There’s a certain thrill in turning the last page of a story and realizing the shadows in your room suddenly feel a little too dark. But why do we do this to ourselves—invite the chills, lean into the fear, and still come back for more?

Scary stories have been around for centuries, whispered around campfires, passed down in folklore, and written into novels that still haunt our shelves. They let us brush against danger without ever leaving the safety of our blanket. For a few chapters, our hearts race, our breath quickens, and we step into the unknown—knowing we can always close the book if it gets too much.

But the truth is, we rarely do.

Horror lets us test our bravery. It reminds us that fear is not only a survival instinct—it’s also strangely exhilarating. It’s why ghost tales still linger, why haunted houses draw crowds every Halloween, and why so many of us love curling up with a spine-chiller at night.

And sometimes, the scariest stories are the ones that reveal a little more about ourselves—what we fear, what we hope for, and what we’d fight to protect.

So next time you pick up a scary story, remember: you’re not just reading it for the chills. You’re reading it to feel alive.

Check out all my scary stories at Stephen Simpson