The fact that the doll is in a chair adds to the horror. It gives the impression that it has been sitting there for a long time, perhaps waiting for something or someone. And when it moves, it's as if it's breaking free from that long - time stillness. For example, in some stories, the doll in the chair might start to rock back and forth, which is very creepy.
The unknown origin of the doll. When it's a moving doll in a chair in a horror story, often the doll has some sort of dark past. Maybe it was part of a strange ritual or belonged to a person with a very disturbing history. This mystery makes it scarier because we don't know what exactly caused it to be 'alive' and move in that chair.
Once, there was a doll in an old attic. It sat in a rickety chair. At night, people heard the chair creaking as if the doll was moving. They would see its eyes seemed to follow them. It was really spooky.
The appearance of the doll can be very scary. For example, a cracked porcelain face or dull, staring eyes. It gives an uncanny feeling.
The idea of them being possessed is a very scary element. It gives the sense that there's an evil or unknown force within the doll that can cause harm. Like in Annabelle's story, the doll was believed to be controlled by a malevolent spirit, which led to all sorts of spooky happenings.
In a particular real - life story, a collector of dolls bought a very rare and old doll. As soon as he brought it home, he started having nightmares. In his dreams, the doll was chasing him and trying to harm him. He noticed that the doll's expression seemed to change over time, becoming more menacing. He tried to sell the doll, but no one wanted it because they could also sense something off about it. Eventually, he had to contact an expert in haunted items to deal with the doll.
The idea that the voodoo doll can cause harm just by manipulating it is really scary. For example, if someone sticks a pin in the doll's leg and then the person it represents suddenly has pain in their leg, it's a very spooky concept.
Well, for me, the scariest element is when there's a sense of a malevolent presence around the rocking chair. It's not just a simple ghost story where the spirit is just there. When there's a feeling that the ghost in the rocking chair has a bad intention, like luring people in or causing harm. And often, the old and decrepit look of the rocking chair in a dark and isolated setting, like an abandoned house or a gloomy attic, also contributes to the overall scariness as it gives the impression of a place forgotten by time and filled with secrets.
The unknown is the scariest. In 'as is horror stories', things are often left in their natural state, so you don't really know what's lurking in the shadows or what's causing those strange noises. It's that sense of not having all the answers that makes it terrifying.
Isolation is also a key element. When characters are alone in a spooky place, like an abandoned asylum in one of the stories. They have no one to turn to, and that makes the situation even more terrifying as the horror unfolds around them.
The unknown is one of the scariest elements. When things are not clearly defined, like a strange figure in the fog in some stories from '1001 horror stories', it makes our imagination run wild. We start to create the most terrifying scenarios in our minds.
The scariest element could be the sense of the unknown. For example, in many stories, there are strange noises or happenings that the characters can't explain. It's that not - knowing what is causing the fear that really gets to you.