6 Items Tagged

Scary Stories

2022 Was Another Scary Year, and We Have the Spooky Stories to Prove It

From oomancy to human hematophagy, we got weird, wondrous, and wicked this year.

Samir S. Patel December 29, 2022

The Spooky Science of Why Mirrors Can Freak Us Out So Much

We reflect on what these shiny surfaces reveal, from the curse of Narcissus to an experiment you can try at home—if you dare.

Kate Golembiewski October 14, 2022

How Gruesome Penny Dreadfuls Got Victorian Children Reading

Despite causing a moral panic, these salacious tales helped boost literacy in Victorian England.

Sarah Durn October 22, 2021

24 Children's Stories That Still Give Us the Creeps

Atlas Obscura readers wrote in about the classic tales that taught them one thing—unease.

Eric Grundhauser January 25, 2019

8 Inspiring Stories of Getting Over a Food Fear

Conquering a culinary anxiety isn't always pretty, but it can be pretty tasty.

Eric Grundhauser October 26, 2018

What Children's Book Do You Remember That No One Else Does?

This week, Atlas Obscura is collecting memories of long-lost YA and kids' books that remain burned in your brain.

Sommer Mathis June 12, 2017