As a child, I had an antique fairy tale storybook written by the Brothers Grimm. It had the most terrifying pictures of witches, elves, and wolves. It sent shivers down my spine and yet I was always tempted to take a peek. From toddlers to old people everybody loves a scary story. It’s a great way to draw the kids away from the television.
Children are fascinated by spooky stories and it seems that parents over the centuries and across the world have been happy to cater to that need for creepiness.
The widely enjoyed celebration of Halloween goes back more than 2000 years and it’s still enjoyed today with children looking forward to the thrill of the scary campfire story and the ghouls that come out on the night. The cold shivers we experience when we listen to scary stories can be compared to the thrill of riding a roller coaster.
Fear releases hormones, our stomachs lurch, and our blood races. Scary stories help children to deal with the realities of life and they help children to understand that it’s okay to be scared.
In bygone days scary stories were used to teach children to avoid dangerous places. They were scary indeed but they were told at a time when many children died.
Still, this bloodthirsty group of international ghouls is rather surprising. Many of these nasties make meals of the children that they kidnap.