When the jack-o-lanterns glow and shadows grow long, it’s time for some seriously spooky and Halloween Scary Stories.
While little ones may prefer gentle scares, brave older kids and adults are ready for Horror stories that make spines tingle.
This Halloween, dim the lights and get ready for hair-raising short scary Halloween stories to read aloud for the guaranteed thrill.
With chilling plots, creepy creatures, and startling twists, these scary stories for Halloween are ideal for late-night reading by flashlight.
Follow along for recommendations of the best bone-chilling, nightmare-inducing stories to read alone or with fellow scare-seekers.
Just be warned—these terrifying spooky tales are not for the faint of heart. So steel your nerves and dive into the darkness with some scream-worthy scary stories if you dare!
Table of Contents
Scary Halloween Stories
The Undead Spirit
As the full moon rose high in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the abandoned graveyard, a chill ran down her spine.
Evie had always been fascinated by the supernatural, but tonight, in the midst of Halloween, her fascination took a sinister turn.
She had always thought that the stories of restless spirits were just that – stories.
But as she stood at the entrance of the graveyard, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was being watched.
“Are you sure you want to go in there, Evie?” Her best friend, Sarah, asked with a tremor in her voice.
“We have to, Sarah. It’s Halloween. Where’s your sense of adventure?” Evie replied with a nervous laugh.
Together, they walked into the graveyard, the crunching of leaves under their feet the only sound in the silent night. The gravestones loomed over them like guardians of the dead, their names and dates barely legible.
Evie’s heart raced as they passed by a particularly old and weathered grave. Sarah grabbed onto her arm, her fingers digging into her skin.
“Did you feel that?” Sarah whispered.
Evie nodded, her eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of movement. But there was nothing. Just the stillness of the night.
“Let’s go back, Evie. This place gives me the creeps,” Sarah pleaded.
But Evie was determined to make it to the center of the graveyard. She had heard rumors of a mysterious mausoleum that stood at its heart. Some said it was a resting place for the undead, others claimed it was used for sinister satanic rituals.
As they drew closer to the mausoleum, a strange sense of foreboding washed over them. The air around them felt oppressive, like a heavy weight pressing down on their chests.
“Evie, I don’t like this. We shouldn’t be here,” Sarah said, her voice trembling.
But before Evie could respond, they heard a low moaning sound coming from inside the mausoleum. They froze, their eyes wide with fear.
“Is that…is that a ghost?” Sarah asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Evie didn’t have an answer. But as they stood there, the sound grew louder and more desperate, as if pleading for help.
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Without warning, the heavy doors of the mausoleum creaked open, revealing a dark path leading into the depths of the structure.
“Let’s go, Evie. We have to get out of here!” Sarah urged, tugging on Evie’s arm.
But Evie was drawn to the open doors, her curiosity getting the better of her. She stepped forward, cautiously making her way inside, with Sarah following close behind.
The interior of the mausoleum was freezing, sending shivers down their spines. But what chilled them to the bone was the sight that greeted them as they entered the main chamber.
In the center of the room was a circle of candles, their flickering flames casting an eerie glow. In the center of the circle, a figure was lying on the ground, their body twisted in an unnatural pose.
“What is this place…” Sarah whispered, her voice trembling.
But before Evie could respond, the figure on the ground started to move, their limbs writhing as if in pain.
“Who’s there?” Evie called out, her voice quivering.
But there was no answer. The figure continued to twist and turn, their movements becoming more frantic and disturbing.
Suddenly, the candles went out, plunging the room into darkness. A bone-chilling laughter echoed through the room, sending shivers down their spines.
As the candles relit, the figure had disappeared from the center of the room. In its place, a voice whispered in their ears, “Welcome, my guests. I’ve been expecting you.”
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The girls turned to run, but they were stopped in their tracks by a tall, shadowy figure blocking their path.
“What do you want from us?” Sarah cried out, her voice trembling.
“I want you to join us, in our eternal sleep,” the figure replied in a chilling tone.
Evie and Sarah knew they had to escape, but their legs wouldn’t move.
“You won’t leave this place alive,” the figure hissed, as its eyes glowed with an otherworldly light.
As the figure loomed closer, Evie noticed he was a Ghost and he was none other than her Ex-Boyfriend. Evie’s mind raced. How had she ended up in this mausoleum? She remembered the mysterious incident that had taken his life.
But Sarah doesn’t know that “I won’t let you take her!” Sarah yelled, bravely stepping in front of Evie.
But the figure just laughed and with a wave of its hand, Sarah was thrown across the room, her body crashing into a wall.
“Sarah!” Evie screamed, reaching out for her friend.
But it was too late. Sarah’s body slumped to the ground, lifeless.
“You see, my dear Evie, I have been watching you for a long time. I know your every thought and desire. And I know that you long to be reunited with your dear friend,” the figure said, with a sinister smile.
“You…you’re the one who has been leading me here every Halloween, aren’t you?” Evie asked, trembling with fear and realization.
“Yes, and now, it is time for you to join your friend in eternal slumber,” the figure replied, as it lunged towards Evie.
But as its fingers coiled around her neck, a bright light filled the room, blinding the figure. Evie screamed as she felt the darkness closing in around her, ready to take her away.
But suddenly, she woke up. She was back in her own bed, drenched in sweat and trembling with fear. She looked around her room, everything was normal. Had it all been just a nightmare?
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But as she got out of bed, she noticed something strange. Her feet were covered in dirt and there were leaves in her hair. Rushing to the mirror, she saw that her dress was torn and dirty.
“What happened? Did I sleepwalk? But how did I get so dirty?” Evie muttered to herself, trying to make sense of the situation.
But then she remembered Sarah. She had to make sure her friend was okay. She grabbed her car keys and drove to Sarah’s house, her mind racing with fear and guilt.
As she entered Sarah’s room, she found her friend lying on her bed, her eyes wide open in a permanent state of terror.
“No…no…this can’t be happening. What have I done?” Evie cried out, collapsing to the ground in despair.
But as she sat there, she heard a faint whisper in her ear. “Now you can join her in death, my dear. Your sacrifice has brought her to me.”
And then Evie realized the truth. She was the undead spirit haunting her friends every Halloween. And she had inadvertently sacrificed her own friend to appease the malevolent entity that had taken control of her.
From that day on, every Halloween, Evie would be compelled to lure another friend to the graveyard, to join her in her eternal sleep. The mausoleum had become her prison, and the figure her master.
And as the years went by, the graveyard became a place of dread and terror, as the spirits of Evie and her friends roamed the grounds, searching for new victims to join their restless souls.
The End.
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Halloween Scary Stories
The Revenge of the Possessed Doll
Katie was a young girl who lived with her parents in an old house. One day, Katie found a strange doll in the attic. The doll had a pale face and black button eyes. Katie took the doll to her room. She named it Mary.
Katie played with Mary every day. But soon Katie made new friends at school. She stopped playing with Mary. The doll sat on a shelf, all alone.
One night, Katie tucked herself into bed. Suddenly, she heard tiny footsteps. Tap, tap, tap. Katie sat up and gasped. Mary was walking towards her!
“Play with me, Katie,” the doll said in a creepy voice. “I’m so lonely.”
Katie was terrified. She hid under her blanket. But Mary crawled onto the bed.
“Please play with me, Katie,” Mary begged. “I just want a friend.”
“Leave me alone!” Katie yelled.
Mary’s button eyes turned angry. “You abandoned me, Katie,” she said coldly. “Now you’ll pay.”
Mary grabbed Katie with her plastic hands. Katie tried to break free, but Mary’s grip was too tight. The doll dragged Katie out of bed.
“Let me go!” Katie screamed. But Mary pulled Katie down the hall into the dark attic.
There Katie saw more dolls lined up on the shelves. Their heads turned to stare at Katie with gleaming eyes.
“New friend,” they whispered. “Play with us.”
The dolls surrounded Katie, clawing at her clothes and hair. Katie cried and begged them to stop.
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Suddenly, Mary shouted, “Enough!” The dolls stepped back. Mary’s black eyes bore into Katie’s.
“You neglected me, Katie,” Mary said. “So now you’ll stay here and be our toy forever.”
Katie shook her head, trembling. “Please, Mary. I’m sorry I stopped playing with you. I’ll play with you every day from now on.”
Mary tilted her plastic head. “Do you promise?”
“I promise!” Katie said. “Just let me go.”
“Very well,” said Mary. “I’ll give you one more chance. But if you break your promise, I’ll come for you.”
The dolls parted. Katie raced out of the attic and back to her room. She dove into bed and pulled the covers tight. From the hallway she heard Mary’s voice echo.
“Remember your promise, Katie.” Tap, tap, tap went the little footsteps, fading away.
The next day, Katie played with Mary again. She had tea parties and fashion shows. But Katie missed her new friends.
One sunny afternoon, Katie’s friend Lisa came over. “Let’s go to the park,” Lisa said.
Katie glanced at Mary on the shelf. Then she turned back to Lisa and smiled. “Sure, let’s go.”
The girls ran outside, leaving Mary behind.
At the park, Katie swung high on the swings. She went down the slide again and again with Lisa. She forgot all about Mary.
But as the sun went down, Katie felt a chill. She looked around and gasped. There was Mary, standing under a tree, watching her.
Katie shivered. She knew she had broken her promise.
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“I wanna go home now,” Katie said quickly to Lisa. She said goodbye and ran home.
Katie raced to her room and jumped into bed. She tucked the covers tightly around herself. Had Mary followed her home?
Outside, the wind howled. The tree branches tapped against Katie’s window. Tap, tap, tap.
Katie squeezed her eyes shut. “Go away, Mary!” she yelled. “Leave me alone.”
The window slowly creaked open. Katie screamed as Mary climbed into the room, eyes glowing red.
“You broke your promise,” Mary hissed. “Now you must pay.”
Katie leapt out of bed. She tried to run to the door, but Mary grabbed her arm. The doll’s hand felt like a cold vice.
“Please, I’m so sorry!” Katie begged. “I’ll never break a promise again.”
“It’s too late,” said Mary. She started dragging Katie toward the open window.
Katie fought with all her might. She managed to wrench her arm free from Mary’s grasp. Katie grabbed the doll and flung her into the closet. Then she slammed the door shut.
Mary screamed and banged on the door. But Katie pushed a chair in front of the closet so it couldn’t open.
“I’m never letting you out!” Katie yelled. Then she ran from her room.
Katie told her parents everything. Her dad boarded up the closet so Mary could not escape.
“You’re safe now,” said Mom. But Katie still had nightmares about Mary.
One night, a year later, Katie woke up to creaking noises. She turned on her light and rubbed her eyes. Then she saw the chair move away from the closet. The door slowly swung open.
Two red eyes peered out from the darkness. A small voice whispered, “I’m free, Katie. Now I’m coming for you.”
Katie sat frozen in fear as Mary crept toward her…
The End.
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Scary stories for Halloween
The Dead Body
It was a dark and eerie night, the kind that sent shivers down your spine. The streets were deserted, and the moon was hidden behind thick, black clouds. The wind howled, and the trees rustled as if whispering secrets to one another.
A group of friends, Alex, Sarah, Jack, and Emily, were walking home from a Halloween party. They were dressed in spooky costumes, laughing and joking, not a care in the world. Little did they know, their night was about to take a terrifying turn.
As they walked down a deserted alley, they stumbled upon a dead body lying in a pool of blood. The sight was enough to send chills down their spines. “What the hell is that?” Sarah whispered, her voice trembling.
Jack stepped forward, his curiosity getting the better of him. “I don’t know, but we should call the police,” he said, pulling out his phone.
But before he could dial the number, they heard a faint moan coming from the body. They froze, unsure of what to do. “Is he still alive?” Emily asked, her voice shaking.
They cautiously approached the body, and to their horror, the man’s eyes suddenly snapped open. His skin was pale and clammy, his lips a sickly shade of blue. “Help me,” he croaked, his eyes pleading.
Alex took a step back, his heart racing. “What happened to you?” he asked, his voice trembling.
The man’s eyes darted around, as if looking for something. “They’re coming,” he whispered, fear evident in his voice.
Suddenly, the group heard a loud noise coming from the end of the alley. They turned to see a group of hooded figures, slowly making their way towards them. Their faces were hidden in the shadows, but their presence alone was enough to send shivers down their spines.
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“Who are they?” Sarah asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Before anyone could answer, the hooded figures were upon them. They grabbed the group, their grip like a vice, and dragged them towards a nearby abandoned warehouse.
The group struggled and screamed, but it was no use. They were overpowered by the mysterious figures.
Once inside the warehouse, they were thrown into a dark room, their hands bound and mouths gagged. The hooded figures stood in a circle around them, their faces still hidden. “What do you want from us?” Jack yelled, trying to break free from his restraints.
One of the figures stepped forward, and to the group’s horror, they saw that it was the man they found in the alley. “You shouldn’t have come here,” he said, his voice raspy.
“What are you talking about?” Emily asked, her voice trembling.
The man’s eyes widened in fear, and he pointed to a corner of the room. The group followed his gaze and saw a pile of dead bodies, their faces twisted in terror.
“We were just walking home from a party,” Alex said, trying to reason with the man.
But the man’s expression remained grim. “This is no ordinary party. It’s a ritual. A ritual to summon the dead,” he said, his voice filled with fear.
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The group’s eyes widened in horror, as they realized the gravity of the situation. They were trapped in a room with a group of cultists, performing a ritual to summon the dead. And they were the next sacrifices.
As the cultists continued their ritual, the group desperately tried to break free from their restraints. But their efforts were in vain, and soon they were surrounded by a horde of undead creatures.
The cultists chanted in a language unknown to the group, their voices growing louder and more frenzied. The dead bodies on the floor started to twitch and move, their eyes slowly opening.
The group screamed in terror as the dead bodies rose from the ground, their decaying flesh and empty eyes fixated on them. They could feel their hearts pounding in their chests, their breaths coming in short gasps.
The cultists surrounded the group, their faces twisted in a maniacal grin. “Welcome to our world,” they chanted, their voices echoing in the dark room.
The group could feel the cold breath of the undead creatures on their skin, the stench of death filling their nostrils. They closed their eyes, hoping it was all just a nightmare.
But when they opened their eyes, they were still trapped in the horror that surrounded them. The cultists continued their ritual, their chants growing louder and more frenzied.
Suddenly, one of the undead creatures lunged at Emily, its rotting hands reaching for her throat. She screamed and closed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable.
But to her surprise, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, pulling her away from the creature. She opened her eyes and saw the man they found in the alley, fighting off the undead with a fierce determination.
“Run!” he yelled, his voice filled with urgency.
The group didn’t need to be told twice. They broke free from their restraints and ran towards the exit, with the man leading the way. But the cultists were hot on their heels, their chants growing louder and more aggressive.
As they ran through the dark and eerie corridors of the warehouse, they could hear the sounds of the undead creatures getting closer. The man led them to a secret door, hidden behind a bookshelf.
“Hurry, go through here,” he said, pushing the group through the door.
They found themselves in a small room, filled with ancient artifacts and strange symbols. The man closed the door behind them and started to chant in a language unknown to the group.
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The cultists banged on the door, their voices growing more and more desperate.
But the man’s chanting seemed to have a calming effect on the undead creatures, who stopped their attack and slowly retreated back to the room where the ritual was taking place.
“What’s going on?” Sarah asked, her voice trembling.
The man turned to face them, his eyes filled with sadness. “This is a cursed place, and the cultists are trying to use the power of the dead to unleash chaos upon the world,” he explained.
The group looked at each other in disbelief, trying to process everything that had happened. “What can we do?” Jack asked, his voice filled with fear.
The man looked around the room, his eyes falling on a book lying on a table. “We need to find a way to stop the ritual. I think this book holds the key,” he said, picking up the book.
The group huddled around the man as he flipped through the pages, searching for a way to stop the ritual. Suddenly, they heard a loud explosion coming from the other room, followed by screams and shouts.
“They’ve started the ritual,” the man said, his voice filled with urgency. “We have to act fast.”
He found a page with a ritual to banish the undead, and the group quickly followed the instructions. As they chanted, the symbols on the walls started to glow, and the undead creatures slowly disappeared.
The cultists screamed in frustration, their chants turning into cries of defeat. The group sighed in relief as they realized they had stopped the ritual and saved themselves from becoming sacrifices.
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The man smiled at them, his eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you for your help. I’ve been trapped in this cursed place for years, and I couldn’t have done it without you,” he said.
The group smiled back, feeling proud of themselves for defeating the evil that lurked in the abandoned warehouse. They walked out of the secret room and found themselves back in the alley, under the moonlit sky.
The man disappeared into the night, leaving the group to wonder if it was all just a dream. But the memory of that terrifying night would stay with them forever, a reminder that sometimes, the scariest things are not just figments of our imagination.
As the group made their way back home, they couldn’t shake off the feeling of being watched. They constantly looked over their shoulders, expecting to see the cultists or the undead creatures following them.
But when they finally reached their homes and locked their doors, they thought they were safe. That is until they heard a knock on their windows.
They cautiously approached the windows and saw the man they had met in the alley, his eyes now dark and filled with malice.
“You thought you could defeat us?” he hissed, his voice sending shivers down their spines. “You may have stopped the ritual, but you have unleashed something far more sinister.”
The group gasped in horror as they realized that the man was not just a victim, but a member of the cult, using them to stop their rivals from unleashing their own evil plans.
With a wicked grin, the man disappeared into the darkness, leaving the group to realize that they had unknowingly become a part of a bigger and more dangerous game.
From that day on, the group lived in constant fear, never knowing when the cult would come after them for revenge.
As they lay in bed at night, they could still hear the faint chanting of the cultists, a reminder that the dead body they had encountered was just a small part of a much larger and more terrifying world.
The End.