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October 15, 2019 1 min read Short horror stories to tell at night and scary tales for kids and adults to read online. Read about creepy ghosts, Japanese urban legends and classic tales of fear about crazy stalkers, deranged murderers and other terrifying monsters.
Dim the lights and gather 'round, because here we have the best of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. These are stories you might remember from your childhood, stories that left an indelible mark upon your young psyche as you read them by flashlight, underneath the covers. Packed to the brim with horror, one can hardly believe that these were written for children. Apparently, kids were made of hardier stock back then. Kids have long had to endure horrors as part of the growing-up process. The classic game of Bloody Mary is but one example. Even as infants, kids are subjected to some pretty horrific nursery rhymes. Telling urban legends is a sandlot pastime that goes back generations. Plus, in the modern age, there are talking dolls that amount to pure nightmare-fuel. Telling scary stories, though, will always have an important place in the world of childhood. Perhaps they prepare us for the real-world horrors of adult life. What makes these the scariest stories for kids? Well, the book's haunting illustrations by Stephen Gammell certainly play their part, so much so that a reprint had to replace them with more "child-friendly" fare.
Thanks to the power of the Internet, however, we can still enjoy the scariest children's stories as they were meant to be experienced: how we experienced them, recoiling in horror at the images shown in low light as we tried our best to scare the pee out of our best friends. Vote up the ones that left their mark in the dark recesses of your mind.
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