psychological horror stories

One of the best is 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It shows a woman's descent into madness as she is confined to a room with the hideous wallpaper. Another great one is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. The narrator's paranoia over the old man's vulture - like eye drives him to commit a terrible act and then be haunted by the sound of the still - beating heart. And 'The Cask of Amontillado' also by Poe, where the narrator lures his so - called friend into the catacombs for a sinister revenge, creating a sense of dread through the claustrophobic setting.

A great example is 'Psycho' by Robert Bloch. The character of Norman Bates is a complex and disturbing figure. His split personality and the events that unfold in the Bates Motel are classic psychological horror elements. Also, Shirley Jackson's 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' has a sense of unease and psychological tension as the main characters are isolated and seem to be hiding secrets.

One classic is 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It's about a woman's descent into madness while confined in a room with the titular wallpaper. Another is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. The narrator's obsession and guilt over murdering an old man is deeply disturbing. And 'Rosemary's Baby' by Ira Levin is also well - known. It plays on a woman's fears during her pregnancy as she suspects something is terribly wrong with her unborn child.

A very scary psychological horror story is 'The Cask of Amontillado'. Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs under the pretense of tasting a rare wine. As they go deeper, Montresor chains Fortunato to the wall and bricks him in alive. The slow realization of Fortunato's fate and Montresor's cold - blooded revenge create a sense of horror. Also, 'The Monkey's Paw' is disturbing. The family's wish - making with the paw that has a curse on it leads to tragic and unexpected consequences, like the son coming back from the dead in a grotesque form. It shows how our desires can lead to horror when they are fulfilled in the wrong way.

A common psychological reaction is fear. The unknown and often disturbing elements in horror stories trigger our primal fear instincts.

Start by building a tense atmosphere. Use vivid descriptions of settings and characters' emotions to make readers feel uneasy. Also, play with the unknown and unexpected to keep them on edge.

One impact is increased adrenaline. When we engage with scary games or horror stories, our body releases adrenaline in response to the perceived threat, which can make us feel more alert. Another impact is that it might affect our sleep. For some people, after experiencing these, they may have nightmares or find it difficult to fall asleep as their mind is still occupied with the scary elements.

The loss of sanity is a big one too. Characters in short psychological horror stories often start to question their own minds. They might see things that aren't there or lose their grip on reality, like in 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'. Dr. Jekyll's experiments lead to the creation of Mr. Hyde, and as he tries to control it, he slowly loses his sanity.

Isolation is a common theme. For example, in many stories the protagonist is cut off from the outside world, like in 'The Yellow Wallpaper'. Another theme is the loss of sanity, as seen in 'The Tell - Tale Heart'.

The recommendations for extreme horror and psychological horror novels are as follows: 1 The Evil Dead: This is a horror movie Edward's series of novels, including Ghost Blows Out the Light, fatherly 451 degrees and dragon soul, told a series of stories about horror, death and conspiracy. 2. The Evil Dead II: This is the sequel to Ghost Blows Out the Light, which tells the story of the protagonist's struggle against evil ghosts. 3 The Shining: This is a novel by the famous horror P Lovecraft. It tells the story of a passenger trapped on a mysterious ship who gradually falls into despair and madness. The White Tower: This is a Japanese story about a doctor who discovers a series of murders while solving a patient's psychological problems. 5 " The Dark Forest ": This is a science fiction novel created by Liu Cixin. It tells the story of humans looking for a new home in the universe, which contains some horror and horror elements. These novels all have a certain amount of psychological horror and extreme horror elements. I hope you will like some of them.