101 True Scary Stories to Read in Bed Tonight

by Lane Loomis, Matt Godfrey (Narrator), Teri Schnaubelt (Narrator)

This book contains 101 bite-sized horror stories that are intended to scare and unsettle you. These are real peoples' accounts of the creepy and the occult - of their near-misses with madmen and paranormal entities. Each chapter is a short, stand alone campfire tale, a retelling of a frightening or gruesome incident that has stuck with the teller, something that gives them pause to this day when they find themselves alone in the dark. These stories have been collected with the knowledge that real life is scarier than fiction. Read with caution!




RUNNING TIME ⇒ 2hrs. and 22mins.

©2017 The Thought & Expression Co. (P)2020 Tantor

Genres: Horror, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Short Stories, Paranormal, Supernatural, Mystery

Audible Audio

First published September 26, 2017

Reviews

[Jakob Shingler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! A nice short read to listen to while on my walks. Though the only reason why it doesn’t get all 5 stars is because every story was 2 minutes or less. Idk maybe I’ve lessoned to too many podcasts and read other works for similar premises where they tell longer, more gripping stories so I figured this would be the same.

Either way still a good read. Would recommend this one! Have your nigh lights ready haha 🤣

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to get through this really fast because the stories/accounts are very short and they kept me interested. Many of the stories are less "spooky scary" but still scary in a real life kinda way. There were many accounts on how untrustworthy and dangerous many people can be and the whole thing just reinforces my way of living which is minding my business and keeping to myself and not trusting certain situations and going w my gut. Many accounts were indeed creepy if they happened to you and you feel empathy for the people but i couldn't help thinking "this would be on Citizen app" and there were a couple of them where in my head i thought "sounds like your average "crazy" on the 4 train in NYC"...but still creepy nonetheless and I am glad these people ended up safe and i am not invalidating them, it's just you hear this stuff all of the time sadly. One story was really sweet and it was called Mama Bear. The last one about a hearse was chilling. Moral of these stories: if you get a bad vibe from someone or something, you better listen to it!

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good if you want short scary real life stories that are really quick

[✧ hayley (the sugar bowl) ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

➳ 4 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

this was super fun and quick!






୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆

[Jennifer Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this because I wanted something different to listen to while I was laying in bed. The collection of stories were interesting, and some were even creepy. All were super short.

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever had that feeling you were being watched or that you weren’t alone in an empty house? Woke from a strange dream that came true in an unexpected way? If so, you may be able to relate to these short tales. Ostensibly non-fiction, these bite-sized recollections of scary experiences are unsettling and addictive. If you’re looking for literature, this isn’t it; there’s no plot to these stories, but some of them are good nightmare fuel.

[Lia's Haunted Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read! It was fun between books, small breaks, heck even elevator rides. Stories are short and pretty nice.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and enjoyable collection of short true stories. Some of them were actually bone chillingly terrifying because they were true. I may have a bit of trouble falling asleep tonight, going to go check the locks 🔐 one more time! ☠️👻😈🏚️

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bite sized scary stories! I just loved it. Some truly gave me a little spook! Don't read these at night! You will be up all night! I highly recommend this book especially during the Autumn/Halloween season.

[Spear · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick easy audiobook to listen to at work. a lot of stories i'd already heard before but the narrators did a good job at keeping the suspense

[Enelinda Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it real fiction stories that will give you goosebumps.

[Sara Machnov · Rating 3 out of 5]

These were some unsettling and interesting stories. Great for Spooky season

[Angellica · Rating 4 out of 5]

👻 Book Review: 101 True Scary Stories to Read in Bed Tonight by Lane Loomis

Creepy. Quick. Bone-chilling.

This collection is exactly what it promises—a midnight snack of real-life horror, bite-sized and perfect for reading under the covers with one eye open. Each story drops you into someone’s worst moment: the unexplained noise, the figure in the hallway, the thing that should not have been there… and baby, some of them linger.

Lane Loomis doesn’t waste time with fluff. These tales get in, get eerie, and get out—leaving your imagination to do the worst of the work. If you’re a fan of real-life creepy encounters, this is a fun, fast read that will make you sleep with the lights on. Or not sleep at all.

Best enjoyed alone… in the dark… if you dare.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (for the chills, the pacing, and the variety of nightmare fuel)💀

[Gold223 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imma make some songs out of some of these stories (I've already started).

I've read better horror compilations, this is definitely a mixed bag but I like that it does actually attempt to stay ground for most of the stories. Personal favorites include "His Captive Audience," "I've Been Waiting For You," "Thomas with the Top Hat," "The Man Who Will Take Them Up to the Sky," and I can't find the one about the car on the side of the road but that's my favorite one. "The Hearse Driver" was a good closer. It's interesting, I don't think all of them were necessarily intended to be scary, rather only spooky occurrences. Definite theme of dangers for woman.

It's fine, there's better out there.

[James Uscroft · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a failed writer myself, this audiobook is a masterclass in how 'NOT' to tell a scary story; really driving home how vital it is to build suspense before the big reveal. Because just as there's a reason why the magician/assistant doesn't leap back out of the box the second that they're locked inside to prove how quickly they can free themselves, literally just saying "Something happened which I later figured out was deliberate/creepy and potentially dangerous. And although nothing actually happened to me, it still bothers me to this day" is neither scary, nor entertaining; merely a relatively unique anecdote.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short but engaging collection is reminiscent of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark in its quick, bite-sized format, with each tale taking just a minute or two to read. Many of the stories revolve around unsettling real-life scenarios—strangers attempting to gain entry into homes under false pretenses or forcing cars to stop on desolate roads. While there’s little in the way of supernatural horror, the eerie, true-to-life situations provide a different kind of fear. The few ghostly encounters included lean more toward the heartwarming than the terrifying, adding a nice balance to the collection. Overall a fun quick read.

[Kaelin O'Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories were fun! And creepy, very short, which I liked, because I got through the book quickly, I marked my favorites, including:

The Message in the Closet
I Almost Found the Bodies
He Didn't Answer the Door
My Grandfather's Visit
Evil Little Boy
Don't Ride with Strangers
It Wasn't Empty
The People With the Teeth

This book does have quite a few typos, so a bit more editing would have been less distracting, but I still had fun reading these and would read more books in this format. Short, simple and scary.

[Crystal Yemzow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super Creepy!

I've read horror stories my whole life but these true little snippets left me totally freaked out. These stories show that all is not always right with the world. Some of them were also a reminder that the living can be a whole lot scarier than the things that can't be easily explained. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could read10 more just like it! I would recommend it to anyone who has gotten a bit too complacent and thinks there's nothing out there that can "get them" anymore.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky super fast read. Just over 200 pages, this book is filled of short stories told by the person that encountered them. All are true events to the best memory of the person that is telling them.

Reading this flew by, and I was kind of surprised when I got to the end that it was done. I'll be on the look out for similar books, the compact stories are a perfect easy light read, and yes they were scary.

[Maggie May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for fans of Let’s Not Meet. 101 urban legends, cautionary tales, and weird events, told in quick little bites in the way one might post it on a thread of a spooky this “really” happened to me. Several are well known urban legends, or variations of one, and others are creative little tales that were new to me. Fun light reading.

[Stefanie Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok now, these were actually a little disturbing and I've gotten a few times goosebumps.

These are mostly stories about where people escaped dangerous situation due to sheer luck, some premonitions (If you believe in that sorta thing), some are just weird, and a lot were about dangerous men praying on kids/woman.

[Cortnie Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of short story collections, but this was a fun one! The very short accounts submitted by real people were interesting, and the fact that they didn't always have a resolution felt very real life and relevant. I liked it! Nothing too profound, but a good way to pass a few hours and the short stories are perfect for campfire stories while camping.

[Bill Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable pre-Halloween collection. written by the people who decided not to go into the basement. Each of the 101 stories is short and purportedly true. Topics range from ghost stories, to shadow men, to invisible childhood friends, to abductions and other crimes avoided. It’s a lot like experiencing the “friend of a friend” stories you’ve heard over the years. I listened to the Audible version, and the narration was good.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this in one sitting while getting some work done.

Have to say it was interesting little stories. Some of them did in fact give me the creeps because of how real they could be. But all in all it did feel like someone just took a bunch of reddit stories and compiled them into 101 little chapters.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're not a fan of short stories, you're not gonna like this Anthology, because the stories are so short, some are less than two minutes long.

If, however, you are like me and you love horror anthology and spooky stories, you will enjoy listening to this even though it's only 2 hours long. It's well worth the listen.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories!!

These short stories are great! Definitely worth the read! I enjoyed them all and read this whole book in one day. Worth the read if you like me have a morbid curiosity about paranormal activity!

[The_Books_Music_Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 stars


I thoroughly enjoyed this. I love scary stories but something makes them even more frightening when they're true scary stories.

The Audiobook is dual narrated and was amazing. A very fast book to get through.

[Amanda Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not what I expected but I ended up enjoying it. Very short stories, only a couple minutes each story. Some of the stories were a bit lame but a lot of them were creepy so it evened out. Worth the read, I would definitely read more of these if there were more written.

[Kacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free on audible with membership.

I always enjoy these stories, both the real ones and the fake ones. Typically I listen to them from creepypasta narrators on different podcasts but this book collection was a fun listen.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Other than the spelling/grammatical errors, it was decent. Some of these are super creepy!