karenpatchell Last updated: May 19, 2023

Freaky Fluency: 7 Scary Stories in Spanish for Fast, Adrenaline-fueled Learning

The scariest night of the year is nearing.

Whether you’re an enthusiastic Halloween fan or not, nothing beats the thrill of a good spooky story.

And when it comes to tales of things that go bump in the night, the Spanish language is a treasure trove of terror.

So how about it?

Are you ready to Spanish-ize your Halloween, and celebrate your very own Día de los Muertos?

Are you ready to learn the stories that have haunted both children and adults in Latin America for generations?

The following urban legends will have you pumped full of adrenaline, looking over your shoulder and learning Spanish like nobody’s business.

Because they have close ties to the places they’ve emerged from, these stories will also give you insight into various Spanish-speaking cultures. And what’s more scary than the thought that behind every spooky story is a sliver of truth?

Once you’re wide awake and alert from dread, you won’t even need your coffee to tear through a productive Spanish study session.

So to get you ready for a pleasantly stimulating lesson in fear, let’s look at the ways scary stories can be especially helpful to you in learning Spanish.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

How Urban Legends and Ghost Stories Can Help Your Spanish Learning

They’re super-short, so you can read them wherever and whenever: Stories that have grown up through legends and rumors are concise by nature and great for on-the-go, at the gym or the short five-minute break you take between classes or during lunch. They don’t require long hours turning page after page, so you can also spend more time reading just one, or you can read a whole collection.

Creepy enough to hold your interest: Each of these tales will pack the punch you’re looking for. They all have that moment when you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Scary stories have the capability to hold our attention, thereby making us forget we’re even studying!

Cultural references: Urban legends can teach us so much about the history, culture and beliefs of a town, state or country. They always contain local touches and details significant to the community where they’re told. So pay particular attention to what the story may be warning people about, as it might teach you even more than you bargained for.

Variety: As cultures evolve, so do their stories. Modern touches will be introduced and new aspects of the story will emerge. Thus, we can read many, many versions of one specific story, and also learn about the numerous experiences that people have had in relation to it.

Now let’s look at some specific ways you can use scary stories to spark your Spanish learning.

Strategies to Get the Most out of Learning with Scary Stories

Pair your stories: Most urban legends, myths and folklore are cultural-specific. However, the premise for a story may be found all around the world. See if you can find a similar story to follow one from a Spanish-speaking culture. For example, why not read about La Llorona (see below), and follow with the Irish Banshee? Read both in Spanish if possible, or one in Spanish and one in English. Afterwards, write a Spanish list of all the parallels between the stories, both those that are really similar and those that differ along cultural lines. This will help you practice your vocab and increase your awareness of characteristics specific to Spanish-speaking cultures.

Write your own: Do you know any local urban legends or scary stories in your area? If so, why not try writing them down in Spanish? This will improve your Spanish vocabulary and sentence structures.

Column noting: Scary stories rely on detailed descriptions for added scare and effect. The more the scene is set with creepy details, the more an audience will react. Before you begin reading, draw two columns—one titled “Where” and the other titled “Who.” As you read, pause whenever you come to a word related to the setting or the people, and make a note of the description. This will not only help strengthen your comprehension skills and allow you to gauge how much of the story you understand, but will also expand your vocabulary.

Fear list: When reading the following 7 stories, make a note of any words used to describe fear or being afraid. This will develop your use of slang, and also teach you about localized sayings and language. For example, while you may come across the most common way of expressing fear, “Tengo miedo” (I am afraid), and similarly, “Estoy asustada/o ” (I am terrified), you might also note other ways of describing fear, such as, “Me llevé el susto de mi vida” (I got the fright of my life).

Draw it up: If the story involves a physical creature, monster or other terrifying being you can picture, try drawing it based on the description. Afterwards, you can Google the name to see what it looks like and how close you were to understanding all of the details.

Now that we’ve looked at how urban legends and scary stories can help you develop your Spanish language skills, let’s take a look at some of the most terrifying scary stories in Latin America.

Scary Stories in Spanish: 7 Latin American Legends That’ll Terrify the Pants off You

1. La Llorona

Place of origin: All over Latin America

Similar to the “Woman in White” in English, the story “La Llorona” (the crying woman) has many different variations. However, the best-known Mexican version tells the tale of a beautiful woman named María who drowns her children in a river after her husband commits adultery. Afterwards, she kills herself in the same river.

Trapped between the living and the dead, La Llorona can be heard at night weeping for her losses and crying out for her children. Some say that if you hear her cries, it’s an omen that death is coming to your household, while others believe that La Llorona kidnaps children who resemble her own.

2. El Silbón

Place of origin: Venezuela

“El Silbón,” or “the whistling man,” tells the tale of a son who cuts out his father’s heart and liver and then feeds them to his mother. Upon realizing his hideous crime, the mother, as revenge, curses her son into a ghost.

El Silbón now wanders the land carrying a sack of bones over his shoulder. Described as being terribly skinny and extremely tall, he is known to whistle as he wanders. However, it’s said that when people hear his whistle close by, he’s further away, and when they hear him far away, he’s right next to them—though few have lived to tell the tale of their meetings with El Silbón.

3. El Cuco/Coco

Place of origin: All over Latin America

There’s not a child in Latin America who hasn’t been warned about the Cuco (Bogeyman) or who didn’t pull the bed covers over their head when they felt a presence in the dark. A shadowed monster who hides in closets and under beds, the Cuco likes to feed on disobedient children, but he also walks the streets at night looking for children to kidnap.

Parents sing lullabies describing the threat of the Cuco:

Duérmete niño (Sleep my baby)
Duérmete ya (Sleep, baby, do!)
Que viene el cuco (The Bogeyman’s coming)
Y te llevará (and he’ll take you)
Duérmete niño (Sleep my baby)
Duérmete ya (Sleep, baby, do!)
Que viene el cuco (The Bogeyman’s coming)
Y te comerá (and he’ll eat you)

4. La Casa Matusita

Place of origin: Peru

A bright yellow building in Lima, Peru called “The House of Matusita” is home to some of the most famous ghost stories in the country. When a wealthy man and his family lived there, the servants sought revenge on their ill-tempered boss for his mistreatment of them by lacing the food at a dinner party with hallucinogenic drugs. After locking the guests in the dining room, they began to hear banging, screaming and smashing noises from inside the room.

When the noise stopped, they unlocked the door and were horrified to find all of the people inside murdered in the most violent and bloody way. Unable to cope with their crimes, the servants hung themselves in the dining room.

La Casa Matusita is known as one of the most fearsomely haunted places in Peru. Many locals are said to hear screams and weeping coming from inside the second-story empty home. A TV presenter named Humberto Vera Vilchez allegedly once bet that he could spend 7 nights in the house and was later found outside, having suffered a psychological breakdown.

Feel like you want to know more about this terrifying story? Why not check out some videos on YouTube about La Casa Matusita for some captivating Spanish listening?

5. La Carreta Nagua

Place of origin: Nicaragua

Legend has it in Nicaragua that if you hear the clatter of La Carreta Nagua (the Nagua cart) coming down your street in the middle of the night, you shouldn’t look out the window, or you’ll catch sight of the haunted carriage, driven by Death and being pulled by two skinny oxen—one black, one white.

Its presence is said to be an omen for a looming death in the town.

6. El Sisimite/Sisimito

Place of origin: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras

A half-man, half-gorilla beast characterized as being very short but strong, with hair all over, El Sisimite is said to have feet that are backwards. Therefore, when you see his footprints, it looks like he’s walking away from you, when in reality, he’s coming for you.

Some legends say that if you look into his eyes, you will die within a month. Others say El Sisimito feasts on human meat. This legend can be compared to Bigfoot, or Boraro for added Spanish-language comparison.

7. La Luz Mala

Place of origin: Argentina, Uruguay

La Luz Mala is not a person, but an entity, or rather an evil light that is seen near swampy regions. Resembling wisps of light that float inches above the water, it’s said to lure people from the safety of the shore to the dangers of the swamp. Many locals believe that these lights are the crying souls of those who died before their sins were forgiven.

So are the hairs on the back of your neck tingling yet?

Did you check the closet for the Cuco before you went to bed?

Who knows…if you don’t buckle down and study your Spanish with one of these scary stories, he may just come to get you tonight!