The best ghost stories feel so real, so believable, and so utterly chilling that they virtually guarantee you at least one night (if not more) spent tossing and turning while listening for creaking floors and the sound of ghostly moaning. Of course, that is the paradox inherent in ghost stories. The better they are, the worse you’ll sleep at night. This is true even if you’re a dyed-in-the-wool supernatural believer—you know, the type of person who has memorised details about these Halloween urban legends and spends Friday the 13th reading Ouija board stories.
We’ve rounded up some spooky stories—all of them based on true events—that are guaranteed to haunt you. So turn off the lights (if you’re brave enough) and get ready for ghost stories so real and so terrifying that you won’t sleep through the night.