Scary stories are the kind of thing you end up watching even when you tell yourself you shouldn’t, right? The show that has kept gripping viewers’ hearts, swaying between fear and curiosity, is “Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi” (True Horror Stories).
It features many episodes based on real experiences, and their lifelike eeriness can make you suddenly remember them later and get the chills.
In this article, we’ll introduce some of the most popular episodes from “Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi,” including those said to be downright traumatic.
If you want to feel that spine-chilling sensation, be sure to check them out!
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A collection of shocking episodes from “The True Scary Stories.” Spine-chilling masterpieces (1–10)
The Story of Building the Sealed RoomNEW!Mone Kamishiraishi
A piece depicting an unsettling experience surrounding the renovation of a long-established ryokan.
Aya Sasaki, the site manager, senses something off when she notices a tatami room with no entrance or exit on the plans she received from architect Soji Kijima.
As construction progresses, inexplicable incidents occur around the workers one after another, and an eerie atmosphere envelops the entire site.
On the final day, Aya confronts the true meaning of that room.
Eschewing flashy effects, the story’s appeal lies in its realistic setup and the quiet dread that steadily creeps in, while Mone Kamishiraishi’s delicate performance heightens the tension even further.
Way of the FaceNEW!Takeru Satoh
This is a terrifying experience a couple had during a drive date.
It’s the kind of scary story that might come to mind every time you get in a car, so regular drivers should be cautious.
As the girlfriend was driving, she was overcome by drowsiness along the way and said she wanted to take a nap.
The man, played by Takeru Satoh, couldn’t drive, so he decided to wait—but she didn’t wake up for a long time.
He tried to contact a friend who could drive, but his phone had no signal… So he decided to borrow a phone at a nearby mansion.
However, that place itself turned out to be the very reason they were held up.
The final “It’s coming!” development is scary, yet you can’t help but want to watch it.
scarecrowNEW!Seishiro Kato
It’s a story all the more chilling for its simplicity, featuring a scarecrow.
The young lower-grade boy played by Seishiro Kato spots a scarecrow on his way home from playing.
He goes home, puzzled—and finds that the scarecrow has followed him.
Rubbing his eyes to make sure he isn’t imagining things, he sees the scarecrow coming closer and closer.
The boy, who had been washing his feet in front of the house, panics and tries to dash inside, but by then the scarecrow is already right in front of him… Playing with fire isn’t good, but in this case you can’t help thinking it was lucky he had it.
Bloodstained InnNEW!Yuriko Yoshitaka
The woman played by Yuriko Yoshitaka, who came on a hot spring trip with a friend, noticed the musty smell and strangely cold air inside the inn as soon as they arrived.
Their room was a bargain, and the reason seemed to be the stained room at the back of the main room—apparently no longer in use.
She had a very bad feeling about it, but her friend said it was probably just a leak and seemed to be having fun, so not wanting to ruin the mood, the woman decided to keep smiling.
However, when night fell, a groan came from that room…
A Taxi Driver SpeaksNEW!Shinobu Sakagami
It’s a story from a taxi driver.
After hearing a scary rumor from a passenger, he drives on edge, heart pounding, but nothing happens and they reach the destination.
However, the real terror begins on the way back.
As he approaches the tree-lined road from the rumor, he spots a woman in white.
He initially relaxes, thinking it was just a trick of the eye—but then he notices a shadow reflected in the rearview mirror.
A supernatural occurrence unfolds inside the cramped car, with nowhere to escape while driving.
Perhaps that’s exactly why there are so many accidents on that otherwise empty road…
The sixth roomNEW!Maki Horikita
The schoolgirl played by Maki Horikita heads to a karaoke place with her friends.
They’re shown to the sixth room.
She’s delighted, but one of her classmates says something’s off and hesitates to go inside.
They also claim they saw a girl when the screen glitched.
From that day, invited by the classmate who sensed something strange, they repeatedly step into the karaoke shop’s sixth room…
The ending will give you chills—pure horror! The staff’s behavior is clearly suspicious too, isn’t it?
Forest of YomiNEW!Shun Oguri
This is a story about a young couple who step into a forest rumored to be a notorious suicide spot.
What was supposed to be a casual visit turns terrifying as the presence of a woman in white draws near, accompanied by approaching footsteps from behind.
No matter how they run, they’re relentlessly cornered.
Unable to bear the fear, they try to escape by car, but it won’t move as they want, and the tension peaks.
And just as the vehicle finally starts, the overwhelmingly bizarre scene that spreads out before them plunges the two into despair.
It’s a simple yet powerful ending that lingers long after, leaving a lasting aftertaste.
black-haired womanNEW!Aya Matsuura
Shiori, the protagonist played by Aya Matsuura, has fractured her leg and has been absent from school.
She’s alone at home during the day… and in that time, she spots a black-haired woman ringing doorbells at the neighboring houses.
The woman goes from house to house, persistently pressing the intercoms.
Shiori calls out to her—but the woman gives no reply.
From that day on, whenever Shiori is at home, she begins to sense a strange presence… You, too, will surely shiver at the many terrors felt within the supposed safety of one’s own home.
The Woman of the S Copper MineNEW!Satomi Ishihara
The woman played by Satomi Ishihara, who works at an insurance company, loses her way on her way back from sales rounds and discovers a certain copper mine with a coworker.
The moment she touches the door, the lock comes off, and with a bad feeling she immediately turns back the way she came.
But after that, the sales manager from the same workplace and her coworkers start falling ill one after another.
The manager is hospitalized, and when she goes to check on a coworker who also took time off, she learns that the two of them went to that copper mine and brought back an eerie mask they found inside.
Whether it’s a curse or a haunting, the three of them have become entangled with something terrifying…
Midnight StalkerNEW!Hiroshi Abe
This is a story about a man played by Hiroshi Abe who ends up joining a fasting tour after the results of his company health check.
The tour is held at a place that looks like an old school, and while staying there, the man catches sight of a nurse who shouldn’t be there.
When he consults a female staff member, he learns that the ghost of a nurse appears there—the spirit of a woman who took her own life after losing the engagement ring she had received from her fiancé.
Then, by chance, the man finds the ring.
It’s chilling how the nurse, pushing an empty wheelchair, appears right in front of him no matter where he tries to run.