Tell me a spooky tale

Representation pic

The sound of furniture creaking in the apartment above, the occasional drip of a kitchen tap, the awkward howl of a dog in the neighbourhood - somehow, even the most mundane happenings take on an eerie overtone around Halloween. One of the spookiest ways to celebrate the holiday is storytelling; irrespective of whether you're scared or not, it is almost impossible to walk away from an engaging horror story. And today, Mumbai Storytellers Society is ringing in Halloween with a night of spooky tales, titled Believe it or Not.

Usha Venkatraman

Aimed at adults, the virtual session will feature tales of the supernatural, macabre and the unknown, narrated by four storytellers - Jyothi Rao Kunjoor, Akansha Goenka, Sarika Vyas, Usha Venkatraman and Kapil Pandey. "The stories will bring out tension, a tinge of nervous excitement and leave you with chills. Each tale will be scarier than the previous; some are even true stories. And it's up to you whether you believe them or not," shares founder Venkatraman about the event that's inspired by the franchise Ripley's Believe It or Not!

From a story by Ruskin Bond set in the hills of Doon Valley, to tales of engulfing blackholes and enchanted mirrors, each storyteller will take audience members on a spooky journey for around 10 to 12 minutes, shares Venkatraman. "The idea is to bring something different for our viewers. Some of our storytellers may even dress up. There are many aspects of fear - it doesn't have to be only related to the unknown. We want to go beyond the usual stories of fear. The tales will be open-ended, which the audience can interpret on their own," reveals Venkatraman.

On: Today, at 8 pm
Log on to: @mumbai.storytellers.society on Facebook to sign up
Cost: Rs 150