These Creepy Stories From People Who Worked Graveyard Shifts Will Terrify You

If you've ever worked the night shift, you know that some... weird stuff can happen when you're on the clock. And if you haven't? Well, you probably still know that weird stuff can happen when you're on the clock, because stories of creepy things people saw working the graveyard shift are plentiful on the internet. In a recent AskReddit thread, for example, folks who have spent at least part of their careers working at night shared the creepiest and inexplicable things they experienced while on the job — and you guys? It is the stuff of nightmares. I mean it.

The most recent data the Bureau of Labor has on shift workers is unfortunately from 2004, so I would bet cold, hard cash that it is no longer accurate; for what it’s worth, though, at that time, around 15 percent of full-time wage and salary workers worked an alternative shift (that is, a shift outside of what we consider normal business hours). About 4.7 percent of the total worked evening shifts (classified as between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.); 3.2 percent worked night shifts (between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.); 3.2 worked irregular schedules; and 2.5 percent worked on shifts that rotated.

When we think of “the graveyard shift,” we’re usually thinking of people who work what the Bureau of Labor calls the night shift; however, there’s room for overlap, so it’s worth bearing in mind that “the graveyard shift” might also encompass the end of an evening shift or the beginning of an early morning one. You’d also be surprised the number of industries for which overnight shift work is part of the deal: Yes, it includes doctors, emergency personnel, and security guards; however, folks at, say, energy plants, in the service and hospitality industry, and in entertainment are also likely to have some graveyard shifts in their work histories.

Indeed, the stories from this AskReddit thread come from a wide variety of industries and workplaces — but what they all have in common is that they are incredibly creepy. The following 17 tales gave me the wiggins above all else, but there's plenty more where they came from, if that's your jam; check out the full thread here.

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