We all love a good scary story, but some of the best ones are *gulp* real. These stories aren’t made up to scare you – they’re very real and often happened recently. They might not be as “scary” as fiction, but they’re just as terrifying in their own way. Here are 10 real life creepypasta stories that will keep you up at night!

1) The Dyatlov Pass Incident

In 1959, nine hikers died on the high slopes of Kholat Syakhl when something caused them to flee their camp in terror. There were no apparent signs of struggle or reason for any member to panic so greatly that they would leave behind tents and food supplies with only clothes on their back.

They were found 50 meters from the tents, some of them with fatal injuries. While there are a lot of theories surrounding what happened that day, one popular theory is they encountered an unknown force or creature.

2) The Black Eyed Kids

While not as popular in the U.S., black eyed kids are a common urban legend across much of Europe and Asia, where they’re believed to be either ghosts or some other form of paranormal being that has one goal-to lure children away from their homes at night.

There aren’t many details about these beings, but in the stories they usually appear as children with coal-black eyes, pale skin, and wearing dark or dirty clothing.

3) The Babadook

While the origin of this story starts with a real life event, it quickly morphed into an urban legend.

In 1974, Australian author Jennifer Kent’s mother Amelia died suddenly and unexpectedly from complications related to peritonitis. A few months after her death, Jennifer found a strange looking pop-up book in her father’s study. It was an edition of “The Babadook” by renowned Australian author, Clive Barker. Jennifer’s father had apparently found the book while cleaning out a local school and wanted to read it with his daughter– but she refused, certain that her mother would have hated such a frightening children’s story.

After her father’s death, Jennifer found out that the book had been donated to a library in Sydney. The story took on an additional significance for her– and led to increased interest after she posted about it on social media following its release.

The Babadook tells the story of Amelia Vanek who, after the death of her husband, finds herself unable to cope with life’s stresses. She begins seeing a sinister entity in the house – The Babadook- which torments her and her son Samuel.

4) Capgras Delusion

A man in France was convinced that his wife had been replaced with an identical-looking imposter. This is a condition known as Capgras delusion, which occurs when the person’s brain has difficulty recognizing faces (due to damage or trauma).

5) The Well to Hell

In 1976, Soviet geologists drilling in Turkmenistan discovered a hole that seemed to lead straight into the center of the earth. Their equipment was suddenly destroyed by extreme heat and they had no way to measure what lay beyond their drill site.

6) Polybius

The game Polybius is a urban legend of an arcade video game which allegedly caused the loss of several hours, leads to insomnia and other side effects. No such game ever existed but its story has been told by gamers for years.

7) Dead Bart

In 1990, a Simpsons episode aired in which the main character Bart is killed by an oncoming car. Although this was just part of the show’s storyline at first (Bart eventually returned to life), children viewing their show through live TV were shocked and distressed when they saw his body lying motionless on the road.

8) Come Follow Me

In 1977, a man claiming to be the son of God began sending messages from his home in Florida. The letters would first come as phone calls asking for donations and then progressed into handwritten notes that included maps with directions to churches where he’d speak.

9) The Devil’s Cot

The Devil’s Cot is a folktale that many people believe to have originated in Scotland. The story tells of a priest who went out to bless the home and family, but when he arrived at their doorstep they were nowhere to be found. He searched for them until it started raining heavily and then returned back into his church where he saw all three of them lying on the altar.

10) Crooked-Headed Girl

This is a story set in the 1800s of a young woman from Madagascar who was born with an abnormally shaped head. Her father, believing that her abnormal birth would bring bad luck to their family and village, attempted to smother her as she slept. When this failed he tried drowning her but she managed to escape under water.