30 People Are Sharing Shockingly Terrifying Things They’ve Witnessed

To gain some insight from an expert on real-life horror stories, we reached out to Chad, the host of Disturbed: True Horror Stories podcast. First, we wanted to know what inspired him to start this show in the first place. "I’ve had an interest in horror since I was a kid and have gotten more into True Crime as well," Chad told Bored Panda. "I’ve been an avid podcast listener for many years. I loved the end result of what I would hear in a podcast, but I grew an interest in seeing what it takes to make that all come together. I thought it would be interesting to do something I hadn’t quite heard before, which was a unique blend of true crime and horror. Thus, Disturbed was born."

We also asked Chad why he thinks horror stories are so captivating. "I think people have a fascination with scary stories because they really make you feel something in a way that’s hard to describe," he shared. "We all have our own fears and seeing or hearing other people’s experiences can activate part of us that we are hard wired for - survival. Depending on how well the story is written, it can really immerse you in the experience and allow you to feel the fear and terror of the writer."

When it comes to what stories he chooses to featured on his podcast, Chad says, "The stories I decide on for Disturbed are the ones I personally find the scariest or most fascinating. I try to feature a wide range of topics from paranormal, creepy encounters, ufo, cryptid creatures, unexplained etc. If it’s a well written experience in that realm, then I’m probably interested in it. We also have a dedicated hotline for people to send in voicemail submissions of their experience or just comments on the podcast."

We also asked Chad if he had a favorite story that had been featured on his show before. "I have a fascination with glitch type stories where something happens that just might be giving us a glimpse into what reality really is," he told Bored Panda. "We featured a story in an early episode where a person was driving on their regular commute home. They began to notice that the drive wasn’t feeling right and that they seemed to just keep going in spots where landmarks or turns should be. In one specific stretch of road, they heard a voice in their head saying 'you should just keep going, it will be okay' said in their own voice, but not their own thought."

"They sort of panicked and jerked the wheel to the right, even though the turn appeared to be some 300 yards up the road," Chad continued. "The person's instincts screamed to turn now, and they were right. Had they not jerked the wheel and turned, they would have plowed into a thick forest of pine trees at 60mph and likely been killed. The person felt as if an unknown force was attempting to lure them off the road. I didn’t do the story much justice here but you can hear it in Episode 11 “I was almost lured off the road to my death”.

Chad also left us with some wise words, "Stay safe out there y’all. Be vigilant and trust your gut when something doesn’t seem right. Question things, be curious. Reality almost certainly isn’t just what we see. There's more going on that we don’t understand or comprehend. So be curious."

If you'd like to hear more horror stories and check out the Disturbed podcast, you can find it right here. And if you have your own scary stories to submit to Disturbed, you can do that right here.

Even if you’ve never experienced anything particularly creepy or disturbing, there’s a good chance that you like to live vicariously through others who have. Whether that’s through fictional characters in one of the dozens of horror stories Stephen King has written, a film based on a real-life nightmare, or through hearing your friends’ scariest stories around a campfire, many of us have a huge appetite for the creepy and unsettling. 

But why do we love to hear these tales? Isn’t life bleak enough, with climate change, war and the stress of making ends meet amidst inflation? Well, according to Haiyang Yang and Kuangjie Zhang at Harvard Business Review, one reason we love to be frightened is just to feel something. Lots of us live for the adrenaline rush that can come from seeing a suspenseful film or being scared by actors in a haunted house. And when we’re exposed to something that horrifies us, we are stimulated mentally and physically in opposing ways. Part of us is fearful or filled with anxiety, while another part is excited. This cocktail produces a surge of adrenaline that we can't help but enjoy.  

We also enjoy having novel experiences and getting to live vicariously through characters who are in a world or a situation we can only imagine. We do this all the time while watching films, reading books and listening to podcasts. Most of us don’t have any idea what it would actually be like to start selling meth, but a little part of us thinks we do after binging Breaking Bad. We may have never experienced a real-life love affair, but a romantic novel can help us feel like we have.

It’s the same with horror stories. We don’t actually want someone breaking into our home in the middle of the night with an ax, but we can imagine the experience in great detail after seeing it portrayed on film. Being exposed to terrifying stories makes us feel like our lives are a bit more exciting than they actually are, without having to be in any real danger. Horror is exciting and fun when we have the opportunity to turn it off or step away from the situation.  

While you may assume that scary movies and ghost stories appeal to everyone, according to psychologists, there are a few prerequisites that need to be in place before we can start enjoying horror stories. First, we need to believe that we are physically safe. If we feel that we are still in danger when we pause the film or turn it off, we won’t be having any fun. We also need to be psychologically detached from a horror story to enjoy it. For example, we need to understand that when we see a woman being murdered in her home onscreen, she is just an actor covered in fake blood and is perfectly fine in real life. Finally, we need to know that we can control or manage the dangers we see in a horror experience. When we’re in a haunted house, for example, we know that we can easily outrun the zombies if we really needed to. Once all of these requirements are in place, we can fully immerse ourselves into a horror film or experience and still sleep well at night.

Certain types of people do have a larger appetite for horror than others, though. A daredevil who loves thrill-seeking activities is more likely to want to spend an evening watching a scary movie than a person who is highly empathetic and will have a hard time enjoying the film because they feel too bad for the victims. Gender and age also play a part in enjoyment of scary things. One survey found that young people tend to be more interested in horror than older audiences, and men are more likely to enjoy being scared than women. Socioeconomic status can also play a role, as more affluent populations tend to consume more horror films. This is likely because people who are not as privileged cannot always feel safe enough and in control enough to derive pleasure from a horror film. It’s not fun if it does not seem unrealistic.    

Now, you might only enjoy consuming horror stories due to the excitement and entertainment factors, but you might be pleasantly surprised to learn that there can be even more benefits. Viewing a horror film with someone you’re romantically interested in can actually be a catalyst to falling in love, as being scared and experiencing your hearts pounding rapidly together can be a bonding experience. 

In the same way, we can bond with friends through being scared together as well. Oxytocin is often released following a frightening experience, so people who are scared together tend to be closer after the experience. And finally, the catharsis of finishing a horror film can flood our brains with endorphins when we finally get to relax. So if you’re a fan of Stephen King or Alfred Hitchcock, watch away! And you might even consider inviting your next date to view a scary movie with you too.     

The stories on this list might be even more unsettling than a film or television show portraying nightmares because these accounts are true. But if you’re looking to fully immerse yourself in spooky season, we hope you’re enjoying this list. Keep upvoting the responses that you think deserve their own Halloween feature films, and then let us know in the comments if you have any frightening stories of your own to share. And if you’re in the mood to keep up your scary story momentum, you can find even more terrifying tales from Bored Panda right here.