Whether you get scared easily or not, it is understandable that many ghost stories are unbelievable. But most of them are usually made up with extreme exaggerations that make it seem ridiculous rather than scary. Here are ten horrifying stories that are more terrifying because they are true.

1. Imaginary friend

“When my great-grandma was little, she had an imaginary friend who she said looked exactly like her. She told everyone that her name was Emily. Turns out…she had an identical twin who died when they were two days old who’s name was EMILY.”

2. The thief ghost

“My family has a spirit that has been a part of the women in my families lives since my great-grandma. The spirit steals stuff. Not anything particularly important, but things you want in the moment. If anyone in the family is missing anything we just say, “Okay Sam. Give it back please.” Whatever it is that you’re looking for will be in the next place you look.”

3. The cow killer

“My dad grew up on a farm that had cattle and, one morning, they went out and found a cow had been killed. They couldn’t find any animal tracks in the dirt, and it looked like it had been methodically cut open. This happened a few more times over the next couple of years. They had investigators come out to look at the cows, but no one was ever able to determine who or what was killing them.”

4. The real life Conjuring

“My cousin’s family lives in this literal mansion, but it was cheap. At first they thought they just got lucky, but realized something must have happened there because the house deed changed hands quickly several times in a row. Since they’ve moved in, they’ve found a human handprint made of out ash on their wall, their daughter was found talking to her closet, and they’ll randomly hear loud screaming. They called a priest and he did an exorcism, but said that their basement is “dangerous” and to “keep the door locked at all times” if they want to be safe.”

5. Time of death

“My grandfather was a jeweler and specialized in watches and clocks. When he died,all of the time pieces in his house stopped at the hour of his death.”

6. Caught on fire

“My mom worked as a firefighter her entire life. While we were relaxing at home on one of her night’s off, she went into cardiac arrest. The second her heart stopped beating, the toaster in the kitchen caught on fire. It was unplugged, turned off, and nothing was in it. She ended up being okay, but no one could tell us how or why that happened.”

7. Goodbye

“My mom swears UP AND DOWN that she woke up in the middle of the night and her first thought was, “We need to call to check on my father-in-law.” When she turned over to wake my dad up, there was my grandpa. He was just standing over my dad, looking at him while he slept. My mom screamed and he disappeared. Within a few minutes my parent’s got a phone call from my grandma letting them know that my grandpa had JUST passed.”

8. Malevolent

“My aunt told us that her husband used to wake up in the middle of the night because he’d hear footsteps or chains dragging on the floor. One night, he was fully awake and someone started choking him. He tried to fight them off, but there was nothing there. The next day he had bruises on his throat.”

9. Dark magic

“My parents are from the Dominican Republic, so stories of voodoo are common. One day my father was walking home from school and he heard shuffling coming from a nearby farm. When he turned to look, there was a man walking in the field with blood dripping from his mouth and a dead look in his eyes. Later, my father found out from the newspaper that the man had been reported missing for two weeks, and that the coroner had confirmed his death FOUR DAYS EARLIER. My father still swears to this day that dark magic had a part in it.”

10. Death bed

“My great-grandmother’s great-grandmother was the eldest of eight children, and her bed was the death bed of her father. At night, she would feel something grab at her legs, but when she’d look, there would be nothing there. Just yesterday I was reading in that same bed and I felt a yank on my right foot—I was home alone.”