How to Tell Scary Stories

Before horror movies laced with special effects kept people up at night, people got scared the old-fashioned way: through storytelling. Telling scary stories in a way that really scares people can be tough to master, so it does take some practice. You can come up with the perfect story and build suspense to keep your audience hooked on your every word.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Coming up with a Story

1. Read a few classic scary stories to get inspiration. Go to the library or search online for the scariest stories you can find. Pick out 3 to 5 stories that have spooking potential and read them all the way through. Think about how you can make them your own by putting your own twist on them.^[1]
   
   • Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Woman in Black are a few classic scary stories that you could read.
   • The more realistic and recent the story, the scarier it'll be when you tell it. That way, the listeners can relate.
   • Urban legends make excellent scary stories. The danger with using an urban legend, however, is that some of your listeners may have heard variations of it, thus ruining the effect.
2. Set the story in a recent time period or place. Change the details so that it seems as though the story took place nearby, and recently. If the story took place in a canning factory, but you know there's a pecan factory in your town, switch out that detail (if you can do so without changing the story too much). If you can tie the story to someone you know, that’s even better.^[2]
   
3. Add in details to make your story sound realistic. Try to put in as many details as you can so your story sounds real, like where exactly it was, what time of day it was, or what the weather was like. If your story is about you, add in your reactions and what you were feeling. If you’re telling it from someone else’s perspective, give details on who they are and how you found out about it. For the big climax of your story, put in an actionable detail that’s super scary.^[3]
   
   • For example, you could tell an urban legend about your hometown from the point of view of your grandpa as a child.
   • Or, you could tell a ghost story about how you explored an abandoned building in the countryside.
   • You can also tweak your story to add in details of your current surroundings. For example, if you’re sitting outside on a foggy night, say that your story happened during a foggy night too.
4. End with a frightening climax to your story. The scariest part of a scary story is not knowing what’s coming next. Think of a large, expressive action that will make your audience jump or get super scared. Emphasize how scared the person in your story was to give your audience a way to relate.^[4]
   
   • If you’re telling a story about a monster, the climax could be that it almost caught you as you were running away.
   • If your story involves ghosts, you could talk about how you saw a dark figure in the hallway that rushed towards you.
   • For stories involving creepy critters, describe the feeling of a snake or a spider crawling up your arm.
5. Practice saying the story out loud once or twice. There’s nothing worse than realizing you forgot a crucial detail in the setup of your story. Spend a few minutes rehearsing how you’re going to tell your story, and make sure you aren’t leaving out any important information.^[5]
   
   • If you need to, you can write out a few notes to help you keep track of the details. However, try to memorize your story before you actually tell it.

[Edit]Building Suspense

1. Mention some casual details about your story throughout the day. Way before you tell the story (like the day before, or that morning), find a way to mention a few details that are relevant to the story. If you drive by the pecan factory, for example, ask your friends if they've ever been there. If you’re telling a ghost story, ask your friends if they believe in evil spirits.^[6]
   
   • This will make your audience curious and set up a little suspense before you even start telling your story.
2. Pick a time when you have your audience’s full attention. If you’re going camping, wait until you’re sitting by the bonfire. If you’re at a sleepover, time your story for when your friends are all in the living room. Try to make them sit around you so you can look everyone in the face.^[7]
   
   • If your audience members are distracted, your story won’t be as effective.
3. Act nervous about telling the story to build suspense. When the time draws near to tell the story, start pretending to be anxious. Get the chills here and there, and rub your upper arms as if to warm yourself. Look suddenly behind you, or at the distance, as if you just saw something. Keep doing this kind of stuff subtly until someone notices. At first, brush it off as if it's nothing, but keep up the act.^[8]
   
   • This will intrigue your audience so that they’re dying to know more. It also helps to build suspense, making your story even scarier.

[Edit]Scaring Your Audience

1. Start telling your story in a slow, quiet voice. Make your voice loud enough so that everyone can hear, but keep your eyes down to make it seem like you’re being forced to talk. A quiet voice can make you seem reluctant, like you don’t want to tell your story but the audience is twisting your arm.^[9]
   
   • This might even force some people to lean in closer to you, giving you more of their attention.
   • You could start your story with something like, “When I was 5 years old, my grandpa told me the story of the bloody lagoon.”
2. Add in body language to make your story more realistic. If you’re talking about how scared you were, open your eyes wide to look frightened. If you’re talking about how you had to hit or punch at something, swing your arms wildly. Use your body as a storytelling device to drive home the details.^[10][11]
   
   • This will help keep your audience engaged and interested in what you have to say.
   • If you’re sitting right next to someone, use caution when you swing your arms around so you don’t hit them.
   • Try to stay seated when you tell your story. Standing up or acting out your words can make you seem too eager.
3. Use pauses for dramatic effect. As you get closer and closer to the climax of your story, stop talking for 2 to 3 seconds at a time. Act like you can’t even bear to tell the rest of the story to engage your audience even more.^[12]
   
   • Your audience might even feel bad for making you tell the story, which makes it even more scary.
   • For example, you could say, “And then… (dramatic pause) I heard a knock at the door.”
4. End the story with the dramatic climax. Yell the last sentence of your story while you lunge forward at your listeners and scare the life out of them. This will probably make them jump since they are so frightened. Even if they chuckle afterwards, you’ll know that you got them good with your story.^[13]
   
   • You can also end your story as quietly and uncomfortably as you started it for a more subtle, disconcerting effect.
   • Try to keep your story under 5 minutes long so that your audience doesn’t get bored.

[Edit]Tips

• Don't smile or laugh when you're telling the story. You want to establish a somber mood, tinged with anxiety.
• Always be on the lookout for new material. Read horror stories often, and think of ways you can adapt them into the spoken form.

[Edit]Warnings

• Make sure your story is appropriate for the audience. Young children, for example, probably don’t want to hear about blood and guts.

[Edit]Related wikiHows

• Write a Horror Story
• Play Bloody Mary
• Make a Horror Film

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/magazine/how-to-tell-a-ghost-story.html
2. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/magazine/how-to-tell-a-ghost-story.html
3. ↑ https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2019/10/21/how-to-tell-a-scary-story/
4. ↑ https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2019/10/21/how-to-tell-a-scary-story/
5. ↑ https://www.wideopenspaces.com/tell-absolute-best-campfire-scary-stories/
6. ↑ https://www.wideopenspaces.com/tell-absolute-best-campfire-scary-stories/
7. ↑ https://www.wideopenspaces.com/tell-absolute-best-campfire-scary-stories/
8. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/magazine/how-to-tell-a-ghost-story.html
9. ↑ http://www.lovetheoutdoors.com/tips-for-telling-a-good-campfire-story/
10. ↑ [v160976_b01]. 22 March 2019.
11. ↑ http://www.lovetheoutdoors.com/tips-for-telling-a-good-campfire-story/
12. ↑ https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2019/10/21/how-to-tell-a-scary-story/
13. ↑ http://www.lovetheoutdoors.com/tips-for-telling-a-good-campfire-story/

How to Carve a Pumpkin

Carving pumpkins is such a fun Halloween tradition for all ages that lets you make some spooky decor to light up the night. Since it only takes 30–60 minutes to carve a pumpkin, it’s the perfect afternoon activity for you. Whether you're doing it for the first time or just need some new inspiration, we've got the best ways to carve a pumpkin right here! Keep reading to find out what you need to start carving your pumpkin and how to put it out on display when you're finished.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Simple Pumpkin Carving Designs

Happy Jack-o'-lantern

Happy Jack-o'-lantern

Crazy Jack-o'-lantern

Crazy Jack-o'-lantern

Scary Teeth Jack-o'-lantern

Scary Teeth Jack-o'-lantern

Missing Teeth Jack-o'-lantern

Missing Teeth Jack-o'-lantern

Scary Jack-o'-lantern

Scary Jack-o'-lantern

Nightmare Jack-o'-lantern

Nightmare Jack-o'-lantern

Graveyard Jack-o'-lantern

Graveyard Jack-o'-lantern

Witch Hat Jack-o'-lantern

Witch Hat Jack-o'-lantern

Haunted House Jack-o'-lantern

Haunted House Jack-o'-lantern

Black Cat Jack-o'-lantern

Black Cat Jack-o'-lantern

[Edit]Opening and Cleaning out the Pumpkin

1. Cover your workspace in newspapers or a large garbage bag. Work on a clean, hard surface, such as a dining table or the kitchen floor. Put down a layer of newspapers or cut open a large garbage bag to unfold it into a large tarp to catch any spills or messes you make.^[1]
   
2. Cut a lid into the top of the pumpkin with a serrated knife. You can use a serrated knife from your kitchen or the largest serrated tool in a pumpkin carving kit. Draw a circle with about a radius from the stem with a washable marker. Tilt the blade at a 45-degree angle toward the stem and push it into the pumpkin. Saw along your outline with the knife until you can pull the lid off.^[2]
   
   
   • Cutting at an angle prevents the lid from falling inside of your pumpkin.
   • Make sure your hand can easily fit inside the hole so you’re able to scoop out the seeds.
   • Try cutting a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin instead. That way, you can just set a candle or light on the cut-out base and put the pumpkin on top instead of reaching inside to light it.^[3]
3. Scoop the seeds and pulp out of the pumpkin with a spoon. Start by pulling out as much of the pulp and seeds as you can by hand and put them in a large bowl. Then, scrape the inside walls of the pumpkin with any large stiff spoon, ice cream scoop, or scraper from a carving kit. Keep scooping out the pulp until the pumpkin is about thick.^[4]
   
   
   • Save and cook the pumpkin seeds for a tasty fall snack.

[Edit]Designing and Carving Your Design

1. Draw on the pumpkin with a washable marker to make a free-hand design. If you want to let loose and really get creative, let your imagination run wild and draw your design right onto the pumpkin skin. If you don’t like your design or want to make a change, just wipe the marker off with a damp paper towel and redraw it.^[5]
   
   • Mark the sections you want to cut out with an X so you don’t accidentally carve out the wrong piece.
   • You could draw a spooky face with sharp teeth, the silhouette of a cat, or a scary ghost.
2. Poke holes in the pumpkin with push pins to outline a stenciled design. If you have a printout stencil or a design that came with a carving kit, tack it onto the side of the pumpkin you want to carve with push pins or tape.^[6] Use another push pin or a fork to poke holes every along the outline of the stencil to use as a reference for your design. When you take your stencil off, all you’ll have to do is connect the dots while you’re carving.^[7]
   
   • A pumpkin carving kit usually comes with a sharp tool you can use to poke holes.
   • Sprinkle a little baby powder onto your pumpkin and rub it into the holes so they’re easier to see.
3. Cut along your outlines with a serrated knife. Start carving your pumpkin near the center of your design and work toward the edges. Push the knife straight into the pumpkin along the outline of your design. Use an up-and-down sawing or rocking motion to cut through the skin. Start by making rough cuts to remove large sections and go back to clean up the edges.^[8]
   
   
   • Always cut away from your body so you don’t hurt yourself if your knife slips.
   • If you’re working on a small or intricate design, switch to a paring knife instead.
   • You can throw away the pieces of pumpkin you cut out or feature them in your design. You could attach them with toothpicks to make ears or horns.
   • If you’re carving names or letters that have cutouts like an “O” or “A,” cut the piece out and reattach it to the pumpkin with a toothpick.
4. Make simple shape cutouts with cookie cutters and a rubber mallet. If you want to add some striking designs to your pumpkin, hold a cookie cutter against your pumpkin. Tap the cookie cutter gently with a rubber mallet to push it through the pumpkin’s skin. Once it’s all the way through, just pull the cookie cutter out and the section of pumpkin will come out with it.^[9]
   
   • Use cookie cutters with spooky shapes, like ghosts, bats, or moons.
5. Try creating dotted patterns on your pumpkin with a drill. Draw a few clusters of dots on your pumpkin with your marker to make a pattern or group of stars in your design. Use a drill to bore holes through the pumpkin skin. Change to larger and smaller drill bits to add a variety of dots to your pumpkin.^[10]
   
   • You could also use a drill to easily cut out eyes if you’re carving a face in your pumpkin.
6. Rub petroleum jelly around the cut edges of the pumpkin. Since the cut edges of the pumpkin are exposed to the air, they could rot or develop mold quicker. Pat the cut edges dry with a paper towel before rubbing a thin layer of petroleum jelly over the exposed skin.^[11]
   
   
   • Petroleum jelly makes a thin protective layer that keeps mold and bacteria out.

[Edit]Lighting and Displaying Carved Pumpkins

1. Put tea lights inside your pumpkin. Light one or two small tea lights and set them on the bottom of your pumpkin. Put the lid back on your pumpkin to light up your design so it’s visible. Just make sure to blow the tea lights out at the end of the night so they don’t stay lit or cause a fire.^[12]
   
   
   • Candles will stay lit better if you cut or drill a small vent hole at the top of the pumpkin.
2. Use an LED light for a fire-safe alternative. Look for a battery-operated LED light that fits inside your pumpkin and switch it on. You can leave the light on overnight without any risks, so they’re great if you want to keep your pumpkin lit up when it gets late.^[13]
   
   • A flickering LED light looks just like a candle without a real flame.
3. Put your pumpkin out on display. Set your carved pumpkin outside on a patio or table to add some Halloween spirit to your home. Find a spot where it won’t easily fall or get knocked over so your pumpkin stays safe.^[14]
   
   • If you’re using tealights, avoid putting your pumpkin near anything flammable.
   • Put your pumpkin in a garbage bag in the fridge if temperatures dip below freezing or go above to slow down rot.
4. Soak your pumpkin in cold water if it starts to shrivel. When you notice your pumpkin starting to dry out, fill a sink with cold water. Submerge the pumpkin for a few hours or overnight to help rehydrate it. Pull the pumpkin out and thoroughly pat it dry with paper towels before putting it back out again.^[15]
   
   • If you don’t dry your pumpkin, it may develop mold faster.

[Edit]Video

[Edit]Tips

• If you want to avoid the mess and decorate a pumpkin without carving it, then you could try painting it instead.
• Choose a pumpkin that has firm skin without soft spots, a green stem, and at least one large, smooth face to make carving a little easier.^[16]

[Edit]Warnings

• If you’re carving pumpkins with young kids, don’t let them use any sharp knives. Let them help design the pumpkin but carve it out for them.

[Edit]Things You’ll Need

• Newspapers or garbage bags
• Serrated knife or pumpkin carving kit
• Spoon or ice cream scoop
• Washable marker
• Push pins
• Tealights
• LED light
• Petroleum jelly
• Cookie cutters (optional)
• Rubber mallet
• Drill (optional)

[Edit]Related wikiHows

• Grow a Pumpkin
• Paint a Pumpkin

[Edit]References

[Edit]Quick Summary

1. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-carve-a-pumpkin-jack-o-lantern-like-a-pro-halloween
2. ↑ https://youtu.be/QhNsbPJcAFw?t=35
3. ↑ https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/12-brilliant-hacks-for-your-best-ever-halloween-pumpkin-50506
4. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-carve-a-pumpkin-jack-o-lantern-like-a-pro-halloween
5. ↑ https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/12-brilliant-hacks-for-your-best-ever-halloween-pumpkin-50506
6. ↑ [v161599_b01]. 9 October 2020.
7. ↑ https://youtu.be/d1tV47LUX_Y?t=25
8. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/holidays-events/how-to-carve-a-pumpkin-for-a-halloween-jack-o-lantern-article
9. ↑ https://youtu.be/81Qqn1xlxUg?t=15
10. ↑ https://youtu.be/rKnnSPUPdso?t=41
11. ↑ https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/12-brilliant-hacks-for-your-best-ever-halloween-pumpkin-50506
12. ↑ https://www.jamieoliver.com/features/ultimate-guide-to-pumpkin-new/
13. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/holidays-events/how-to-carve-a-pumpkin-for-a-halloween-jack-o-lantern-article
14. ↑ https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-preserve-your-carved-pumpkin/
15. ↑ https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-preserve-your-carved-pumpkin/
16. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-carve-a-pumpkin-jack-o-lantern-like-a-pro-halloween