His use of atmosphere. Mr. Nightmare is great at building a spooky atmosphere from the very start. He sets the mood with details like a howling wind outside a lonely house or a dimly lit corridor. Then he adds in the scary elements like strange sounds or apparitions, and by that time, you're already on edge.
The element of the unknown. In these stories, often things happen without explanation. For example, a shadow moving on its own. We don't know what it is or what it wants, and that scares us.
The use of suspense. The stories build up tension until you're on the edge of your seat waiting for something bad to happen. For instance, a story might start with a normal day in someone's life and then slowly introduce strange events like objects moving on their own. This gradual build - up is what makes it so scary.
His stealth. He can come when you least expect it, right as you're about to fall asleep. You're in a vulnerable state, and he takes advantage of that.
Maybe it's Mr. Sullivan's appearance. If he has a menacing look, like sunken eyes and a gaunt face, that can be scary.
In Mr. Mays' scary story, perhaps it's the sense of isolation. If he is alone in a situation, like being in a big, empty mansion all by himself, that can heighten the fear. He has no one to turn to, and every little noise or movement could be a potential threat. Also, if there are elements of the supernatural, like ghosts or demons, that's always a classic way to make a story frightening as it goes against our understanding of the natural world.
The unknown elements in 21 scary stories often make them frightening. When we don't know what's lurking in the dark or what will happen next, it creates fear.
Often, it's the combination of elements. It could be the setting, like a dark and isolated place in the stories. And the characters' vulnerability. If the main character in one of the 7 stories is all alone in a spooky old mansion with no way to escape, that's pretty frightening. Also, the use of suspense, like when the story builds up to a big scare moment but keeps you in suspense for a while.
The element of the unknown. In these stories, things happen that can't be easily explained. It's like a strange noise in the middle of the night with no obvious source. That makes our minds race with all kinds of scary possibilities.
The element of the unknown. For example, when there are strange noises in a story but no clear explanation of what's causing them. It makes the reader's imagination run wild, which is a big part of what makes it scary.
The way they play on our fears. A lot of the stories in '50 scary stories' involve common fears such as the fear of the dark, being alone, or something evil lurking just out of sight. They build up the tension slowly, making you feel more and more on edge until the big scare comes. For instance, there are stories where a character is home alone at night and starts to notice small, unexplainable things happening around them, like doors opening slightly by themselves. This gradually makes the reader or listener feel very uneasy. Another aspect is the use of vivid descriptions. When the author describes a spooky location, like a decrepit old cemetery with broken tombstones and mist swirling around, it really sets the mood and makes it scarier.