Nightmare Creepy Stories You Can Share During Sleepovers
Key Points
Nightmare Creepy Stories are timeless social glue — They spark emotion, laughter, and bonding in ways screens just can’t.
You don’t need to be a pro storyteller — Just remember the core scenes, keep the pace, and build the tension naturally.
We all crave safe, shared thrill moments — Sleepover tales give us a playful escape and a chance to feel something together.
You know what I miss sometimes?
Those long nights when the lights were out, everyone half-wrapped in their sleeping bags, and someone whispered,
“Wanna hear something creepy?”
It wasn’t just about the story. It was about the feeling. The thrill. The way your heart raced, even though you were in a warm, safe room surrounded by your friends and too many snacks.
Last week, we were talking about childhood stuff and someone said, “Remember when we used to tell ghost stories at sleepovers?”
And just like that, a whole flood of memories came back.
That one kid who always had the best stories.
The one who knew how to make their voice go soft right before the scary part, then shout at the perfect moment.
They didn’t even need to remember the whole thing word for word — just the bones of it. The laugh after everyone screamed.
That was the magic.
We still crave that magic, even now. Maybe we’re not huddled around a flashlight anymore, but that itch to feel something… it never really goes away.
Especially today — when life’s a bit chaotic, and everyone’s overwhelmed.
A good creepy story? It’s a fun kind of fear. One you can control. One that makes you feel alive without actually risking anything.
That’s why I put this together. Not just because I love a good shiver-down-your-spine moment, but because I think we need little traditions like this.
The stuff that makes us feel connected again.
So if you’re hosting a sleepover, hanging out with friends, going camping, or even just want to break the scroll-scroll-scroll cycle with something different — here are a few creepy stories worth telling.
You don’t have to memorize them. Just feel the vibe, hit the beats, and let your imagination do the rest.
Because yes, the world has changed — but a good ghost story? That never gets old.
Bloody Mary
Of course, anyone knows Bloody Mary.
One of the most modified stories in this list, and perhaps everywhere, bloody mary never fails to scare a listener no matter how a storyteller tells it.
There are lots of variations of bloody mary. One variation tells of how you can actually see and talk to her:
“Go inside a dark place, preferably a bathroom or toilet where there’s a large mirror in place.
It doesn’t even have to be dark at this point—just a mirror is enough to trigger those nightmare creepy stories we all grew up hearing and half-believing.
From there, look hard closely into the mirror and say her name thirteen times.
If you’ve successfully summoned her, the lights will begin to turn on and off. Don’t gaze away from the mirror.
You’ll start to notice that someone is already beside you.”
Depending on the variation of the story, you can invoke the spirit of bloody mary by saying it six times.
Bloody mary’s nature also matters depending on the variation. In some iterations, she’s a friendly spirit who just wants to talk.
In other tales, she’s an evil apparition that will bring harm to whoever called her.
She can either steal the invoker’s soul, kill them, put a curse, drink their blood, strangle them, scream, etc. As you can see, the story of bloody mary is a must-have in every storyteller’s collection.
The Licked Hand
This story is probably the best to tell at a sleepover. You can also find a lot more stories like this on mysteriousheartland.com. The licked hand story is also known as HUMANS CAN LICK TOO. Here’s how the story goes:
“A college girl goes home into her apartment, where she lives with her pet dog.
As she gets ready for the night, she turns on the t.v. Only to see the news report of a mysterious person who escaped a mental asylum.
The person is rumored to be dangerous, and everyone in the area is advised to keep their doors and windows locked.
Hearing this, the girl shuts every window and door in her apartment.
After a night of popcorn and movies, the girl finally goes to bed. Her pet dog also goes with her and sleeps on the bedroom floor.
Deep in the night, the girl can’t seem to sleep properly. She rolls and tugs around her bed until her hand is hanging on the edge of the bed.
She then notices something licking her hand and says, “Not now, boy. Let’s go to sleep. We’ll play catch later.”
As she wakes up, she immediately notices that her dog is gone.
She frantically searches for her dog only to find a bloody trail leading up to a dead-end wall.
As she approaches the wall, she notices bloody letters written on it.
Just as she makes out the writing, drops of blood begin to drip from the ceiling.
She then looks up, only to see her pet dog hanging from the ceiling, gutted, and skinless.
Terrified, she gets the phone nearby and calls for the police.
As she’s dialing, she finally makes out the written message on the wall: HUMANS CAN LICK TOO.
Kuchisake-onna
Japan is home to a lot of scary stories, and the story of Kuchisake-onna is probably the most terrifying.
Due to the popularity of the story, some residents in Japan’s towns impose curfews on their students to avoid meeting this urban legend in the flesh.
Here’s how the story goes:
“A young woman coming home late from work decides to enter a public restroom. Just as she goes inside a cubicle, she faintly sees a capped or hooded woman wearing a mask entered the bathroom.
After the young woman does her thing, she notices that the masked woman is still in the restroom.
As she’s about to go out, the masked woman violently grabs her and reveals herself to be Kuchisake-onna.
She pulls down her mask to show the young woman her mutilated face. Kuchisake-onna has a long slit that goes ear to ear on her face.
She then asks the woman, am I pretty? The young woman terrified says no.
Hearing this, Kuchisake-onna gets a huge pair of scissors and goes into a maddening rage, killing the woman with the scissors.”
In some variations of the story, there are several outcomes, depending on what you answer to her.
If you say no, as mentioned above, she’ll kill you with her scissors.
In some variations, Kuchisake-onna won’t remove her mask until she asks you if she’s pretty, and you answer yes.
If you say yes, she then pulls down her mask to reveal her mutilated face and says, “how about now?”
If you say no this time, she cuts you in half. If you still say yes, she then uses her scissors to make a slit on your face, similar to hers. She then backs away, smiling, enjoying her work.
Nightmare Creepy Stories: Takeaway
The three stories mentioned above are perfect for scaring your listeners during a sleepover. T
he story of Bloody Mary, Kuchisake-onna, and the terrifying tale of the licked hand can keep everyone awake, dead scared during the night.
