The scariest element could be the haunted artworks. Imagine a painting that seems to come alive at night, with the figures in it moving and staring at you. It gives a feeling of being watched by something otherworldly.
The idea of a cursed art tool. Suppose there is an old paintbrush in the CSUEB art department that was used by a deranged artist. Whenever someone touches it, they start to experience hallucinations of their worst fears, like being surrounded by grotesque artworks that seem to want to consume them. It combines the fear of the unknown with the creative and often mysterious world of art.
For me, it would be the old, abandoned parts of the art department. There could be hidden rooms or corridors where something sinister lurks. Maybe a ghost of an artist who was wronged in the past is still wandering there, full of anger and vengeance. This sense of the unknown in the familiar art department setting is really terrifying.
Once, in the CSUEB art department, a student stayed late to finish a painting. As the night grew darker, the lights started to flicker. Suddenly, she heard a strange scratching sound coming from the corner of the room. When she turned to look, she saw a shadowy figure that seemed to be moving towards her. She ran out of the room as fast as she could, leaving her painting unfinished.
For me, it's the feeling of being watched. In a graveyard, there are so many places for unseen eyes to lurk. Every rustle of the leaves, every creak of a branch could be a sign that something is observing you, and that's truly terrifying.
The scariest element could be the loss of control. Just like in the case where a person's long nails start to act on their own, moving without the person's will. It makes one feel powerless against this strange and unnatural phenomenon.
The change in their appearance. For example, if their cute yellow bodies turn into a sickly gray, and their big eyes become sunken and bloodshot. It's a huge contrast to their normal, adorable look, which makes it really terrifying.
The constantly changing shape. In a horror story, if the parallelogram keeps changing its angles and side lengths, it can create a sense of disorientation. For example, a character might think they are running in a straight line along one side, but suddenly the side shifts and they find themselves in a completely different and terrifying part of the parallelogram - like space.
The sudden contrast between the beauty of spring and the horror. For example, the bright flowers and sunshine being disrupted by a dark, menacing presence. It's like the idyllic spring setting is being corrupted.
The unknown. In Destiny, there are so many mysteries and uncharted areas. When you don't know what's lurking in the shadows or around the next corner, it's terrifying. It could be a new and powerful enemy that we've never seen before, or some strange force that defies all the rules we know about the game's universe.
The unknown source of the shedding. If you don't know what's causing it, like in a haunted house where the walls are shedding some strange substance, it creates a lot of fear because your mind starts imagining all sorts of terrifying things.
The sudden movement of the chopsticks on their own. It goes against the normal use of chopsticks and is very unexpected, like in a story where a person is calmly eating and then the chopsticks start wriggling in their hands.
The unknown ingredient. If there's something in the pozole that no one can identify, like a strange meat or an unrecognizable spice, it can be really terrifying. It makes people wonder what they're actually consuming.