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37 Times People Found Something Terrifying In Their Own Homes
The world is full of secrets and mysteries that humans are yet to uncover, and although some people have a healthy curiosity about creepy stuff, most of us get pretty freaked out when confronted with anything scary.
You can bet that the folks on this list fall into that category, especially because the frightening stuff was happening in their own home. Nobody wants their safe space to be turned into a haunted house, which is why these people were determined to deal with the creepiness head-on.
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#1
Came home from a late shift at 1a.m. Switched on the light – there was a guy sleeping on my sofa. I just so managed to suppress screaming to not wake him up, leaving and calling the police.
Turns out – he was a drunk neighbour who lived one floor above me. Our landlord had saved money by using the same lock and key for every single unit. Neighbour was too drunk to remember how many stairs he went up and thought my apartment was his. He said he "thought the couch felt weird" but since his key had opened the door he had no doubts.
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#2
I had just moved into my house about eight years ago. It was just my dog and myself. I hadn't lived on my own for years but felt very safe living in this little mountain town in Montana.
It was dark outside and I was on the couch reading a reddit sub on my phone. People were sharing
bad/scary experiences they 'd had in their homes.....a lot of home invasion stories and such. As I read the accounts I felt a little smug knowing that I didn't need to worry about a home invasion living where I did.
That thought had barely left my brain when there was a tremendous bang at the front door and the door violently swung open. I was frozen in fear for a second, imagining the absolute worst. Then, in steps my neighbor's large Great Pyrenees dog. Apparently, I hadn't closed my door all the way and
the friendly dog had come to visit my dog and get a biscuit. His timing couldn't have been better.
That and a screw that flew horizontally between my friend and I as we sat talking. It passed between us and then just dropped straight down. It was the same screw that I had spent half an hour looking for after I dropped it while taking down a ceiling light.
#3
One morning I woke up to a wolf spider mama on the pillow next to me, staring me down with her brood on her back. .
With all the movies and shows about paranormal occurrences, it’s clear that people are fascinated by the topic, and possibly even believe in it. According to studies, around 67% of Americans say that they have had at least one supernatural experience, like hearing voices or seeing things moving around on their own.
There have also been reported instances of people seeing doors open and close without explanation in their homes. This is obviously not something that happens on a regular basis and can leave a person feeling scared or helpless. What makes it even tougher is that there’s not much known about dealing with or stopping such things from happening.
To get a better insight into this, Bored Panda reached out to Detective Dev, who is an investigator and researcher in paranormal and unexplained phenomena. He shared that “people often report subtle yet unsettling occurrences, such as hearing footsteps or whispers when no one is around, sudden drops in temperature, flickering lights, or the feeling of being watched.”
He also added that sometimes people observe “objects moving on their own, pets reacting unusually to empty spaces, and vivid, recurring dreams connected to the home environment.”
#4
I heard a noise in the middle of the night and got up to check the kids. I’m the dark hallway I see a spider like creature about 3 feet wide and low to the ground. My heart stopped and I froze in place.
I clicked the light on and saw my son monkey crawling back to his room. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t know, I just felt like crawling.”
Scared the s**t out of me.
#5
A guy standing in my kitchen holding a butcher knife. I had a few friends over and one of those friends brought his friend. When everyone left, he came back and said he thinks he lost his wallet. I opened the door for him and immediately started looking between the couch cushions, and I turned around to see he wasn’t in the room. I went into the kitchen and he had the knife in one hand and his little friend peter in the other hand. I ran into my kids bedroom and shut and locked the door. He ended up leaving.
#6
The house I grew up in had a cellar door in the laundry room. One night someone was trying to push it open, Mom stepped on it and told us to run to car. Next day we returned there was a big footprint on my bed.
As you’ve probably realized from this list, creepy things don’t just happen in haunted houses; they can take place pretty much anywhere. Even though some people might want to run away when things get scary, research has found that around 11% of Americans chose to live in their home even though they knew it was bewitched before moving in.
Living in a truly haunted house like that might be the premise for some great stories, but it can probably also impact a person’s mental health and stress levels. That’s why around 73% of self-proclaimed ‘haunted-house owners’ say they definitely wouldn’t recommend the experience to future buyers.
#7
All I can think of was the time I was weeding the front yard, and there was this one weed that had a huge sprawling plant anchored in the middle by a single root. I started lifting this matlike weed and underneath it was a SOLID blanket of earwigs. Like thousands of earwigs. I’m not afraid of bugs but…yeah that was too many earwigs. :(.
#8
A pair of eyes staring at me in the dark closet. I freaked out for a second.
A cat. It was my black cat who promptly jumped out of the closet and nudged me to feed her.
#9
I got out of the shower, and got dressed. Husband was on a work trip, kids were at school. On the kitchen counter was a half empty can of Mountain Dew. I know zero people that drink cans of Mountain Dew. My front door was unlocked, but I could find no one in the house.
It’s difficult to understand why some people seem to experience more paranormal activity than others, but science says that it could be because human beings are prone to the power of suggestion. That could mean that folks who want to believe in spooky and creepy things are more likely to report such things happening in their lives.
It’s also possible that our mind plays tricks on us and makes us perceive things that aren’t there, like how folks seem to hallucinate due to a condition called ‘sleep paralysis.’ Whether there are actual ghosts or demons is certainly up for debate, and it’s everyone’s individual decision whether they want to believe in spooky stuff or not.
#10
I was in my bedroom and turned to see an orange-yellow eye watching me from the crack in the door. My blood ran cold before I realized it was my neighbors dog who had invited himself in. Got a good laugh after but he scared the s**t out of me for a second.
#11
One time. I was outside with my ex. My dog started jumping and sniffing the air, barking and Acting strange. We both got a weird vibe.
When we walked into the house his son was playing VR. He said “ I think we have a ghost” we both ran cold… saying why? He said that it was showing someone in his safety bubble a few minutes ago. We all visibly got the creeps.
#12
One time a maintanence person I didn’t know walked into my apartment (I rarely lock the door when I’m home) and started having a conversation with me like it was a perfectly normal thing to walk into a strangers home and start a conversation.
I was so freaked out like who the f*** are you?
Although most of the people on this list were able to deal with the scary things that were happening in their homes, sometimes these situations can go on for too long. That’s why experts state that it’s important not to lose hope when you are faced with a haunting or something supernatural.
Detective Dev also added that “it’s important to stay calm and logical. Around 60–70% of such experiences can be linked to psychological, environmental, or electromagnetic factors. In my view, paranormal activity is rarely ‘evil.’ It’s often residual energy or emotional imprint left behind by previous occupants or events. Understanding, not fearing, is the first step toward resolution.”
“For those few cases that remain unexplained, one should maintain a positive spiritual environment, like keeping the house well-lit, decluttered, and filled with calm energy through prayer, meditation, or sound cleansing (such as ringing bells or chanting).”
“Additionally, documenting these occurrences in a journal and seeking guidance from professionals (both scientific and spiritual) can help identify whether the issue is paranormal or environmental in nature,” Dev added.
#13
I just moved into our new apartment and my boyfriend stayed behind in the old one to pay rent until the lease expired, so for six months I was on my own. It was a nice apartment on the edge of a nice town and my first time completely living alone. This apartment was a rectangle with a long hallway connecting everything. I moved in and the pandemic started more or less immediately so I was very much alone and that was exhilarating but creepy.
One night I woke up to loud scratching coming from the front doorway, at the end of hallway. I remember waking up and realizing it was 3:30 and I was a young woman alone in an apartment and someone was trying to break in. I crept down the hallway and yelled “I HAVE A GUN” and the scratching stopped. I have never owned a gun.
Then it started again. From the kitchen. I realized the scratching was from my cabinets and I recognized the sound of a small rodent. After walking around I isolated it to the cabinets above the fridge.
Long story short - a squirrel made its way in through an air duct or whatever (it’s been a few years) and into the wall behind my cabinets. I called maintenance and they came and removed the squirrel and replaced the mesh to keep him out of that area. Had no other issues after that. The maintenance guy felt AWFUL when I recounted my experience and thought it was someone breaking in and reassured me that it was a very safe neighborhood.
#14
Someone climbing through my bedroom window.
This happened almost a decade ago. It was a Tuesday afternoon and I was sleeping in since it was my day off and I worked nightshifts. Anyways, my dog who was about 13ish years old who was mostly blind and deaf was laying on my bedroom floor and I thought someone was talking to her but figured I was dreaming in my half asleep state and went back to sleep. I woke up when I thought I heard it again as well as wind, but realized I didn’t have my window open.
It was fairly dark in my room and I didn’t have my contacts in so I couldn’t really see much except for a figure of someone crouched on the recliner I had by my window that my cat liked to use. I woke up and said “what the f***. What the f***?!”, the guy stammered something about being my brothers friend and he must not be home, and jumped out the window. I was still half asleep and texted my brother to tell his friends to use the door and not my window next time. Both my parents and my brother rushed home from work, but until they got there, my brother sent his one friend who lived nearby as well as some others over to make sure I was okay.
When his friend got there, the two small dogs that were in the living room barked like crazy at the friends that came to check on me but didn’t make a sound when the person was in my room.
It took quite a few hours for me to realize what happened and what could have happened. At first I was [angry] off that I was woken up on my day off. There is now a bar across my childhood bedroom and it’s no longer possible to pop the screen out.
#15
I was a teenager still living in my childhood home. The laundry room was on the carport, it was night time, and I was putting a load of laundry in to wash.
Something fell on my shoulder.
It was dark, warm, and wet?
I looked up and in the rafters and there was this huge rat sitting there casually eating just *part* of something furry.
Dripping. Blood. On. Me.
Some people do enjoy the thrill of getting scared, but they probably wouldn’t like creepy things happening to them in their own home. That’s why the eerie stories in this list are so shocking, but luckily, they all ended with a positive resolution. It would certainly be great if all paranormal mysteries could be explained away or solved so easily, wouldn’t it?
You should definitely share any scary experiences you’ve had in your house. We’ll be hiding in the comments waiting to hear your stories.
#16
Woke up with a start at 3:21, a small ball of light passed through my bathroom door, making it creak like someone opened it. It hung there, like a bright marble, for a few seconds, then slowly turned and vanished into my closet. At 4:32, after I had finally calmed down to fall back asleep, every light in my apartment turned on at once (overhead, closet, nightstand, computer desk, kitchen above the sink). I sat bolt upright, heard a low-pitched but squeaky giggle. The lights all went out. I ended up getting up and starting my day.
#17
At about 2am hearing the pitter-patter of little feet running up and down the hall with the sound of a child giggling. My 4-year-old was sleep walking.
#18
I'm an Aussie. I'd say a dinner-plate sized huntsman spider when I was living in Australia as a child. I tried to flush it down the toilet and it ran back up.
#19
Back in high school, I was streaming a show on my laptop while sitting in the basement of our house. After feeling something touch me, I looked over to see the biggest spider I’ve ever seen TO THIS DAY sitting on my shoulder. Freaked tf out and my first instinct was to rip off my shirt and run upstairs [shirtless] while screaming. Needless to say, my mom was very confused. I didn’t hang out in our basement for at least two years after that… Still gives me shivers to think about.
#20
One time in the house I grew up in, I woke in the middle of the night to see eyes looking at me from outside my bedroom. Once my eyes adjusted, I could see it was our dog. But my heart was in my throat for a few seconds there. lol.
#21
A guy on d***s who I didn't know trying to jiggle the handle and kick the door in. I had no choice but to use a gun. Wife screamed at like 100 decibels the WHOLE time, which really added to the scare factor.
#22
Made dinner one night, my husband and I took our plates of food out to the den to eat and watch Tv. I left the rest of the food in the kitchen on the stove. About 20 minute later he gets up to back into the kitchen for something. I hear him yell my name in a distressed voice. I go back into the kitchen, and there are about 50 huge black flies all over. All over the food, the windows, the counters. Everywhere. It felt like a Plague from biblical times. There were no flies when I was making dinner. It was like they just appeared out of nowhere. We never found where they came from and after we sucked most of them up with a shop vac we never saw them again.
#23
Waking up to a milipede doing millipede things right next to me on my bed. I dont think I've ever come closer to actually s******g my bed.
#24
Sleep paralysis. A few months ago I was taking a nap on the couch. Hear fire alarms go off in the house and I’m trying to get up but my body is locked. I feel myself trying to open my eyelids, fluttering. Thinking of my kids being in danger and need to get them out. Finally wake up in panic mode. The fire alarm / alarms going off were just a dream.
#25
When we first moved into this house and my two cats would just sit in the middle of the empty basement staring into space.
#26
My Father died in my house in a hospital bed next to an open window. Three seconds later a clear body image floated out the window. Chills.
#27
I lived in a basement apartment. In the corner of the living room was the water meter which had a little glowing light on it that cast a dim light up the wall when the lights were off. Never had a problem with spiders but one night at 1am I got up to use the bathroom and I looked into the living room and descending from the ceiling, bathed in that light, was a spider the size of my hand creeping down and down and down and disappeared behind the water meter. I didn’t go into the living room for two days after that. Eventually I got the courage to go search for it but never found it.
#28
My ex wife, losing her mind to bipolar. Deep in a manic state, she started pretending she couldn't speak English, fell back on Spanish, then couldn't speak that, and tried to use ASL. I was on the phone with her cousin, crying, saying I thought she was losing it (she was, don't know if she ever got it back), and trying to come up with some plan to help.
Then she barged in the room, grabbed a stack of paper off of my desk, yelled in the sort of voice a deaf person speaks in, "Record this!". So I did. She spent the next five minutes scribbling on one sheet after another, "help me", like Jack Nicholson in the Shining.
We had just gotten back from the ER, where she demanded an MRI. They found nothing wrong. But some part of her knew this wasn't right, and there was something wrong with her brain.
So, yeah, that was one of the worst nights of my life, and there were a lot more coming after that. I called it quits during manic episode number two.
#29
All these flies used to crawl out from behind the washing machine where i eventually looked to find hundreds of maggots which i scooped up with a spade and chucked into the neighbour's garden. the flies would crawl out and they were all disabled so they could only crawl on the floor and up walls. when they tried to crawl up walls they'd fall off and land on their backs and just spin around buzzing. there were hundreds and hundreds of flies just spinning on their backs buzzing. i swept them into a corner where they all vibrated until they slowly died.
#30
Sometimes (a lot lately) when I get to the bottom of the stairs and turn the corner, I see a figure at the top — just in my peripheral.
#31
When I was a kid their was a rope hanging in my attic it had a hangman knot not sure why it was there but it was unpleasant to see was definitely creepy.
#32
My place has a lot of weird stuff that happens, but one I always found interesting is that people always say they can hear music and/or people talking in my house when nobody is home.
When I go out, everything is turned off, but when you come to my front door you can often hear it. I had people tell me this for years before I also heard it.
Now if I hear it and others are with me, I get them to listen for it too, they always can...
There are many other weird things that have happened here I can add if anyone has an interest.
#33
Unlabeled video tapes in the rafters of the basement in my newly purchased house 10 years ago. Nope. Thank god I haven’t had a VCR in 25 years.
#34
Not "seen", but a month or so ago, I was walking to bed and a doll I had never seen before turned on to yawn and say, "Good night."
Little disclaimer: My ex's daughters moved away late last year, followed by my ex. My house is still full of a bunch of toys and clothes and no room to move things around and organize them to give or throw away.
The doll was in a box full of dolls, but I had never seen or heard this doll before. Had those girls found it, I absolutely would have recognized it as soon as I heard it. That part isn't too weird, but the fact that it said good night to me was.
The switch is recessed, and took me a lot of effort to actuate manually, and I've got fairly strong hands. It's not a button, it's an on/off switch. When I pulled it out of the box, it was off.
#36
Not seen but heard.
I have 2 stories that happened to me about 20 years ago.
My parents were divorcing and the atmosphere in the house was not the best you could imagine. There were constant fights and agression. Both events happened when i was around 9 or 10 so i don't remember which happened first.
My father was since the early days of the 80s in IT and so i learned pretty much everything i knew at that time from him and I was a bit ahead of tech knowledge for my age and that time. He had his bureau in the basement and the house was a big and brand new 4 floor house. He always left for work and came only after 5 PM so the bureau was never really used by him or anyone else and was my test ground at that time.
That day, as usual, everyone else was on the other floors and i was on the computer looking up these weird sites ( just saying roten like sites should ring some bells to some of you ).
And i swear, out of nowhere i hear this f*****g indescribable demonic growl mixted with a light laugh right next to my right ear. It was not subtle or faint at all and I'm 100% deaf on the right side but i clearly felt the sound vibration against my skull and small wind against my ear ( like when someone whispers ). There were no windows at all as it was underground and the walls were thick ( not a US house but a well isolated, thick, new and modern swiss house ).
There was no sound enabled on the computer, no video playing in the background either and i know and can distinguish when the sound comes from the screen stereo as i hear perfectly fine from the other ear.
It was such a sudden and strange groal and I can imitate it more or less if someone asks me, but i absolutely can't describe it in words.
My brain instantly understood and man, i never moved so fast in my life as that day. If there was a day where i could have beaten Usain Bolt, it was this one. Took me months to go down there again and feel safe but i never actually did after that. Always looked around and was like not focused on the computer only to be ready in case something strange happened again.
The nannies we had at that time also reported strange sights and my little brother ( he was 6 at that time ) once came down from the 4th floor crying and panicking as he saw a [dark] guy entering one of the little doors where the toys where stored. The whole forth floor was our playroom and had 2 of these little storerooms each on a side of the room, except they didn't lead anywhere and had only toys stored in them.
The second strange event happened to both of us.
We were sleeping and suddenly we hear a bell ring in the middle of our room. The sound was so clear and both of us heard it. First time it didn't bother us much as we just thought it might be a toy or something that was left in our room.... well that f*****g bell began to ring every night from this day on forward and always at the same time. Strange was also whenever it rung, both of us awakened suddenly without fail, fatigue or anything just straight up awake in the middle of the night. My mother and grandmother heard it too after they decided to sleep with us to check on it.
We never discovered what it was. Even after taking everything out and leaving only our 2 mattresses in the room, it continued. My grandmother who is heavily religious begun to pray every night before the bell hour came and after several months it vanished only to reappear several months later on the new apartment that we moved after the divorce of our parents ( it was 200km away from where we lived before ! ). Again this time it vanished after heavy and repeated prayer and thankfully it never came back.
I write this as the years passed, i contemplated all possibilities of external influence like i said sound coming from computer, exterior etc. but the neighboors houses were not collated together and you could not play this kind of prank in the 90s to several ppl and on a constant basis like the episode of the bell ( you could if hidden something well but we took out everything and the sound always came from the middle of the room + continued after moving to another state ).
I'm having the chills just remembering this period of my life. Paranormal or not, it was eitherway really a dense moment for everyone.
#37
I heard someone say "who's there" but only my cat was there so I went paranoid thinking she was some skinwalker until she died😭.
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