Scary stories to watch in the dark (if you dare)
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Date: 2026-10-28
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Comments and reviews: 10
nao_kaka
Before humans invented divorce lawyers, labor laws, or tax audits for the super-rich, our ancestors basically just used ghost stories to keep terrible people in line.
My favorite thing an anthropology professor once pointed out is that folklore was how regular people got justice when the real world had none. In feudal Japan, a corrupt samurai could poison his wife to marry into money and the law wouldn't touch him. So people told stories where she crawls out of a paper lantern and ruins his entire life. Bet a few husbands thought twice after watching that play.
Same goes for the guy who thought spinning a bed around would confuse Death (as if the Grim Reaper has the spatial awareness of a Roomba, or the prince throwing a VIP rave while a plague wiped out the poor outside. Rich people could buy off judges and build high walls, so folklore invented the one auditor nobody could bribe.
And then that last story about the blind musician hits a totally different nerve. Those samurai ghosts didn't even want revengethey were just heartbroken kids and soldiers who died in a brutal war and wanted someone to sing their story so they wouldn't be forgotten.
Honestly, our ancestors knew what they were doing. Forget lectures on moralitynothing keeps people humble quite like reminding them that karma can walk through walls.
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Before humans invented divorce lawyers, labor laws, or tax audits for the super-rich, our ancestors basically just used ghost stories to keep terrible people in line.
My favorite thing an anthropology professor once pointed out is that folklore was how regular people got justice when the real world had none. In feudal Japan, a corrupt samurai could poison his wife to marry into money and the law wouldn't touch him. So people told stories where she crawls out of a paper lantern and ruins his entire life. Bet a few husbands thought twice after watching that play.
Same goes for the guy who thought spinning a bed around would confuse Death (as if the Grim Reaper has the spatial awareness of a Roomba, or the prince throwing a VIP rave while a plague wiped out the poor outside. Rich people could buy off judges and build high walls, so folklore invented the one auditor nobody could bribe.
And then that last story about the blind musician hits a totally different nerve. Those samurai ghosts didn't even want revengethey were just heartbroken kids and soldiers who died in a brutal war and wanted someone to sing their story so they wouldn't be forgotten.
Honestly, our ancestors knew what they were doing. Forget lectures on moralitynothing keeps people humble quite like reminding them that karma can walk through walls.
reply
CarlaMariaMontes
I have the Ted ed Book recommendations playlist saved in my account to see when they post a new one. The Oiwa tale and Death’s Godson isn’t there and I love hearing them in my AirPods. Ted ed put more videos like this. I am still waiting a video about Ernest Hemingway Books and also of count of montecristo. Just saying
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I have the Ted ed Book recommendations playlist saved in my account to see when they post a new one. The Oiwa tale and Death’s Godson isn’t there and I love hearing them in my AirPods. Ted ed put more videos like this. I am still waiting a video about Ernest Hemingway Books and also of count of montecristo. Just saying
reply
TEDEd
We're thrilled to share our first Halloween Special, featuring some of our favorite spooky tales. Let us know which of your favorite cautionary tales, mystical mythologies, and haunting horror stories we should tell next And share this with your friends to help everyone get in the appropriately goose-bumpy seasonal mood.
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We're thrilled to share our first Halloween Special, featuring some of our favorite spooky tales. Let us know which of your favorite cautionary tales, mystical mythologies, and haunting horror stories we should tell next And share this with your friends to help everyone get in the appropriately goose-bumpy seasonal mood.
reply
ted_ed
Humanity fears ghosts and monsters, yet the most terrifying horrors are always born from our own unyielding greed and the foolish attempt to master forces we were never meant to control. True darkness is never in the shadows; it is within the choices we make.
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Humanity fears ghosts and monsters, yet the most terrifying horrors are always born from our own unyielding greed and the foolish attempt to master forces we were never meant to control. True darkness is never in the shadows; it is within the choices we make.
reply
ted_ed
Love the monkey paw animation. It feels like 90s PC animation that looks realistic, but feels like it's missing something key to feel comfortable. A lost art in this age of shiny smooth animation.
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Love the monkey paw animation. It feels like 90s PC animation that looks realistic, but feels like it's missing something key to feel comfortable. A lost art in this age of shiny smooth animation.
reply
oletramekaf5603
6: 25 I don't get it. Did the son came back to life or not What was the third wish Why does the story end like this without a proper ending What are we supposed to assume here
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6: 25 I don't get it. Did the son came back to life or not What was the third wish Why does the story end like this without a proper ending What are we supposed to assume here
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BlakeLaoshi
The story with death giving someone the ability to cure ailments under specific conditions reminds me of a Japanese Rakugo story that goes almost exactly the same way. 14: 59
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The story with death giving someone the ability to cure ailments under specific conditions reminds me of a Japanese Rakugo story that goes almost exactly the same way. 14: 59
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ehet3369
I’ve heard many of these stories before, and i was disappointed by how short they were edited down to. Many of these are (not scary) classics with so so so much to them.
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I’ve heard many of these stories before, and i was disappointed by how short they were edited down to. Many of these are (not scary) classics with so so so much to them.
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jpxfrd154
To clarify if some misunderstood: Oiwa's brother in law, Yomoshichi, isn't Iemon's brother, but is instead the husband of Osode, Oiwa's sister.
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To clarify if some misunderstood: Oiwa's brother in law, Yomoshichi, isn't Iemon's brother, but is instead the husband of Osode, Oiwa's sister.
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TrngNghaLHunh-v4z
It's kinda good. Additionally, you can find some Japanese urban legends, trust me it will be one of best experiences in your life; )
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It's kinda good. Additionally, you can find some Japanese urban legends, trust me it will be one of best experiences in your life; )
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