The Best Two-Sentence Horror Stories on Reddit

It’s a weird truth that some of the best horror writing out there is available for free on Reddit. Obviously, you have to sift through a whole lot of dreck to find it, but then that’s where lists like this come in, isn’t it? I read a whole lot of boring or confusing nonsense so you don’t have to, and can spend your lunch break happily spooking yourself without having to waste any of your precious spreadsheet free time.

Now, amongst the creepy pasta subreddits, urban legends, and collaborative online horror groups—truly there is a sub for everything on Reddit—lurks the most efficient way to give yourself chills; the Two Sentence Horror sub. Personally, I recommend getting into the Halloween spirit by getting drunk with your friends and seeing if you can freak each other out (or make each other laugh) with them but hey, we all celebrate spooky season in our own way.

Be warned, there are bugs, body horror, and child death/abduction below so read with care.

20. Termites

When you read a piece of horror and your immediate thought is “Oh god no” you know the author is on the right track.

19. The Attic

There’s a certain kind of horror that comes from knowing more than the POV character and watching them walk right into whatever it is that’s waiting for them. This one’s more tragic than scary, so it’s only clocking in around number 19, but it’s still a good one.

18. The Genie

They do say true horror is based on real life, and this one is a real kick in the teeth every time it gets brought up.

17. Tyler

It takes a couple of seconds but then the realisation hits. Nicely done.

16. Where has the ocean gone?

That classic horror moment where you want to scream at the protagonist to run. For those who don’t know, the water receding and staying gone for some time is the prelude to a tsunami, so if you ever see that happen in real life it’s time to run for higher ground.

15. When they take off the masks it’s a bad sign …

It’s probably better for the poor protagonist that they don’t know what that means.

14. *Tardis noises*

This one’s not exactly frightening (unless you’re Thomas’ parents) but it is clever and a bit eerie.

13. The importance of grammar

This one isn’t frightening at all but it made me laugh and so I’ll allow it.

12. That’s one way to ensure a best-seller

Those type A personalities, plotting out every aspect of their lives …

11. Lost

One of those nightmares that lives under the skin of parents, and anyone whose ever been responsible for the care of a child.

10. The checkout line

I think they call this genre mundane horror lol. We’ve all been there.

9. Written between the lines

Is the real horror the fact that it took them a full eight years to notice?

8. The sound of silence

A twist that’s genuinely horrifying—that’s difficult to manage with only two sentences.

7. The Abomination

I’m a sucker for this trope. There’s something about reading or watching this “you’re next” genre of horror that makes the scare feel a little more real.

6. A very special Groundhog Day

It’s hard to say where the true horror lies with this one, there are so many layers to work with. It’s a classic trope, made elegant by the two-sentence format.

5. Better call Poirot

Another variation on a classic, there are just so many unsettling possibilities there, and none of them end well for the driver.

4. Anyone can buy a uniform …

There are a lot of child abduction-themed stories in r/TwoSetenceHorror but I think this was the one I found most gut punchingly unsettling. Because, after all, anyone can buy a uniform …

3. Mistaking the premise

Unnerving and meta, very well done u/TheBeardeding.

2. Folklore

When dealing with the inhuman you have to be precise. Small details are how they get you.

1. Cyber-bullying

This one is just so viscerally horrifying, and yet exactly the sort of thing you could imagine the worst kind of college-obsessed parents actually doing in today’s Thunderdome admissions environment. A+ and first place to you u/ace250.