The Art Of A Good Scary Story: Imagination

The key to telling a good scary story requires the power of imagination.

That’s according to Ghost Host Matthew Krist, who works for the Nashville Ghost Tours and the Baxter Branch Library. He said people have to be able to visualize the story and the characters, even if they don’t believe in the paranormal.

“If you throw a little bit of the morbid stuff in there, throw some morbid humor in there, and it will resonate with them if it either makes them cringe in a scary way,” Krist said. “Or some of this stuff is just funny or it’s just gross and kids love it.”

Krist said his favorite local spooky tale is about Crazy George’s Bridge, located off of Old Bridge Road. He said that story is about a man who got drunk one afternoon and after dropping his pocket watch on the tracks, he was hit by a train. Krist said there are reports that if you turn your car off, it will still move by itself.

Krist said sometimes the art of a good scary story depends on the person actually telling the tale.

“I think when you get the story from an actual storyteller, someone who actually does this for living,” Krist said. “It gets into their veins a little more, so to speak.”

Krist said as a storyteller, he wants his audience to leave with a greater appreciation for history and to have a good time.