Buzz
Creepypastas, also known as online urban legends, are designed to instill a sense of unease in readers, making them question their safety at home. These tales aim to convince readers that every faint sound, shadowy corridor, or eerie sensation might signal an intruder or invader lurking nearby.
Some stories take a realistic approach, focusing on human threats, while others exploit irrational fears by introducing supernatural entities with sinister intentions.
10. ‘Lightning’
Al Apanamo, a renowned writer of internet horror tales, continues to captivate audiences, but this story stands as his most famous work. It recounts a father’s account of events that unfolded during a fierce thunderstorm, the first his young son had ever witnessed. Later, on a calm night, the child insists he still sees lightning flashing through the window. The father brushes it off, assuming the storm has sparked his son’s imagination.
Two additional revelations come to light. The father discovers that a child predator, who had been photographing children, was arrested. However, the more disturbing detail is what his son shared: he once saw “lightning” emanating from the closet. Since the father had previously dismissed the camera flash, the thought of what he might have overlooked haunts him. The story concludes with him reflecting on the photos now in police custody.
To explore more of Apanamo’s chilling tales, visit his story collection.
9. ‘Laughing Jack’
Laughing Jack, an infamous figure in the creepypasta world, rivals the popularity of Jeff the Killer and Slenderman. Similar to Slenderman, this character was allegedly the inspiration behind a preteen girl’s attempt to commit murder.
In this instance, a 12-year-old girl from Elkhart, Indiana, stabbed her stepmother to death and subsequently set her family’s apartment ablaze. The girl was deemed unfit to stand trial.
The story opens with a father learning that his son, James, has an imaginary companion named Laughing Jack, a clown with a large, spiraled cone nose. One night, the father has a terrifying dream where he hears the tune “Pop! Goes the Weasel” and wakes to discover action figures arranged in his room. James denies placing them there and heads outside to play. Later, the father notices his son has received hard candy from someone, and James insists it was a gift from Laughing Jack.
That evening, despite all doors and windows being securely locked, an intruder breaks in, kills their dog, and fills its body with candy. The following night, the father places a baby monitor in his son’s room before falling asleep himself.
Through the monitor, the father hears a chilling laugh and rushes to his son’s bedroom. There, he encounters a gruesome scene: James has been nailed to the wall, gutted, and had his eyes and tongue removed. Despite his condition, James lets out a faint moan. Laughing Jack appears, mocking the father with his laughter.
Overcome with rage, the father grabs a knife he kept for protection and lunges at Laughing Jack. Just as he is about to strike, Jack vanishes, and the father accidentally plunges the knife into his son’s heart. This tragic mistake leads to the father being convicted of his son’s murder.
Alone in his prison cell at night, the father hears the eerie melody of “Pop! Goes the Weasel” drifting through the window.
8. ‘Why I Didn’t Shower For 21 Years’
Many readers have remarked that the idea of someone’s odor after avoiding showers for 21 years could be horrifying in itself. However, despite its title, Patrick Chance’s story was so chilling that it became a standout on Reddit’s Nosleep subforum, the same platform that brought us Dathan Auerbach’s bestseller ‘Penpal.’
In “Why I Didn’t Shower for 21 Years,” a man named August recounts his unsettling experience with an elderly woman who moved into the house across the street when he was 12. She would stare at him intently from her window, even peering into his own. Though frail and mostly confined to a wheelchair, her constant gaze left him deeply disturbed.
One day, while August was showering, something terrifying occurred. The bathroom door creaked open, and he noticed long, skeletal fingers gripping the shower curtain. Behind him stood the frail woman from across the street, muttering his name. Panicked, he bolted from the bathroom and immediately called the police.
Two decades later, while browsing the internet, August stumbled upon a photo of the elderly woman and her husband, also named August, from their younger days. He realized he bore a striking resemblance to her husband as a young man. It dawned on him that she might have mistaken him for her husband, whom she likely met when he was 12 or younger. What truly unsettled him, however, was how much his own wife resembled the intruder in her youth.
7. ‘I’m A 911 Operator’
One of the most effective ways to unsettle online audiences is by depicting a menacing figure with a smile. Grant Pierto’s story amplifies this eeriness by combining the threat with bizarre, almost childish behavior. The narrative’s authenticity is heightened by its format, resembling a 911 call transcript, and the accompanying audio mimics an actual emergency recording.
A man calls 911 to report a strange individual standing motionless outside his home, peering inside with a wide, unsettling grin. The intruder is also performing a handstand in the snow. The caller describes the man’s unnaturally large teeth and colorless eyes, adding to the horror.
The dispatcher instructs the caller to ensure all doors are locked. As the caller cautiously moves toward the back door, he keeps his gaze fixed on the intruder. However, the moment he glances away, the trespasser suddenly appears pressed against the window, frozen in place. The dispatcher advises the caller to find a secure room, but fear paralyzes him. When asked if he’s alone, the caller confirms he is.
The intruder, seemingly able to hear the conversation, assures the caller that he’s not alone. The call abruptly ends, leaving the situation unresolved.
6. ‘I Told You To Smile’
Sadly, Robert Cherry appears to have only written this single, outstanding horror story for the internet. The narrative begins with a man hearing a knock at his door at 2:04 AM on January 2. Later that night, he hears his front door slam and notices the word “Smile” etched into the frost on his window. When he grabs his phone to call 911, he finds the message “I told you to smile” typed on the screen.
Terrified, he flees his home and spends the night with his neighbors. A brief police investigation finds no signs of forced entry, and the incident is dismissed as a nightmare.
Eventually, the man returns home but remains uneasy. He sets up a camera to monitor his room. Reviewing the footage the next day, he sees a gaunt, gray figure emerge from under his bed. The intruder approaches the camera, flashes a wide grin as if obeying the command to smile, stares at the sleeping man, and then crawls back under the bed—remaining there even as the man watches the recording nearby.
This story serves as a darker twist on the tale of Tatsuko Horikawa.
5. ‘She Found Her Way Into My Home’
William Dalphin begins this chilling tale by recounting how he was carrying laundry when he noticed a woman standing in his yard, her back turned to him, her light dress swaying in the breeze. Initially dismissing it, he sees her again at night and attempts to communicate, but she remains unresponsive. Later, as he lies in bed, an inexplicable urge compels him to glance out the window. Through the blinds, he sees her staring directly at him.
The next evening, while putting his daughter to bed, she whispers, “Daddy, there’s someone in the closet.” He spots the woman inside, motionless, even as he carries his daughter to safety. His wife dismisses his claims, attributing them to his history of playing pranks.
The following night, his daughter calls out again, saying the woman has returned. Overcome with fear, he hesitates to help her, weakly insisting the woman isn’t real. Eventually, his daughter falls silent.
Two nights later, he sees the woman gazing at him from his daughter’s bedroom doorway. Paralyzed with terror, he stares back, convinced his death is imminent. Their locked gaze lasts until his consciousness flickers, and she vanishes. From then on, he begins to see her everywhere—in his home, at work, even in his car.
Unlike most tales of this genre, William Dalphin includes photos of the locations he describes. Though ordinary, these images become unexpectedly unsettling when paired with the narrative.
4. ‘Annie96 Is Typing’
Two students, Annie and David, are chatting on Snapchat when Annie notices someone resembling David in her yard. The intruder breaks in, forcing Annie to hide in her closet, where she continues messaging David. Suddenly, she claims it’s safe and asks David to come over to comfort her.
After a pause, David responds, “Annie, how do I know this is you?” The story concludes with its enigmatic title.
3. ‘A Story To Scare My Son’
A common yet often unnecessary feature in horror stories is the use of a framing device. While it typically distances the audience from the horror, diluting the sense of immediate danger, R.D. Ovenfriend employs this technique to introduce an element of uncertainty, making his tale far more unsettling.
A single father attempts to share a cautionary tale with his son, William, who is engrossed in playing Minecraft. The boy insists on a genuinely frightening story, not just a trivial bedtime narrative. Rising to the occasion, the father recounts the story of a Minecraft player named Colby, who gifts valuable diamonds to another user, Helper23, and later shares his home address to receive a gift in return.
One night, Colby lies in bed, plagued by guilt over sharing his address, when he hears footsteps approaching his room. His father’s head appears, speaking in an odd tone, followed by his mother’s. Finally, the man to whom he gave his address enters, holding the severed heads of Colby’s parents. The intruder then begins his gruesome work on Colby, leaving him “almost dead after several hours.”
Helper23 is distracted by the sound of a crying baby and abandons Colby to investigate. Having never harmed a baby before, he is unexpectedly moved when the infant stops crying in his arms. Deciding to spare the child, he takes the baby, named William, to raise as his own. The story concludes with the realization that the William listening to this tale might be the same child.
2. ‘Check’
This creepypasta from Reddit stands out as the shortest story on this list, with a straightforward structure. A man recounts his nightly ritual of paranoia: meticulously securing all exits, activating the security system, and inspecting his closet with a flashlight to ensure nothing is hiding inside.
Of course, the closet only contains clothes, and there’s never anything unusual—nor should there be. Yet, every night, the closet door creaks open, the floorboards groan, and he feels the breath of something sinister on his neck.
Since publishing this story, author Kelsey Donald has successfully funded a Kickstarter campaign for her book titled Doors. However, more than two years after the project’s funding, she was still working on it. If the book captures the same eerie atmosphere as this short story, it will undoubtedly be worth the wait.
1. ‘I’m Blind And I Can’t See What’s Been In My House’
Most horror stories feature able-bodied protagonists to make them relatable to a wider audience. However, Oaksandoaks introduces a blind protagonist, evoking fear without resorting to pity. This approach raises the question of why more horror tales don’t feature characters with disabilities.
Apart from his dog, the protagonist is alone at home and senses a presence nearby. Unable to identify the source or get a response, he finds comfort when his guide dog, Julia, comes to his side. On subsequent nights, he hears Julia growling in the hallway but finds no intruder in the house.
Later, while napping on the couch with Julia asleep on his lap, he wakes to the sensation of breath on his neck. Julia remains asleep, but when he sits up, she barks in alarm. The unsettling presence seems to vanish.
The following day, George, a living assistant, arrives to help the protagonist prepare for a speech. No unusual presence is detected during George’s stay. However, when George steps out, the protagonist calls for Julia but receives no response, nor does he hear any sign of her.
After contacting George for help, George arrives and questions whether Julia was let outside. Despite the windows being closed and the doors having an automatic lock, Julia is found outside, horrifically dismembered.
Police review security footage, which shows a mysterious figure near the protagonist at times. However, there’s no evidence of the figure harming Julia. The footage of the front yard abruptly cuts out, and when it resumes, Julia’s remains are scattered across the lawn.
The tale gained such popularity that Oaksandoaks developed it into a series, which is available here. However, many fans believe the story lost its edge after its exceptionally chilling start.
