The best ghost stories are the ones that draw you in and make you feel like you’re experiencing the story firsthand. Almost like you’re part of the story. That isn’t easy to do.
Reading a scary book is not the same as watching a scary movie. But if you could put yourself in the place of a character, that would be more real.
That’s the idea behind this app called “Hooked”.
Instead of reading a book, Hooked pulls you into a conversation over text messages between two people. The story is told one line at a time as if you were part of the chat group.
A good example is a text message string between a mom and daughter. The mom receives a text while at work from the panicked daughter whose teeth started falling out.
As you follow the text messages back and forth you see photos the girl is sharing of her missing teeth in her hand. As the story unfolds, we learn that Mom has been keeping a secret.
Another story begins with a text message from a young woman to a friend at 3 o’clock in the morning. The girl says she is alone in a haunted house and begs her friend to help.
“Hooked” displays texts between the two and we’re along for the ride as the boy rushes to the haunted house and struggles to rescue her.
Scary story after scary story, the reader finds themselves hooked on what is happening.
Reading the text messages makes you feel like the story is actually unfolding in real-time.
You can read as much as you want at once, or check back during the day to see what happens next.
If you prefer there’s audio of the texts being read by actors. Frankly, I find reading the text messages is creepier than hearing what they’re messaging each other.
If scary stories aren’t your cup of tea, “Hooked” has comedies, mysteries, and romance novels. All told through text messages.
Fair warning, some stories are not for kids and you’ll find stories with graphic language and adult subjects.
Hooked is a free app for iPhone and Android but there are ads and a limited number of stories you can read. A full subscription is pricey at $5 a week. There’s a 7-day free trial.
If you want to try it out without paying the full price, cancel the subscription in settings. You’ll still be able to use the app until the trial ends.
