wearing it, she starts having vivid nightmares of a tragic past and strange things start happening around her. The third might be a story of a doppelganger. A man keeps seeing his exact double in the mirror, but when he turns around, there's no one there. And then, one day, the double steps out of the mirror and starts to take over his life.

You can start by looking at the reader reviews and ratings. If a lot of people mention a particular story as being really scary, it's a good sign. Also, search for tags like 'extremely scary' or 'nightmare - inducing' on the Thought Catalog website.

Thought Catalog's scary short stories are often very engaging. They manage to create a sense of unease in just a few pages. Some of the stories play on common fears like the dark or being alone. The use of vivid descriptions really draws you in.

I was home alone and heard a knock on the door. I opened it, and no one was there, but the doorknob was cold as ice, as if something had just been holding it.

Maybe there was a situation where a waiter had to deal with a large group that got rowdy and started breaking things in the restaurant. It was a nightmare for the waiter to try and control the situation and also clean up the mess.

Well, a waiter might have had a customer who had some really strange and inappropriate demands. For example, asking the waiter to do things that were not part of their job description at all.

Thought Catalog stories can vary. Some might be completely true, sharing genuine personal accounts. Others could be partly fictionalized or embellished to make a point or be more engaging.

Another is when the date turns out to be overly possessive right from the start. For example, they start asking really personal questions about your past relationships and then get angry or moody if you don't answer to their satisfaction. It makes the whole dating experience feel suffocating.

One of the scariest could be the ones involving haunted houses. The sense of an unseen presence in a once - happy home can be truly chilling.

There's a story about a forest that seems to be alive. It's not just about the trees moving, but the forest itself has a consciousness. It lures people in and they can never find their way out. It's unique because it gives a sense of nature turning against humanity.