How to Scare Yourself Silly

Trying to shake off that endless hiccup? Bored at a late-night party? No matter the reason for wanting to scare yourself, it's often easier said than done. When you finally manage it, the result can leave you with a delightful shiver. To truly scare yourself, a little creativity is needed; you can't just squeal in front of the mirror and genuinely frighten yourself. Whether you want a sudden jolt of fear or a slow build-up of creeping dread, employing some clever methods can help you achieve the fright you desire.

Getting a Sudden Fright

Step 1: Watch shocking videos online.

Look for videos online that feature sudden shocking moments. If you're in need of a quick scare, this is one of the fastest ways to get that jolt. Shocking videos that make you scream have been popular since the early days of the internet and remain a staple of online pranks. These videos usually start with a simple, pleasant scene or animation to immerse you in a false sense of calm, then suddenly show a horrifying image accompanied by a loud noise. It’s cheap but effective; it’s nearly impossible not to get scared if you haven't seen the video before.

• Ready to get scared? Here’s a short list of videos to check out; some contain shocking moments, others do not. Click on them at your own risk! For the best effect, watch the videos alone in the dark with headphones on and in full-screen mode. Video 1
• Video 2
• Video 3
• Video 4
• Video 5
• Video 6

Step 2: Watch a horror movie with plenty of scary scenes.

Watch a horror movie packed with frightening scenes. A good horror film can cram enough terrifying moments into its couple of hours to last a lifetime. Want to have some fun and spend an evening in fear? Invite friends over for a movie night and choose a horror film none of you has seen before. If you're lucky, you might experience dozens of sudden scares in one night!

• Here’s a short list of horror films that include at least one truly shocking moment (many have more than one). "Insidious"
• "The Descent"
• "The Ring"
• "The Exorcist III"
• "The Thing"
• "Audition"
• "Mulholland Drive" (not a horror film, but it has a very scary scene at the beginning) [1] X Source

Step 3: Play a scary video game.

Play a scary video game. While it might seem that games can't compete with horror films, some modern games can be genuinely terrifying. Moreover, scary video games allow you to personally experience the events happening on your screen. Since you have some control over the game’s events, you naturally become more engaged (and thereby more vulnerable to fright). Some of the scariest games include:

• "Slender" (Windows, Mac) (available for free download)
• "Amnesia: The Dark Descent" (Windows, Mac, Linux)
• Most of the "Silent Hill" series (available on many platforms; find more details here)
• "Five Nights at Freddy's" and its sequel "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" (Windows, Android, iOS)
• "Condemned: Criminal Origins" (Xbox 360 and Windows)

Step 4: Visit a haunted house, if possible.

If possible, visit a haunted house. Is it late fall? Are there haunted houses nearby? If so, gather some friends or someone else (it can even make for a great date, provided your partner has the right temperament). If you're really brave, consider going to a haunted house alone, but be prepared to be thoroughly scared. Many haunted house operators are incredibly creative in their methods of scaring visitors, which they take pride in.

• If you decide to visit such an attraction, remember to maintain decorum, even if you're frightened. Use common sense: don’t touch the actors, don’t try to anticipate the scares, and so on. You can also read up on how to refrain from cursing at the actors working in horror attractions.

Step 5: Get a friend to play a prank on you.

Enlist a friend to pull a prank on you. If you want someone else to scare you, consider asking a friend for help. Tell them you want to experience an unexpected scare in the coming days, then just go about your usual life. Be cautious; if your friend takes your request seriously and follows through, a terrifying surprise may be waiting for you around the corner.

Step 6: Put yourself in a dangerous-sounding situation.

Put yourself in a situation that simulates danger. Many people enjoy the sensation of fear so much that they constantly seek ways to feel danger while actually being safe. Sounds silly? If you've ever ridden a roller coaster, you’ve done the same! Here are some completely safe activity ideas that can provide you with a sense of deadly danger:

• Going on a roller coaster or similar ride.
• Standing right at the edge of a viewing platform on a tall building.
• Rock climbing (at an indoor climbing wall with safety gear).
• Watching a scary movie in IMAX.
• Playing a combat simulator (these can be found in specialized science centers, museums, and other educational institutions).

Step 7: Face your phobia head-on.

Face your phobia head-on. Phobias are intense, irrational fears focused on specific things or activities. Almost everyone has something that scares them significantly more than it does others, and about 4-5% of the population suffers from clinical (medically significant) phobias. If you have a mild phobia (not severe), consider exposing yourself to what frightens you for a quick adrenaline rush. Only do this if you have never fainted or had a panic attack because of your phobia before.

• Unsure if you have a phobia? Common phobias include arachnophobia (fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), acrophobia (fear of heights), necrophobia (fear of dead objects), cynophobia (fear of dogs), and claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces). If any of these cause you deep dread, you likely have a phobia. [4] X Source
• Note that unlike other suggested activities in this section, this last one may carry a small (but real) risk of experiencing a lasting distress. People with severe phobias may be paralyzed by traumatic fear if they attempt to confront their phobia directly. In such cases, the phobia requires psychological treatment and should not be used to induce fear. For further information, read articles on overcoming phobias.

Gradually Building Fear

Step 1: Create a quiet, dark environment.

Create a quiet, dark environment. If you’re less interested in a single quick scare and more into a creeping sense of dread that will keep you on edge all night, start by setting the scene. Wait for nighttime (or go to a very dark place, like a basement or attic) and eliminate all sources of noise. Ideally, you should be able to hear even the tiniest object hit the floor. This way, you’ll jump at any little noise you’d usually ignore.

• Darkness is a highly effective amplifier of fear. Almost everything scary becomes even scarier in the dark. Philosopher William Lyons suggested that people fear darkness not because of the absence of light, but because they don’t know what might be lurking in the dark. [5] X Source Silence amplifies this effect. Just hearing a bookshelf creak in the dark can lead you to believe a serial killer is sneaking into your room.
• Similarly, being alone evokes a sense of being hunted. If you’re on your own, there’s no one to help you when the unknown horror comes for you in the night. This thought is not very comforting...

Step 2: Read ghost stories.

Read ghost stories. At first, this might seem silly or childish, but immersing yourself in a good ghost story is a fantastically effective way to feel uneasy for hours on end. Ghost stories range from mildly unsettling to bone-chilling; it’s up to you how much fright you’re prepared to handle. Here are a few examples:

• If you have some time, try reading classic horror novels or short stories. Long-time favorites (and for good reason) include "The Shining" by Stephen King and "Ligeia" by Edgar Allan Poe. [6] X Source
• Looking for something shorter? Try searching online for collections of ghost stories. There are hundreds of such stories online, easily found through any search engine.
• If you want to read something you’ve never heard of before, look for blogs and forums where people share their own scariest stories and experiences. [1]

Step 3: Read about real-life paranormal occurrences.

Read about real-life paranormal occurrences. If ghost stories aren’t your thing, try reading about real facts. There are numerous accounts of unexplained deaths and disappearances that make for truly terrifying tales. Reading such stories can sometimes be even scarier than the scariest fictional ghost story. These events actually happened, and no one can explain them. Here are some recommendations:

• The Dyatlov Pass incident. Nine hikers met a horrific fate in the Ural Mountains of Russia in the 1950s under mysterious circumstances. Their tent was cut from the inside. Some had unexplained injuries, such as burned hands and skull trauma without apparent cause. Some of the hikers' clothing had elevated radiation levels. No official explanation for their deaths has ever been proposed. [7] X Source
• Elisa Lam. A 21-year-old Canadian tourist was found dead in a water tank on the roof of a Los Angeles hotel a month after her disappearance. It’s unclear how and why she ended up in the tank. Additionally, security footage shows behavior that has some believing she was possessed.
• The Bell Witch of Tennessee haunting the Bell family. A man named John Bell moved from North Carolina to Tennessee in the 1800s and experienced all sorts of unexplained phenomena on his property until his death. However, it’s unclear how much of this story is truth and how much is fiction.

Step 4: Get in the right mindset.

Get in the right mindset. Once you start losing your nerve, you can enhance the fear effect by putting yourself in a paranoid state of mind. This is hard to explain specifically, but largely, you should make yourself feel as though you’re seeing and experiencing the "unreal," that the entire world around you doesn’t actually exist. Many people find it easiest to create this effect after staring at their reflection in a mirror in a dark, quiet room for a long time. Eventually, you should feel as though you’ve exited your body, which can send chills down your spine, especially if you’re already feeling scared.

• Another good method is to imagine things that are just impossible to conceive. For example, sit in a dark room and try to focus on what it would be like to be dead. Alternatively, try to envision how your vision would work if you had eyes all over your head. In reality, that’s impossible, but your imagination can help you delve into the paranoid introspective thinking you need.

Step 5: Think of all the scary things that could happen to you at this very moment.

Think of all the scary things that could happen to you at this very moment. Once you get sufficiently caught up in fear, all you need to do is maintain it by imagining all the terrible events that could occur to you. Here’s a short list to get you started, but don’t hesitate to add your own deepest fears to it. Good luck!

• A serial killer could jump out of your closet and attack you right now. It’s possible!
• You could slowly be losing your mind. Or has that already happened?
• You might die in your sleep and not even realize it, making your current thoughts the last ones you’ll ever have.
• A nuclear war could have already started; perhaps there are only minutes left until bombs drop and civilization ends.
• The entire universe could vanish without warning in the blink of an eye. Scientists speculate it spontaneously came from nowhere. [8] X Source

Step 6: If you get too scared, remember that you are completely safe.

If you get too scared, remember that you are completely safe. Have you gone a bit overboard with the scares? Don’t worry; it’s okay. You aren’t in any danger. You are simply sitting alone in a dark and quiet room scaring yourself. There’s no monster in the closet. You’ll get through this night just fine. Start breathing deeper and try reading up on how to calm down to change your mood.