75 Creepy Facts And Horror Stories People Wish They Never Learned
x Facebook Pinterest Twitter 
Creepy World, CuriositiesPublished Jun 21, 2026 75 Creepy Facts And Horror Stories People Wish They Never Learned
Ridhima Shukla and Rugilė Žemaitytė
5
21
5
Link copied!
Share
Link copied!
Share
PublishNot your original work? Add source
When it comes to the paranormal, the world is usually split into two camps: the hardcore believers and the total skeptics. But there is a third group — the people who just love the absolute thrill of a good scare, no matter if it’s real or totally made up.
This list, taken from the Instagram page @creepy.stor.ies, is for all three of these camps.
It pulls chilling accounts from the deep internet archives and shares firsthand experiences sent in by people, and we’ve rounded up their absolute most disturbing highlights.
Some of these stories get incredibly dark, incredibly fast… they may or may not keep you up all night.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
POST 
funkybluegirl (she/her) funkybluegirl (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Spooky.
1 1point reply RELATED:
POST funkybluegirl (she/her) funkybluegirl (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago OMG
3 3points replyBiologically, terror is our body’s built-in alarm system. It is designed to make us run away from danger. Horror stories, the ones that sometimes leave us staring at the dark corners of our bedrooms, have been with us since humans first gathered around campfires.
The whispered folktales have evolved into best-seller novels, blockbuster movies, podcasts and viral internet lore.
According to the Washington Post, “horror is now the fastest-rising film genre, having doubled its market share from 4.87% in 2013 to 10.08% in 2023.”
The massive success of hits like Sinners, Weapons, and Obsession proves that our craving for horror is stronger than ever.
#3
POST 
Mike F Mike F Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago This is both terrifying and sad.
4 4points reply #4
POST 
persephone134 persephone134 Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago So fiction belongs to the list?
14 14points reply View more comments #5
POST 
LakotaWolf (she/her) LakotaWolf (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium 
Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago This one actually was a real person. His name was Richard Trenton Chase.
15 15points reply View more commentsDespite being hardwired to run away from terror, humans actively seek it out for fun — whether it’s a toddler playing peek-a-boo, or adults paying good money to walk through a haunted house.
Research shows that this behavior is driven by our morbid curiosity. It’s a biological urge that forces us to look at dangerous or taboo things, and works as an adaptive mechanism that helps us safely explore and learn about threats.
#6
POST 
ScarletRos ScarletRos Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago I learned about this through Punky Brewster.
9 9points reply View more comments #7
POST 
Ray Heap Ray Heap Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago And some are tied to a chair and put in one of the kitchen freezers so that they can be taken off in a wheelchair and not freak out the other passengers
1 1point reply View more comments #8
POST 
Upstaged75 Upstaged75 Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago The sequel to Murphy Brown - after she's been embalmed. 😁
1 1point reply View more commentsA study by the Recreational Fear Lab revealed that when you read a deeply unsettling story, your body triggers a massive spike in heart rate fluctuations, pumping your system full of adrenaline and dopamine.
“There are some people who enjoy horror because they’re high in something called sensation seeking. They like the feelings of strong sensations. These are the same kind of people that would go bungee jumping or skydiving or any number of things like that, that kind of give you an adrenaline boost,” says Dr. Coltan Scrivner, a behavioral scientist at the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University in Denmark.
#9
POST 
BarkingSquirell BarkingSquirell Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago He didn't get the chance to rot in jail.
2 2points reply View more comments #10
POST LakotaWolf (she/her) LakotaWolf (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago The contestant decided not to go out with him, because she found him "creepy", apparently.
16 16points reply View more comments #11
POST 
Perseverantloser Perseverantloser Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago And more being born
6 6points reply View more commentsDr. Scrivner’s team discovered that controlled fear can actually boost our mental and physical health.
In their study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, they found that horror fans were more psychologically resilient.
The researchers said that horror fans were less stressed out about the whole situation, while many people were freaking out about what was going to happen. “And one possible reason is that they were simply more practiced in terms of thinking about these worst-case scenarios,” says Marc Malmdorf Andersen, co-director of the Recreational Fear Lab.
Ongoing research from their lab indicates that more than 95% of children ages 1 to 17 enjoy some activities that make them scared.
#12
POST 
Gingersnap In Iowa Gingersnap In Iowa Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago She wrote The Bell Jar.
8 8points reply View more comments #13
POST 
Leesquee Leesquee Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2023/10/how-an-elevator-attendant-survived-a-1-000-ft-fall-down-the-empire-state-building-759670
3 3points reply View more comments #14
POST funkybluegirl (she/her) funkybluegirl (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Well. That isn't very nice (although I am happy they didn't have to use cold showers any longer. )
1 1point replyWillingly reading about or experiencing spooky situations is like a workout for your mind, teaching you exactly how fear feels and how to handle the unknown.
Some researchers note that playing with these controlled scares early on can actually build a mental shield that protects kids from developing anxiety disorders later in life.
One study found that engaging with scary content actually leaves horror fans feeling happier, more self-aware, and personally stronger.
#15
POST 
Gabby M Gabby M Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Violet Constance Jessop survived the Olympic, the Titanic AND Britannic tragedies!
5 5points reply View more comments #16
POST #17 
POST 
Linda van A. Linda van A. Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago He was not supposed to remember.
4 4points replyWhile diving into the dark side has major perks, the secret to a good scare is all about hitting the perfect sweet spot.
Experts call this the Goldilocks principle: just like kids prefer things that are not too simple and not too complex, we prefer our terrors to be just right.
Research found that too little fear was associated with reduced enjoyment, but so was too much fear.
POST #19 
POST LakotaWolf (she/her) LakotaWolf (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago I don't believe in ghosts, but let me tell you, I'm 44 years old and I STILL don't look into mirrors when it's dark XD
9 9points reply View more commentsDespite the potential benefits of being scared, experts believe that if you don’t enjoy horror, you shouldn’t force yourself to experience it.
However, if you actually want to build up your tolerance, there are several ways to go about it.
Try reading stories or watching horror movies with a group of friends for support, turn down the volume on videos to break the tension, and keep your room brightly lit. You can also read behind-the-scenes trivia to remind yourself it is all fake.
#20
POST 
Sue User Sue User Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Geraldo Rivera and Al Capones Vault 2 hour live hype and nothing but empty bottles.
15 15points reply View more comments #21
POST Mike F Mike F Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Looking in the rear view mirror this is scary, but you have to remember these were made to save lives, and, Mickey et al had different appearances back then.
1 1point reply View more comments #22
POST funkybluegirl (she/her) funkybluegirl (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago I'll probably get downvoted, but - Hey guys.. maybe cut Linda van A. Some slack. No need to downvote. If you disagree, just dont upvote. To me, his eyes look d**d inside, almost like he's trying to look "normal ". Maybe we don't all agree, but we are all just giving our opinions.
0 0points reply View more commentsEvery time you consciously choose to read a creepy story, you are choosing to lean into discomfort, and that is a powerful skill.
You might just find that you’re a lot more resilient when real life gets scary.
#23
POST 
Lace Neil Lace Neil Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago A book was bound in the skin of William Corder, who was the infamous m******r of Maria Marten. His skeleton was also put on display.
5 5points reply #24
POST Linda van A. Linda van A. Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Or having an exam and you can't find your books or you can't find the classroom.
6 6points reply View more comments #25
POST 
ʁɨɂɥɒ ʁɨɂɥɒ Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Final destination movie scene
1 1point reply #26
POST funkybluegirl (she/her) funkybluegirl (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Upvote for that last bit.
2 2points reply View more comments #27
POST 
Ace Ace Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago And 63% of stats like this are made up out of nowhere.
13 13points reply View more comments #28
POST 
Apatheist Apatheist Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Old photos were very prone to double-exposure when they had the manual wind-on.
15 15points reply View more comments #29
POST 
Malfar Malfar Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Right. Climbing but quietly, to avoid waking up the kids
8 8points reply View more comments #30
POST persephone134 persephone134 Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Beware of froggers.
4 4points reply #31
POST LakotaWolf (she/her) LakotaWolf (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago If one is going to make up shítty creepypasta, one should try for a little verisimilitude to make it scary XD There's no city in California called "Arlita".
4 4points reply View more comments #32
POST 
B Parke B Parke Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago I need to try this to cure my depression
0 0points reply View more comments #33
POST 
G A G A Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago And a serial killer was one of the extras
4 4points reply View more comments #34
POST Fred Fred Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Carbon monoxide
POST LakotaWolf (she/her) LakotaWolf (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago ...what? Either I'm full-on missing something, or this is nonsensical.
27 27points reply View more comments #36
POST Fred Fred Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Just buliding about in the southern ocean.
1 1point reply View more comments #37
POST 
Spencers slave no more Spencers slave no more Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 3 days ago I've seen the movie this still is from. "It's Alive" scared the c**p out of me at the pictures when I saw it ~45ish years ago.
7 7points reply View more comments #38
POST Leesquee Leesquee Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago If everyone knows, why whisper? Infinitely better if she had just turned to him, looked a little closer, then announced to the room, "Kook everyone...he's awake." That's how we always did it.
0 0points reply #39
POST LakotaWolf (she/her) LakotaWolf (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago So a child young enough to need their (presumably) diaper changed is old enough to say the coherent formed sentence "the man with the snake neck"? XD
7 7points reply View more comments #40
POST 
Megalodon Meg Megalodon Meg Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Tf does that have to do with anything? The ghost didn't warn the babysitter or scare off the would be burglars or anything?
4 4points reply View more comments #41
POST Upstaged75 Upstaged75 Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago I wrote a better scary story than this when I was 9 years old.
4 4points reply #42
POST B Parke B Parke Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Should've said it was positioned under a beam where there were rope marks or something
5 5points reply View more comments #43
POST 
Paddy Paddy Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 day ago To be fair, people who have been buried alive in (for example) snow have said that it is impossible to know which way is up. Maybe this person is getting saved and they've simply lost their sense of direction?
2 2points reply View more comments #44
POST #45 
POST BarkingSquirell BarkingSquirell Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago I wonder how they landed on that number?
3 3points reply View more comments #46
POST 
Jp@nda Jp@nda Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 day ago Uh huh. Ok then
0 0points reply #47
POST persephone134 persephone134 Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Two sentence horror stories. Fiction.
3 3points reply View more comments #48
POST Leesquee Leesquee Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Later, she came to realize this kind of gaslighting with just another form of a***e.
1 1point reply #49
POST LakotaWolf (she/her) LakotaWolf (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago Not really a "scary" thing, but for a few months after my beloved German Shepherd Ember díed, I would hear her claws click on the concrete outside and I would hear her collar and tags jingling. And for months after my old gray cat Wintressia died, I would hear her distinctive meow ("Aaaair!") and I would sometimes "feel" her jump onto the bed when I was on the cusp of sleep. Just my grieving brain making mini-hallucinations.
3 3points reply View more comments #50
POST Malfar Malfar Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago (edited) A father with severe sleep deprivation who forgot which is his and now can't tell because they all look like potatoes. Or a guy deciding whether he's ready to raise a kid or whether he should go out to buy cigarettes and disappear
0 0points reply View more comments #51
POST ʁɨɂɥɒ ʁɨɂɥɒ Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Government not allowing public access+ considering haunted = government secrets
7 7points reply View more comments #52
POST Leesquee Leesquee Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago This practice is spread all over the continent...and europe and north america and south america and asia and australia and... because fanatics and crazy people exist everywhere.
3 3points reply View more comments #53
POST LakotaWolf (she/her) LakotaWolf (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago (edited) I think this is just your average "hand your young children over to the person in the cráppy costume at Easter/Christmas in order to take photos, and then be baffled why they're screaming and terrified" pic XD
12 12points reply View more comments #54
POST 
KingJalopy KingJalopy Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 day ago Cut it out with the fiction nonsense
1 1point reply #55
POST Upstaged75 Upstaged75 Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago 🙄 So bad!
2 2points reply View more comments #56
POST Upstaged75 Upstaged75 Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago This is a badly written but well known urban legend.
2 2points reply View more comments #57
POST B Parke B Parke Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago An ax for a raccoon or rabbit? Jfc, a broom would do. "I heard a sound outside so I grabbed the flamethrower thinking it was a squirrel"
7 7points reply View more comments #58
POST Lily bloom Lily bloom Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago They left the dogs???
2 2points reply View more comments #59
POST #60 
POST Lily bloom Lily bloom Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago That's fùcked up
1 1point reply #61
POST 
Cee Cee Cee Cee Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Fake.
11 11points reply View more comments #62
POST BarkingSquirell BarkingSquirell Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago And yet his eyes have been censored.
1 1point reply View more comments #63
POST Upstaged75 Upstaged75 Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Oh come on! 🙄
2 2points reply View more comments #64
POST Leesquee Leesquee Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Did you mean, "I saw a double set of bloody footprints leading into the house?"
-1 -1point reply #65
POST BarkingSquirell BarkingSquirell Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago What kind of sick s#it is this?
1 1point reply View more comments #66
POST Apatheist Apatheist Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Accepting notifications from people you don't know is just dumb. And - *hear.
4 4points reply View more comments #67
POST Jp@nda Jp@nda Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 day ago So stupid
1 1point reply View more comments #68
POST Megalodon Meg Megalodon Meg Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago This whole list is so obnoxiously full of s**t
13 13points reply View more comments #69
POST ʁɨɂɥɒ ʁɨɂɥɒ Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Now the spirit of the said dog digging all and its own bones
0 0points reply #70
POST Leesquee Leesquee Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago If she's upstairs sleeping, how did you see him watching her? Was it YOU watching her?
1 1point reply #71
POST Leesquee Leesquee Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago Incoherent slop.
2 2points reply #72
POST 
Lady Gypsy Rain Lady Gypsy Rain Community Member • points posts comments upvotes Premium Premium user. Get details. 3 days ago (edited) And apparently can survive stomach acid.smh
5 5points reply View more comments #73
POST Leesquee Leesquee Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago I believe I may have found my nursing home!
0 0points reply View more comments #74
POST Leesquee Leesquee Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago There's more feces in the air than d**d skin.
0 0points reply #75
POST Leesquee Leesquee Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago If no one ever got away, who was telling people about the black cat?? Dumb.
5 5points reply View more comments Add New ImageAdd Your Photo To This List
Please use high-res photos without watermarks
Upload PhotoOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
Not your original work? Add source
PublishOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
UploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.
Twitter Render conversationUse html version
Generate not embedded version
Add watermark Instagram Show Image Only
Hide Caption
Crop
Add watermark Facebook Show Image Only Add watermark Change Source
Title Update Add Image What do you think ?
POST Gingersnap In Iowa Gingersnap In Iowa Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago This was awful.
6 6points reply LakotaWolf (she/her) LakotaWolf (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago There's so much good actually-scary creepypasta out there. The entries in this article are not good creepypasta.
5 5points reply Apatheist Apatheist Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago There must be lots of creative writing classes happening at the moment.
2 2points reply Ace Ace Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago You think? They need some better teachers then.
8 8points reply Load More Replies... POST Gingersnap In Iowa Gingersnap In Iowa Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago This was awful.
6 6points reply LakotaWolf (she/her) LakotaWolf (she/her) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago There's so much good actually-scary creepypasta out there. The entries in this article are not good creepypasta.
May you like
Apatheist Apatheist Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 2 days ago There must be lots of creative writing classes happening at the moment.
2 2points reply Ace Ace Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow Premium Premium user. Get details. 2 days ago You think? They need some better teachers then.
8 8points reply Load More Replies...
Back to Homepage 
More about Curiosities Homepage 
Trending Curiosities Homepage Next in Curiosities Related on Bored Panda
