The term is synonymous with the horror genre, notably through , a collection of the master of horror's favorite scary tales.
The most cited "beware" story in philosophy comes from Friedrich Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil .
: Set in the Austro-Hungarian Empire just before WWI, a young cavalry officer named Anton Hofmiller mistakenly insults a paralyzed young woman, Edith, by asking her to dance. To compensate, he begins visiting her, but his "kindness" is rooted in pity rather than love.
: These anthologies often feature "be careful what you wish for" tropes or warnings about mundane places—like carnivals or old houses—that hide sinister secrets.