What are the most popular weird creepy scary stories?

One story is about an old, abandoned house. People say that at midnight, you can see a figure in the window that looks like a woman in a white dress. She just stands there, staring out. No one knows who she was or why she's there, but it gives off a really creepy vibe.

One more well - known story is that of the Winchester Mystery House. Sarah Winchester, the owner, was convinced that she was being haunted by the ghosts of those killed by Winchester rifles. So she kept building onto her house in a very strange and maze - like way. There were staircases that led to nowhere, doors that opened to walls, and many reports of ghostly apparitions within the house. It has become a place full of mystery and a source of many creepy stories.

A more recent one that has gained popularity is 'The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires' by Grady Hendrix. It combines the normalcy of a southern book club with the very strange and often gory world of vampires. It's a unique take on the vampire genre and has a lot of really weird and unexpected plot twists.

There's the story of the Winchester Mystery House. Sarah Winchester built this huge, maze - like house because she believed she was haunted by the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles. There are strange staircases that lead to nowhere, doors that open to walls, and all sorts of eerie architectural features that make it a very creepy true story.

The 'Haunted Nursery' story is famous too. A couple moved into a new house with a beautiful nursery. Their baby started crying non - stop at night. They soon noticed that there was a shadow of a child on the wall that looked like it was trying to reach for the baby. It turned out that a child had died in that room long ago, and his spirit was still lingering there, jealous of the new baby.

The story of Yuki - Onna is quite famous. Yuki - Onna is a snow spirit, often depicted as a beautiful woman in white. She can be very dangerous, freezing her victims to death. Sometimes she appears to travelers lost in the snow and lures them to their doom.

One common element is being chased. It could be by a monster, a shadowy figure, or some unknown entity. Another is being in a strange or unfamiliar place like an abandoned building or a dark forest. Also, the presence of things that are not quite normal, like distorted objects or people with abnormal features.

They play on common fears. Like the fear of the dark, of being alone, or of something unknown lurking. 'Creepy pasta' stories are full of such elements. For instance, stories about things that live in basements or attics where we don't usually go often. It makes the readers or listeners feel a sense of unease as they can relate to the fear of those places. Also, the fact that they are shared online easily. People can quickly pass them on, and it creates a sort of viral popularity. It's like a modern - day form of campfire horror stories, but spread across the digital world.

They play on our primal fear of the unknown. Dolls are supposed to be inanimate, so when there are stories of them coming to life, it scares us. It's like a break in what we consider normal.

The unknown is often a very disturbing element. For example, in a story where people hear strange noises in an old building but can't figure out what's causing them. It's the not - knowing that makes it so creepy.