How to Tell Scary Stories on Halloween

Growing up as one of seven children, I had to learn how to tell scary stories on Halloween, or be banned from the fold. Even though we were all born to the same mother and father, bonded by blood, none of us were ever quite accepted as a true member of the family until we were able to send shivers down each other's spines on Halloween. Thus, the "art of the scary story" was something we all learned-maybe TOO well-and you can too.

CREATE A CREEPY SETTING

First, you need to turn out the lights. This is a mandatory requirement for scary storytelling, because you will never be able to creep each other out with the lights on. There's just something about the dark...

THEN

Light a couple of candles. Nothing creates an eerie ambiance like flickering candle flames in a darkened room.

Direct your friends to sit in a circle, with yourself as the focal point. Sitting at a round table is perfect for this purpose, but you can also sit in a circle on your living room floor.

TELL YOUR SCARY STORY

Whether you repeat a story you've heard, or make up your own, follow these guidelines to tell scary stories on Halloween.

• Speak in a hushed, foreboding voice. Try to imitate the voice of Vincent Price or Lon Chaney.
• Make your expression match your voice. Keep your expression somber. Widen your eyes when appropriate. Grimace at key places in your story.
• Talk slowly. Draw out your story. This will give your audience time to absorb every horrible thought that you are planting in their minds.
• Tell your story as if it actually happened to someone you know.
• Use a tried and true technique that suspense writers have used, successfully, for ages-foreshadowing. You do this by stressing a key part of the story that will come into play later. For instance, if you mention the electricity being out due to a violent snowstorm, then you throw in that the battery operated radio is reporting a serial killer loose in your neighborhood...that's foreshadowing. Your audience will be cued into the probable fact that the serial killer will be stopping by that darkened house, and the anticipation of this horrible future event will send chills down their spines.
• Make your story seem reasonable. The best scary stories are those that could actually happen. In general, this means that little green men or giant green lizards are probably not good characters to put in your stories. A deranged serial killer, freshly escaped from a mental hospital and camping in the woods behind your friend's house, IS. It COULD happen.
• Use local locations in your scary Halloween stories, as much as possible. The mere thought of a violent activity happening within walking distance of their homes will creep your friends out like nothing else.
• Save the best for the last. Whether your story involves a twist ending, a final violent confrontation, or a hairbreadth escape, save it until the very end. You may decide to surprise them, or horrify them (or both), but be sure to make the ending of your scary Halloween story truly scary and memorable!