Scary Stories Spiders

9 Scary Spider Stories You Can Tell

I am not scared of spiders, but I declined when I was asked to let a big spider walk on my arm. As a storyteller, I know many scary spider stories. Here are some of my favorites.

The scary spider stories below are stories and anecdotes that you could quickly adapt and tell. (How? Check How to tell a scary story) Not too long, not full of complicated names, with just enough spidery legs to tickle you. 🙂

1. The Spider Hotel

Traveling salesman Mr. Avery stops at a highway motel. He is terrified of spiders. Before going to sleep, he finds three spiders in his room. He squashes them and looks around for more spiders.

After a hot shower, he goes to sleep. Only to awake in the middle of the night. In the corner of the room, something is moving. As his eyes get used to the dark, he sees a giant spider.

He reaches for a weapon, but before he can find anything, the giant spider launches himself on Mr. Avery. The following day (…)

2. The Red Spot

One morning, Ruth wakes up with a red spot on her cheek. She asks her mother, who tells her not to be worried, “Looks like a spider bite, don’t scratch it.”

The red spot grows and grows into a big boil. “It’s coming to a head,” her mother says.

The boil gets bigger. The doctor is not available. Her mother still isn’t worried, but Ruth is.
And then, when Ruth takes a bath (…)

This scary story was also part of the movie ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ (link to IMDb).

3. The Tsuchigumo: Servant Spider Boy

A Tsuchigumo is a simple tiny spider. However, when they live long and prosperous, they can grow into Yōkai. Monstrously giant spiders, not afraid to attack humans.

They can even morph and trick humans. There are a few legends where the warrior Minamoto no Yorimitsu encounters such monster spiders.

Once, a tsuchigumo changed itself into a servant boy to administer venom in the form of medicine to the famed warrior. However, when his wounds were not healing and the medicine didn’t seem to be working, Yorimitsu suspected foul play. So he slashed his sword at the boy, who fled into the forest. (…)

4. The Tsuchigumo: Female Spider General

In another legend, a tsuchigumo (or monster spider, see above) took the form of a beautiful warrior woman, leading an army against Yorimitsu and his men.

Yorimitsu saw through her disguise and struck down the female general. As soon as he struck her down, the army vanished. They followed her to a cave in the mountains where she showed her true form.

After slaying her, her belly exploded, and out of her came hundreds of tiny spiders furiously attacking the men. But, of course, they overcame them too. (…)

If you dare to watch…

5. The Spider Contract

When his mother dies, a son takes a long time to grieve. Then, one day, when he arrives home, he is visited by a wolf spider who waves her legs at him.

He walks over to the kitchen and finds it filled with all kinds of spiders. Remembering his mother’s kindness for spiders, he decides not to get a blowtorch and not to hurt them. Instead, he asks them to leave the house and promises not to harm them.

The neighbors are continuously fighting and making a big ruckus. He can’t sleep; he can’t stop them; it drives him crazy. Then he calls for the spider’s help. (…)

6. Mysterious Murders in the Elevator

In the summer of 1990, Russian police found a man dead on the floor of an elevator. He had two holes in the side of his neck.

At the autopsy, the coroner discovered that he had died from shock and blood loss. 1,5 liters of blood were missing! A vampire?

A month later, it happened again, now with a girl trapped in the malfunctioning elevator. Other residents told the police that they heard her screams. When they found her, she was dead, and only two minor puncture marks were found on the girl’s left breast.

Nobody used that elevator anymore until a detective and a police sergeant decided to solve this strange case (…)

Some longer scary spider stories (more like horror spider stories)

7. Spiders on the Road

Can you imagine cruising down the highway and suddenly a spider drops its hairy legs on you? What would you do?

On Reddit, a few people told about this happening.

A guy was riding his motorcycle when suddenly a black widow crawled down inside his visor, just before his eyes. Immediately he stopped, yanked his helmet off, and took out the spider. Since then, he has stored his helmet in a safe place.

Another guy told about driving a car and flipping down the visor. Suddenly a giant spider fell in his lap. Keeping the car straight and fighting the spider was a hell of a job. Unfortunately, the spider escaped and still lives somewhere in the car. Very creepy…

8. Lego Spiders

I have some fake spiders in a cupboard that I use when telling scary stories. I would be properly scared myself when one of these would suddenly turn out to be alive.

A woman tells about her son’s Harry Potter Lego set that included fake spiders. They looked too real.

One day she picked up some Lego, including one of these fake spiders. However, the spider was soft and moved in her hand. It was a real one!

Now all the Lego spiders are in a ziplock bag in the cupboard.

The Red Spot – Watch only when you Dare

9. Spider in Your Drink

I always look into my glass before I take the first sip. I have found flies, wasps, and other animals there. Never a spider, though.

A woman tells about how she poured herself a glass of cold, refreshing milk. Luckily she looked before taking the first sip and saw a giant spider floating in the milk.

She screamed and threw away the milk. And since then, like me, she always looks to be sure.

Are there stories of spiders that are not scary?

Most spiders in world legends are not scary at all. They are mythical figures who help and guide. They might trick you a little, but for sure, they are not the horrors we now often think of now.

A famous, more human spider from West African stories is Anansi. He is a trickster but also a teacher. You can discover more about him here on Wikipedia.

Photo credits: Vadim Bogulov on Unsplash

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