What makes real scary ghost stories so frightening?

The unknown factor makes very scary real ghost stories so frightening. When we hear about a real - life encounter with a ghost, we don't really understand what it is or how it can exist. For example, if someone tells a story about seeing a figure that passes through walls, it goes against our normal understanding of the physical world. And this lack of knowledge and the sense of something being beyond our control is truly terrifying.

Another aspect that makes real frightening stories scary is the way they can seem so real. Sometimes, these stories are based on real - life experiences or events that people claim to have happened. When we hear about a place that has a reputation for being haunted, and then we hear a detailed story about someone's encounter there, it makes it more believable. This believability makes the fear more palpable, like the story of an old cemetery where people have reported seeing apparitions. It makes us wonder if we were to visit that place, would we also have a similar encounter?

The unknown. In real scary stories, often there are elements that we can't explain. Like a strange noise in an empty house. We don't know what's causing it, and that scares us.

Scary true ghost stories are frightening because they often involve the unknown. We don't fully understand the afterlife or the existence of spirits. When we hear about things like objects moving on their own, voices being heard, or apparitions being seen in a place where there should be no such phenomena, it scares us. It challenges our understanding of the world around us. Also, these stories sometimes involve elements of danger, like in the Bell Witch story where the entity was harming people in the family.

The unknown factor makes seriously scary ghost stories so frightening. We don't know what ghosts really are or what they're capable of. In these stories, they often defy the laws of nature, like passing through walls or appearing out of thin air.

The unknown factor. In personal ghost stories, we don't know what the entity really is. It could be a spirit from the past or something we can't explain. That mystery creates fear.

It's often about the violation of the natural order. Ghosts are supposed to be dead, but they are still around in these stories. Their presence challenges our understanding of life and death. They might be associated with some unfinished business or a tragic past, which makes them both mysterious and terrifying.

The innocence of children is a big factor. When we think of children, we think of purity and vulnerability. So, when a child becomes a ghost, it's a disturbing contrast. It goes against our normal perception of children being safe and alive.

The sense of helplessness is another key. In these stories, the victims often can't do much to stop the hauntings. In the Amityville Horror, the Lutz family tried various things but still couldn't get rid of the evil presence. This lack of control over the situation is terrifying. Also, the idea that the supernatural can invade our normal, safe spaces, like our homes, as seen in many of these stories, is really scary.

The atmosphere in these stories is usually very gloomy and desolate. Take the story of the lost boys in the cemetery. The setting of a cemetery at midnight is already a very spooky place. And then adding the figures of the ghostly children makes it even more terrifying. The combination of the eerie setting, the tragic backstories of the children (usually involving death and suffering), and the fact that they are in a state between life and death makes these stories extremely frightening.