There’s an urban legend saying that the famous “For sale, baby shoes, never worn” story by Ernest Hemingway came from a $10 bet. Supposedly, he made it during lunch with other writers to prove he could create a scary story in just six words. After penning the famous line on a napkin, he passed it around the table and pocketed his winnings.
At least, that’s the popular version. Whether true or not, the average person is no Hemingway, so we need a few more words to scribble a captivating horror story. And a subreddit called r/TwoSentenceHorror seems to have found the perfect limit. Two-sentence horror stories.
It’s still short, so readers get through the spooky stories really fast, yet it’s vague enough to give the writers space to work with. It turns out that quite a few Internet users have dark thoughts and the ability to express them. That or Stephen King made a lot of Reddit accounts.
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Winner Of Short Horror Stories
And since we’ve mentioned Stephen King, the master of creepy stories believes there are three types of terror:
- The Gross-out: the sight of a severed head tumbling down a flight of stairs, it’s when the lights go out or something green and slimy splatters against your arm.
- The Horror: the unnatural, spiders the size of bears, the dead waking up and walking around, it’s when the lights go out, and something with claws grabs you by the arm.
- The Terror: the worst one, when you come home and notice everything you own has been taken away and replaced by an exact substitute. It’s when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there’s nothing there.
A Pop-Up Horror
According to novelist R.L. Stine, an author has to get inside their narrator’s head to be effective in all of these real horror fields. If we’re seeing through the eyes of a character in a scary situation, we start to feel like we are in a scary situation.
“There’s no formula, I think you have to create a very close point of view. You have to be in the eyes of the narrator. Everything that happens, all the smells, all the sounds; then your reader starts to identify with that character and that’s what makes something really scary.” (via AdWeek)
Hearing Into Future
Monster In A Closet
The Horrors Of Uber
I mean wasn’t there just a case where someone got into a car thinking it was their Uber and was killed or something?
Two-Sentence Horror
Somebody's There
Shivers Down Your Spine
Short But Powerful Horror Story
A Scythe For Protection
Biblical Horrors
Creepy Stalker
The Woods Are Full Of Horrors
Take Your Meds
Fade Into Oblivion
Life After Death
Perfecting The Handwriting
Drawing The X
Alien Horror
Fishing Story
Deep Dark Secrets
Disabling The Security
Double-Sided Horror
Living Dead
Life Flashing By
Alien Entity
Short Horror Story
Real Life Horror
Out In Space
Scrambled Words
I agree with K. Blanchette, but just to put it another way: I think the idea is that your brain is trying to warn you that there's something wrong, but then the thing inside you figured out the "code" and how to intercept. Therefore, you won't get any further information about this. You have no idea what it is or how to stop it. Aaaand, you probably don't even really believe that your brain was trying to tell you anything, it's clearly just a joke / horror story anyway... right?
Load More Replies...Did you know that even if letters are messed up as long as the first and last letters are in the right place, your brain still can read the word easily.
I like this one... I've had a strange ability since I was about 12 year old to read backwards ( like in a mirror) and to read scrambled letters in words like this as fast as I can read normal print. While it is fun for me, it is totally useless.... How sad is that?
That's not so rare or strange, a lot of people can do it, it's related to spatial perception and the way your brain organizes information. Funny thing, as long as the word is written with the first and last letters in the correct place, your brain will unscramble it quickly because we learn to decode text by the shape of the word, not letter by letter.
Load More Replies...What's the word after "it can't" in the second sentence? I get the joke but English isn't my first language and it's making me crazy thanks
Decipher. It means to convert a text written in code, or a coded signal into normal language.
Load More Replies...This is the best one out of all. It actually interacts with the reader
"Don't panic, this is your brain, I don't have much time, it can't decipher scrambled words, get help, it's already inside of you."
so to explain, your brain nows their some "thing" or parasite inside of you. it can understand scrambled words so that explains the bold text. Then finally so the parasite won't kill you or realize that you know your brain tell you everything okay normally.
"Don't panic, this is your brain, I don't have much time, It can't decipher scrambled words, get help, It's already inside of you."
Actually, there is a study saying that as long as the first letter and last letter of a word are the same you can still make out what the word is. Even if the other letters are totally screwed up!
the ¨thing¨ took over your mind so to not make you sus it is saying everything is okay.yeaks!!!!
I didn’t relive the word were all jumbled until I read it for the second time. XD
Don't panic, this is your brain, I don't have much time, I can't decipher scrambled words, get help it's already inside of you.
Dno't pnaic tihs is yuor bairn i dno't hvae mcuh tmie it cna't dciepher scblramed wrods get hlep it's arleady insdie of you. Never mind, you're fine. Don't panic, this is your brain, I don't have much time, It can't decipher scrambled words, get help, it's already inside you. Never mind, you're fine.
Been reading Boredpanda for a few years now. This is the best article yet.
Note: this post originally had 89 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
There you have it, a collection of scary two-sentence stories to add a quick dose of fear to your day! Which short horror story freaked you out the most? Drop a comment and let us know. Feel free to upvote your favorites and, if you’re feeling brave, share your own terrifying two-liner. Let’s see if you can give these short spooky stories a run for their money!
When we finally managed to establish radio contact with an alien civilization in our own language we were eagerly waiting to receive their first full message. Their radio message only said, "BE QUIET OR THEY WILL HEAR YOU". (Idea borrowed from reddit user bencbartlett.)
So kind, polite and correct of you to give the credit to the reddit guy.
Load More Replies...One I read years ago. A group of scientists gathers around the worlds newest, most powerful computer. They ask it the ultimate question. Is there a God? A blinding flash and the computer replies; There is now.
It's Fredric Brown's short story "Answer" - http://www.roma1.infn.it/~anzel/answer.html
Load More Replies...I watched as the husband who abused me was taken away in handcuffs. the policeman said they'll take them off after the coroner completes the autopsy.
BP is the perfect place for these because you can read others' opinions and discuss them. Definitely hoping for another round of these.
He has his father's eyes. He won't tell us where the rest of him is.
I got a good one: My roommate said he saw a ghost. That's so silly, because I've been living here for centuries and nothing has happened.
oh god....it's night here and I love to read scary horror stories at night and these scared the sh- out of me
At the end of the articles, you'll see a line similar to this one (Note: this post originally had 89 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.) It allows you to see the rest of the posts after truncation.
Load More Replies...When you were relaxed and looked at the table to find the homework and assignments pending....
Everyone thought they were okay, until one day a man dug in his arm and found a small microchip. The government never spoke after that. -Raven
“HELP HELP” cried the mothers daughter. She froze in shock. She never had a daughter. Her son had passed away 2 days ago saying the same exact words. Later The passed away son wakes his mom up in the middle of the night demanding her to see something. She says “Wait You’re My dead son”. Outside, the son reveals there's been a girl living under her bed. The one that yelled help.
oh god.....there's night here and i love to read scary horror two sentence stories at night these scared the sh- out of me
This was an awesome article. Please do another one like this. I love scary scenarios.
One night she loved me the next not...but I still have her heart in my hand.
One night she loved me. the next? no, but I still have her heart in my hand.
Load More Replies...She waved and pointed at him as his ship was leaving the port. He had no idea his wasn't the only wave she could see.
"He fought, struggling to regain his breath to ask for help. 'Stop resisting' they said" #RIP #stop sponsored gang violence
A bit annoying that most of these were jokes rather than actual horror stories.
A lot of these were legitimately creepy, but I agree that many of them rely on this frustrating trope and many of them are just plain sad!
Load More Replies...When we finally managed to establish radio contact with an alien civilization in our own language we were eagerly waiting to receive their first full message. Their radio message only said, "BE QUIET OR THEY WILL HEAR YOU". (Idea borrowed from reddit user bencbartlett.)
So kind, polite and correct of you to give the credit to the reddit guy.
Load More Replies...One I read years ago. A group of scientists gathers around the worlds newest, most powerful computer. They ask it the ultimate question. Is there a God? A blinding flash and the computer replies; There is now.
It's Fredric Brown's short story "Answer" - http://www.roma1.infn.it/~anzel/answer.html
Load More Replies...I watched as the husband who abused me was taken away in handcuffs. the policeman said they'll take them off after the coroner completes the autopsy.
BP is the perfect place for these because you can read others' opinions and discuss them. Definitely hoping for another round of these.
He has his father's eyes. He won't tell us where the rest of him is.
I got a good one: My roommate said he saw a ghost. That's so silly, because I've been living here for centuries and nothing has happened.
oh god....it's night here and I love to read scary horror stories at night and these scared the sh- out of me
At the end of the articles, you'll see a line similar to this one (Note: this post originally had 89 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.) It allows you to see the rest of the posts after truncation.
Load More Replies...When you were relaxed and looked at the table to find the homework and assignments pending....
Everyone thought they were okay, until one day a man dug in his arm and found a small microchip. The government never spoke after that. -Raven
“HELP HELP” cried the mothers daughter. She froze in shock. She never had a daughter. Her son had passed away 2 days ago saying the same exact words. Later The passed away son wakes his mom up in the middle of the night demanding her to see something. She says “Wait You’re My dead son”. Outside, the son reveals there's been a girl living under her bed. The one that yelled help.
oh god.....there's night here and i love to read scary horror two sentence stories at night these scared the sh- out of me
This was an awesome article. Please do another one like this. I love scary scenarios.
One night she loved me the next not...but I still have her heart in my hand.
One night she loved me. the next? no, but I still have her heart in my hand.
Load More Replies...She waved and pointed at him as his ship was leaving the port. He had no idea his wasn't the only wave she could see.
"He fought, struggling to regain his breath to ask for help. 'Stop resisting' they said" #RIP #stop sponsored gang violence
A bit annoying that most of these were jokes rather than actual horror stories.
A lot of these were legitimately creepy, but I agree that many of them rely on this frustrating trope and many of them are just plain sad!
Load More Replies...