It’s that time of the year. Everyone’s curled up under a blanket watching a horror movie while simultaneously thinking about what they’re going to be for Halloween. It’s the season of pumpkins, beautiful leaves and thrilling jump scares.
I’ve never been really good with the horror genre, but I’ve slowly stepped out of my comfort zone this past year. I’m capable of screaming through a haunted house now, but I’d probably need some liquid courage if I were to do it all night. I’m more open to horror movies, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be cowering in my blankets when it’s time to sleep.
October is so fun, and for all the right reasons. You’re getting scared, but you know you’ll be safe, and that’s a cozy blanket of reassurance.
Well, I’m here to rip that blanket to shreds.
I have been obsessed with true crime for over two years now, and I’m here to make it everyone’s problem by listing the three creepiest stories that still give me goosebumps to this day.
The Cabin 28 murders
The horror that happened in Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort in California on April 11, 1981 is one to remember. It’s one of America’s most gruesome and infamous murders and still remains unsolved — which is the reason why this case scares me so much.
More than 40 years ago in Keddie, California, the Sharp family went to bed in their little cabin. All was seemingly well. But at 7 a.m. the next morning, Sheila Sharp — the 14-year-old daughter of the family — entered their home to find a horrifying scene. Her family was slaughtered during the middle of the night. I’ll spare you the details because it was quite brutal, but I imagine you get the point.
What’s strangest of all is that three little boys sleeping in the room adjacent to where the murder took place were completely unarmed. Not only that, but they seemed to have slept through the entire night peacefully.
Are you getting chills? Because I am. I was always terrified of small cabins in the middle of the woods, but this case just proves that my fear isn’t irrational. Even after more than 2 years, this story still terrifies me.
The Flannan Isle Disappearances
That title makes it sound as if an entire isle disappeared, which would be pretty funny. This story, however, is just creepy.
In December of 1900, three lighthouse keepers on Flannan Isles in Scotland vanished. It was first considered strange when the steamer noticed the lighthouse wasn’t responding in bad weather conditions. Upon further inspection when people arrived on the island, they noticed that no one was there.
No welcome from the lighthouse keepers. No flag on the flagstaff. No trace of life.
The relief keeper, Joseph Moore, went up to the lighthouse to investigate. The door was closed, the beds were unmade and the clocks were stopped. There was also a coat hanging indoors, which is strange, given the harsh weather conditions.
The keepers log leading up to the men’s disappearance included chilling entries, stating there was an awful storm outside and that the men’s spirits were low. However, there were no reports of anything of the sort in the area leading up to the disappearance, which doesn’t make sense.
It’s been over a century, and investigators are still just as baffled as they were on the first day. While there was certainly no violent crime to be seen, that doesn’t make this case any less strange or scary.
Jack the Ripper
I’m sure you’ve heard of this one. Jack the Ripper was the name of a serial killer who haunted the streets of the East End of London in 1888. He killed at least five women and mutilated their bodies in strange manners, which indicated that he knew the human anatomy quite well.
The murders spanned from Aug. 7 to Sept. 10, 1888. Several letters were sent to the police, taunting them of their failure and foreshadowing that there were more murders to come. And despite countless investigations by everyone around town, Jack the Ripper still remains an unknown man. Or maybe even a woman.
If you read all these cases with a straight face and blank expression, then take comfort in knowing you’re much braver than me. Just having to brush up on these facts and writing them scares me more than I’d like to admit — even though I did this in broad daylight with all three of my suitemates beside me.
But hey, it’s spooky season, as we all call it. There’s no better time to lay in bed in the dark, fearing for your life.
Happy screaming!
