Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark

[M]

Did any of you guys ever read the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books when you were a kid? Is it just an American thing? Where they banned here?
I was just going over these books and can’t believe they where ever given to children, the illustrations’ are still more disturbing than even the scariest movies I have seen to this day. Even if you never read this book I would be hard pressed to believe that the urban legends, folklore, and folk tunes these immortalize didn’t permeate British culture or where not inspired by stories or ancestors brought with them.
Back when I was a kid I didn’t appreciate the painstaking research that must have gone on to collecting these tomes of American folklore and no one could have done them more justice. They where the Grimm's Fairy Tales of the 21st century (only that they where better researched and weren’t altered to prove a point.)

I mean you have your general scary stuff:
http://www.imgdump.info/img-0001-24448.htm (that gave me so many nightmares)
http://www.imgdump.info/img-0033-24654.htm
http://www.imgdump.info/img-0026-24647.htm
http://www.imgdump.info/img-089-24619.htm (oh and of course the ghost that lived in the walls)
http://www.imgdump.info/img-067-24597.htm

But even the stuff that was just supposed to be normal people is fucked up
http://www.imgdump.info/img-055-24585.htm
http://www.imgdump.info/img-0011-24632.htm
http://www.imgdump.info/img-0024-24471.htm (I mean that’s supposed to be a normal black dog … come on)
http://www.imgdump.info/img-075-24605.htm (what the fuck was going through this guys mind)
http://www.imgdump.info/img-032-24562.htm (I have seen plenty a horse sceloton but nothing freekded me out like that)


And some are just so folkloreish they perfectly encapture what children for generations were visualising:
http://www.imgdump.info/img-0056-24677.htm
http://www.imgdump.info/img-0044-24665.htm (this is such a classic urban legend)
http://www.imgdump.info/img-0023-24644.htm
http://www.imgdump.info/img-085-24615.htm (and the man who forgot his wallet … who could forget. Imagine that at night on the streets of St. Andrews.)
http://www.imgdump.info/img-066-24596.htm (remember that urban legend were the spiders hatch out of the girls face … so classic.)
http://www.imgdump.info/img-0074-24521.htm
http://www.imgdump.info/img-046-24576.htm (this is just what a witch should look like)

There is no mistaking these two as anything but rural American folklore
http://www.imgdump.info/img-012-24542.htm
http://www.imgdump.info/img-0072-24519.htm
Here are a collection of all the stories if any one wants to skim through them.
http://www.imgdump.info/cat-scary-stori ... rk-371.htm


Oh well I hope that I am not the only one who was scared shitless by these gems of urban American folklore that so deserved to be immortalized. Scary stories are one of the last surviving oral traditions in the western world, even today passed on from grandparent to grand son or around the flickering lights of a campfire.

[Thackary]

A kids' book that I saw recently is "Willy the Dreamer". Most of the images (and indeed Willy's dreams) are fairly straightforward, and although the illustrations are similar to those of Where the Wild Things Are, they're not particularly scary.

But the illustration for "Sometimes Willy dreams that he is being chased and can't get away" is TERRIFYING.

But what we think of as frightening isn't necessarily scary for children.
I think we should show more of this stuff to children, and not worry too much.

[the Empress]

we used to tell loads of urban legends/scary stories to each other in the school yard . . . . which were fun, but have left me with a fear of china dolls;)

[Bonnie]

I read that book, the spider face story was one of my favorites.
I turned out okay... didn't I?

[Guest]

Whilst a foolish youth of 16 I used to smoke weed with my mates under a wooden shelter at the entrance to an 800 yr old church that a relative of mine 400 odd years ago used to have as a benifice. I was not aware of this relative until I one of my uncles found out when I was 19. One night walking up the path to the shelter with 3 mates the hair on my back stood on end. One of my mates said the hairs on his back neck etc were standing on end, my other mates admitted the same thing and last of all so did I (thinking this is bloody spooky). One of my mates said to me "someone has a message for you, your great aunt maud needs to speak to your uncle". I thought he was shitting me - I had only seen her once at a funeral and was pretty certain I hadn't mentioned that to anyone - because why would I mention my dads aunt? maud is an old persons name anyway so I was certain he was bullshitting me. Then he said the name of my relative who had had the church so long ago (part of it became a nickname for me so I remembered it) and said he wants your uncle too talk to your great aunt maud. I was shitting myself inside while we were passing round the weed in the shelter. I didn't tell my uncle or parents - thinking it was a load of crap. My great aunt died later that week with the details of a swiss bank account that he was supposed to distribute. That properly shitted me up. I tried to pretend it was a co-incidence, i never went back to that shelter because I was scared. I stopped smoking weed even. When I was 19 the family tree was researched and being interested I read it. Obviously the connection with the church came up. I chucked my guts up reading that name that had become a nickname.

[C]

oh my LORD. i want to both thank you and wring your neck for reintroducing those drawings to me. these books scared the SHIT OUT ME and i still think of harold the scarecrow on a semi-regular basis. in fact, all of my uni friends know about him because he scarred me so badly. hows that for a tell-all?

[Mr Comedy]

Quoting Bonnie from 18:48, 27th Apr 2008
I read that book, the spider face story was one of my favorites.
I turned out okay... didn't I?

HELL No.

[hr]

"I am in no way interested in immortality, but only in the taste of tea. " -Lu Tung

[chills]

Struwwel Peter is terrifying :( The image of him with the long nails still haunts me. Damn the internet for finding it again :(

http://www.fln.vcu.edu/struwwel/petereng.html

And this guy gave me nightmares too :(

http://www.fln.vcu.edu/struwwel/daumen_dual.html

[ARTooD2]

Quoting chills from 21:54, 28th Apr 2008
Struwwel Peter is terrifying :( The image of him with the long nails still haunts me. Damn the internet for finding it again :(

http://www.fln.vcu.edu/struwwel/petereng.html

I had to hide this book behind the bookcase it scared me that much as a child... :-(

[hr]

King Sinner