Use the element of the unknown. For example, 'There's a noise in the attic, but no one's been up there for years.' By leaving the source of the noise a mystery, it creates fear. People's minds will start imagining all kinds of terrifying things.
Another way is to invert the normal order of things. For instance, 'The dead rose from their graves to put the living to bed.' This turns the natural order on its head. Also, using our own body in an unexpected way can be good, like 'My teeth grew long and sharp in my sleep.' It makes the reader or listener feel a sense of dread about their own body doing something out of the ordinary.
Play with the familiar and make it strange. Like 'The family photo on the wall now has an extra face.' The family photo is a normal, comforting thing, but adding an unexpected and unexplained element makes it horrifying. You can also use the concept of time or space distortion, such as 'I walked into my room and it was a hundred years in the past.' This messes with our sense of normalcy and is quite effective for a one - line horror story.
One way is to misdirect the reader. For example, introduce a character who seems to be the hero but turns out to be the villain in the end. Another method is withholding key information until the very end. This could be a secret about a character's past or a hidden motive for their actions. Also, using unexpected plot twists like a sudden revelation that changes the whole meaning of the story can create a surprise ending.
Their brevity. They quickly get to the point of horror.
The brevity. They quickly build tension. For example, in a short space, they can introduce a strange event like 'I saw a face in the window. It vanished. I'm scared to look again. My heart won't stop pounding.' It doesn't waste time on long descriptions but gets straight to the creepy part.
The brevity. They get to the point quickly. There's no time for long build - ups, so the horror hits you fast.
Another way is to start with a setting that is inherently spooky. For example, an old, abandoned asylum with peeling paint and broken windows. As the reader imagines this desolate place, it creates a perfect backdrop for the horror to unfold. You can then introduce the main character arriving at this place, perhaps on a dare or because they have no other choice, and the reader is already primed for something terrifying to happen.
Start with a sudden, unexpected event. Like a car crash in the middle of a desolate road at midnight. The protagonist is dazed and confused, and then they start to notice strange things around them. It gets the reader's heart racing immediately.
One way could be to describe an eerie setting. For example, 'The old, dilapidated house stood at the end of the overgrown lane, its broken windows like empty eye sockets staring into the darkness.'
One way is to start with a sense of mystery. For example, describe an unusual sound in the dead of night like 'A strange scratching echoed through the empty hallway, as if something unseen was clawing at the walls.' Another way could be to introduce a spooky setting immediately, such as 'The old, decrepit mansion loomed at the end of the overgrown path, its broken windows like soulless eyes.'
They're short and to the point. Just two lines can quickly set a spooky mood.
A two - line horror story is effective when it creates immediate fear. For example, 'The phone rang at midnight. It was my own voice on the other end.' This short scenario plays on our fear of the unknown and the uncanny. It gives just enough information to spark our imagination and make us feel uneasy.