Looking for spooky stories to tell in the dark that will leave your listeners clutching their blankets and turning on the lights?
These 10 eerie tales are perfect for campfires, sleepovers, or any late-night storytelling session where you want to send chills down spines.
Each story taps into classic fears—haunted reflections, mysterious whispers, doppelgängers, and the unknown lurking just beyond the light.
So, dim the lights, gather your courage, and dive into these creepy tales that will stick with you long after the last word.
1. The Whispering Closet
Mia had just moved into a new house with her parents—a quiet, old Victorian-style home on the edge of town. The rooms creaked when you walked, the windows were drafty, and her bedroom closet had an odd smell like something long forgotten.
On her first night, as she tried to fall asleep, she heard it: a faint whispering, like someone talking in the next room. She pressed her ear to the wall, but it wasn’t coming from there—it was coming from inside the closet.
She ran to her parents’ room. They checked the closet, found nothing, and told her it was probably just the wind. But every night, just after midnight, the whispers returned. They were soft, impossible to understand—but they were definitely there.
One night, tired of being scared, Mia stayed up with a flashlight and a bat. At exactly 12:03 a.m., the whispering began again. She crept toward the closet, her heart pounding. The doorknob was ice-cold. Slowly, she opened the door.
There was nothing inside—except for one thing she hadn’t noticed before.
Her old childhood doll.
She hadn’t seen it in years. It was supposed to be in storage, yet there it was, sitting upright on the floor of the closet. Its glass eyes stared back at her. Then the doll’s tiny mouth moved ever so slightly.
And from it came a whisper:
“Let me out.”
She slammed the door and screamed for her parents. But when they arrived, the closet was empty again. No doll. No whisper.
That night, Mia didn’t sleep. The next morning, her parents found her closet door wide open—and inside, the words “THANK YOU” were scratched into the wall with tiny fingernails.
2. The Reflection
Liam had always been a night owl. He stayed up late watching videos, scrolling endlessly, and sometimes snapping selfies out of boredom. One night, just after brushing his teeth, he took a quick picture in the bathroom mirror to test a new filter.
Later, as he scrolled through his gallery, he paused. Behind him in the photo—just over his shoulder—was an old woman. Her skin was pale and sagging, her eyes black, her mouth slightly open as if caught mid-scream. Liam spun around. Nothing.
He laughed it off as a trick of the light. But the next time he looked in a mirror, he swore he saw something move in the corner. The woman’s face, briefly reflected in the shiny chrome of the faucet.
Every reflection after that—mirrors, windows, sunglasses—she was there, just for a split second. Always closer.
One night, Liam woke up to a chill in his room. The mirror at the end of his bed was fogged. Written across it, as if by a finger: “I see you too.”
He covered the mirror the next day. But the next night, he found his phone open to the camera app. It was recording.
And someone else was holding the phone.
3. Don’t Answer the Third Knock
Ellie’s grandpa was a strange man with strange rules. He’d grown up in an isolated village full of superstitions, and before he died, he made Ellie promise something:
“If you ever hear three knocks on your window at night, don’t open the curtain after the third. No matter what. No matter who it sounds like.”
She rolled her eyes, of course. It was nonsense. But she promised.
Months later, on a windy October night, Ellie sat in bed scrolling on her phone when she heard it.
Knock.
She froze. Maybe a tree branch?
Knock.
No… that was too distinct, too deliberate.
She stared at the window.
Knock.
Curiosity won over fear. She got up and slowly pulled the curtain aside. Her breath caught in her throat.
Staring back at her was herself.
Same hair, same pajamas, same frightened expression.
But her reflection smiled—a cold, hollow grin—and mouthed, “Thank you.”
The glass cracked like ice. Ellie screamed and fell back. When she looked again, the figure was gone.
But now, when Ellie looks in the mirror, her reflection sometimes blinks… when she doesn’t.
4. The Phone That Called Itself
Jake was home alone when his phone rang. Odd—it was late. The caller ID simply read: “Jake (You)”.
He stared at it. Must be a glitch. Still, unease crawled up his spine as he answered.
A whisper greeted him.
“Don’t turn around.”
He laughed nervously, assuming it was a prank call.
But then he felt it—a cold breath on the back of his neck.
His laughter died. The voice on the phone whispered again: “I’m here now.”
Jake dropped the phone and turned around.
There, standing behind him, was himself.
Only… not quite. His double’s eyes were pitch black, its face twisted into something almost human. It lunged forward. The screen of his phone went dark.
Jake hasn’t been seen since.
But his phone still sends messages… and it always signs them: “Jake (You).”
5. The Thing in the Wall
The old farmhouse had been in their family for generations. When Emma’s family moved in, they began restoring it. As she stripped wallpaper in her room, she uncovered a note etched into the wooden boards underneath:
“Do not feed it after midnight.”
They thought it was a joke from a previous tenant.
That night, the scratching began. It came from inside the walls—slow, deliberate.
At 12:01, Emma heard breathing near her bed. She turned on her light. Nothing. But when she looked back at the wall, she noticed a small hole—about the size of a coin.
Something blinked from within.
The next morning, the family cat was missing. The night after that, her little brother claimed someone whispered to him through the wall.
They filled the hole. The scratching stopped.
But at 12:03 a.m. the next night, the wall began to bulge. Something inside was pushing to get out.
And it was hungry.
6. The Wrong Grave
Sarah liked quiet places to read, and the town cemetery was peaceful, with big oak trees and birds chirping. One day, she found a grave she didn’t remember being there before.
The headstone read:
“Sarah Thomas – Beloved Daughter – Died Today.”
She chuckled nervously. Same name. Same age.
She mentioned it to the groundskeeper, but he just frowned. “There’s no grave by that name here,” he said.
The next day, the grave was gone.
But things began to change. Her reflection faded a little more each day. Her voice echoed strangely. People stopped responding to her messages, stopped looking her in the eye.
And one morning, Sarah woke up to find her bed empty. She stood up—but her body didn’t.
She was still lying there, pale and lifeless.
From outside the window, she heard someone whisper, “Rest now.”
7. The Night Visitor
Anna always felt something was off in her room at night. She’d wake with the sensation of someone sitting at the foot of her bed, but no one would be there.
She told herself it was just dreams—until the night she woke up unable to move. Her eyes darted around as a pressure slowly sank down on her blanket.
She felt breath on her feet, then her legs, creeping closer up her body. And then—cold, dry fingers wrapped around her ankle.
She forced herself to speak. In a hoarse whisper, she said: “I see you.”
There was silence.
Then the presence replied: “Good. Then I don’t have to hide anymore.”
The blanket lifted off the bed, floating… and whatever was under it didn’t need to be imagined anymore.
8. The Last Room on the Left
When backpacking through Europe, five friends stumbled across an old inn tucked away in a mountain pass. The innkeeper was kind but gave them one warning:
“Do not enter the last room on the left. It hasn’t been opened in years.”
Naturally, that night, they dared each other to go in. One girl, Dani, volunteered.
She laughed as she disappeared down the hall.
But after fifteen minutes, she didn’t come back.
The others went to find her—only to discover the hallway now ended in a solid brick wall. There was no door. No room. Just stone.
They screamed for her. No reply.
But the next morning, her voice echoed faintly through the vent in their room.
“I’m still here… It won’t let me leave…”
They left and never returned.
Years later, a different group of travelers heard the same warning.
And the same dare.
9. The Eyes in the Woods
While on a weekend camping trip with his friends, Noah noticed something strange. Just past the trees, two small lights—like eyes—reflected back at him.
He pointed it out, but when others looked, the eyes were gone.
That night, as they sat by the fire, he felt watched. Every photo he took had a faint pair of glowing orbs in the background—always the same distance apart.
The next morning, there were claw marks on the trees around their tents. Deep. Fresh. And leading straight to Noah’s tent.
On their final night, he woke up to the sound of crunching leaves.
Outside the tent, something circled. Then, a whisper: “You saw me. Now I see you.”
The zipper moved slowly.
Only Noah didn’t scream.
Because by then, it had already gotten in.
10. The Voice Under the Bed
Max had always feared what might live under the bed. His parents told him he was too old for such things. But one night, as he reached down to grab a sock that had rolled beneath, he heard it.
A voice. Dry, raspy.
“He’s on the bed.”
Max froze.
He slowly sat up, terrified.
That’s when the closet door creaked open—and something crawled out, dragging itself across the floor toward the bed.
Max dove off the mattress to escape—but landed in darkness.
Not under the bed.
Inside it.
Now, something else wears Max’s face. It eats with his family, plays with his dog, and goes to school.
But if you listen closely at night, sometimes you can hear Max’s real voice… whispering from beneath the mattress:
“I’m still here… and it’s still hungry.”
Also read: 7 Inspirational Stories for Kids With Moral
Mark Richards is the creative mind behind Classica FM, a podcast platform that brings stories, knowledge, and inspiration to listeners of all ages. With a passion for storytelling and a love for diverse topics, he curates engaging content—from kids’ tales to thought-provoking discussions for young adults.
