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With Spooktober finally here and Halloween right around the corner, it’s officially time to start carving pumpkins, work on your costume, and, of course, brush up on your storytelling skills – some would argue that there is no better time for scary stories than this.

If you’re more fearful of not having enough stories to tell, rather than the stories themselves, you’re in luck, as today we’re shedding light on quite a few of them. Scroll down to find some terrifying tales, as shared by the ‘Scary Stories’ Instagram account, on the list below and expand your selection of chilling accounts to scare your friends and family with this spooky season.

Below you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with a behavioral scientist at the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University in Denmark and in the Psychology Department at Arizona State University, Dr. Coltan Scrivner, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about why people like scary stories.

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Libstak
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's more intriguing than scary but you would have to play it with complete silence imo as your only other available sense is now hearing.

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Just a boring person
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Really, hope whoever comes up with this stupid idea get arrested and fired. That is invasion to priorities.

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Many people can’t wait for October to start. For them, few things feel better than a chilly fall breeze, a cup of cocoa or a pumpkin spice latte, and shades of yellow, brown, and red all around. But more than that, some people can’t wait for the spooky season’s activities, and it’s not hard to see why – whether it’s a visit to a pumpkin patch or a ghost hunt, we’re here for it. According to Statista, more than seven-in-ten people in the US are, too, as that’s how many are reportedly planning to take part in Halloween activities this year.

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Libstak
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is an opportunity for an underwater breathing apparatus that does not require you to carry an oxygen tank imo, hope someone figures out how to synthetically create that net.

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In October, an abundance of creative individuals start decorating their homes; and their family members, for that matter, putting them in all sorts of Halloween costumes. More of Statista’s data reveals that this year, US adults are planning to spend roughly $104 on Halloween-related items – a sum that was only higher last year (over the last two decades, at least).

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John Nelson
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm old enough to remember the TV ads reminding people of the danger and to remove the doors from any old refrigerators they were disposing of.

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Libstak
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2 weeks ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Alot of care shown there. Must be great respect or a whole lot of love by the people applying that.

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While some people love decorating their homes or working on their costumes the most, others get most excited about telling spooky stories; and there is arguably no better time to share them than Halloween.

But those who do not belong to the latter category might not understand why one would want to listen to a bunch of terrifying tales. Discussing what in the world draws people to such content, Dr. Coltan Scrivner told Bored Panda that people are naturally drawn to information about threats – it’s a phenomenon called morbid curiosity. “Terrifying content by its nature provides a wealth of information about threats,” he noted.

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Rachel Pelz
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The murders, a nazi terrorist group. The victims (except the last one, who was a policewoman) were all immirants, mostly from Turkey (one or two from Greece). They were shot in the middle of day in their self-owned shops. I am so truely ashamed to say that for YEARS, German police did not suspect rascist motivation, even when the families and immigrant communites got the message. Instead, police suspected the victims were part of organised d**g crimes and therefore assisinated by some mafia groups, and kept questioning the families about their dead father's criminal businesses. They killed a total of 10 people in 7 cities and only got caught after setting their camping van on fire. The two men died, the women survived and was convicted to life sentence. It is likely that not all supporters/criminals have been detected.

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My!
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kathy Bates is really good at portraying characters that are just off. I expect in real life, she's a very nice person.

Karma Black
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've seen many fans online who described running into her. They all said she is an absolute gem of a person.

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Yort
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LaLaurie was so awful that in pre civil war south, an angry mob went after her for treating her slaves so horrifically. Just imagine how awful you have to be for southerners in the 1830s to think you're treating your slaves unreasonably.

RagDollLali
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She managed to flee to France and live out the rest of her days peacefully without ever facing punishment for the sick things she did

HangryHangryHippo
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kathy Bates is a great actress, and is amazing to see her portraying the different roles of each AHS season.

Dee Tag
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't research her. Trust me. You'll never sleep. Again!

Rizzo
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2 weeks ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Isn't this the House Nick Cage bought some time ago?

Kelly Hartle
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've read about her. They found many of the slaves in her basement, some under the floorboards.

Stephanie de Blaauw
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On the show 'Portals to hell' with Jack Osbourne, they got to go inside the LaLaurie house. It's a ghost show but it was so cool to see the inside of this place

Jason Romine
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Aside from MAYBE the first season, American Horror Story is hot garbage. Yes. All of it.

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“Enjoying the feeling of fear is related to one's level of sensation-seeking, which is their predisposition to experience extreme sensations,” the expert continued. “However, many people enjoy fearful situations not just for the feeling of fear, but also for the learning experience that happens when you safely experience fear. Safely experiencing fearful situations allows one to learn about their own reactions to fear and how to better control those reactions.”

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Savahax
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2 weeks ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But now he runs a Chinese restaurant called City Wok. That's his "main" personality.

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glowworm2
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2 weeks ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If your mirror has a monster in it do not shout. This kind of situation does not call for freaking out. And do nothing that you would not like to see him do. Cause that monster in the mirror, he just might be you!

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Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
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2 weeks ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He used to babysit the neighbours kids. Also may have had an accomplice. To dig up a grave in the middle of winter in one just one night would be near impossible with the frozen ground. Especially on your own.

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In an interview with Bored Panda, Dr. Scrivner noted that the extent to which a person finds scary stories interesting depends on the degree of morbid curiosity that they have. And judging by the fact that the ‘Scary Stories’ Instagram account alone has close to 75k followers, it’s safe to assume that many people are plenty curious.

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Beak Hookage
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just call it "the hot hole challenge" or something equally stupid and people will be falling all over themselves to do it for internet clout.

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Dzessa Golden
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kid’s first name was Tyler. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tyler-hadley-who-killed-his-parents-at-17-then-threw-party-sentenced-to-life/

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If you’re wondering who are the most morbidly curious people out there, we took a closer look at that, too, and found that Mexico is the place where horror seems to rule the most; when it comes to people’s screens, at least. According to Statista’s data, close to six-in-ten people there watch or stream horror movies, TV series, or videos. Second on the list is Spain, followed by the US, South Africa, Germany, and Poland respectively.

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If you’re a big fan of horror stories and similar horrifying content yourself, you’re in luck as we have quite a few spine-chilling topics covered here at Bored Panda. After reading through this list, continue to one featuring stories that wouldn’t be as scary if they weren’t 100% real or browse one of our previous editions on spooky stories.

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Weasel Wise
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I get to deal with sleep paralysis as a symptom of my ptsd. It super sucks being trapped in a nightmare, unable to move, while hearing and feeling my husband trying to wake me. It's terrifying.

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SkyBlueandBlack
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Which is why it's believed that syphilis is a New World disease. The conquistadors brought smallpox and measles, and returned with syphilis.

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Tempest
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like those £2000 per month apartment units that get advertised now.

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Beak Hookage
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I read a book about her and the whole thing was just appalling from beginning to end. The kid was being subjected to horrendous abuse at home. Then she murdered those two little boys and afterwards smilingly asked one of the bereaved mothers if she could please see the victim in his coffin. She was also aided by another young girl who seems to have been drawn in by her and who after their arrest acted like you'd expect a child that age to act, crying and terrified. Mary, on the other hand, was eerily calm and told all sorts of elaborate lies to try and get herself off the hook. She was eventually set free as an adult and even had a child of her own.

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Bec
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No. They were more concerned about overdosing little babies than managing their pain.

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My!
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The guillotine was meant to be merciful. Before its invention, people were beheaded by axes that weren't always the sharpest. Sometimes it would take several minutes of hacking by the executioner. With the guillotine, one slice and you're done.

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Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Sawney Bean stories are probably made up. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawney_Bean#Sources_and_veracity

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Nikole
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pretty good movie. Make sure to watch it in Spanish with subtitles (if needed).

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roddy
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Statistics like this rarely mean anything. I'm reminded of a news report stating that prisoners with surnames beginning with M were more likely to reoffend. Guess where the survey was taken? Scotland.

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Hugh Crawford
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So the film she used up during the day, some how got an extra photo on them, taken at night, after it was taken out of the camera...? Maybe update this scary story with a digital camera. Would make more sense

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Geoffrey Scott
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If it has never happened before or since, ok. My daughter used to sleepwalk when she was younger. She and her husband were staying over once, she crawled into bed with me(wife sleeps in other room), she still sleepwalks apparently, at 36. Had no recollection.

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Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ouija boards are toys, they were first used in hospitals, given to catatonic patients hoping they could communicate.

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G A
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you try and retell a well known story, at least get the basic facts straight.

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Sunsfever83
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So you take a 3 year old outside and leave them? And because you didn't see anyone trying to take him, all is good?

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Note: this post originally had 57 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.