While we can usually find a reason for most things that happen to us, there are some situations that simply leave us astonished. Thanks to the internet, some people have chosen to share online the chilling events they’ve experienced, which have had a profound impact on them. You might assume that the stories we’ve collected in this compilation sound like something from a horror movie, but these are genuine events from real people.
The empty room
About a year ago, I was up watching movies late at night when I got hungry and went downstairs for a snack. My room is across from my daughter’s room, and her door was open. As I was coming back upstairs, I started turning left towards my room when I heard, as clear as ever, “Daddy, can you close the door?” I turned around, didn’t say much, and just closed it.
Once I was back in my room, I lay down to watch TV when it hit me... my daughter wasn’t there. She was spending the night at my parents’. I got up and went to her room, and sure enough, it was empty.
I woke up my wife, and she thought I was crazy. She said I was probably tired, and maybe it was the TV. I remembered the voice so clearly and coming from the direction of her room. It’s very possible that it was just my imagination playing tricks on me, but it definitely made me question a few things. © TheLatinGerman / Reddit
The missing day
I lost an entire day once. I went to sleep on Monday and woke up on Wednesday. It was a seemingly normal day with college, work, and interactions with people, including my family. However, I had no recollection of that day the moment it was over.
When I woke up the next morning, I was convinced it was Tuesday, and when people tried to remind me about the day before (saying things like “We had those classes yesterday,” etc.), I just had no memory whatsoever of that missing day. © Starlot / Reddit
The house in the woods.
My mother lives pretty much alone in the woods. It gets completely dark at night with no streetlights or lights from neighbors, only a small road leading up to her house.
One night, in the middle of the night, she woke up to the clear sound of footsteps on the gravel, followed by three knocks on the front door. She called out ’hello’ and looked outside, but there was nothing there, only silence. © ingfrior / Reddit
A pleasant threat
I was dozing on the couch at my parents’ place, though not comfortably because I was cold. Then I felt a wave of heat pass over me, which was pleasant enough until I felt these firm, pointed fingertips on my head, like something was standing behind me with its hands on my scalp. I was frightened but then grabbed them and threw them off me.
A few minutes later, my mom came in and said she heard a door open and had a feeling she should check on me. It’s probably just a dream, but it was super, super creepy. © Dr__Snow / Reddit
A stalking horror
For an entire week, the same car would follow me. I became very suspicious after the second day, so I pulled into a parking lot along the way. The car followed me into the parking lot, and we both waited there for 15 minutes. When I pulled back onto the road, the car continued to follow me. This continued for several more days.
Then, one night while I was walking my dog, I saw the same vehicle that had been following me. Several hooded figures exited the car and began slowly approaching me. In fear, I picked up my dog and ran away. I never saw the car again, and people often dismiss my story as paranoia. © Carthagodelendaest61 / Reddit
The horrifying scream
When I was 16, I decided to skip school and stay home to play video games. I set up my PlayStation and made some hot pockets, and just when I was getting comfortable, I heard footsteps approaching my room. I glanced outside and noticed my parents weren’t home yet, but I still felt afraid of getting caught. With no place to hide, I froze in place.
Suddenly, the door was flung open, and I heard a blood-curdling scream echo through the house. I must have sat there petrified in that room for half an hour before finally going outside and waiting for my parents to come home. I tried to explain to my friends later what happened, but they thought I was just making up some internet-inspired story. © IAmTheRules / Reddit
The intriguing stars
One weird thing that happened to me was this: some friends and I were hanging out one summer’s eve when we were around 15. It was nighttime, clear, and we were all lying on my friend’s trampoline in the backyard. We were just chatting and looking at the stars.
Suddenly, we all said, “What the heck? Did you just see that?” We all swore we saw a formation of stars trade places with each other. They left a sort of tail, like a shooting star, before resettling in their new positions. They all moved at the exact same time. It was strange, and three of us seemed to see the same thing. © slane4*1 / Reddit
The last goodbye
When I was 9, my father passed away and said goodbye to me in his own manner. I woke up randomly in the middle of the night to see him sitting at the end of my bed (he had died just 4 days prior). He didn’t say a thing, just reached out and put his hand on my leg in a comforting manner.
I screamed and left the room, crying because it scared me quite badly, but I remember it as clear as if it had happened yesterday. Over the years, I’ve come to terms with the fact that he was saying goodbye and feel much more at peace with his sudden death. © colorado_sunrise86 / Reddit
The wandering remote
When I was a teenager, I used to keep the remote to my stereo on the lip of my bed frame. One night, around midnight, I woke up to my stereo playing static at me. Not only that, but it was getting louder. I could see the volume number moving higher and higher. So, in the pitch-black darkness, this static was getting louder and louder, and the remote wasn’t in its usual place for some reason.
I had no choice but to jump out of bed to turn it off. I turned on the light and, freaking out, found it. Under my bed. Deep under my bed at that middle point that’s super hard to reach. © somesouthernguy / Reddit
Night terror
I woke up in the middle of the night and thought I saw a person in my apartment. From the bedroom, you can see into the living room, and there was this figure walking back and forth. It then crouched down by the front door and waited. I woke up my wife and told her someone was in the apartment. I grabbed a big flashlight we keep by the bedside, slipped out of bed, and rushed towards the figure. When I got there, it was gone!
The next morning, my wife told me she doesn’t remember a thing, but I swear someone, or something was in our living room. © w*r_walrus / Reddit
Grandpa’s last wish
I was 6, and I remember playing in my room when my grandpa walked in and talked to me for a few minutes. After a bit, he got up and told me to “be a good girl for Mom,” kissed me on the forehead, and walked out.
About 5 minutes later, Mom came in, hysterical, and told me that my grandpa had died overnight. We had to leave to be with the family two states over, where he lived. © shayluhhh / Reddit
The shaking bed
I was home alone one day when I was around 10, in the room I shared with my brother. We had bunk beds, and I was lying on the top bunk when the bed started shaking pretty hard for a good 5–10 seconds. I was terrified but gathered the courage to look down under my bunk at the bottom bunk, and there was nothing there. I jumped down and noped out of my house, waiting on the porch until my parents got home.
When I told them what happened, they didn’t really think anything of it and thought I was just making it up. I don’t care what anyone says, that stuff happened. I remember it as clear as day, even 20 years later. © tmillion / Reddit
If you’re in the mood to discover other chilling stories that have actually happened in real life, then this article is for you.