Spooky season is upon us, and that means it’s time to send some well-curated chills down your spine. No matter how many horror movies you watch, video games you play, and books you read, you can never 100% prepare yourself for real danger and fear.
We are featuring the best stories that people shared in online threads about the most horrifying and unsettling things that they have ever experienced on Halloween. We’re all calm, cool, and collected until the moment something scary starts happening to us. Keep scrolling to get into the Halloween mood.
#1
When I was a kid we opened the front door in between groups of trick-or-treaters and a huge solid black cat ran in. It was terrified and cowered under the kitchen table. We made it a comfortable spot in a back bedroom so it could hide out the rest of night. The next day, we put up flyers and talked to the neighbors but no one recognized him. We named him Satan and he lived the rest of his life with us. Every Halloween we made sure he was in his safe spot in the back bedroom so he wouldn’t panic and run off again. Satan was a very good boy.
13points
#2
When I was in college, I sat out one Halloween because it was in the middle of the week and I had class the next day. I lived in an apartment off campus and was sitting in my living room playing a video game, when suddenly my front door burst open. A bunch of children in costume walked right into my living room and kitchen demanding candy. I didn't really have anything to give them because I didn't know that there were even trick-or-treaters in my building. I had always been out for Halloween. There wasn't an adult to be found among them. To this day, I'm convinced those weren't children at all, but adult midgets.
8points
#3
Trick or treating when I was a kid there was a little shortcut through some woods connecting to parts of the neighborhood. After we got candy from all the houses on one side, most of us would cut through to the other side
One year, we were less than halfway through the trail (it was maybe 80 yards total) and a tree jumped out and scared the life out of us. Some man had built a fairly elaborate tree costume and probably had the best time scaring kids all night. It was amazing.
One year, we were less than halfway through the trail (it was maybe 80 yards total) and a tree jumped out and scared the life out of us. Some man had built a fairly elaborate tree costume and probably had the best time scaring kids all night. It was amazing.
8points
Not everyone’s a fan of Halloween or horror in general, and that’s fine. Many people, however, are very enthusiastic both about the holiday and horror-themed entertainment. The question is, why? After all, being scared isn’t a particularly pleasant experience. Or is it?
Well, for starters, consuming horror stimulates us mentally and physically in opposing ways. You feel a ton of negative emotions like fear and anxiety, as well as positive ones, like excitement and joy.
#4
I lived on this acreage for a few years when I was 9-14yrs old. The time I lived there was the worst part of my childhood, there was just bad energy and weird things happened out there. Animals were always just dying for no reason. I'd find cats passed outside but not eaten or anything like a coyote got them, but laying on their backs with their eyes & mouths wide open looking scared.
But that's not what my unexplainable experience was, it was that I'd always see in the corner of my eye what I thought looked like "outlines of people", that's how I described it in my mind. I never said anything about it though, it really scared me because as a kid I had this weird fear of the concept of spirits and I thought these things were spirits. I remember seeing those things, and when I'd look at them they'd look as though they were quickly running or moving away. One particular time I recall so well, was when I was sitting on the living room couch and there was a staircase up to a loft to my left. I saw one of the outlines standing there, and I quickly looked and saw it go up the stairs around the wall at the top of the loft. I looked back at the tv but was paying attention to where I saw it in my peripheral vision, and I swear I saw the outline "peek" around the wall at me.
As I got older, I started to rationalize my memories of it as .. maybe I was having a mild mental breakdown at the time cause I was highly stressed since my dad died before we moved there. It was a big change in my life. Once I moved away all the weirdness stopped though. Then one day many years later when I was in my early 20s, me and mom were talking about that place and she casually says.. "Your brother thought there was aliens out there, he would see shapes in the corner of his eye". I immediately without even thinking said, "They weren't aliens, they were spirits!". I asked my brother and yeah, we both saw the exact same thing. We never talked about it cause we both were scared at the time.
But that's not what my unexplainable experience was, it was that I'd always see in the corner of my eye what I thought looked like "outlines of people", that's how I described it in my mind. I never said anything about it though, it really scared me because as a kid I had this weird fear of the concept of spirits and I thought these things were spirits. I remember seeing those things, and when I'd look at them they'd look as though they were quickly running or moving away. One particular time I recall so well, was when I was sitting on the living room couch and there was a staircase up to a loft to my left. I saw one of the outlines standing there, and I quickly looked and saw it go up the stairs around the wall at the top of the loft. I looked back at the tv but was paying attention to where I saw it in my peripheral vision, and I swear I saw the outline "peek" around the wall at me.
As I got older, I started to rationalize my memories of it as .. maybe I was having a mild mental breakdown at the time cause I was highly stressed since my dad died before we moved there. It was a big change in my life. Once I moved away all the weirdness stopped though. Then one day many years later when I was in my early 20s, me and mom were talking about that place and she casually says.. "Your brother thought there was aliens out there, he would see shapes in the corner of his eye". I immediately without even thinking said, "They weren't aliens, they were spirits!". I asked my brother and yeah, we both saw the exact same thing. We never talked about it cause we both were scared at the time.
7points
#5
Halloween themed corn field …with a random chainsaw person after us !!!!
6points
#6
Not really a specific event, but we'd go visit friends every halloween, and in their neighborhood there was a popular little haunted house complete with actors that would terrorize kids across the street. There was a guy in mask and a chainsaw (chain removed) and this guy always scared me. You can always hear the revving even driving away. Always made me think we were getting chased.
6points
According to Harvard Business Review, another reason why some people crave horror content so much is that it provides novel experiences.
“Apocalypse horror films, for example, allow us to live out alternative realities — from zombie outbreaks to alien infestations. Some novel experiences can even contribute to our sense of accomplishment, like visiting a notorious haunted house. Being adventurous in this way makes us feel more worldly or daring (not to mention grants us bragging rights)."
#7
About fifteen years ago I was basically my parents’ live in nurse.
One night a couple days before Halloween, I’m in my bedroom and I hear my Dad’s “pained wail” scream (he had phantom pains from losing his leg, they could get pretty intense at times). I heard it clear as day, it was louder than usual but it was definitely the 10/10 super bad phantom pain scream.
I bolt up, run down the hall to my parents’ bedroom - Empty.
I look through the house and find them both watching tv in the living room, my Dad looks perfectly fine. I ask if he screamed, he said he didn’t and neither of them heard anything. The tv wasn’t loud enough to hear from across the house (plus they weren’t watching anything that would have a scream like that - I think they were watching White Christmas) and the scream sounded almost like it was right next to me at the time. They swore up and down they didn’t hear anything.
That’s probably the creepiest experience I’d ever had around Halloween.
One night a couple days before Halloween, I’m in my bedroom and I hear my Dad’s “pained wail” scream (he had phantom pains from losing his leg, they could get pretty intense at times). I heard it clear as day, it was louder than usual but it was definitely the 10/10 super bad phantom pain scream.
I bolt up, run down the hall to my parents’ bedroom - Empty.
I look through the house and find them both watching tv in the living room, my Dad looks perfectly fine. I ask if he screamed, he said he didn’t and neither of them heard anything. The tv wasn’t loud enough to hear from across the house (plus they weren’t watching anything that would have a scream like that - I think they were watching White Christmas) and the scream sounded almost like it was right next to me at the time. They swore up and down they didn’t hear anything.
That’s probably the creepiest experience I’d ever had around Halloween.
5points
#8
I lived on the last street before you came to nothing but undeveloped land/wilderness whatever. No trees just sagebrush but we have been known to have a few rogue animals sometimes. I was (15F) and coming home from a friend's house. It was about 11 at night, super dark and not many street lights. The only street light on my street is the one on the corner of the street and then my house is another six houses down. Now there was a little inlet on the corner that went to the wilderness almost like an old camping sight. It essentially made the corner a T. I have to pass the corner light to get home. So I'm approaching the light. I can see it up ahead and I'm not really paying attention. Then the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. At this point I'm super close to the light.
I look around and I spot it. Just outside the light on the other side in the inlet is a very large mountain lion. I almost soiled my pants. I'm too close to it to back away. It's eyes are looking straight at me so I know it's seen me and the only way to safety is through the light. I would have to skirt around the light on my side and hopefully it stays on the inlet side.
I keep walking deliberately and slowly while never taking my eyes off of the mountain lion. As I'm walking towards her, she never moves, just watching me. When I get past the point of being able to see her and keep walking forward I slowly swivel and walk backwards. As I'm backing up, it takes a step forward eyes on me like it's going to stalk me. Oh no. I can't out run this thing. I just keep stepping backwards slowly. She stays put but only for so long. Every five to six of my steps, she takes a step forward. I know she's getting ready to pounce.
When I get to the edge of our yard I turn and dash to the door. I ran for my life, knowing she was going to pick up the chase the moment I turned. I know she did because I heard her paws thud after me. My heart was pounding. Luckily the door was unlocked. I ran inside and slammed it shut. Leaning on the door, I breathe deep, hard, and heavy then look inside the living room. My parents and older brother are staring at me. I tell them to look outside. They do and she's stalking in our yard. We all watch her from the safety of our window. She was a very beautiful creature but I never want to be that close to one in the wild again. I've had two other close encounters with mountain lions but that was the closest and scariest. It was also the only encounter where I was alone.
I look around and I spot it. Just outside the light on the other side in the inlet is a very large mountain lion. I almost soiled my pants. I'm too close to it to back away. It's eyes are looking straight at me so I know it's seen me and the only way to safety is through the light. I would have to skirt around the light on my side and hopefully it stays on the inlet side.
I keep walking deliberately and slowly while never taking my eyes off of the mountain lion. As I'm walking towards her, she never moves, just watching me. When I get past the point of being able to see her and keep walking forward I slowly swivel and walk backwards. As I'm backing up, it takes a step forward eyes on me like it's going to stalk me. Oh no. I can't out run this thing. I just keep stepping backwards slowly. She stays put but only for so long. Every five to six of my steps, she takes a step forward. I know she's getting ready to pounce.
When I get to the edge of our yard I turn and dash to the door. I ran for my life, knowing she was going to pick up the chase the moment I turned. I know she did because I heard her paws thud after me. My heart was pounding. Luckily the door was unlocked. I ran inside and slammed it shut. Leaning on the door, I breathe deep, hard, and heavy then look inside the living room. My parents and older brother are staring at me. I tell them to look outside. They do and she's stalking in our yard. We all watch her from the safety of our window. She was a very beautiful creature but I never want to be that close to one in the wild again. I've had two other close encounters with mountain lions but that was the closest and scariest. It was also the only encounter where I was alone.
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5points
#9
This isn’t crazy or anything but my wife and I drove around some backroads listening to Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen one Halloween. It was an absolute mood.
4points
Thirdly, horror content provides you with a way to satisfy your curiosity about the dark(est) sides of humanity from the safety of your home.
“As an inherently curious species, many of us are fascinated by what our own kind is capable of. Observing storylines in which actors must confront the worst parts of themselves serves as a pseudo character study of the darkest parts of the human condition,” HBR explains.
#10
Nothing spooky, sadly. But this one might hit you right in the feels:
When I was a college student, we had a small metropolitian area where all the college kids would hang out. And most college kids would wear a costume mostly because there was a Chipotle that offered a $2 Burrito if you wore a costume.
Anyways, I eventually make my way to the bar that served the cheapest drinks in town, and noticed this girl who was crying on the steps in the patio section. People were ignoring her and just walking past. I start to feel bad and decide to sit next to her. Just make sure she's okay and possibly convince her to move over one of the patio tables so some drunk kid doesn't spill drinks on her.
I find out she recently broke up with her BF and had originally gone out with friends to drink the night away. But at some point, she had wandered away from her friends and ended up getting drunk at this bar. I'm doing my best to legitimately cheer her up and used my self-depricating humor to try and get her to laugh (yes, I know self-depricating humor isn't healthy. Its just my default setting. I'll save that issue for a future prison psychiatrist to fix).
Eventually, she tries to call her friends to pick her up, but she's got no cell signal. I use my phone to call her friends and they ask me to watch her. I do, and I even get her to smile a bit with some of my humor. They eventually pick her up and go home.
Later that night, I couldn't help but reflect that this night was a real test of my character. That I had saw someone who was crying for help, and I acted with kindness.
Again, sorry its not a spooky story. But its defintely a reminder that some people are having hard times during our favorite holiday.
When I was a college student, we had a small metropolitian area where all the college kids would hang out. And most college kids would wear a costume mostly because there was a Chipotle that offered a $2 Burrito if you wore a costume.
Anyways, I eventually make my way to the bar that served the cheapest drinks in town, and noticed this girl who was crying on the steps in the patio section. People were ignoring her and just walking past. I start to feel bad and decide to sit next to her. Just make sure she's okay and possibly convince her to move over one of the patio tables so some drunk kid doesn't spill drinks on her.
I find out she recently broke up with her BF and had originally gone out with friends to drink the night away. But at some point, she had wandered away from her friends and ended up getting drunk at this bar. I'm doing my best to legitimately cheer her up and used my self-depricating humor to try and get her to laugh (yes, I know self-depricating humor isn't healthy. Its just my default setting. I'll save that issue for a future prison psychiatrist to fix).
Eventually, she tries to call her friends to pick her up, but she's got no cell signal. I use my phone to call her friends and they ask me to watch her. I do, and I even get her to smile a bit with some of my humor. They eventually pick her up and go home.
Later that night, I couldn't help but reflect that this night was a real test of my character. That I had saw someone who was crying for help, and I acted with kindness.
Again, sorry its not a spooky story. But its defintely a reminder that some people are having hard times during our favorite holiday.
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4points
#11
We were a little old to be trick or treating in high school, but we still went. Three of us. We ended up on a street with no houses giving out candy, no other trick or treaters. All of a sudden, we hear a vehicle approach from behind. They slowed way down once they passed, and the driver turned the interior lights on and looked back at us menacingly. He was dressed as a clown with an axe in his head. We laughed it off, but I was super spooked and went home shortly after.
4points
#12
I remember trick n treating with my sister and her friend in San Antonio Texas. It was dark, and we decided to walk along this field near our neighborhood. It looked spooky already but at night it was worse. So we ding dongs, walk along the street. No house in sight, No cars ,wind blowing, full moon, perfect Halloween night. We are just laughing and of course talking about stupid stuff. All of a sudden, we heard some strange sounds coming from the field. Like twigs breaking. we pause and wait. Again crack, crack. I look at my sister and her friend, pale they turned. In just a second, we freaking ran home as fast as we could, and on top, both our parents were not home. We rushed through the door, slammed it shut and then turned on every single light until my mom came home. I was about 16, my sister 12. We still talk about that Halloween.
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4points
Some anxious individuals are fans of Halloween and horror, too. Mental health counselor, educator, and advocate Shainna Ali, Ph.D., LMHC, NCC, explains that Halloween offers a way to simulate fear while also helping you stay in control. In a way, fear becomes playful and normalized.
“On a typical day, people who live with anxiety disorders are artfully balancing their thoughts, aiming to discriminate the fine line between reflection and rumination. In a world that generally sends the message that it is unacceptable to have emotions, much less to explore your deepest fears, people who live with anxiety tend to be isolated with their often obsessive inner dialogue. Yet, on Halloween, all things eerie rise from the darkness and the experience of being frightened is normalized,” she writes in a post on Psychology Today.
#14
Not spooky, but genuine human fear.
The Halloween my mom was in the hospital, my dad flew back east because he didn't want to deal with her situation, and my sister was gone to England (the trip was planned months in advance so not exactly premeditated as a slight against my mom). I was home alone, was not well mentally, and just worried about my mom possibly passing away from her infection.
I left candy in a bowl outside the door (we never get trick or treaters out here but I figured it'd be a nice gesture just in case). Watched re-runs of Ghostly Encounters (probably not the best thing to watch at the time).
Thankfully mom pulled through, but that was probably my darkest Halloween from recent memory.
The Halloween my mom was in the hospital, my dad flew back east because he didn't want to deal with her situation, and my sister was gone to England (the trip was planned months in advance so not exactly premeditated as a slight against my mom). I was home alone, was not well mentally, and just worried about my mom possibly passing away from her infection.
I left candy in a bowl outside the door (we never get trick or treaters out here but I figured it'd be a nice gesture just in case). Watched re-runs of Ghostly Encounters (probably not the best thing to watch at the time).
Thankfully mom pulled through, but that was probably my darkest Halloween from recent memory.
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4points
#15
We closed on our house and moved in during the first of August. We had an initial Whirlwind of upgrades like siding and windows, chain link fence around the yard for the dog, painting the walls inside and changing light fixtures and whatnot. So Halloween Night comes and we're new to this community and want to make a good impression with the candy. We have a sort of trough that we filled heaped over with all the good stuff and let kids take handfuls. About $600 worth of candy.. halfway through trick or treating, a couple of women were walking down the sidewalk chatting. We couldn't tell if the children very near them were with them or just part of another crowd that was slightly separated, but the women paused at our front porch and said, "We really love what you've done with this place! We've been keeping up on it peeking through your windows!" The only Windows you could see into from outside are a window facing the alley where you would have to stand on something a couple feet high to see in, or open the gate to come up on the porch and walk around the side to look in.
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4points
Halloween also creates opportunities for connection, empowerment, and preparation.
For example, this holiday allows anxious people to control their exposure to fear. It’s up to you whether to engage with horror content or not, and to what extent.
#16
My best friend slept over that night after trick or treating, we were probably 11/12 years old. We usually fall asleep to a movie in our sleeping bags on the floor in the living room during our sleepovers. I remember waking up to a light in my face, maybe around 3 am. We had the blinds to the windows closed, but I could see what I assumed to be a flashlight light beaming through the cracks in the blinds. I just closed my eyes and put the sleeping bag covers over my head. The next day I told my friend but she didn’t believe me. Spooky!
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4points
#18
One year when I was in my late teens I put on my father’s old trench coat, hid in a bush. As older kids walked past I ran out after them. I’m 63 now and can’t do that anymore. Kids will come back and probably vandalize my house or car.
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4points
“People who live with anxiety get to experience a closed cycle of anticipation, approach, startle, and relief. The decision to spin through this may feel empowering, and that sense of accomplishment may also spill over into one’s perceived abilities to manage anxiety,” Ali explains.
Meanwhile, curiosity about horror content can make you more psychologically and emotionally resilient to real-life stress. Though, of course, real-life practice and exposure beat media and entertainment.
#19
Calling it a night. No Candy left to give out.One Halloween,we kept get door knocks at 3-4am! We turned front porch lights off and within 20 minutes we had knocks again.When I went to the door there was grown people dressed up and asking for treats...no lie.I told them to leave and ended up staying up until the sun come up.Creepy stuff man.
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4points
#20
When I say younger I was scared of one person, my bully, that we will call....Jessica. (not her real name) so I was going truck or treating. It was my first Halloween as something other than a princess. I was a black cat. My mom was a witch. Then we saw Jessica at tge door to a house. I stood there hoping she wouldn't see me. But she did. And she screamed. And was looking at my feet. I looked down and saw something black and furry. (Most likely a cat or small dog) I couldn't really make out what it was but I said thank you to it with my 4 year old brain. And I preyed to the gods for like a week thanking that Creature. Because Jessica stopped bullying me. I was proud for being a Scary preschooler in her eyes. .
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4points
