Scary stories to watch in the dark (if you dare…)

At TED-Ed we pride ourselves on sparking curiosity and facilitating learning. But we all know that some lessons are only learned the hard way, and that curiosity killed... any number of fools.

Let’s take a moment to learn from the greedy, the cruel, and the foolhardy with a collection of our favorite terrifying tales. We begin with "The Monkey’s Paw" and that unsettling refrain: be careful what you wish for.

The windows shuddered, the chimney howled, and rain crashed upon Mr. and Mrs. White’s roof as they sat fireside with their son, Herbert. They were expecting someone...

When a knock finally sounded at the door, Mr. White rose and welcomed his old friend, Sergeant-Major Morris. Time flew as the Sergeant regaled the family with epic tales from faraway lands— until Mr. White asked about an artifact the Sergeant had alluded to.

Slowly, the Sergeant produced the object from his pocket: a mummified monkey’s paw. He explained that, in order to teach the consequences of meddling with fate, a holy man had imbued the paw with the power to grant three wishes to three men.

The Sergeant said he’d obtained the paw after the first man made his final wish for death. When Herbert asked why he hadn’t used his wishes, the Sergeant tensed and replied simply that he had. Suddenly, he flung the paw into the fire, but Mr.

White yelped and plucked it out of the flames. And despite the Sergeant’s warnings, Mr. White persuaded him to part with the paw... After their guest had gone, Herbert playfully suggested that his father wish for the rest of their home’s mortage money.

Mr. White chuckled and wished for £200. But just as the utterance left his lips, he screamed out in terror. The paw had curled in his grasp.

The Whites soon bid each other goodnight. But as Mr. White sat staring into the dying flames that flickered in the fireplace, they morphed into blazing faces before him. He reached for a water glass to extinguish the apparition,

but as he did, the monkey’s paw grazed his hand, ever so slightly... The morning’s light soothed the night’s disquiet, and the family joked with one another about the paw’s magical powers. Herbert left for work, and Mr.

and Mrs. White passed their day as usual. But as evening loomed, Mrs. White noticed a man at their gate, who appeared to be deliberating whether to enter.

She ushered him in and he broke the news: Herbert had died, caught in the factory machinery. To the Whites’ horror, the company would reward them compensation, the man went on, in the form of £200. They buried Herbert at a cemetery down the road.

And over the following days, the cold, heavy grief of their loss settled upon the home. One night, as Mr. White tried to comfort his weeping wife, she bolted up, possessed by an idea.

They still had the monkey’s paw—and Mr. White had two remaining wishes. He could will their son back to life. Yet the thought of the monkey’s paw and Herbert’s mangled body, reanimated after 10 days buried, petrified Mr.

White. Mrs. White, however, was insistent. She hurried him downstairs to find the paw. And, moved by his wife’s desperation, Mr.

White clutched it and wished for Herbert to be alive again. Then let the monkey’s paw fall to the floor. At first, nothing happened, and Mr. White felt a sneaking sense of relief.