How to Tell a Ghost Story

Spook and impress your audience

The telling of the ghoulish tale is as important as the story itself.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Candles
• Fans
• Firewood
• Sound Effects
• Flashlights

Preparation

1. Choose a suitably scary ghost story. If you don't know any, search through some good ghost story books until you find one you like. (Check out Related Books for some ideas.)

2. Choose a partner to help you with effects.

3. Practice telling the story so that the telling is automatic.

4. Direct your partner at the suitable moments.

5. Play scary atonal music in the room in which you will tell the story, so that the listeners hear it as they enter.

6. Light a fire if possible and set out many flickering candles. Turn off the lights.

Tell the Tale

1. Gather all the listeners in the room.

2. Spotlight yourself with a flashlight.

3. Speak in a soft voice so people have to pay attention if they want to hear. Get loud gradually as the story nears its end.

4. Have your partner turn a fan on the room briefly so the candles flicker. Have your partner slam a door at a suspenseful point in the story.

5. Speak very slowly when delivering the last paragraph of the story.

6. Hold a flashlight under your face and scream loudly at the end.