Whether you're planning a Halloween party for a bunch of goblins or a group of your adult friends, telling scary Halloween stories is a great way to get everyone in the mood, or to have them looking over their shoulder as they make their way home...through the fog...past that solitary house...the one that sits back in woods...the one where they found the body. Mwaa ha ha ha!!

You can create your own spooky stories:

Nearly every town across the country has a local legend, a supposed haunted house or a cryptic creature that roams its landscape. These localized tales are a great starting point for creating your own scary Halloween stories. If you embellish your stories with factual places, people and settings, your listeners will definitely begin to wonder if what you're telling them is indeed made-up.

One of the greatest joys one can get from sharing their scary Halloween stories is when they can visually see the fright on the faces of their audience. Every good ghost story should have its "jump" moments, just like in the movies. If you can have someone outside of the group cause a sudden commotion at the height of your tale, your audience will shriek -- which is the true sign of a successful tale.

Need help creating Halloween stories?

If you don't feel capable of creating a truly scary tale on your own, there are a number of places you can find inspiration. Head to your local library and check out the section on the paranormal. Or visit websites like HalloweenGhostStories.com or AmericanFolklore.net. The only drawback from many of these tales of horror is that someone in your audience may have heard them before, making them much less effective. If anything, read the tales offered here and make certain changes to the story to add a unique twist or unexpected finish that nobody will be expecting.