What are the most terrifying elements in real ghost stories?

Well, the sudden appearances of the ghosts can be really terrifying. Just when you think everything is normal, a ghost pops up out of nowhere.

A story from a small Alabama town involves an old, abandoned asylum. People who have dared to enter at night say they've heard the cries of patients who were once mistreated there. There are reports of seeing the faces of the tormented in the windows. It's so terrifying because it's a place where so much pain and suffering occurred, and it seems that the energy of those dark times still lingers.

A nurse in an old hospital claimed to have seen a patient's ghost. She was walking down a dimly lit corridor when she saw an old man in a hospital gown just standing there. But when she got closer, he vanished. What made it terrifying was that the description matched a patient who had died in that very corridor years ago. It gave her chills every time she had to pass through there.

There's a story where a police officer was investigating a series of break - ins in an old apartment building. While searching one of the apartments, he saw an apparition of an old man sitting in a chair. The old man stared at him with a sad look. The officer found out later that an old man had passed away in that apartment alone and unnoticed. It was as if the old man's spirit was still guarding the place. This was really terrifying because it was so unexpected and the look on the apparition's face was haunting.

The most terrifying element is often the unexpectedness. For example, when you hear a strange noise in an empty library or see a figure when you thought you were alone. It plays on our fear of the unknown.

One of the terrifying real ghost stories is the Bell Witch Haunting. It happened in Tennessee in the early 19th century. The Bell family was tormented by an unseen entity. There were strange noises, physical attacks on family members, and the entity would whisper and even sing. It was so bad that it became a well - known and feared case in American folklore.

The feeling of helplessness is also a major terrifying aspect. Take the Amityville Horror for example. The Lutz family couldn't do much to stop the strange things happening in their house. They tried to call in help, but it didn't seem to make a difference. They were at the mercy of whatever was haunting them.

In the Greyfriars Bobby story, the most terrifying element might be the dog's unwavering loyalty even in death. It gives a sense of something that can't be broken, not even by death. For the Mackenzie Poltergeist, it's the physical manifestations like being touched by an unseen force. It makes you feel vulnerable and at the mercy of the unknown.

The sudden appearance of apparitions is really terrifying. Just when you think you're alone, a ghostly figure pops up out of nowhere. It gives you no time to prepare, and your heart just jumps into your throat.

The glowing eyes are really terrifying. When a ghost dog has eyes that glow in the dark, it gives an otherworldly and menacing look, like it's staring right into your soul.