Scary Ghost Stories to Read
Are you a fan of scary ghost stories? Then Screaming Eye Press might just have the stories you’ve been looking for.
The Ghost of Potter’s Road By Wesley Critchfield - Some roads are best avoided after dark. A tale passed down through generations warns of a traveler, a curse, and a debt that demanded more than gold. Is it just an old wives’ tale—or something far more haunting?
Yōkai of the Rising Sun By Eric J. Guignard - Corporal Hutchins and a small group of marines survive a shipwreck after an attack by Japanese forces, only to find themselves stranded on a mysterious island. As they struggle with their injuries, starvation, and the ever-present threat of sharks, they stumble upon something far more terrifying: the island is inhabited by yōkai—the malevolent spirits of Japanese folklore. Perfect for fans of war stories mixed with folklore horror, this tale weaves together historical tension and the unknown, leading to an unrelenting sense of dread. Will the marines survive the haunted island—or will they fall prey to its monstrous inhabitants?
A Haunted Island by Algernon Blackwood - A lone surveyor on an isolated island senses an unseen presence in Algernon Blackwood’s classic eerie short story.
The Phantom Coach By Amelia Edwards - A young man, stranded in the frozen wilderness after a hunting expedition, faces a race against time to find shelter before nightfall. Desperation leads him to a mysterious manor, where he is promised a ride back to civilization on a coach that only appears at midnight.
Chamber of Death - A rookie policeman is assigned to patrol a lonely beat that runs alongside a cemetery on the outskirts of town. On his first night on the job, he notices a flickering light, and when he investigates, he finds a flight of stone steps leading down to the subterranean depths.More Genres of Scary Stories for You to Read
How about some classics?
Scary Ghost Stories to Read: 15 Terrifying Tales That Will Haunt You
The Uneasy Allure of Ghost Stories
From flickering candlelit rooms to late-night campfire confessions, ghost stories have long curled themselves into the corners of our imagination. There’s something timeless about the way they tap into primal fears—not of monsters or gore, but of the barely-there presence behind the door. If you’re on the hunt for truly scary ghost stories to read, prepare to lose some sleep. What follows is a spectral tour through gothic classics, eerie modern narratives, real-world hauntings, and eerie folktales whispered through generations.
Why Do Ghost Stories Hold Us Captive?
The Weird Psychology of Fear
Fear is a strange thrill—one we seem to chase even as we flinch from it. According to psychologists, reading ghost stories gives us a front-row seat to fear without ever putting us in danger. The heart thumps, the skin prickles, the mind reels—but we stay firmly planted in the real world, curled up under blankets or scrolling our phones.
That Delicious Sense of Mystery
The best ghost stories don’t explain too much. They linger. They whisper. What happens after we die? Are those creaking floorboards just the house settling? Or something—someone—else? The stories that haunt us most are often the ones that leave space for us to fill in the blanks.
Chilling Classics That Set the Standard
These are the stories that taught us to fear the dark, long before jump scares and horror soundtracks existed.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Washington Irving gave us one of the most iconic phantoms in American fiction: the Headless Horseman. Fog-drenched woods, ghostly riders, and just enough ambiguity to keep you wondering.
The Monkey’s Paw
Be careful what you wish for. W.W. Jacobs’ cautionary tale about a cursed object delivering twisted wishes remains unnerving even today.
The Turn of the Screw
Henry James didn’t just write a ghost story—he built a psychological labyrinth. Are the ghosts real? Or is madness the true monster?
Modern Hauntings With a Contemporary Edge
These newer ghost stories play with form, perspective, and our ever-shifting fears.
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
Victorian in style but modern in execution, Hill’s slow-burn tale proves that what you don’t see can be far more terrifying than what you do.
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
A layered, literary horror novel that pieces together decades of guilt, secrets, and something very old that won’t stay buried.
The Shining by Stephen King
It’s not just the hotel that’s haunted—it’s the characters. The Overlook pulses with supernatural menace, but the true horror might just be human.
Let the Spirits Speak
There’s a reason we keep telling ghost stories—they connect us to something just out of reach. They’re not just about scaring us (though they do that well). They invite us to dwell in mystery, to ask questions without clear answers. From The Monkey’s Paw to The Shining, ghost stories pull us into the in-between: not quite dead, not quite explainable.
So, light a candle. Draw the curtains. Open your favorite haunted book. Whether you’re alone in a quiet room or swapping stories by firelight, remember: the scariest ghosts are the ones that feel almost real. And maybe—just maybe—they are.
