What are your favorite creepy things to read or watch?
You have come to the right place, anon, for weird and creepy things…
Stephen King short stories. Not his novels. His novels are like he got paid by the word. His short stories, or even his novellas, are amazing.
Check out The Boogeyman, Secret Window Secret Garden, and Carrie if unfamiliar with his work.
Additionally, though it differs greatly from the book, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is an excellent film. Perhaps it just creeps me out because I saw it as a kid but even to this day, those twins in the hallway give me the heebie jeebies.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Honestly, this is just because I love scary folk stories, which most of these are taken from. I also grew up with this book series. If you can, get one with the original illustrations. The stories by themselves aren’t all that scary but with the illustrations they are given a whole new level of creep. I mean, thanks to that book I’m still kind of afraid of elevators.
While we’re on it, reading about Japanese and Korean legends can be terrifying as well. Just thinking about the Slit Mouth Woman makes me want to never walk outside at night again, even to get my laundry. Folk stories from all kinds of different cultures are not only educational, they are often good for when you’re looking for creepy stuff.
Creepypastas, but be selective.
Not every creepypasta is a gem. Honestly, many are very predictable. Some that I recommend that are well done, however, include: 1999, The Red Eyes, No End House (check out this narration featuring Rob Dyke), The Russian Sleep Experiment, and of course there’s the classic Slenderman.
Matthew Santoro has some recommendations here, and here he has some more recommendations. I don’t agree with all the recommendations but some are quite good, and others are quite stupidly funny.
I couldn’t find a link directly to it, but one story that gave me straight up nightmares was George R.R. Martin’s The Pear Shaped Man. Same author who’s famous for Game of Thrones really knows how to deliver some sugar frosted nightmares.
While we’re on the topic of the unexpected, did you know King used to write fantasy? Yeah. Weird right?
Creepy stories are best told at night.
The Dionaea House is chilling. I highly recommend this one.
A lot of Neil Gaiman’s work is quite creepy. If you can get a hold of it, I recommend the series of graphic novels known as Sandman. Note: Not for kids, MUCH mature/adult content.
Also, he wrote Coraline and The Graveyard Book. Both kids books that aren’t just for kids.
Clive Barker doesn’t get praised for it very much but he’s a horror master. In fact, when I was reading Weaveworld there was a scene that was so graphic I had to stop reading it altogether. Warning, though, there is rape in this one, in addition to birth, molestation, and just… it’s definitely not for kids in any shape or form. But if you like it, also check out Imajica.
Also, a kid’s book by him that’s truly creepy is The Thief of Always. And he illustrated it so bonus!
Annie96 is typing is a modern classic.
Feed the Pig is narrated here and I think it’s amazing. Mentions of suicide and other graphic content warning.
The Strangers, another good nosleep story.
In fact, just check out Nosleep’s podcast. Full of awesome creepy content.
To watch: Youtube / Vimeo
I love Seriously Strange by Rob Dyke. In addition to being creepy, you also learn a lot.
He’s also got a series about serial killers.
Speaking of learning, the Youtube channel Ask a Mortician is quite educational, though it will squash some myths you might like to believe in.
The creator of this channel also wrote a book titled The Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Lessons from the Crematorium. I have yet to read it but it’s on my list.
No Through Road, an excellent short film. Warning blood.
FNAF Sister Location Trailer. I actually think the trailer was a lot scarier than the game. Very well done, even if you aren’t into the games (I have no room to talk, I’m reading the second book right now) you can respect the artistry.
Playing with the Devil, based on a real Japanese ritual which I will NEVER partake in.
Self Assembly. Which I would like to put warnings on, but they’d be spoilers. This literally kept me up the other night.
The Horton Mine. Not a scary film but someone’s real experience going into a probably haunted mine.
The Cat Piano. Also one of the most beautiful pieces of animation I’ve seen online.
Vincent, a short film by Tim Burton.
I couldn’t find it on Youtube, but Tim Burton also released a live action short film called Frankenweenie, which inspired his recent animated film by the same name.
The Smiling Man. Try walking home in the dark after this.
Also, Imgur is full of lists of good creepy films.
To watch: Netflix/ Amazon
Note: Many films listed have mature, possibly triggering themes, please look up triggers and protect yourself!
I can’t rave about this movie enough, for real
Books is good too, but much less on the creepy side
The first episode of The Walking Dead
Sean of the Dead (more funny than scary)
While we’re on it, read Fight Club, not because it’s creepy but because it’s great literature
And because you’ll need a laugh after all this, Young Frankenstein.
I hope this helps you on your quest for creepy!
PS- check out @unsettlingstories and @decomprosed here on Tumblr too!
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